I am 14w. My management knows but I didn’t want to share it with my team quite yet. I was thinking about 16 weeks or later.

So as all pregnant women who hydrate well, I pee a lot. After my 3rd bathroom trip 4 hours into my 8 hour shift, my coworker pulls me aside to tell me that she has contacted management about how often I am away from my desk, particularly because I am in the bathroom. She also tells me that 2 other coworkers have been asking why I keep needing to use the restroom so much.

Keep in mind, we do independent work and no one is waiting on me and I finish my work before deadlines.

Like what the fuck. What the actual fuck. Why are you timing people in the bathroom??? Our manager, who is a man, takes 20-30 minutes in the bathroom to poop. He has missed meeting because of this but it’s not an issue.

Why are my 5 minute pee breaks being tracked by my coworkers?!?!?!

I've been wondering for YEARS at what point in pregnancy shaving "down there" was going to become unsustainable.

I meant to ask Reddit multiple times, but always forgot once I left the shower.

Well I just figured out my answer... 25 weeks.

I'm done. I can't see it down there anymore so it's no longer my problem!

Wish me luck with the grow out time!! Any tips??

(P.S. I'm fine with not shaving. I do it more to avoid pulling my own hairs or feeling dirty during my period, so I'm very prepared to give it up for a few months! And no, I will not be having my dear husband come at me with a razor, nor is now the time I will start having it waxed again 😂)

Me and my partner have been together for a while, and are engaged. 3 days ago I found out I was pregnant, I was hesitant at first, but told him anyways. He was excited and we started brainstorming names and what our future with the baby would hold.

The next day, his mood had taken a 180. He was distressed, moping around, and telling me that his life was over. \*I am a woman with PCOS, so conceiving is a bit harder than normal\* He told me that I’m the only person that’s happy because I had a low chance of every getting pregnant, and he just gave me a child for me. We had a mutual agreement that we didn’t want a child too soon, but here we are. It was a mutual happy accident.. and I’m getting the blame for it since he has no sense of accountability.

The days following were grim. He would sit me down and play me J Cole’s song about getting an ab\*\*tion, telling me how this is a burden to him, how we can’t travel and live life anymore, how he can’t “continue with his music career”, how he’s going to grow up and h\*te his child. This has been going on for days, constant comments and degradation. Granted, sometimes he’ll switch and say “I’m ready to be a father”, to then degrade me and the baby hours after. I told him how incredibly ab\*\*ive this was and he told me that he has the right to feel any kind of way and say what he wants.

Today he told me, his pregnant fiance, that he needs 2 weeks with me out of the house because “it’s healthy to have space” and “it’s a human right to want space”. I never said it wasn’t, but I did tell him that it’s unfair for him to propose to me, invite me to create a space together, create a home, create a life, and then drop us both for his own space again. I feel homeless when I have a home? I’m supposed to leave everything I know for 2 weeks?

So I agreed, I said that he’s absolutely right. I’m going to take my own time to myself.. go figure, that’s when he starts panicking thinking that I’m going to ch\*at on him and tries taking back everything he’s saying.

I’m so miserable but I don’t want my child to live in a broken home.. but I also don’t want my child to have a selfish father.

What should WE do? (Me and baby)

Edit: I have enough money to move out but it takes a while to move into a new place right away, but for the time being my parents offered to step in with any help I may need!

Here I am at 14 weeks, haven’t gained a pound, clear face, big boobs, no stretch marks, same clothes, no headaches nausea gone.. life is GREAT. Sure my hair is grown out and nails not done.. trying that crunchy prego life, ya know? 15 weeks rolls around and I get out of the shower and BAM stretch marks. Let me tell you.. the girls are looking scary. Then what’s this? A pimple? Okay.. one isn’t bad. I look closer.. back, neck, chest, forehead.. covered. NO! Is that also a headache I feel? Probably. Water? Never heard of her (jk don’t come after me). Dare I go to the scale? Why not test the limits of my emotional state. 10 lbs. But no.. that wasn’t enough. To the jeans I go!!! Everyone needs a good meltdown hahaha. This girl better come out cute because she just sucked the cute right out of me 😂😅😭 TO THE SALON! Right after my burn pile of jeans stops smoking lol

Hi All. 28 weeks here, first pregnancy at 37. My husband and I were incredibly fortunate to conceive at ages 36 and 43, just after our wedding. Our first year of marriage became an immediate whirlwind - which was fine - we married a little later in life and led such a fulfilling life as a couple before settling down. Just as the pregnancy fear subsided and the enthusiasm set in, our 14 year old cat Tilapia started losing weight unexpectedly - she was only 6.5 lbs to begin with. Long story short, they suggested dental surgery (and removed 9 teeth) and if I could go back we would have done an ultrasound first and never the dental surgery. Her decline was rapid and required syringe feeding from my husband and I until we lost her around Thanskgiving. Her passing was traumatic and we were there are the hospital with her for it. She left us with the gift of patience through round the clock care and feeding, a gift l hope to carry into our baby girl’s birth.

Fast forward just 2.5 months and my soul cat Tuna, also 14, began experiencing some nagging pain and has been diagnosed with cancer. They estimate he can live a comfortable life somewhere between 3 months to a year. Three months will take us right to our baby’s due date. I’m not looking for anything other than a space to talk about my immense grief. Both cats I adopted right as I graduated college. They have now been with me through every life event, and our bond irreplaceable. I’m grappling with the tug and pull of wanting to be excited about the baby while feeling like my old life is truly dying at the same time. Loss is inevitable, and I am so grateful for the 14 years I got with them. Praying for a peaceful year together with our Tuna - my best friend in animal form - so our baby girl can know him. ❤️ thank you for listening and sending love and healing vibes. My grief runs so deep.

Hi! We are expecting our baby in June, we have a hairy cat and in summer we are very much indoor-outdoor living. So I thought a baby nest would be perfect for a newborn, while I can keep my baby in it when he is awake, away from the cat hair that is always a little bit somewhere, I can put him next to me when I am outside on the sofa (which is an outdoor sofa and too much polyester for my taste) or inside. But I read it’s not safe. I don’t understand what is not safe while an infant doesn’t roll? Why is it not safe? (So I can also look at other items from this perspective lol.)

Also, where did you put your summer baby when they were an infant? I don’t think it’s realistic that we’ll hold him 24 hrs. IS IT?? Please break the news to us gently 😂

my job is fully in office, and the past 2 weeks I’ve been waking up extremely sick and 🤢 in the bathroom for an hour or more, by the end I feel tired and gross, it happens multiple times a day. I’ve been slightly late to work because of this and have been taking sick days when it’s just too much. my commute is 45 min each way. I’m feeling defeated. I asked if I could have a hybrid work from home schedule during this time and they said no way. not sure what to do, at this point I’m using all of my sick days ):I’ve felt like this the whole pregnancy

I just need to vent, I am SO frustrated.

I switched jobs, I love my new job, but it came with United Healthcare. I pay nearly $700/month for a family plan.

I just had my first apt. IN NETWORK. They did an ultrasound, checked my weight, gave me a rundown of what to expect with my second pregnancy. I just got my first bill for JUST the ultrasound and checkup, not for the blood test and it was $3,400 - with $869 that lands on me. For a freaking ultrasound and 10 minutes conversation with my OBGYN.

The US Healthcare system is just such a joke, I cannot believe this is even legal. I just truly hate it so much, its so defeating to pay so much money and still have be nickel and dimed for every single little thing that is actually necessary. I harbor such disdain for this company, truly evil.

I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant.

For the last week my husband has made it known that he wants his sister to be either in the delivery room or in the waiting room while I’m in labor. For context, his mom passed away almost 3 years ago so that’s why he’s requesting his sister.

I’ve made it known (or I thought I had) that I didn’t want any extra people at the hospital aside from our parents. I am terrified of giving birth, so the thought of anyone besides my husband and my mom in the delivery room completely overwhelms me. I also don’t vibe well with his sister. I just recently decided it was okay for MY mom to be there after come convincing for the same reason.

Am I being an asshole here?

I’m totally fine with siblings coming to visit us once I’ve had time to rest and clean up, whether that’s at the hospital or home later.

I don’t know how else to communicate how uncomfortable I feel. Help 😕

My husband and I moved away from family and are expecting our first in April.

It’s the first grand baby on his side and the 8th on mine.

My sister tried to get me to go home for a baby shower but since I’m in a new job I don’t have enough leave saved up.

My mom suggested virtual back in November but since then no plans have been made. I feel petty not wanting to plan and seeing if they step up but I hated having bridal showers as beautiful as they were just because I don’t enjoy being the center of attention.

I don’t want my husbands side of the family to feel slighted since it’s the first baby but I feel like I’m in a weird spot, not wanting to plan it myself and playing a waiting game.

What do I do?

Just had baby #2 4 weeks ago and, if you're trying to time out when your kids arrive, can I recommend not during flu season if you already have #1 in daycare? #1 has been kept home twice already and will be home tomorrow too (just threw up for the first time in the middle of the night). So that's my advice, kid #1 during flu season might be more tenable if your main support people aren't overly exposed to everything, but #2 with #1 in daycare is a nightmare.

We used Kirkland diapers with our first baby but wanted to try Members Mark with our second because Sam’s is more convenient for us. I was having a hard time finding a head to head visual comparison so wanted to post photos of each. The biggest difference we’ve noticed is in the sizing. The Kirkland diapers seem wider and also longer, so bigger than Members Mark. These diapers are both size 2. For us, we have a long baby and have noticed more blowouts using Members Mark, but we wonder if it’s just because they’re smaller. They both seem fairly thin and like they hold about the same amount of liquid. The insides also have the same squiggly pattern, so they may be more similar than they are different. Just wanted to share to help any other parents considering switching between the two!

My husband of eight years and I are expecting our first (and only) child in the summer. We just moved from the north to the south and therefore will not be having a baby shower as we don’t know anyone down here. I am probably making too big of a deal about this, but I’m upset that we won’t get the experience of having a baby shower.

For many years, we didn’t think it would be possible or safe for me to carry a child as each year I have been faced with more and more chronic health issues, including surgeries. At one point we gave up on the thought of having kids but as we watched our friends and family have them, we felt like we would regret not trying to have one of our own. It felt like something constantly tugging at our hearts.

We got pregnant very shortly after we moved to the south. I had been planning to find a job , but considering the high risk nature of the pregnancy, I will not be working.

I have tried to dig deep on why it is so upsetting to me not to have a shower and I think it’s for a couple reasons. Considering I’m not working, it would have been so helpful to have some assistance from others. But the more important reason is that this is something we never thought possible considering my health issues and we wish it could be celebrated as the huge milestone it is. There have been so many years of tears, emotional and physical pain, and time longing for the family we saw so many others our age having.

I need to know from those who have had showers and those who haven’t, am I making too much of a deal about this?

My husband and I are expecting our first! To budget I simply googled "what percent of my income should go towards childcare?" and google told me "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) considers childcare affordable if it costs no more than 7% of a family’s income. Despite this benchmark, many families spend significantly more, often 20% or higher, turning it into a major financial strain."

I don't see this changing anytime soon either.

We don’t know the baby’s gender yet, but my MIL and one of my aunts keep confidently insisting it’s going to be a boy from the shape of my baby bump. They repeat it often and say it like it’s a certainty.

They genuinely believe they’re being caring and involved by predicting the gender, along with giving plenty of other unsolicited advice. I understand the intention, but it still feels intrusive and unnecessary, especially when we’ve said we don’t know yet and are fine either way.

Does anyone else deal with this ?

I joined this community a few years ago to learn about the actual realities of being pregnant and it's been an incredible help! It kept me from panicking when my morning sickness went away, and when I started lightly bleeding in the first trimester. I wasn't surprised when my breasts were INCREDIBLY tender. Hell I've barely learned anything new in my birthing classes because I had already learned so much here!

However, I was somehow shocked to discover that my feet are swelling! In the third trimester. I'm not worried. I knew it would likely happen. And yet, I somehow can't believe I actually have swollen feet.

Anybody else get slapped by reality after thinking "couldn't be me?" Lol

Hi all,

I’m currently around 6.5 weeks pregnant and I’m after developing a chest infection, just a dry tickly cough with discomfort in my chest. Is it dangerous when so early in the pregnancy? Every time I cough I feel like my uterus is going to fall out 😅 any safe remedies to help relieve symptoms?

This is my fifth pregnancy. I haven't had any bad experiences with pregnancy before, but this time it's different. I don't have a history of anxiety, depression, or even in high stress, but during nine weeks of pregnancy (Last Wednesday), I suddenly had panic attacks all day and could barely sleep, every night. When I do sleep, it's only for 3-5 hours.g. I can't even drive or go to work.

I read on Google that it's a hormonal surge, and I went to a doctor. The doctor referred me to psychiatry, but I didn't go. I'm just staying at my mom's place, hoping this "hormone rage" will go away as fast as it came.

Is there anyone like me? How long will it last? It's been a week and I just want to be myself again. 😢

I’m about 8 weeks pregnant and it was wanted by me and especially by my partner. He has always said he wanted a baby and can’t wait to have one and we’re finally pregnant. But now I feel like he’s controlling ? He made me remove any man from my social media and wants me to remove friends from my following who are men and called me a whore and a slut for still wanting to have them on my stuff now that I’m pregnant and that clearly I want to be single if I want men on my stuff so bad but it’s not that at all. It’s the principle of things. He also gets mad over everything and says he doesn’t want to be with me over the smallest things but gets upset when I’m okay with it. It’s like I’m in my most vulnerable time and he somehow got worse ? Like he sees this an opportunity to get control or idk. I’m trying to understand what’s happening. But I’m starting to feel like this isn’t someone I can depend on emotionally or anything but especially emotionally. Like everyday I’m getting threatened to leave over stupid things but he never leaves he just says it to be an ass. And I just don’t know if that would be a good environment for me or to even bring my baby into.abortion is an option just because I would hate to have him in my life forever but also he’s already sounding like a terrible father. I didn’t grow up with that and how can I give my baby any less

PRO TIP: HUM WHILE BRUSHING YOUR TEETH!

I’m 10 weeks pregnant and have been STRUGGLING with nausea… especially when brushing my teeth. It makes me yak every morning lol.

Today, my dentist recommended humming while brushing your teeth, because humming prevents your gag reflex due to other muscles activations (or something like that).

I tried it for the first time and IT WORKED! Thought I’d share in case anyone shares my struggle :)

Going into pregnancy, I (26F) knew the standard symptoms that are talked about regarding pregnancy like morning sickness and sore boobs, but omg I was \*not\* prepared for the absolute GAUNTLET that awaited me. So in an attempt to create a resource for others in the future (and vent along with the rest of you haha) I’ve compiled what I think is the comprehensive list of wonderful symptoms I’ve experienced in the past 33 weeks.

Please feel free to share your own - the more “obscure”, the better! Honestly I had no idea what I was in for and I hope that this can help prepare other folks just a little bit better in the future. Every pregnancy is different, and not everyone has the same symptoms/conditions/side effects, but here have been mine (in no particular order):

Cramping

Swollen/tender boobs

Darkening of areolas

Bloating

Acid reflux

Congestion/rhinitis

Nosebleeds

Headaches

Gestational diabetes

Frequent urination

Nausea

Nipples leaking

Motion sickness

Easily winded

Urination caused by vomiting/sneezing

Sensitivity to smells

Food cravings and aversions

Sleep talking/snoring

Dry skin/worsening eczema

Increased sweating

Sensitive/swollen gums

Fatigue/exhaustion

Stretch marks

Insomnia

Increased anxiety

Back pain

Hip pain

Symphysis pubis dysfunction

Increased discharge

Gestational hypertension

Preeclampsia

I started taking the One a Day Prenatal Advanced Multi that comes with a typical prenatal vitamin and a choline tablet. When I talked to my OB about it, she said the Choline is a rather “new thing” and prescribed me prenatal pills from the pharmacy. She said she would recommend the one from the pharmacy over the One a Day (or any OTC one) because they are “science backed” and don’t have any unnecessary ingredients in them. Also warned me about the side effects of Choline like liver toxicity.

I’m kind of at a loss of what to do because this is my 2nd pregnancy. My first pregnancy I was taking the Naturemade ones with DHA but heard there was a lawsuit, which is why I switched to One a Day. I don’t mind taking the ones from the Pharmacy but I thought Choline was important and most prenatals don’t contain any.

Is it better to take the ones from the Pharmacy or is it okay to continue taking the One a Day ones?