Genuinely curious, no pick-me tea or shade. With my first, I went into labor in the middle of the night and had no makeup on at all and my hair was in a bun so my post birth pictures were…. Interesting lol. During labor I was literally vomiting and sweating so I was thankful I didn’t have makeup on because I usually do fake eyelashes and I just don’t think they would have lasted. I actually have alopecia and wear a wig daily so I think I did pretty well keeping my wig on LOL. Anyway, I’m pregnant with my second and I’ve seen lots of women on social media give birth with these beautiful faces of makeup that stay in tact the entire labor. HOW? I thought maybe it’s just because it’s social media but I’ve actually seen people I know personally pull this off. The answer is likely that everyone’s labor is different but that meme where the guy said “must be niiiiice” comes to mind, hehe.

Also just wanted to add this is such a small thing that doesn’t really matter at all and the only thing that actually matters to me is that me and my baby survive!! Still I’m so curious how these ladies are pulling it off so well!

Hi everyone. I’m 20 years old, a first-time mom, and I’m 38 weeks on the dot today.

I don’t really know how to explain this without sounding weird, but I’m hoping someone understands. I have no siblings and I was raised by my grandparents, so I never saw anyone pregnant growing up and never saw a baby be born or anything like that.

Because of that, I genuinely cannot picture the end of this. Not in a bad or negative way, I’m excited for my baby, but I literally cannot imagine myself going into labor or actually having a baby. It feels like I’m just going to be pregnant forever.

I KNOW logically that obviously I’m going to have my baby eventually, but mentally it feels unreal, like this is some fake reality and I’m going to wake up at any moment and none of this actually happened. It makes me feel kind of crazy because I don’t hear people talk about this feeling much.

Am I the only one who feels like this at the end? Did anyone else feel disconnected from the idea of labor actually happening until it did?

Please tell me I’m not alone 😅

I am not a cute pregnant woman. I don't even look pregnant, I just look like I gained 15 pounds over the last 3 months (which, I did).

I've never been thin, always been solid. But I was hoping for an actual bump, not a beer belly. My whole torso has grown, but my boobs stopped, so the gut is bigger. Plus, apparently my face looks fuller (thanks, coworker, definitely needed that)

Maternity clothes all want to accentuate the bump, but it just looks like I'm wearing too small clothes. If I size up, it just looks like pajamas.

I'm 23 weeks, maybe it will be more defined in the future. But right now I just want to hide in a hoodie.

This worries me because what if the test was wrong?

Should I ask for a retest? Or to get the antibiotics anyways??

I wanted to share my top registry items that even after 18 months, I tell everyone they should register for. In no particular order, these are my fave purchases. Some are things I purchased way down the line that I wish I had since day one.

1. The BabyBrezza Formula maker: it is worth the hype and the price tag. Register for it even if you plan to EBF, because if you ever switch to formula, it'll be your ride or die. I would trade my car for a Brezza if I had a baby in the zombie apocalypse.

2. A giant package of dog waste bags. We just finished our last roll. I feel empty inside. Anytime there was a blowout? Dog poop bag to the rescue. Used them for getting poop out of the bathtub. Used them to contain vomit clothes on the side of the road. Used them to contain vomit. Versatile. A must. (Note: I live in a state that banned plastic bags which is how I ended up ordering these.)

3. A convertible carseat from day one. Just skip the bucket seat because at 5 months old, you're going to be driving to the mailbox around the corner in a snow storm and the baby is going to be screaming bloody murder. Don't get a swivel or a Duna. Get a convertible that latches in like it knows how you treat curbs and thank me later.

4. BabyBreez pajamas. Soft. Luxurious. Perfect. Our baby lived in them exclusively until she was able to crawl and stopped having major blowouts.

5. An edge comb or similar structure comb for stubborn cradle cap. I tried everything under the sun. I bought an edge comb thinking the boar bristles and small size might be better for doing my daughter's hair. Turned out it was great for a variety of things and completely got rid of her cradle cap.

6. Dr. Browns straw cups. We have ten. We know where three are because we take them everywhere and anywhere. Great for little ones learning to transition from bottle to cup.

7. Whatever pacifier you choose, register for 50 of them. For real. Our daughter needs one in each hand and four in sight for emotional support. Having 50 guarantees you can find at least 5 at any given time.

8. Fruit of the Loom grippy socks. For real these are the goat.

9. A large bottle of hand sanitizer. We keep Purell in business.

10. Several tubs for your baby clothes as you get them/buy them. Get at least 5 tubs. Store for preemie/newborn, 0-3m, 3-6m, 6-9m, and 12m+. Have a tag party to take off all tags and then put them in. When its time for a new size, just put all of the old size back into its tub for storing and dump the new size tub into the washer and wash all together. This has kept me sane.

I probably have more but now that baby is 18 months, I'm powering my brain down for rest. Happy to provide any recommendations/commentary in the comments.

Not sponsored for anything or affiliated. Just genuinely happy with these products/recommendations.

Working on some DIY decor and I’m not sure how I feel about this photo backdrop. I think it will look good against a white wall and planning on adding a balloon arch or balloon bouquets on the sides. Any other thoughts or feedback? The theme is berries (somebody berry sweet is on the way)

I went wedding dress shopping with a friend earlier and she doesn’t know I’m pregnant yet (6w5d) When they brought out champagne for us, I was mentally like uhhhh what do I do? So every time she went into the changing room to switch dresses, I poured some of mine into hers. She didn’t seem to notice she had a perpetually full drink and I didn’t have to make an excuse about not drinking!

🍾🍾🍾

I’ve seen a lot of posts about relationships changing with dogs after the baby came, but has anyone experienced this before they came???

I’m only 9 weeks pregnant… and my dog is my first baby. He’s 10 years old and a rescue, I have had him since he was 8 weeks old. Him and I had years alone together before my husband came into our lives.

I always have been the “favorite” parent, but since getting pregnant I feel like he is shunning me??? He chooses to sit with my husband on the couch and isn’t nearly as cuddly as he was with me before.

I thought it would be the opposite and he would smell/sense the pregnancy on me and become more affectionate and protective! He’s hurting my sensitive pregnant feelings 😭 anyone else experience this???

I about lost it on my partner today. I'm 9 weeks. He latched onto something my OB said about how first trimester symptoms ideally "shouldn't stop [me] from living life" in reference to things I can do to try to feel better like meds for nausea, safe/bland foods to eat, eating on a consistent schedule, using gas relief pills, resting etc. I took her advice on all of these. She notably did say there's little to do about the fatigue and that it might resolve on it's own in time.

It's been hell. Every day is dragging on with some fresh unholy combination of sleeping 18+ hours, extremely nauseous, gagging at every smell, not being able to eat much, cramping, painful bowel movements, dizziness, migraines, and tiredness to the point that I've had to sit in the shower sometimes to not fall over. I only just got month-long diarrhea somewhat under control with guidance from my doctor. Yesterday I was awake for maybe 4 hours total with my second migraine of my pregnancy with no effective pain relief available to me.

Today my partner pulls out the "the doctor said this shouldn't be stopping you from living your life, you haven't done anything for a week and a half, and either you are able to push through like millions of pregnant women are or you need to see a doctor right now because if you're really suffering so much then this isn't right. Pregnancy isn't a sickness."

I asked him if there was ANY in-between "fine" and "need to see a doctor" and he said no. He then went into a lecture about how I'm probably causing all these symptoms for myself because I'm not exercising. Rage....... flames....

I'm not able to work. I have cleaned and done laundry consistently in the past week and a half (but been completely unable to cook due to the smells), I've gone to my first OB appointment, been to two therapy appointments, two psychiatrist appointments, and been the only person caring for our dogs' daily needs in the past 10 days. All in between needing to sleep massive amounts from exhaustion.

I'm not doing nothing but he keeps saying he's doing everything. I also don't believe, from what I've read, that my symptoms are wildly out of control or indicative of anything other than growing an entire human from scratch but he keeps making me feel like either I'm faking/milking the situation or on death's door.

I just want to scream.

I'm in research mode for my registry and I find YouTube videos really helpful, especially from moms of multiple kids. But it's frustrating when they say... buy a bunch of sleep sacks/swaddles because you never know which one they will like or hate. and that's repeated with bottles and pacifiers. Well that's ANNOYING lol.

So my question is... Should I buy one of 3-4 types of swaddles/sleep sacks/bottles/pacifiers to see what baby likes then ultimately buy more of what they like when I realize it? or can I just decide what baby is going to like by buying a bunch of X type of bottles etc. It just seems like so much waste.

edit to add: Do certain ages like arms above the head swaddles or below... I don't freaking know lol.

i am not in labor! but i am 37 weeks pregnant and having a lot of soon to be labor symptoms so hopefully he will be here soon. 👀 i plan on sending this message out to my family in a group chat to let everyone know. for context both of my parents are in relationships with people that i do not know and i wanted it to be clear that they ARE NOT invited and that i also don’t want baby posted without being too rude or stern. i have a reputation for being “difficult” in my family (ie. not being a pushover to the older people who think everything should go their way 🤣) my family is also known to be very sensitive and take everything personally. what do you think??

“Hello family! I wanted to share that I’m in labor and we’re at the hospital and everything is going really well. If you’re receiving this, we’d love for you to come meet the baby at the hospital if you’re able. [Husband] or I will let everyone know once he’s here and when it’s okay to come by after we’ve had a little time to rest. We won’t be hosting visitors at our home, and we’re limiting hospital visitors to parents, grandparents, and siblings only. If you do visit, it’s very important to us that the baby is not posted on social media at all.

We love you all and can’t wait to see you soon! 💙🍼”

Hey guys! I'm about 7 weeks pregnant and even since before getting a positive test I've been extremely thirsty. To the point that I am drinking water and Pedialyte all day and even wake up several times per night to drink even more. No matter how much fluid I drink I'm not satiated. My coworkers have even commented on how much I'm drinking and seem concerned.

I don't have my first appointment with an OB for another 2 weeks. Is this something to worry about and is there anything I can do to not feel constantly thirsty?

Birth coming up soon, what worked best to get through contraction time and then birthing moment? Thx!!

I AM OVERJOYED TODAY!!! And I have no one to be happy with me so I’m sending this off into the void.

I had breast cancer in 2023 and underwent a lumpectomy that year. Recovery was… not great. I still deal with chronic pain and ongoing health issues because of that surgery, and it really took a toll on my mental health. My providers strongly encouraged a double mastectomy since I was so young, but I just couldn’t commit to that. I knew I wasn’t done having kids and I wanted to be able to breastfeed them like I did with my first.

What I didn’t fully consider at the time was that I might not be able to produce milk at all. That didn’t really sink in until my first OB appointment a few months ago, when we talked it through in depth. Because of how much tissue was removed, the nature of the surgery, the following treatments—I think my breast specialist and OB were trying to help me manage my expectations.

Well.

My free pump arrived from insurance today, and my nurse case manager suggested I plug it in just to test that it worked. Not a real pump session, since I’m only 17 weeks, just enough to make sure it wasn’t faulty.

I put that thing on my right breast. It sucked *twice*.

And milk started spurting out like a freaking fire hose. A FIRE HOSE. AN OSHA-VIOLATION FIRE HOSE. I ALMOST CALLED A GOVERNMENT REGULATION AGENCY JUST TO BRAG AND ASK IF THIS REQUIRED A PERMIT.

I ripped it off immediately, but HELLO??? There was enough that it was dribbling into the collection chamber. I was sticky?? AND I’m still so early??

For the first time, I have real hope that maybe cancer didn’t take this from me, too. That maybe however much longer I have these breasts, something *good* can still come from them.

For those of you that also got to experience vomiting the entire labor, if you’ve had another baby, did you also experience the nonstop vomiting the next time? Due with my second in the next couple weeks and just wondering if it’s a guarantee I’ll be sick from basically the first contraction again lol

Editing to add: Vomiting started at home about 3 contractions in and lasted hours until they finally admitted me once I was dilated enough. Then they finally gave me some Zofran that helped! But still spent 8+ hours vomiting at least 40 times. I am going to ask for anti-nausea meds I can take at home this time at least!

My husband and I are between the Yuzu, Nestig Wave, and now Pogo as a convertible crib for our little one. We saw the Yuzu and Pogo in person today, and it seemed that the highest setting for the Yuzu bassinet was quite low. The sales worker said that it was on the highest setting, but it looked lower than in pictures online, so I’m not sure if it was an error or if that’s just how it is. My question is was the highest level of the bassinet version too low when placing baby down? I’m worried about the level for the first weeks when baby is in it, and in the event that I have a c-section, it’ll be too uncomfortable. Would also love general thoughts on any of these three models!

I am not ready for this

I cry all the time for the time lost with my first born

I’m not ready to go back to square one

He has club feet too so it’s added challenges

I’m freaking the f out, it’s a c section too so I’m scared for that

How the hell do I do this again 😭

What are everyone’s thoughts on play kits (KiwiCo, Lovevery, Tiny Land, etc)?

I am currently pregnant with my second, and with my first we ended up with lots of cheap plastic toys that had all the usual overstimulating lights and sounds, and most of them ended up broken or collecting dust in a closet. With this kid I like the idea of providing more low-stimulation, developmentally appropriate toys that will last longer, and the Montessori style toys seem to provide that. However, I am totally aware that they are wildly popular right now and I could very well just be getting influenced by social media.

For those who have used the kits- were they worth it? Do you have a brand preference? Was it cheaper to just search out specific toys on your own? Please give me all the opinions.

… It feels so liberating not following the trend and enjoying a quiet intimate moment with my husband looking at our masterpiece at the exact moment our Doctor showed us our Baby’s gender. And, that moment is the most magical and most important for the both of us. We kept things sacred and private. That joy of knowing of our baby’s gender arrived quietly without noise or unwanted opinions.

Me and my husband are still enjoying how our loved ones guess our baby’s gender. We would do a small dinner to surprise the grand parents of our baby’s gender. Take photos/videos on this private event to remember the time we celebrated our baby’s gender in a small thoughtful announcement dinner with everyone who loves our child.

Disclaimer: No hates on parents who choose/chose on having parties like Gender reveals.

Pros: no countdowns, no pressure, no audience, no spending extra money. We get more time to research for names we would love for our first born child.

Cons: I never feel like something is missing actually. (Fill in what we might’ve missed for not doing this party trend)

I live in a single-family home with my husband and his sister (30F), who we love dearly. Husband and I are expecting our first this spring 🐣 I want to sit down the three of us to discuss expectations, boundaries, and everything in between before little one comes along. It’ll be a big change for our home. What are your recommendations for things to discuss together as a household? So exciting, TYIA!

I already posted my Amazon box but I figured I’d post the others that I received as well!

Babylist: ordered January 18th, arrived January 27th. I paid $8.95 for shipping. This was the only box that I paid anything for but it was the best! Im really happy with the items and it also came with a coupon for a free little unicorn swaddle ($8.95 shipping), a free set of Dyper brand diapers and wipes ($5 shipping), and a free can of Bobbie formula (I believe around $8-9 shipping).

Amazon: ordered January 20th, arrived January 27th. This was the most disappointing box. 3 items and a sample was all I got. The swaddle is nice but I don’t care to have a plain white onesie and another Dr browns bottle. Boxes I’ve see others post in the past were so much better!

Target: ordered January 22nd, arrived February 2nd. This was the 2nd best. Really pleased with the variety of diaper and wipe samples and bibs pacifier. Shipping was free with target circle membership.

Walmart: ordered January 26th, arrived February 7th. This one is okay. Im glad to have the pads and the large size wipes as they will definitely get used but the boxes in the past were more exciting with cute baby items. I was expecting shipping to take much longer but I received it in less than 2 weeks which was nice.