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Girls grow up thinking that pregnancy is going to be one of the biggest highpoints in their lives. The reality, however, can be quite different. Weird body changes. One Google search after another. Yes, bringing a baby into this world is really darn cool, but the experience is full of surprises too.
Earlier this month, Reddit user u/BonkBoi_TacoFace submitted a question to r/AskReddit: "Pregnant women of Reddit, what is something you wish you knew before you got pregnant?" And their call was heard. Women immediately started sending in their answers, and as of today, the post has over 14,700 comments, many of which provide eye-opening insights into gestation.
Bored Panda also spoke with Vicki Broadbent, a writer, director, broadcaster, and founder of the parenting blog Honest Mum, to learn more about pregnancy and the challenges that come with it.
"The pressures on pregnant women and mothers is utterly palpable so please be kind to yourself," Broadbent, who also shares parenting advice and candid family moments on her Instagram account, said.
Continue scrolling and check out the full interview in between the entries!
Image credits: Vicki Broadbent / Honest Mum
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Nobody talks enough about how difficult breastfeeding is. You’re told it’s the “best” for the baby but then people assume it’s always a choice when it doesn’t work out. It’s not as if baby or mother automatically know how to latch and it can cause so much stress, which affects milk supply as well. There are physiological things with baby and mom that can make it difficult... and it can be extremely painful. I bled and my first even gnawed off a piece of my nipple. It was more traumatic than childbirth for me but I felt guilty about quitting. Advice to my younger self or new moms: breast is not best, FED is best. Don’t beat yourself up and switch to formula if breastfeeding is too difficult.
Irina Deneva-Slav 4 years ago
That's what propaganda does to you, even if it's for something as positive as breastfeeding. A girl in my hospital room was so stressed out because her baby didn't latch immediately, she cried for hours and by the time they got to go home she was a nervous wreck. Nothing should be done at all costs, even if it's "best for the baby". Fed is indeed best, not breastfed.
Dippin Dot 4 years ago
I had made the decision to try to breastfeed in the hospital out of pressure from the staff. I couldn't produce enough and decided to supplement with formula. After 3 weeks I completely dried up. They were some of the most stressful weeks of my life and I have no respect for the women who shame for formula feeding.
Bunny Wood 4 years ago
Agreed, we bottle fed our daughter and the staff at tje hospital were pretty shitty about it. At one point i had to step in and fairly bluntly tell two of the nursing staff to piss off.
LOttawa 4 years ago
Wow, hospital staff should never be shitty about that, it's doesn't affect them in any way. When I gave birth they asked: bottle or breastfed, I said bottle, they said: here you go and gave me a bunch of bottles with different nipples to see which one she'd like best.
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Kalpana M 4 years ago
Breastfeeding is good for the baby yes - but doesn't mean every mother has 100% success. It's okay if breastfeeding isn't working out. Babies have options now - packet milk, formula food etc. Already a new mother faces so much, just don't add more pressure 🤦♀️
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
I HATED breastfeeding. I tried for 3-5 months (can’t remember which). Anyway I was literally feeding my daughter for an hour at a time, half hour after every feed. It was exhausting and my daughter was slowly losing weight. Finally get told that I am not producing enough milk by the health nurse. Put her on formula and never looked back. When I had my son I was going to attempt to feed, especially the colostrum but I tried feeding him once and that was it. It was excruciatingly painful, so he was straight onto formula.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago (edited)
My son staved in hospital, I was in a week and after a blood transfusion I had no milk, even though I kept telling them he wasn't feeding they gave me no bottle for him. They just kept sending random strwto squeeze my boobs.
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
What often is not discussed is that nursing your child is best for you. Your cholesterol goes sky high during pregnancy, breastfeeding lowers those fats in your bloodstream rapidly and well (does not help you loose weight tho, sorry). There is a lot of evidence that nursing your child really helps the mom biologically for the long term. Just a thought.
ChickyChicky 4 years ago
Cool, but not everyone chooses it so don't be preachy. (And yes I BF'd my kids.)
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Flopsy 4 years ago
The problem is that women are expected to be able to breastfeed without being given the proper support. Oftentimes hospitals offer bottles, pacifiers, breastfeeding schedules, but very little guidance on how to help the baby latch, recognize and respond to sign of hunger, safe bed sharing, getting (and recognizing when you need) psychological support etc.
ChickyChicky 4 years ago
And if you live in the USA you might not get enough leave from work to spend the time to breastfeed.
Load More Replies..."I'd personally hoped for the best but planned for the worst with my pregnancies, as I needed an emergency section with my first baby which was a world apart from the water birth I'd dreamed of," the author of The Working Mom: Your Guide to Surviving and Thriving at Work and at Home told Bored Panda.
"Now that I practice meditation, I know I would have leaned on that throughout my pregnancies and beyond to help center and soothe me. Free apps such as Insight Timer are perfect as they have over 80,000 free meditation exercises available, some only a few minutes long."
RELATED:
#2
That no matter how much you planned and wanted your baby, postpartum depression can happen to you and it is very, very real.
It is not something you can control. Hormones are liars. Partners of new moms, please pay close attention. Get help. Do not try to tough it out.
로희 4 years ago
I always wonder if women with mental health issue are more likely to experience postpartum depression (and whether it can get more intense). I have bipolar type 2 disorder but would love to have a child someday.
AY1984 4 years ago
Yes! I have a history of depression and anxiety. When I was pregnant with both of my kids my doctors were on high alert and required my husband come with me for check ups so they could ask him if he noticed signs after both of my boys were born. I was fine with my youngest but a mess after my oldest and needed the help.
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Leah Reid 4 years ago
Ugh. PPD is a real Bitch!! It took me almost 3 years to climb out of that abyss of numbness and sadness and self destructiveness. And when I did feel relief... I felt like I'd missed so much of my baby's life, that he was a kid now.. not baby or toddler. But I wouldn't change it, the outcome. It was a hard battle but my son is my everything. He is such an amazing li'l dude.
Brenda Spagnola 3 years ago
I was a psychology major and I STILL convinced myself that it was just "baby blues" after #2. Had no problems with #1, so.... 18 months later I had a freaking breakdown. Because I didn't take care of myself earlier, I ended up with clinical depression &was on medication for 4.5 years. I still struggle with it 21 years later. It's real! Ask for help, even if you're not sure. I KNEW and I still didn't want to believe it. And NEVER, NEVER, NEVER put down or belittle or ostracize anyone dealing with it. It's hard to admit you can't handle everything yourself or there are things going on in your brain/body that you can't control. Just admitting you need help makes far stronger than you'll ever realize
Sharon Jackson 3 years ago
I can remember sitting there with my new baby thinking, "I am sure glad I don't have post partum depression. But what if somebody ran in here and grabbed her out of my arms and threw her against the wall??? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" So, yes, it is real.
Pamela Scott 4 years ago
Wish they would explain that there is another issue that can happen. I went through baby blues as my hormones started to change. My nurse sister in law who was a huge pain convinced my husband that I had to be forced to go to a doctor immediately because I had postpartum and would for certain end up hurting myself and the baby if he didn't force me to go. The doctor cut him off as he started rattling off the stupidity his sister had filled his head with and let him know it was to early for postpartum to be kicking in. I did need a bit of medication and a bit of sleep and if a few days I was fine. Of course my In Laws were looking at me funny because even though Hubby explained all the things his sister was wrong about they still believed her because you know she was a nurse. Of course she never worked anywhere near women or children.
M Kate McCulloch 4 years ago
When it hit me after my first I got the best advice to put things in perspective: Focus on the next feeding, the next diaper change, the next moment. Forget about where the kid will go to pre-school or college, forget about them making friends, or how the family will deal with it - forget all of it and stay in the moment. When you forget - just get right back to, "What is the very next thing I need to do, right now." and let the rest go. Eventually, you'll be able to plan, but if it's overwhelming - just don't.
A quick Google search would reveal there's plenty of information on pregnancy. Maybe too much. Not to some media 'filters', set in place to make this content appealing to a wider audience. Navigating such mazes can become really tricky. "I think parents and parents-to-be are discussing pregnancy more candidly than ever now thanks to social media but there are still barriers to information and education depending on where you live in the world and how much access you have to medical professionals," Broadbent said.
#3
You do not have to enjoy EVERY minute of parenthood. It's ok to have bad days and days when you think your kids are jerks. You're not f**king this up - it's just THAT hard.
Bunny Lady 4 years ago
That's exactly what I told all my kids when pregnant with their first. There will be days when you wonder why on earth you wanted to be a mum in the first place. Even days when you will regret it and hanker after the easier, free days before parenthood. Just accept this will happen. Ride it through because these feeling won't last (although they may happen again), and accept it's only human to feel this way.
Shinomi Chan 4 years ago
Seriously. It is HARD. and that is fine. You're raising another human being. And let's be real, all kids are assholes at some point. Teenagers. Woof. You can't even with them.
#4
Do. Not. Join. An. On-line. Mom. Group.
No.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
I am on two Facebook mum groups and they are actually very supportive. Rude and nasty comments are deleted and the person banned. They are quite regulated.
Lizz Lor 4 years ago
But who decides what is rude...one mother could post something that seems positive but is propaganda or bad medical advice and someone else calls them out for that... Toxic positivity exists, too 🤷♀️
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panda_legerdemain 4 years ago
It depends on the group admin. I am on two groups and none allow anything other than genuine questions and answers
NMN 4 years ago
It's just mainly useless, if still pregnant, in the beginning 80% will be related to miscarriage or afraid or some are not even pregnant asking if they could be (what the hec are you doing in the group lady?). Then it becomes 80% "GuES tHe gEnDEr" along with ppl using bullcrap predictions and "I can feel it is a boy/girl". Then the bullcrap continues, but mostly just useless and annoying, but generally not very harmful
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
Or any mums group with people who don't know you, you will feel permanently judged and feel like your doing a bad job. No one has it perfect, it's all a front, every one wants to be the perfect and best parent. Believe me, if your child is safe, fed clean and goes to bed with no missing body parts... Your winning x
Brenda Spagnola 3 years ago
I was a moderator for a parenting group (21 years ago when #2 was born). It was a lifesaver! And all these years later, almost 40 of us are still connected! One of my "sisters " even came to see me during chemo - from Canada!
The Honest Mum, for example, had suffered from a pregnancy liver condition called ICP in 2010 which some studies have shown can result in stillbirth, and struggled to find enough information about it at the time. "Research was limited and I received opposing information from health professionals. Very few were openly discussing PND and birth trauma a decade ago, (I suffered from the latter) either in parenting groups or online (for fear of failure as a parent and perhaps fear their baby might be taken from them)."
#5
Miscarriage is ridiculously common.
I say this as someone currently carrying a dead baby waiting for the NHS to give me a surgical removal.
Dill 4 years ago
My mother and a friend had miscarriages - both were told it's just one of those things and not to worry. No-one seemed to see it as a failure or shameful. My friend wanted to be left alone so she asked me to let our mutual friends know. That was just wanting time to grieve, not a sense of shame.
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I want cake 4 years ago
I think it's something like 25% of pregnancies that don't go to term, and yet we as a society still act like it's a personal failing and something shameful.
Ren Karlej 4 years ago
Maybe I've just come across people who were lucky but none of them were shamed or felt it was a personal failing. They were all told that these things happen, not to worry and to try again. I don't know why anyone would see it as shameful. I do wonder if some see it as that because many parents want to keep it private. That's not shame, that's wanting to grieve without having to explain to a load of others what they're going through because people can accidentally be insensitive while trying hard to help.
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miss demeanour 4 years ago
Yup... Was totally caught off guard with this one. And there's pretty much nothing you or the doctors can do about it. And you're lucky if your body cleans itself, because surgery and drugs can be really painful and sometimes have consequences. You only find out how common it is when you go through it.
Lj 4 years ago
Once I had mine and opened up about it, I was surprised of how many other friends and family shared that they'd had one (or several) too.
Vicky Zar 4 years ago
It is even quite common late in the pregnancy. I lost my first at 38 weeks of pregnancy (thats about 2 weeks before the due date, for those who do not know)
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
Oh Vicky, I'm so sorry to hear that. Hope you are okay. That sounds trite, but I don't mean it to be.
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Franc Esca 4 years ago
They at extremely common, often Times to women who didn't even know they were pregnant
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
I'm lucky not to have personally gone through this, but have had a friend who had to give birth to a miscarriaged baby girl as it was so far into her pregnancy.
BonnieBlueButler 4 years ago
My mom was pregnant with twins...my sister and my brother. My folks had agreed to two children. She lost him in an ectopic pregnancy (almost killed her). So , they went on to baby number two. Me.
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
So sad to hear that she lost your brother, but glad to hear that you're here!
Load More Replies... #6
Having a baby CAN destroy your body for many women. Forget the “women have been doing this for generations” bulls**t, which I think can dismiss the very real toll that pregnancy/childbirth can have on a body. Many women suffer long term incontinence after birth, much of the time this can be improved with therapy but maybe never fully healed—and some women it never heals for. Your stomach will never look the same. I had a small waist and flat stomach before kids and now I have an unbelievable fat sack on my stomach and so many deep red stretch marks that haven’t faded. I gained a lot of weight despite not eating much due to bad food aversions. I’m leaking poop after giving birth due to a third degree tear and pelvic floor issues, and I’m told that there’s a high chance that future pregnancies and births will only exacerbate my issue, especially if it doesn’t improve soon. And I’m a first time mom and only 27!! WTF!! I don’t hate my new baby, but I certainly don’t know if I would say it’s “worth it,” considering my body feels ravaged and will never be the same. I basically lost 9 months of my life due to being very sick most of my pregnancy, and now will lose many more months due to a difficult recovery.
Theoretical Empiricist 4 years ago
RE: “women have been doing this for generations” bulls**t: yes, and they've been dying in childbirth for generations, too.
Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago
There should be more messaging about this and less glamorizing. They bill it as support / acceptance, and don’t admit that these changes are things most people wouldn’t want and have the right to know about! Sure your body is still beautiful but maybe you don’t want it to look that way and didn’t know this could happen.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
So true, I'm glad I had my son but I didn't know I would trigger a barrage of health conditions that were apparently dormant, and now my biggest hope is surviving til he's an adult, and if I'm super super lucky, meeting a grandchild.
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Colleen Garland 4 years ago
Ladies, I'm 70 and still waiting for my stomach to bounce back. But then I had twins who were 6-11 and 9-4.
Jumilicious 4 years ago
It does and it WILL get better. You sound very hurt, not only physically, and I hope you can get some help.
Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago
But saying things like this can lead people to go into pregnancy not knowing that it actually might not get better. Or it might be too bad for too long for a woman to want to do it, even if it does get better. People have a right to know.
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Stormy 3 years ago (edited)
Thank you for being frank! Most mothers are embarrassed to speak about any post-birth complications. Too many women hide the post-birth issues. because no one ever talks about it. Women know there will pain during labor and birth, but too many mothers are told that holding your baby cures all pain and even later experiences. Thank you for sharing! Many more women experience similar consequences that no one talks about. It’s awful that so many women feel so alone after a regular birth since we are taught not to talk about such things. Sending you love!
May 4 years ago
I've never wanted kids myself, but where is everyone getting all this 'birth is natural and wondrous' and 'motherhood is amazing' stuff from? All I ever hear from people with kids is birthing horror stories - so many women and/or babies almost died or had some sort of permanent damage - and how hard and exhausting parenting is.
BananaAnna 4 years ago
My heart aches for you. Most of us just get hemorrhoids. It is not a requirement as a woman to have more than one child. Listen to your own reasoning.
Lola 4 years ago
It does on number on you. Apparently, humans have not developed much in the sense of child birth compared to animals who can just have an offspring on their own without help. For some reason, women’s pelvises, have not developed accordingly. Women still die from childbirth because of how hard it is. Read about it if you get a chance. I found it very interesting.
Broadbent is happy that when blogging and social media really exploded, many writers such as herself found the courage to share their own experiences. "My piece on birth trauma has helped many women and many other similar pieces online are helping parents to feel less alone, and vitally able to reach the help they need to heal," she said.
#7
Miscarriages are not spoken about enough. No-one tells you how much it's going to hurt nor how long your hormones will take ages to go back to 'normal' and how much it affects your mental health.
Anne 4 years ago
It's horrible.. especially when they happen after each other. And the only doc comment you get is.. it's nature, you are fine, it's just nature telling you this one was not developing well.. And other people say that too. And it's true. But you loved that speck of human and you have nowhere to go with that love.
Mean Red B 3 years ago
Doc saying "its nature" is a way to convince you, that it is not your fault. Because it isn't though you feel like it is. At some point you believe that and then you start to heal. Been there. Almost a year on antidepressants after it happened. It was three years ago and still saddens me, but doesn't hurt that much any more.
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White Paper Tsuru 4 years ago
Then there's the acceptable time limit of how long your mental health is allowed to be questionable following a miscarriage. You're expected to be back to normal after so long.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Three times. And after that, I just said, "No. I can't do it. I won't make it." And people called me selfish. (My husband didn't.)
#8
How difficult it is to raise a teenager.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
So not looking forward to this, I remember me as a teen. My parents are saints, honestly it's a miracle I'm still here.
Phoenix 4 years ago (edited)
I think the whole “teens are the worst” is kinda put out of proportion. It sucks for the teen too, as someone who’s gone through that, I did stuff I regret. But people often invalidate how an adolescent is feeling because they think it’s just a “phase” or the hormones acting up. Everyone went through puberty, and I’m sure everyone hated it and looks back on it as a dumb period, but it’s also when most people find out who they are because they change so much during that time, half the time they feel that they don’t know who they are. Then again there are exception, and some teens are just assholes, but same goes for adults and even tiny kids.
sylvantic 4 years ago
teenager here. yeah its gonna suck but at least we're mostly self-sufficient.
VolkswagenPanda 4 years ago
Teen here. Just treat us like human beings and we'll be fine, gosh.
あんぱんまん 4 years ago
teenagers just go through stuff.... either leave them be to find their path and help them at some points or just get all in their lives... the second one would make them rebellious in my op tho....
Petra, princess of Brigid 4 years ago
I needed to hear this, my parents don't understand, and if I have one missing assignment, they go off on me and I get grounded.
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Going through this now and I have only started my third year. SEND HELP.
Hazel Waring 4 years ago
From your comments you've always seemed a balanced, considerate and caring person. Whilst your teen(s) is chemically incapable of being balanced you seem like the sort of person who'll be their rock, even if they only see it and appreciate it after they grow up xx
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Annabell 4 years ago
As a mother of a 1 year old and a 5 year old, I can hardly wait for them to become more independent. It's just so exhausting to be the Entertainer 24/7 in this damn lockdown that I imagine it to be heavenly to have an older child who lets you sleep at night and go to the toilet alone.. taking a shower without opening the shower doors... paradise.
BananaAnna 4 years ago
Rule of teenagers: you will get back twice what you dished out to your parents (per my mother).
Ana Fuentes 4 years ago
Going through it right now and oh!! How I want my little babies back!!! Not this growling, eye rolling things!!!!
One study confirmed that pregnant women and those with young children place a high value on the information and support they receive from using online sources and apps. "They are accustomed to ready and immediate access to information using digital technologies and want better access to that offered by professionals," professor Deborah Lupton, the author of the research, concluded, adding that recognizing and finding ways to meet these needs should be included in planning healthcare provision and support for soon-to-be-parents.
#9
You stop being able to sleep way before the baby gets here.
Everyone loves to tell me to 'sleep now while I can' but pregnancy leads to unexplained insomnia and I’m a total wreck already.
Heather W 4 years ago
My child took my sleep time as practice for standing up. No joke. I could even feel where her feet were when she did it. She had head control and pushed herself into standing position 1st day when Nana was holding her. Scared the nurse, which I found hilarious. She kept saying "She shouldn't be able to do that!" I just said to tell her that.
Memere 4 years ago
My son would get his feet on one of my hip bones & stretch diagonally up to my liver! There was no way I could arch my back enough to give him more room!
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Catlady6000 4 years ago
This is when I began the habit of extra pillows. The only way I could sleep was on my right side, left knee bent and on a pillow, another pillow along my back. One of the lady's at the Dr, who was on her fourth, told me about this, and that she had to position the pillows differently with each pregnancy because she carried each kid differently
Lj 4 years ago
I couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep from the second month of pregnancy, so I was sleep deprived although I was extremely tired. But I always took some time to find that perfect position, even before that. Maybe having some collagen/flexibility issues had a finger in that.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I still sleep with pillows in creative places 34 years after giving birth. A lot of pain/flexibility issues. The pillows can really make a difference in sleeping or not, and each night they have to go in different places :/
Load More Replies... BananaAnna 4 years ago
Hey, no one mentions how hard it is to sleep with a bowling ball hidden in your innards. Still, remember my husband telling me to roll over, the baby was kicking him and keeping him awake. Sure enough, cause mommy doesn't feel the "little baby kicks" since the little darling is on the inside of me. And wasn't I finally sleeping when you woke me up?
Shinomi Chan 4 years ago
Giiirl. I ain't even pregnant and have sleep problems. I can only IMAGINE.
Robyn Miller 4 years ago
Not to mention that by the time you're in the final month or so, just rolling over is a major production. And in order to be even remotely comfortable you have to surround yourself with a giant U shaped pillow.
#10
No one ever told me about the 'third delivery,' aka your first poop.
The first delivery is the baby, second is the placenta, and the third is the poop. I was struggling for so long to poop.
Tara Brooks 4 years ago
Anything to do with post birth is “suspiciously” never talked about because it’s the third circle of hell
Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago
Does the first poop hurt or are you just constipated or what? Sorry if TMI I’m just curious about what happens.
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BananaAnna 4 years ago
Never heard it called the "third delivery" before. However, I do remember being told I had to have a BM before I could go home. Having delivered almost 9 pounds of a baby this became a monumental task. BEST ADVICE FOR NEW MOMS: ask for prune juice and lots of fruit.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
The dreaded first poop. I felt the same about the first pee also, that stung.
Lila Launehase 4 years ago
I was afraid of it, too. Hint: If you wait until you really have to go, you barely have to push. Just relax and let go.
TinaSomewhere 4 years ago
Sorry, but that is not true for every woman. I never had trouble pooping postpartum.
Caffeine72 4 years ago
For baby showers I always get my friends Sitz Baths (basically a portable bidet). Every single one has thanked me profusely after they have the kid.
Lynn Morello 4 years ago
Not true. First delivery has often been the poop, I remember my Dr calling out to the nurses, "Not my shoes." as my delivery splattered all over them.
But this topic is relevant nowadays too. "Being pregnant during this crisis, however, has meant women are experiencing scans, losses, labor, and early parenthood in scenarios they would never have imagined. It has been an isolating, difficult time for most," Broadbent said.
So what to do? Broadbent suggests that parents trust their gut. According to her, no one knows a mother's body or her baby as well as she does, so if you have any concerns, act on those. "I've never been wrong about any cause for concern with my own kids, now aged 8 and 11. I feel I have a special connection/maternal superpower when it comes to my children and many other mums say the same," she explained.
"I've been known to wake from a deep sleep with the urge to check on my sleeping child in the other room, only to discover he is unwell or has a fever. Learn to trust yourself."
#11
Lochia, it’s basically the biggest “period” ever as your body expels the leftovers from carrying a baby, and it can go on for weeks. I will never forget being told that I might pass clots as big as a tennis ball and that was normal. So gross.
Also, babies in the womb can have hiccups. Hiccups are weird enough when they’re your own, it’s bizarre to feel someone else’s.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
At least you got told about the clots. I didn’t and when I produced a golf ball sized one, I freaked out and immediately called the hospital.
Ziva Kravdahl 4 years ago
Me too, nobody told me! I called few times cuz I could not belive it's normal.
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Catlady6000 4 years ago
My body did not do this, and no one told me about it, so six weeks later, I've got the horrific smell. I go to the health dept, where I usually see a woman. Of course this time in walks a Greek God and I'm having to tell him my stuff stinks. Immediate red face and idiot grin. At least it was an easy fix
Beth Gietl 1 year ago
My daughter had hiccups most of the time I carried her. Would wake me up in the night with her hiccuping. I was too old (41) to be having a baby. Clots were horrible and my "period" last for 8 weeks. All my OB/Gyn wanted to do was get the pap smear done and I couldn't get an explanation about why I even needed that if I had just had a baby.
Annamay 4 years ago
Back in the old days, we were never told anything! There are so many things that can occur. Most times not much fun. But moving babies can be fun! Once I dropped a pot which clanged so loud on the floor that my baby jumped with surprise. It felt exactly how it looks when startled by a loud noise.
#12
For some people, labor doesn't start with water breaking and 30 minutes later there's a baby. My water broke and 29 hours later the baby decided to show up.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
That was me too, my labour started at 9.30 am, waters broke at around 10pm, my baby eventually cut out at 11:30 pm the next day. Sounds horrible but I would do again it twice over for my baby.
Sofie 4 years ago
My water didn't break, they broke it for me at the hospital. It just began with contractions. I want to tell my younger self that you won't even care or feel embarrassed about what happens in the delivery room. I used to be a bit prude and very shy about my body, but all that went out the window once my baby wanted out. So glad that happened, so I could just quit worrying and get to work.
Marilyn Ransberry 4 years ago
On the other hand having your water break and going into labour quickly is hard as your body isn’t ready yet.
Nika Strokappe 1 year ago
For all 3 of mine the water broke when they came out. My third had the longest period of labor with contractions starting then completely stopping, starting again, stopping followed by a very very slow progression towards them being 5 min apart, then 2 of 3 min apart and 5 min later she was there. The second one was basically by the book, apart from her still being high up in my belly and hardly any dilation, but the contractions followed the expected curve. So basically there is no telling how it will go
Freya Fluharty 3 years ago
I had an emergency caesarean. It hurt (epidural didn't work). Initially I was placed in a room on my own and could hear women in labour. Decided I probably had the easier option.
Mean Red B 3 years ago
My waters didn't broke, they were leaking, drop by drop for like 12 hours, after that they induced the birth. After another 12 hours of trying to give birth, I got an emergency c-section. All possible forms of giving birth in one lol
Trizia Norris 3 years ago
3 days in labour, no painkillers despite begging for them, ended up with PTSD and post-partum psychosis. 36 years on and I still have problems coping with her birthday.
#13
That everyone has an opinion on what you do whilst pregnant and how you want to raise your child.
Sofie 4 years ago
Yeah, you get blamed for it all. It's all your own fault no matter the issue. And people can come up with so, so many things and try to force it on you. I'm pregnant and have an exemple for earlier in my pregnancy. I felt so nauseous that I absolutely had to stay home for a week before getting medication for it (glad it was treatable for me). Well before I had to stay home for that week, I told a colleague at work about the problem, I was feeling very sick. In case I suddenly had to runt to the bathroom. I couldn't stand many smells. She told me to walk around sucking on a clove of garlic always then nausea will disappear. I understand people mean well with their remedies, but many times it just leads to unneccissary (sorry, english is second language if I spelt that wrong) suffering. Sometimes you just need to see your doctor and get proper treatment. I avoid medication if I can, but I'm not gonna feel horrible if I can treat it, that's dumb.
Tina Harbour 4 years ago
How about how everyone, including complete strangers think its fine to touch your belly?! It's not ok when you're NOT pregnant, what makes it ok when you ARE?!?
Shinomi Chan 4 years ago
Yep. This is definitely just plain rude. Everyone is different. Ergo, everyone raises their kids differently, and obviously try their best.
May 4 years ago
I don't have kids, so I find the debates on how to raise kids mostly entertaining, but so many people think that the are the oracle on how to do everything related to children, just because they've raised one (or in the case of some boomer men - lived in the same house as one) Their way is the ONLY right way to do things, and if you do something different, you're not fit to be a parent, and your children should be taken away. It's crazy.
#14
You can mess with them in utero.
When I was close to the end of both of my pregnancies one of my favorite things to do was, when he would push up against my rib cage I would pound back a glass of ice water or eat a bowl of ice cream and as soon as that coldness hit my stomach he would back down. Also, my first liked to push his butt up against the front wall of my stomach pretty hard, so that there was a tiny little bump that you couldn't see but I could feel, so I could sort of grab it and shake it around a little bit.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
haha my son would push so hard I could see his toes, so I'd tickle them.
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
We used that to tickle #3 into head down position after he was looking like he needed a c-section to come out. Did not like that tickle at all so we chased him around my belly..
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I loved doing this. You can move them around, soothe them when they're being over active, they'll learn to respond to your voice. I could tell my daughter was paying attention when I read to her, she had a favorite position she would always get into.
Beth Arriaga 4 years ago
If you shine a flashlight up against your skin, right where you can feel their heads ramming into your rib or your side, they will turn over in utero and you look like you've been possessed by a demon. Husband literally jumped out of the bed when I did this. After that, he would beg me to 'do the thing' so he could watch the show. (No it doesn't hurt the baby and the doctor actually told me to get mine moving so he would go head down at the end of my pregnancy)
Soleil SanMao 3 years ago
I was in the Target store and bent over to get something. I guess, I was squeezing the baby because his foot went right to my ribs, as if he was pushing back, lol. Well, that big foot hurt. I gasped from the pain. This guy was about to come into my aisle but changed his mind. I rubbed it and pushed it but it did not move until I delivered him.
Mary Ballard-Johansson 4 years ago
My husband blew raspberries on my stomach, and our daughter would try to get as far away as possible (in the cramped space). She stuck her foot out so far we could see the shape of it!
#15
Baby kicks don’t feel like butterflies. They feel like something crawled across your skin quickly but from the inside.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
I loved the feel of the kicking. It definitely doesn’t feel like butterflies, it is really hard to explain the feeling. Maybe a tummy rumble cross butterflies cross muscle spasm.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I used to play with my goldfish when I was a kid. To me she felt like when my fish moved up against my hand
Load More Replies... AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
I LOVED this feeling, it was so awesome, unless they hit a nerve, then it was weird.
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
So at quickening, the earliest time, when the fetus is quite small, it does feel like a weird extra sensation. Later there is something really moving a ton and for me it felt like a weight lifter pushing out, but the earliest is like butterfly wings.
Nika Strokappe 1 year ago
Yes, at least later in the pregnancy. At first (16-20 weeks or so) for me it was more like butterflies
#16
How hard it can be to get and stay pregnant. Everyone imagines it will happen easily and quickly and, unfortunately, it's not the case for so many women.
And for women who've dealt with infertility or loss, how much anxiety you'll have throughout the pregnancy.
Franc Esca 4 years ago
And it's always assumed the issue lies with the woman's body, not the man's sperm
Lola 4 years ago
Infertility sucks!!! The disappointment you go through month after month just kills you. I hate it when people tell me to just relax and it will happen when I least expect it. That makes me feel like it’s my fault that I’m not getting pregnant, and if I did things differently, it will just magically happen. The worst is, “don’t stress about it, because stress will keep you from getting pregnant.” Yes, thank you, but it’s a bit hard not to when it’s been years and it still hasn’t happened.
I’m A Black Cat 4 years ago
Hey Lola, I know the feeling! Fingers crossed for you! Don't listen to toxic positivists and keep going! It will happen for you, believe me!
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Jo Johannsen 4 years ago
I can only imagine that being told "it's for the best" is like a slap in the face.
Annie Badgley 4 years ago
And to that point -- it doesn't matter when you lose your pregnancy: a loss is a loss is a loss. And take a long as you need to grieve that loss.
Bonni Poch 3 years ago
Went through both infertility and miscarriage. Now, at 52 with no kids, it's all good. My 30s though, were so tough with all of my friends and family having kids.
Denise Morley 4 years ago
The sad thing is that a huge factor is how polluted our bodies are..
#17
From my mom: I paralyzed her from the waist down for a few hours because I decided to take a nap on her spinal cord in the third trimester. The doctor's response was "yeah you'll be able to move again once they wake up." Pregnancy is pure body horror.
OpalTheRainwing 4 years ago (edited)
Oof I can’t imagine being paralyzed and knowing it’s was because of my baby I would will for it to wake up Asap
Tina Harbour 4 years ago
The epidural was scary as hell...you're contracting,laying on your side curled up to make your back "taut" for the needle to go into your spinal fluid,and the doc says," please be perfectly still,if the needle hits the wrong place,you could be paralyzed"😳😳😳(as another contraction comes on)
Karen Violette Cubbison 4 years ago
I remember crawling to the phone to call my husband at work. Oh boy, not fun.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I learned to move my baby around, although getting her off my back was difficult because it was hard to get to the lump that was she. Basically, gently but firmly push the baby lump in the direction you want her to go, almost like firm massage. I discovered this in desperation when she kept lying on my bladder
alwaysMispelled 4 years ago
Yeah, so I'd say have someone help you move so the baby can move somewhere else because that just sounds dangerous.
#18
That not all gynecologists are competent. And if you have a feeling yours isn't, find a new one.
Mine was very personable, did my d&c for my miscarriage before my first born, didn't really give me any red flags until after I was pregnant again.
Long story short, he forgot (I guess?) to have me tested for gestational diabetes, and I had it. There were OBVIOUS signs that he didn't catch, that I didn't even know were signs until my new doctor told me. My son ended up having to be in NICU for 3 days after he was born because he couldn't regulate his own blood sugar.
Every doctor and nurse I talked to along the way was appalled I hadn't gotten tested. He also didn't catch that I was anemic the whole pregnancy either.
Thank God we're all healthy and happy now but looking back I should've changed doctors
River Webb 4 years ago
that guy should've been fired, if he's that incompetent who knows what will happen next time
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
Okay that is a horror story, I am glad it turned out okay in the end but damn.
Sofie 4 years ago
Second pregnancy right now. My new doctor wondered if I knew I had preeclampsia in my last pregnancy, but I didn't. The new doctor said that all the test results in my journal said I had but the old doctor never realized what was actually wrong. This pregnancy I am being monitored closely and take medication to make my blood thinner. So thankful me and my son made it last time.
Sara 4 years ago
I had gestational diabetes too, which was quickly found, diagnosed and verified by my midwife in Sweden. Unfortunately I was more sensitive than the average person, so the recommended food to eat didn't give me better blood sugar. So even though my midwife sent me to several nutritionists (one usually gets help within a few days), I did not get help because of the corona virus - the nutritionists got sick. Six weeks later my daughter was born and we had to stay 2 days at NICU. One week after birth I got help, for future pregnancies and to minimize my future risk of diabetes type 2. But at least my midwife was very competent, and I was only hindered by a global pandemic... ;)
Catlady6000 4 years ago
Yes we do have them. And some are just this incompetent. The title does not guarantee competency
Load More Replies... #19
Your body does not magically go back to normal once the baby is out. You have weeks of healing.
You either had your vagina rip or your stomach cut open, your boobs are still on baby mode, and you have a whole new set of problems now. Pooping will be terrifying and depression risks are higher.
ComfyPanda 4 years ago
I'm the lucky one who ripped from hole to hole. Doc didn't even have time to do the episiotomy!!!! Thanks to my son and his wide ass shoulders lol!!!!!!
Nika Strokappe 1 year ago
Nothing prepared me for the amount of blood you lose in the days after. I knew there would be blood, but not the "up to 2 fist size blood cloths per hour of total fine". The first couple of days, each time you stand up there will be a small waterfall, yuck 🤮
Mary Hurst 4 years ago
All true. And women with jobs are expected to return to work and carry on after 6 weeks + take care of another human. Barbaric!
Laura Stenger 4 years ago
On that lovely note, gotta go. Not that way but have to get up off my a** and be productive
Laura Stenger 4 years ago
Hell pipes burst at our house. There was actually a root around pipe...but the timing was at same time when I finally did! Fortunately, it was a rental. But owner was a former military man and said no prob just get it fixed and I’ll deduct it from ur rent.
#20
If you lose 10% or more of your body weight due to nausea and vomiting, it is a BIG deal and could put you and the baby's life in danger. If your OB acts like it isn't, find another doctor!
written by a two time Hyperemesis Gravidarium survivor. Lost 42 lbs during one pregnancy and 35 with the other. And that was WITH constant zofran and IV's and a PIC line and hospital bed rest.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
When I was in hospital there was a woman in my room that was vomiting (mostly dry) ALL bloody day/night. She could barely walk coz she was so weak, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t keep any food or fluids down and in constant pain. You could hear it. Couldn’t imagine having to deal with that.
NMN 4 years ago
Again, you never know how the pregnancy will hit you and each one can be completely different from the other. My cousin was nauseated from beginning to end, in her two pregnancies, while I only had some stomach aches (which can make your day miserable, but a walk in the park compared with puking all day)
Cigdem Kanburoğlu 4 years ago
I lost 6 kg in the first 6 month. Work as a doctor, and after my shift ended they applied me an IV line because I could not even drink water. Everyday!!!
Patti Renwick Parrish 4 years ago
Me too! Was in and out of the hospital several times to be 'rehydrated'. Hated getting the IV because I was do dehydrated they couldn't get a vein. After many attempts, an anethesiologist was called in. I HATED being told I was only puking because I wanted attention. SO NOT TRUE! I assure you, I never wanted to puke every 20-30 minutes 24/7. Also lost my job because I was sick so much. Don't think that would happen these days, I hope not anyway, but 30+ years ago it did.
Mary Hurst 4 years ago
I was nauseous pretty much the entire 9 months. However, back in 1973-74, they didn’t have a name or meds for this. There were some things which would stay down. I carried the baby full term, and somehow had gained about 20#, she weighed 6 lb. 12 oz. I weighed less when I came home from the hospital than I did when I got pregnant!
Janelle Collard 4 years ago
Any lady that has HG + has more than 1 kid is a hero! (and a bad-ass!)
Mary Hurst 4 years ago
Isn’t this what Kate Middleton has suffered with during all three pregnancies?
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Scarlett Fox 4 years ago
My sister had HG during her pregnancy with twins. Her doctor didn't believe she was vomiting so much, and instead turned to her husband and asked if she had an eating disorder! My sister was livid.
#21
You’re going to need to pee ALL the time. And only a drop will come out. Then you need to pee again 15 mins later. The most annoying time is during the night when you should be sleeping, but instead you’re just getting up to pee every few hours.
Anke Dieken 4 years ago
I knew every toilet at the highway on the route to my parents as I used every one of them every tim I visited. It's only about an hour, but, well... also I knew which shops in the city had toilets you could use.
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CatWoman312 4 years ago
I do this already. It’s a pain. I know it’ll only get worse after pregnancy, but I have to get a bladder sling otherwise it’s diapers
Nika Strokappe 1 year ago
This depends per woman. I was only really thirsty during the nights. No need for peeing
Nika Strokappe 3 years ago
This is not the case for all women. I would mostly come out of bed (during the night) because I was thirsty.
Laura Stenger 4 years ago
Yeah...that su**ed! That commercial...you’ve gotta be kidding little dude! Makes me smile every time I hear it!
Alexis draskinis 4 years ago
OMG! Between this & work, i had a UTI almost my entire pregnancy! Its was like trying to pee out a thorn bush 27x a day! Lol!
Jo Johannsen 4 years ago
I'm not trying to be funny, I have issues with incontinence - would disposable underwear give any emotional relief to pregnant women?
#22
That cravings aren't just food. I craved dirt, particularly beach sand. The smell of the beach was excruciating, I just wanted to shovel handfuls into my mouth. I never ate dirt or sand and the craving went away when baby was born.
A friend of a friend told me she craved freshly poured asphalt so in a way I'm glad my craving was just dirt.
ByTheWindSailor 4 years ago
Usually caused by an iron deficiency during pregnancy.
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Rutilly Oro 4 years ago
@Ozacoter. Yes Pika, I had a craving of chalk , white chalk.all the time!!
Courtney Taylor 4 years ago
I craved the smell of Irish Spring and the smell of Pine-sol.. Like I would sniff a box of soap or clean like crazy just to have the smell of pine LOL.. It was crazy
Kimberly Buchanan 4 years ago
I craved a cigarette (I didn't/dont't smoke), and wanted to chew on a rubber band with my 2nd.
#23
Currently pregnant and due to have my first kid in about a month. Wish I’d known I would end up doing everything by myself. And I wish I’d known how difficult the 3rd trimester would be without a partner to help me. Or that the baby’s father would show up at the ninth hour with a new girlfriend demanding shared custody. I’ve always been a believer of “everything happens for a reason” but it’s getting very difficult to see the good in all of this.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago (edited)
Wow, sounds like you got rid of bad rubbish. And yes you can do it. Just don't be a die hard mum, ask for help and take everything offered. There are people there to help you xxx No one will think worse of you, quite the opposite, they will think you are strong and being the best mum you can be.
Wandaluzt 4 years ago
Lovely sentiments, sadly the wrong place to post them. This was posted on Reddit. Not on this site.
Load More Replies... Catlady6000 4 years ago
As someone who grew up without a father, due to similar circumstances, I have some advice from a child's perspective.1) Get the child support, no matter what. Do not let your own pride or anything else stand in the way. If you don't need it, arrange for it to be put into a trust fund for your child 2)) NEVER speak badly of the FOB (father of baby)and don't allow anyone else to, either. Your baby came from this man, if you insult the man you insult the child, from the child's point of view. 3) also, even if you choke on your own vomit, speak well of FOB to the child 4) If FOB is behaving badly (addiction, not showing up, etc) and your child asks you why, this is a question the FOB should answer, not you, "That's a question you need to ask your daddy, sweetie," you honestly do not know the answers to these kinds of questions. I have no insight about how to handle the other woman wither guard to your child, other than above
Sowieso 4 years ago
That sounds really tough! I'm sorry you're going through this. And your ex-partner seems like a complete asshole. I hope in a few years you can look back, and be happy that this sperm donor gave you this wonderful kid. Maybe you can reach out to family, friends, or find a community of other moms in the same situation as you online? Anyways, best of luck, I hope you have a smooth delivery and a happy, healthy baby to help you find the good in all of this!
BananaAnna 4 years ago
Talk to a lawyer. There are free ones around. You need to know what you have in your favor and what is likely to come in the future. Prayers for you.
Kyle 4 years ago
I had a baby on my own in 1989. It’s possible to do it. And you don’t have to be rich, although I’m guessing it might help. I took the help offered like in the comment below. She is now a remarkable woman with her own family. Hang in there. Take some time now to get things in order for after the birth. You’ll have less time to take of things later so do the now. And look for a lawyer to give you the answers to your questions NOW. You will need your energy to get thru the early months of this kid’s life and you need to be sure, as quickly as possible, you know how your challenges are likely to play out with the bf.
Karen Violette Cubbison 4 years ago
The good is coming...in about a month. I'm glad that a#$% showed his true colors before you all were a family unit. It is so hard to see your children hurting through a break up. Get one of those grabby things on a stick. Definitely a life saver! Most of all...lean on the people who love you. They WANT to help you!
C.S. E. 4 years ago
We can't tell you how to live your life, but, may I make a suggestion? When you talk with a lawyer, ask about having the father on the birth certificate. The only person who has an automatic right to be on the BC is the mother - they know who the mother is, she just pushed the child out. You do not have to have anyone else on the birth cert if you don't wish it. It does make the child support a little stickier, but one benefit is, should you want to get your child a passport before the age of 18, you'll need whoever is on the birth cert to be present. There are ways around that, but it involves a lot of paperwork and the court. This doesn't mean the child can't have a relationship with their father, but, legally, it can make other things easier in the long run if he doesn't stick around.
C.S. E. 4 years ago
As someone who used to process passports, I have had instances of women saying they were abandoned by their partner before the child's birth, but still put the father's name on the BC because they were told they had to. Don't let anyone bully you and really consider all your options, including the repercussions. Also, keep all documentation and screenshots, never know when you'll need them.
Load More Replies... M Kate McCulloch 4 years ago
If he hasn't actually filed anything, tell him to f**k off... And don't ask for child support - he won't pay without making you pay. It's only money - you can always make more (let this be your mantra!) Give your child the best possible life by keeping the irresponsible ass out of it.
#24
Seeing a pregnant woman makes strangers: Want to touch her and touch her belly. Which they often do without even asking. Makes them tell their worst pregnancy and delivery stories. If they had a hard delivery, they'll tell instead the story of their friend who was even worse. It makes childbirth into a one-upmanship contest of horror stories, which is probably about the last thing any pregnant woman wants to hear, let alone hear it every time she's out in public.
EHops 4 years ago
I slapped a woman's hand once and she looked so confused! Like she wasn't about to touch a stranger without saying a damn word let alone ask permission. Being pregnant is wild
Wonderful 4 years ago
I’m covered in tattoos and I have to do the same thing. People just randomly grabbing my arm or lifting my shirt. And then they get offended. Happens at the grocery store all the time. My husband is tattooed as well but no one ever touches him I guess I just have the face of someone who wants to be grabbed or something. I have Anti resting bitch face.
Load More Replies... Brenda Spagnola 3 years ago
I always tell (when asked) - don't believe it when they say you'll forget the pain of childbirth. It hurts like hell, even with meds. And not everyone falls instantly in love with their child. I thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't get a big rush of emotion. Sometimes you have to get to know each. The feelings are there, just waiting for both to get adjusted.
Sharon Jackson 3 years ago
And EVERYONE will want to pinch your baby's cheeks. I also slapped a lot of hands away!
Soleil SanMao 3 years ago
I had a few strangers ask. Older women with some words of wisdom too. I didn't mind. You could just tell, they really needed that moment.
Candy Sheppard 4 years ago
About broke my mother in dead arm. A hand appearing out of no where teaching for my belly.
Shinomi Chan 4 years ago
I'm a touchy kind of person, but touching a strangers baby stomach? Hell no, not without asking at least! (I'd still feel weird about it though. But I'm only doing it if someone I know is doing it before me and I'm 100% sure I'm not being the weird one)
#25
Stuff stays with your body afterwards. I developed allergies after I had my second child, and my feet definitely got bigger. Hormones are no joke.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
Randomly my big toe on my right foot is always cold and numb. It's been 8 years now.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Some of my allergies worsened. I have always been allergic to pollen but could eat most fruit and veg, except rockmelon. but now most fruit and veg make my whole mouth and throat really burny and itchy.
BananaAnna 4 years ago
Never heard of any of those maladies being caused by childbirth, but nothing is impossible. FYI ... three things continue to grow all your life: ears, noses, and feet.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Feet? I'd not heard that one. I knew ears and noses keep growing, re cartilage, but never heard of feet growing. Mine have been the same size since I stopped growing.
Load More Replies... Nika Strokappe 1 year ago
It is not only hormones. Cells of the baby will stay in your body. They move to your brain to alter some behaviors, but also go to places in your body that need repairs (this all protects the baby)
#26
Everyone talks about pregnancy cravings.... no one tells you that the opposite can happen. During this pregnancy, my 2nd, I had aversions to most food until about 22/23 weeks. I’m 27.5 weeks now and finally starting to feel better about eating, but certainly don’t have cravings.
lenka 4 years ago
It's wierd isnt it. I went totally off chocolate during my first pregnancy - in fact it was my first pregnancy symptom. I went to a chocolate tasting event with a girlfriend and litterally could not stand to eat anything there. Bought pg test on the way home.
Jennifer Hall 4 years ago
OMG onions! The very smell made mevomit, which was highly inconvenient working fast food. I like onions in nearly everything, but not then!
Load More Replies... Verena Gitterle 4 years ago
I hated coffee and my daughter, now a grown up woman, could not stand the smell of coffee all her life.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
I craved fruit, all I could in fact eat, but also had an aversion to the smell of old people, I know how that sounds, but your smell is so heightened and I could smell everything
Juririn 4 years ago
Yeah, I developed a super heightened sense of smell and strong aversions, too. To this day, 25 years after my pregnancy, I cannot stand the smell of Tide, never used it again, just getting a whiff of it at the supermarket makes me sick.
Load More Replies... AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
and the smells turning you off too. OMG I had a friend that spoiled me once, I was craving chinese food so bad during my first pregnancy he went and spent like 100 bucks on everything i wanted because I couldn't make up my mind lol. (we had a few other people too so it wasn't all for me) we got home I couldn't wait to eat everything, opened up the boxes and took one whiff all excited and almost threw up and couldn't touch one damn thing. I cried for like an hour.
Ana Fuentes 4 years ago
Oh and the best one, I still can't listen to Daddy Yankee song Gasolina with out feeling nauseous!!! I never play that song, but one afternoon it came on on the radio and my oldest daughter was mom I don't feel good and I said it is the song you never liked it and sure enough every time it comes on she starts feeling bad it. Is so weird!!!
Dippin Dot 4 years ago
I couldn't stand the thought of Mexican food and when I would eat fish I'd throw it up just because I was pregnant. I only craved one thing - creole mayonnaise from a local restaurant, and once I got it with a plate of creole fries, I was fine the rest of the time.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
During my first pregnancy I could not eat bananas, tuna or pork. Took me 2 years after my daughter was born to be able to eat bananas, about 4 years for tuna and 15 years later I still can’t eat pork chops but can eat other pork products.
Ana Fuentes 4 years ago
So true!!! 1: I hated chocolate, nothing with cinnamon apples, and only wanted fruit!!! 2: could not eat anything but MacDonalds chicken nuggets and fries!!! Everything else was a No
Nela Rothenbach 4 years ago
My friend could not eat anything except tomato soup for the first months....I think it got better around the same week.
#27
Pregnancy brain is REAL. It's not a joke. It's not exaggerated.
When you start forgetting, misplacing, and outright losing things, you can start feeling like you're also losing your mind.
Annabell 4 years ago
Nope. Countless sleepless nights make your brain muddy.
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Leah Reid 4 years ago
Oh is it ever!!! I started a New job what felt like a full second after the egg was fertilized lol... training was super f*****g fun... if the girl who trained me wasn't just this awesome beautiful superwoman with highest tolerance patience i would've been fired for sure xD
Mary Tonningsen 4 years ago
Oh, man, I remember that. It was 43 yrs ago and I still remember how horrible it was.
Lynn Morello 4 years ago
When you put the milk in the cupboard and the ice cube tray in the fridge. You go shopping and leave a cooked chicken in the trolley just so you can get home and gut the groceries away, where you discover your chicken is no where to be found. There goes tea.
Anke Dieken 4 years ago
Yes, I remember looking frantically for my mobile while talking with a friend. On my phone. ...
#28
How I'd get loads of random skin changes.
Skin tags, so many skin tags!
Moles growing into skin tags then dropping off, like WTF body
Sandpaper dry skin, which I still get from time to time, just this one patch on the back of my right hand
My facial skin changing from t-zone oily to t-zone flaky and never going back
My psoriasis on my scalp going away, this did come back but not as bad
Hair - so you stop shedding hair whilst pregnant and you get really thick lovely hair. A few weeks after birth you start to lose all that extra hair. Literally handfuls will come out in the shower and it's really freaky
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
My hair went from blond to almost black while pregnant, it never went back.
sylvantic 4 years ago
my mom's hair went from straight to wavy but then back to straight once my sister was born.
Load More Replies... Brenda Spagnola 3 years ago
I got my first zit while pregnant. (Normally had dry skin. ) Freaked me out
Mean Red B 3 years ago (edited)
I literally got an old man hairline after birth. I got bald. It was so degrading. After a little while, with help of a hair conditioner for oncology patients (yes, it was that bad) my hair grew back and I had the most ridiculous fringe XD
#29
You can order one, but get two.
howdylee 4 years ago
nope, saw the insurance bills... definitely not free!
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Catlady6000 4 years ago
This is more likely the older the woman. The body starts throwing eggs
Heather Pobicki 4 years ago
Nothing free about mine lol. They just turned 8 yesterday. Couldn't imagine one not hopping along for the ride!
Rob Seymour 4 years ago
My dad used to tell me that if I had a twin, they would have euthanized one of us. I was a bad kid.
#30
Each pregnancy is different, even with the same person.
I have three kids. The first pregnancy was very typical and followed the normal timeline. The second pregnancy was awful. I was miserable and sick the entire time. The third pregnancy was easy peasy and I finally understood why some women liked being pregnant.
Random Panda 4 years ago
My mom is like that. She said she loved being pregnant, because she got to rest all day and everyone was fussing over her. But then comes the birth...
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BananaAnna 4 years ago
By the time you have your seventh, you will be able to sneeze the baby out.
Lynn Morello 4 years ago
Out of 6 kids, I only knew labour for the last one, and it was 2 hours of just feeling like you were wanting to poop through the wrong hole and it wouldn't come out, nurses saying, hold on, not yet. then Now. Push, They ask if the trainees can view the delivery, but by the time the first one gets through the door, (already outside the door waiting) delivery is all over and done with.
#31
How it and childbirth can still kill you despite modern medicine.
Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
Yep, it is called labour for a reason and not all mums and children make it. 😢
Theoretical Empiricist 4 years ago
Especially here in the US, which has the worst childbirth death rate of any 1st world country and most 2nd world countries. It's even worse for women of color (like pretty much everything else).
Shannon Perry 4 years ago
My teen granddaughter over overheard a conversation about a maternal death and asked in shock "You mean you can die having a baby!" We hated to confirm that for her.
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
It is one of the most dangerous things a lot of women do, and as such should always be entirely voluntary.
Aunt Messy 4 years ago
The US has such lousy health care that we have the highest rates of babies and women dying than any other Western Nation. Getting pregnant in the US can kill you. Living just about ANYWHERE else is safer.
Nia Loves Art 4 years ago
The US is 56th for maternal mortality. That is too high but considering that there are 193 countries it means that the majority of countries are worse in that regard.
Load More Replies... Wonderful 4 years ago
Husband had a coworker that gave birth to twins and died while birthing the second one. That poor father. Lost his wife and now has 2 babies by himself. It’s like, do I celebrate the birth or cry for the death? What’s the etiquette for that? We are so advanced in some ways and then a wrench gets thrown in the mix and everything breaks. I had a friend die in the last year from a burst appendix. That’s crazy. Who dies of a burst appendix in 2020/21?!?
#32
During labor, the 'water breaking' is not one rush of liquid. It’s continuous and can occur for several hours.
It’s horrendous and messy. It feels like peeing but you have zero control over anything and if you tense up then everything is much more painful and weird feeling.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
My waters broke as my daughter was about to start crowning. There was a “POP” sound and a sac flew across the room and hit the wall splattering everywhere. All gave us a good laugh. Second time the midwife had to break my waters with what looked like a crochet hook.
Karin Jansen 4 years ago
It really depends on how far your baby has dropped down already (whether it's "blocking" the cervical canal and preventing all the fluid from coming out in one gush). But yeah, I didn't know this either! Also, the fact that your water doesn't always break first like in the movies.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
3 kids and my water never broke on any of them, so I literally have no idea how this feels.
Brenda Spagnola 3 years ago
They had to break my water with both of mine. 1st induced, 12 days late, looks like a giant crochet hook. 2nd was 12 days early, was already in labor at my appointment, but water wouldn't break on it's own. Still didn't like it
#33
What HG is, how to recognize the symptoms, when to call the doctor and how to advocate for yourself.
Basically HG means you get extreme nausea. If you tell a doctor you're nauseated all the time and are vomiting excessively, they will dismiss it a common pregnancy symptoms. However, vomiting 20-30 times a day is not a normal pregnancy symptom. If you start to lose weight and can't keep down food or liquid, you need to get help ASAP. Ask them to check for ketones in your urine - if they think you're exagerrating, the ketones in your urine will tell them you are not.
Don't take HG lightly and think it will pass. Your body needs food and water, and the lack of nutrients can be very dangerous. It can lead to hart problems, kidney failure and coma. HG doesn't f**k about, before modern medicine women died from it.
The sooner you get help, the easier it is to manage. If you wait until you're dehydrated like crazy, they will have trouble putting an IV needle in and it will take longer to recover. Also, stop eating and drinking healthy. If you're vomiting a lot, make sure you eat/drink sugar and salt to retain more liquid. Isotonic energy drinks are your friend. You might not be able to keep it all down, but they will help you a lot.
Also, anyone with HG or wanting more information on HG, feel free to message me. I'm not a medical expert but I do have first hand experience...
White Paper Tsuru 4 years ago
Hyperemesis gravidarem (the excessive puking during pregnancy. I had to look it up too)
Load More Replies... #34
This is mostly a 3rd trimester thing, but that when you are active and moving, it kinda rocks the baby to sleep. But as soon as you lay down to go to sleep, baby wakes up and starts kicking and spinning. Might not be super common (?), but I knew a lot of other mothers who complained about this, too.
Kimberly Buchanan 4 years ago
My 3rd pregnancy, my baby had nights and days mixed up. Still mixed up after she was born. Luckily I finally got her days and nights right.
#35
I wish someone had warned me about muscle cramps.
I had to learn a new way to pop my ankles because every night I would pop them and get massive charley horses in my legs that my fiancé had to massage out.
#36
Your hormones are wild, literally making anything and everything that happens to your body a pregnancy symptom. Bloody nose? Pregnancy. Hands dry? Pregnancy. Itchy skin? Pregnancy.
lenka 4 years ago
Soft fine hair growing across your tummy? Pregnancy. Light brown blotches on your face? Pregnancy. Random singular chin hair? Pregnancy.
InvincibleRodent 4 years ago
I think that last one is just a consequence of being a person. I have that sometimes, and I'm 100% positive I have never been, nor do I intend to ever be pregnant.
Load More Replies... #37
My boobs hurt so bad. I hit one in my sleep and woke up in excruciating pain. I knew they would get bigger, but the pain was a surprise.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Wait til they get full of milk or even worse, mastitis.
#38
Hair loss! After I had my kid I lost a ton of hair. I would pull fists full of hair during my showers. I thought there was something wrong with me because no one told me about this. Went to Google, totally normal and it happens to everyone. It grows back eventually and you’ll go through an awkward baby hair phase.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Yeah, I was never told this one and I freaked when clumps and clumps of hair was falling out.
Kat Sotiriou 4 years ago
Going through this now and I got such a big fright I thought I'm going to end up bald!!!!
Kimberly Buchanan 4 years ago
I'm so glad I did not go through this with any of my pregnancies. I did not know this
#39
Sorry to be the Debbie downer but knowing things can go wrong in any situation. My first child was stillborn at 41 weeks after a healthy and normal pregnancy from a umbilical cord accident. Always trust your gut, count kicks, and advocate for you and your baby’s health
Anne 4 years ago
The baby is in a better place? oh. Please don't ever say this to any woman ever that has lost a child. This is a very very wrong thing to say
Load More Replies... #40
I had heard about sciatica pain but was 100% unprepared for how bad it could be.
#41
That morning sickness isn't in the morning and that I would be puking the whole time, not just in the beginning.
#42
You can “do everything right” and have an “easy” pregnancy but baby is born prematurely. The kicker is you may never get a reason as to why (Obligatory not pregnant but mom who had a baby in the NICU for over a month)
#43
Not every woman becomes a sex kitten and wants to have sex all the time. Some women literally want nothing to do with it. You’re tired, uncomfortable, and exhausted because hormones.
#44
Every pregnancy is different! This means some pregnant women can work out, hike, do their normal stuff just a little slower most of their pregnancy. Then there are some women who throw up the whole time, and they are weak and tired and just standing up takes time and effort. I was the latter, expecting at the same time as another in the former and I was constantly compared and judged. "working out is healthy for you and the baby, if so and so can do it so can you!"
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
I didn’t have terrible pregnancies but they weren’t enjoyable either. I never even got the glow that women are “supposed” to get when pregnant.
Amy S 4 years ago
I think that glow is a lie. Either that it's because or we're flushed and sweating from throwing up so much.
Load More Replies... #45
How being pregnant seems to make other people think they can make incredibly rude observations about your body that they’d never make otherwise!
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
I sometimes asked hubby and friends “Do I look fat, fat or do I look pregnant fat”.
#47
Your body produces a hormone called relaxin that helps loosen your pelvis in preparation for birth.
Some women get waayyy too much too soon and it loosens everything to the point you lose mobility and every day all day is painful.
jen hadley 4 years ago
Yup. And then your hips slide out of joint as you're walking down the street and you have to sit down on a stranger's stoop and ask for help. And you sprain your ankles and collapse in a store. Pregnancy sucked!
White Paper Tsuru 4 years ago
Your feet lose their arches and you have flat feet and the knee/hip/back pain that goes with it! Seems like a small thing but it stacks up against you
#48
Nosebleeds. Not currently pregnant, but when I was, I got nosebleeds every few days during the first and second trimesters.
jen hadley 4 years ago
Nasal congestion from all the extra blood in your body! I couldn't breathe through my nose for months!
#49
THAT IF YOU’RE NOT CAREFUL YOUR ORGANS CAN START PUSHING INTO, AND OUT OF, YOUR VAGINA. It’s called a prolapse. It happens to an ALARMING number of post pregnant women, and it is completely disregarded by most idiot doctors who’ll just tell you it’s part of being a woman. It’ll probably hit you when you’re older, but if you’re unlucky like me you can have your bladder and rectum bulging into your vagina at the ripe old age of 25. Thankfully I don’t see it at the entrance (which would be a grade 3... grade 4 is when your vagina has turned inside out and dangling out of you) but I do feel like a tampon is falling out of me every moment of everyday. If you are pregnant and reading this thread, go see a pelvic floor physiotherapist like, yesterday. And don’t listen to the doctor who will tell you to jump back into exercise 6weeks post partum. You can fast track yourself to fun prolapse issues if you dont know how to safety return to exercising. Or what exercises to avoid (I’m looking at you— sit ups and jumping jacks) Oh, and don’t ever jump on a trampoline. Ever. Avoid constipation, being blocked up and purple pushing your poop out can also lead to prolapse if you’re doing it too often. And when they say don’t lift heavy things, don’t lift heavy things. If your breathing technique is out, this could push your weak vagina into collapsed vagina territory. Most women in POP groups (pelvic organ prolapse) comment how they did a certain movement and felt a “drop” and that’s when the nightmare began for them. Don’t wait for that drop. Anyway I’m 36 weeks with my third and feeling pretty good and asymptomatic (aside from being cumbersome and huge) because I’ve been working on my pelvic floor health. It’s not entirely reversible (unless you’re a grade 1 prolapse) but further damage is preventable.
Kaisa 4 years ago
This is scary. I'm in my early 30s with no kids and reading this makes me think that maybe i should stay without kids.
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
Don't wish to alarm you but these things can happen without getting pregnant - sadly I can speak from personal experience. Even if you do all the right things.
Load More Replies... Verena Gitterle 4 years ago (edited)
And when they say, dont lift heavy things: a cookpot is a heavy thing, a bag with potatoes is a heavy thing, a baby is a heavy thing.
Dippin Dot 4 years ago
My mom had a prolapsed uterus. It's not like shew as just sitting there and suddenly things start falling out; it was a process. She was 50 when she noticed something was off and it was most likely due to having big babies (my brother and I were both over 8lbs).
Wonderful 4 years ago
Funny ish story. When I was a kid one day as I was getting home from school my brother busts into my room and exclaimed, “ Mrs Daisy (our neighbor) was mowing the lawn and her uterus fell out!!” Then he left the room and I was stuck wondering if it bounced when it fell out and did she accidentally hit it with the lawn mower. Later I learned what actually happened and she had to get a emergency hysterectomy and was in the hospital for a bit. And that’s my story. Enjoy 🤓
#50
I had a C-section and the gas pain was no joke. Had to sleep on an incline for days.
#51
I battled with anxiety a lot in my teens but managed to kick it through my 20s. Little did I know it would come back full force during my pregnancy. My anxiety caused severe depression for about a month in my first trimester before I realized it was NOT supposed to be like that. I was able to start on Zoloft and it made a world of difference. If you're planning on getting pregnant/in the early stages of pregnancy, I recommend speaking to a therapist regularly. If you feel your anxiety going bonkers or sense depression coming in, talk to your OB asap!
#52
That current parents lie about what a joy it is to be a parent. Once you have a kid they are then willing to share how kids are a constant battle about everything. Yes they have their moments of awe and love, but the cute baby/toddler phase last 2 years, the whinging about what to wear, eat, going to bed, waking up, brushing teeth, doing homework last 18+ years with a scattering on aww moments to prevent you from going Homer Simpson on them.
Erin E 4 years ago (edited)
I tell people constantly. My husband and our youngest child get very offended. Edit: obviously I love my family. But I’m not going to play into the “oh it’s worth it” when my husband didn’t ruin his body for two kids. And my husband and kids benefit from me turning my life upside down to keep everyone else’s on track. There are plenty of things that are worth it, and plenty that aren’t.
Nia Loves Art 4 years ago
I think for your child’s sake you should act like it was worth it around them. I know if my mother hadn’t considered me to be worth it it would have absolutely shattered my heart.
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Mia Long-Wiwi 4 years ago (edited)
I’m impressed with the honesty of this statement. After watching many friends breakup over child rearing, and witnessing the unprecedented financial and emotional stress that children bring, it is refreshing to read a comment this raw.
#53
The kicks are sooo unnerving. I never got used to them. I felt like I was in that movie Alien.
#54
That after you give birth, the blood that comes out for weeks will stink like a dead body.
Natalie Kudryashova 4 years ago
So true. I was embarrassed during the nurse visits because even though she does it everyday it was still horrible. I felt like a fish market.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
My Dr had me do two Betadine douches a day for three days, cleared it right up. That was 35 years ago, though.
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
So, if that is the case you need to see your midwife as that could signal an infection - my lochia NEVER smelled like that. Ever.
Francesca Annoni 4 years ago
It's not supposed to smell like that..at least, in my two pregnancies it didn't..
Anne 4 years ago
It can. It happens and there's nothing wrong if it does, usually.
Load More Replies... #55
My wife's currently pregnant, and in the middle of the night my great dane gets up, and licks me in the face to wake me up about two minutes before my wife wakes up feeling ill. Every time. And the dog has never done this before in the 9 years we have had her. It's actually really helpful, but at 2 A.M. the first time it happened I was very confused.
#56
That your rib cage and hips literally pull apart from each other to make room for the freeloading being inside of you. That there are WAY more symptoms than food cravings, morning sickness, and swollen feet. There are some women that love being pregnant and there are some women that hate it. When you are pregnant you will automatically be surrounded by women who feel the opposite about it than you.
Katerina Huskova 4 years ago
Yes. I'm nearly 35, have two kids and people keep asking me about another one (like "what about a boy finally this time" 🤬 No, thanks 3 pregnancies almost ruined my health and sanity...
Seabeast 4 years ago
They think you want to "finally" get a boy? Well, that must make your daughters feel really valued.
Load More Replies... #57
Speaking as the husband, my wife was very annoyed when she learned later in her pregnancy the borderline miracle properties of ginger as regards morning sickness. Wished she'd known it from the git-go.
Panda Kicki 4 years ago
No, please dont do that. Ginger is now not advised as it is suspected to cause mc. 1 gram dried ginger a day is absolute max and it is hard toncalculate how much shots or tea has in it.
#58
My first pregnancy was smooth sailing other than some bleeding in the first trimester. Went into labour and was doing great but the kid went into distress, decided to try breathing his own poop and had to be taken out the sunroof very suddenly. Hypoxic brain injury, two collapsed lungs, two weeks in the NICU, very sick baby. Nothing I could possibly have done to change that, apparently it just happens sometimes. Funny enough it gave me an IDGAF attitude for my second pregnancy because I realized I couldn't control the outcome no matter how much I microwaved my lunch meat. (He's obnoxiously healthy, smart and active now and seems to have avoided the worst case scenarios. He has nothing but a speech delay to show for it at age 3.)
NMN 4 years ago
Ppl still think microwaving food is bad for some reason? Crazies. It will alter texture and you won't have the desired maillard reaction (browning), but doesn't puts nor remove anything from the food... it just heats up water molecules...
Katchen 4 years ago
I thought she meant that she was microwaving the meat to kill listeria, in other words doing the right thing, and she still had problems.
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#59
That you can get a horrible full-body rash. It's a rare condition called PUPPP. PUPPP occurs in about 1 in every 200 pregnancies and 70% of sufferers give birth to boys. I gave birth to a girl. So I was in the 0.15% of women who get this horrible, itchy, mind numbing rash that I suffered with for over two months. I couldn't sleep, I sat half of my day in oatmeal baths. I cried A LOT. The only thing that stopped the itching for a few hours was Grandpa's Tar Soap because it left a coating on my skin that soothed or protected it somehow. I NEVER want to go through that again.
#60
I wish someone would have warned me about the constipation. Corollary: I wish someone would have warned me that "fiber supplement" does not equal "stool softener." Today, we're at 26 weeks gestation.
Amy S 4 years ago
Oh no, don't remind me! My doctor wanted to examine me because of it and when her finger was 'in there' I couldn't stop giggling because it felt so strange. Very embarrassing. The thing is still there 4 years later.
Load More Replies... Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
Fiber and Colace are the best. Beans and brown rice make a good morning meal. Artichokes, peaches, apricots, all the fiber you can stand will clean out the land.
#61
How comfortable maternity pants are. I was stubborn the first time around and didn't want to switch over from my regular clothes. Once I had to I regretted those extra weeks of discomfort all because of vanity
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I still love maternity tops. I find they're more comfortable and actually pretty slimmimg
Katerina Huskova 4 years ago
I still wear maternity skirt because it has soft low waist and perfect look.
#62
That it's not uncommon to have thyroid problems or lose your gallbladder or both because of hormones etc. That feeling like the bottom dropped out of you weeks after giving birth is not normal and might require therapy. That it's not a good idea to have an OB who LOVES being pregnant and thinks it's easy because she will have zero sympathy when you struggle. That giving birth later in life can actually kick you into early menopause. Maternal care and aftercare is s**t in the U.S.
#63
Not a woman, but i wish i knew the warning signs of preeclampsia, Girlfriend was 7 months pregnant at the time, and had been complaining of generally not feeling good with a constant headache that would occasionally break for a bit, i came home from work(i work overnights) to her sleeping on the floor and i eventually got to bed but i woke up 3 hours later to hear a thud and she was having a seizure, turns out she went eclamptic, she ended up having a c section, daughter was in the nicu for a bit but both are doing great now. What really put things into how close my girlfriend was to dying was the doctors and nurses saying how few people they've seen go eclamptic and one of the nurses said shes only seen 3 cases in like 10 years and 2 of them died.
#64
I wish I'd heard the term 'mother's apron' before I had one. Like, there's warnings all over,"Your body's going to change!" and some specifics on how, but everything I read and heard was reassuring me about how it would all mostly go back eventually. I'm still pretty bitter.
#65
The attention. I'm an introvert and I mostly try to keep to myself at work but that's impossible now. I was pretty small before I got pregnant and I'm now 30 lbs heavier so I'm really showing. People from other departments come and ask me how I'm doing, how far along I am, when the baby is due, what the gender is, if I've picked out a name, etc. It's exhausting.
#66
it may seem obvious but you will not sleep like you used to. i’m a belly sleeper and have had the worst time sleeping since like 15 weeks. pregnancy pillow doesn’t help! currently 36 weeks organs and i’m so happy there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. this is my first and i’m debating if I want to do it again. i’m sure it’ll all be worth it when I meet the sweet babe but we’ll see!
Vicky Strathdee-Cook 4 years ago
I breastfeed so still can't sleep on my tummy.i can more and more 9 months in when baby sleeps but he sometimes boobs to sleep.
#67
That having a child over 40 is something like Bella in Twilight having that vampire baby. My poor body, I was sick and sore the whole time.
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
Not for everyone hon, maybe you would have experienced it before too. For me it was just a pregnancy like the rest.
#68
That you don’t actually have 9 months to get ready. By the time you’ve missed your first period, you’re likely already four or five weeks along.
NMN 4 years ago
9 months from conception is different than the pregnancy or gestational age. The embryo is about 2 weeks less than the pregnancy age. If you discover at the 4th week, that means you still have 8months and a half to go. Considering birth at th 40th week - 9 months from conception. But it usually varies between 38 to 42 weeks (pregnancy age)
#69
I wish I'd known to go to a pelvic floor physical therapist sooner! Better to prevent issues than fix them later
Zenozenobee 4 years ago
In France, you get to see this kind of therapist and get the perineal rehabilitation done before you can go to sport. (and it's paid by the Sécurité Sociale because it's a medical prescription for everyone who gave birth).
#70
Not currently pregnant, but I wish I was told about the constant swelling of my ankles & feet. I swelled to the point of needing to buy shoes a size & a half bigger.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
I actually went up half a shoe size when I was pregnant with my son, and it still is.
Zenozenobee 4 years ago
I used to love high heels before my pregnacies... that was before, I can't get in my former shoes anymore. Anyway, you certainly can't run properly after kids in these shoes and my back my praise that change later.
Load More Replies... #71
Not currently pregnant, but I didn’t realize just how exhausting being pregnant is. Also if you like alcohol, there are alcohol removed drinks so you can still enjoy the tastes of wine and other cocktails! FRE is a good brand!
#72
That a baby can wedge it’s tiny feet under your rib and break it. Oh and they don’t necessarily drop later in the pregnancy. My wolverine baby clung to my womb until the last possible second.
Dippin Dot 4 years ago
Yep! My son broke my ribcage. I also puked to the point where I was popping blood vessels in my eye. They say babies stop kicking before birth, but not my kid- oh no, he kept kicking and they had to double-strap the monitors to me so they wouldn't slide off.
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
Every time my sister got a scan her daughter would raise an arm up by the side of her head. So they scanned her while she was in labour and close to birth and that's how her daughter came up. Ripped her quite badly. Anyone who has a baby that does this? My sister says to tell them to sod off with their scanner!
Load More Replies... Kimberly Buchanan 4 years ago
My 2nd pregnancy, my daughter would constantly put her her little toes in my ribs and push/stretch. I would pop that area until she stopped. When she was pregnant, her son did the same thing to her.
#73
YOU CANT POOP GOOD. I dunno if it’s iron in the prenatal vitamins, or hormones, or a combination. But I haven’t pooped as usual for months now. Prunes & prune juice are part of my every day diet and still won’t go back to normal. Also: not every woman gets morning illness. Not every woman gets mad cravings 24/7. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong. Finally, a couple of now-babied friends tell me you really should get some exercise while you can. It will make a difference in months 7 to 9. Yet to get there but definitely working out as I go.
#74
Bread causes heartburn. During the later stages I lived off boiled potatoes and fruit only
#75
Been pregnant before, no one explains morning sickness. There is a difference between feeling sick and you know when you feel really sick like just before you vomit you can feel it at the bottom of your neck about to projectile sick. Had that for 5 weeks straight.
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What do you think ?
Ozacoter 4 years ago
And despite all these problems it is almost impossible to be a childfree woman. Nobody respects you and sometimes they even prioritise your fertility over your health. I was denied three times a hysterectomy that I need for medical reasons "in case that I change my mind". My hypothetical children have more rights then me.
Erin E 4 years ago
Ugh. That is incredibly awful. Not even in the same ballpark (as it wasn’t for medical reasons) but after my second c section I was told I was too young (22) for a tubal and we “might change [our] minds” (husband was 21). 15 years later, still two kids and definitely did not “change our minds” 🙄
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Doggo Froggo 4 years ago
I regret reading this now..... at least it has enabled me to appreciate what pregnant women go through a bit more.
Hanni 4 years ago
Just plan for a baby like you plan for other things in life...there are risks, and be informed just in case. No need to panic, most pregancies go smooth.
Load More Replies... jen hadley 4 years ago
PLEASE add this to the upper list... pregnancy can cause your retina to detach! I started seeing "bugs" flying in front of my face. Once we figured out they weren't really there I called the eye doctor and he told me to come in IMMEDIATELY. It turned out well for me, but if you're pregnant and start having visual hallucinations (flashes of light, dark spots) call your eye doctor RIGHT AWAY so they can intervene.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
I wish someone would've told me that your hormones pass through your baby and if you happen to be having a girl there's a good chance that there will be some rubber cement looking s**t coming out of your brand new babie's vagina. That was a fun heart attack a couple of hours after birth when I changed my first babie's diaper for the first time. You would think they would put that in the books and birthing classes. SMH.
Karin Jansen 4 years ago
I am sooo happy you shared this. That's some nightmare stuff right there if you don't know this.
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Anon Anon 4 years ago
There are myriad reasons why I never ever want children. Ever since I was maybe six, I said that I don't want kids. Of course, people told me that I'll change my mind. 25 years later, I still haven't changed my mind. I'm at the age when my mother had me!
Neva Nevičica 4 years ago
Same here. I am still waiting for the 'biological clock' to start, but i am perfectly happy like this. And one more thing: i think we are both taking parenthood very seriously, and wouldn't have kids just to 'see how it feels'. It's not something you do because baby clothes are cute, it's something that has to come from you. I am well past the age when my mom had me (and my brother) and she actually never really wanted kids. And so didn't my grandmother. I am obviously the first to break the chain of having babies because i am expected to and i am kind of proud.
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blugeagua 4 years ago (edited)
Oh great now I'm terrified of having a baby. My husband and I have been talking about it, and he really wants to be a father, but I'm scared.
Nia Loves Art 4 years ago
Don’t let fear get in your way if you want children. Most mothers are glad to have kids and go on to have more. Think of the women with kids in your life. I’m sure you know happy, healthy women who have been pregnant.
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Neva Nevičica 4 years ago
I guess that not one of us would be here now if our moms read this :D
Seabeast 4 years ago
Mine frequently said that the biggest mistake she ever had was getting married and having kids. I guess I know now why, although it hurt to hear it back then.
Load More Replies... whodunnitfan2013 4 years ago
We need to stop romanticizing pregnancy and childbirth, and start being honest about them.
Ozacoter 4 years ago
And despite all these problems it is almost impossible to be a childfree woman. Nobody respects you and sometimes they even prioritise your fertility over your health. I was denied three times a hysterectomy that I need for medical reasons "in case that I change my mind". My hypothetical children have more rights then me.
Erin E 4 years ago
Ugh. That is incredibly awful. Not even in the same ballpark (as it wasn’t for medical reasons) but after my second c section I was told I was too young (22) for a tubal and we “might change [our] minds” (husband was 21). 15 years later, still two kids and definitely did not “change our minds” 🙄
Load More Replies... Doggo Froggo 4 years ago
I regret reading this now..... at least it has enabled me to appreciate what pregnant women go through a bit more.
Hanni 4 years ago
Just plan for a baby like you plan for other things in life...there are risks, and be informed just in case. No need to panic, most pregancies go smooth.
Load More Replies... jen hadley 4 years ago
PLEASE add this to the upper list... pregnancy can cause your retina to detach! I started seeing "bugs" flying in front of my face. Once we figured out they weren't really there I called the eye doctor and he told me to come in IMMEDIATELY. It turned out well for me, but if you're pregnant and start having visual hallucinations (flashes of light, dark spots) call your eye doctor RIGHT AWAY so they can intervene.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
I wish someone would've told me that your hormones pass through your baby and if you happen to be having a girl there's a good chance that there will be some rubber cement looking s**t coming out of your brand new babie's vagina. That was a fun heart attack a couple of hours after birth when I changed my first babie's diaper for the first time. You would think they would put that in the books and birthing classes. SMH.
Karin Jansen 4 years ago
I am sooo happy you shared this. That's some nightmare stuff right there if you don't know this.
Load More Replies... Anon Anon 4 years ago
There are myriad reasons why I never ever want children. Ever since I was maybe six, I said that I don't want kids. Of course, people told me that I'll change my mind. 25 years later, I still haven't changed my mind. I'm at the age when my mother had me!
Neva Nevičica 4 years ago
Same here. I am still waiting for the 'biological clock' to start, but i am perfectly happy like this. And one more thing: i think we are both taking parenthood very seriously, and wouldn't have kids just to 'see how it feels'. It's not something you do because baby clothes are cute, it's something that has to come from you. I am well past the age when my mom had me (and my brother) and she actually never really wanted kids. And so didn't my grandmother. I am obviously the first to break the chain of having babies because i am expected to and i am kind of proud.
Load More Replies... blugeagua 4 years ago (edited)
Oh great now I'm terrified of having a baby. My husband and I have been talking about it, and he really wants to be a father, but I'm scared.
Nia Loves Art 4 years ago
Don’t let fear get in your way if you want children. Most mothers are glad to have kids and go on to have more. Think of the women with kids in your life. I’m sure you know happy, healthy women who have been pregnant.
Load More Replies... Neva Nevičica 4 years ago
I guess that not one of us would be here now if our moms read this :D
Seabeast 4 years ago
Mine frequently said that the biggest mistake she ever had was getting married and having kids. I guess I know now why, although it hurt to hear it back then.
Load More Replies... whodunnitfan2013 4 years ago
We need to stop romanticizing pregnancy and childbirth, and start being honest about them.
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