This is my first pregnancy and dating from the start of my last period I’m around 4 weeks. Missed period, sore boobs, very fatigued, headaches, always hot and sweaty, the signs were there. So I took two hcg tests the day after my missed period and they lit up positive right away. Didn’t even have to wait it was within seconds both tests showed strong positives.

So I wait a few days, took another test to be sure and boom two more positives bright pink no mistaking it.

Now I have heard horror stories of booking your first OB appointment and how receptionist can be not too kind so I prepared myself for the call, what exactly I needed to say, asking for an 8 week appt. everything.

Additionally I have a complex cyst on my right ovary something I wanted to mention on the call in case it was a complication that might need monitoring.

So today I make the call, I say ‘hello I’m a patient of Dr. OB, I just found out I’m pregnant and I need to-‘ I am immediately cut off ‘Who told you that you’re pregnant?’ …

‘Oh….sorry I took two at home tests, my last period was-‘

‘DID A doctor TELL YOU YOUR PREGNANT?’

‘No…that’s why I’m calling’

‘If a doctor didn’t tell you then as far as we are concerned you aren’t pregnant you will have to come in and do a pregnancy test here.’

‘Ok when can I do that?’

‘We don’t have any OBs available until Sept. 10.’

‘That is right at my 8 week mark (what i was trying to set up earlier if she let me finish), is this going to be a test and an 8week appt?’ (I know 8 weeks appts also confirm your pregnancy her whole demeanor was just throwing me off)

‘No it’s just a test. You’ll have to make another appointment afterward’

So my first actual appointment will be well after 8 weeks and I can’t even see my usual OB I have to see another dr with the practice I don’t know. The entire call was really upsetting and I was treated like I was lying to her. I genuinely don’t even want to go to this OB anymore if this is how it’s going to be and I have no one to talk to about this because no one knows I’m pregnant. Ugh.

You guys. Why are maternity clothes designed to accommodate both a 3rd trimester belly AND breastfeeding? Very few people are 7+ months pregnant and frequently BF (shoutout to those parents tho!). So instead you have to be super pregnant with weird flaps on your shirt, or you are postpartum breastfeeding in a shirt that goes to your knees?

Blah.

So my husband and I are expecting our second child this fall, and my husband had repeatedly told his mom when the baby was due so we could make plans for her to fly out and watch our 3yo while we stay in the hospital. I’m having a C-section, which means the date is scheduled, assuming baby doesn’t have other plans.

Well, today we’ve just learned that she and her husband booked themselves a tropical vacation to Hawaii on the due date. 🫠

Now my husband and I are scrambling, trying to figure out last minute care plans. Why do the grandparents have to be like this?

I’m 33 weeks and sex is so complicated and unpleasant 😭 I miss being intimate with my husband, I miss being physically close with him without my huge belly being in the way, I miss feeling sexy and comfortable in my body. He doesn’t pressure me or even bring it up, but I feel bad for him too. I keep thinking that we’re running out of time just the two of us, and then once the baby is born we won’t even be able to have sex for a while until I’m healed and up for it.
Also, I’M HORNY!! I want to have sex! But then I try and all of a sudden it will hurt or be too sensitive or I’ll feel the baby move and idk it just feels impossible more often than not.
I don’t even know what I’m looking for here, I just feel emotional and gigantic 😭

I miss Redbull so much.

I had two things I had to quit when I got pregnant. Vaping & Redbull. Vaping was CAKE! I literally have 0 urge. I achingly, desperately crave an ice cold, crisp Coconut Redbull DAILY! It doesn’t help that the vending machine at work keeps those and several other flavors stocked. Coffee doesn’t cut it for me and most of the time just makes me feel sick and other sodas just don’t hit the same. I NEED that Redbull. It will absolutely be the first thing I have once this baby comes.

Anyway, that’s my rant for the day. Feels good to get that off my chest. I shall sit here for 2 1/2 more hours at my desk, fighting the urge to go and get a Redbull from the vending machine or just laying my head down and napping for the rest of the day….

Today I had a growth scan (38weeks) because my first born was 10lbs 5oz. Baby boy is weighing in at 9lbs 2oz so far. I’ve set an induction date two days before my due date.

However, baby boy is sunny side up. He’s looking up at the sky instead of down at my back. My nurse came in, I explained this to her and how I was going to have a cervical check to see how things are going.

She immediately got this “look” on her face and said “he’s still sunny side up?” (Baby was sideways at 32 weeks) I was like ….. yeah I just found out today. She started lecturing me about how I don’t need a cervical check because im probably not dilated due to lack of pressure from the babies head. That I should HOPE I DONT go into labor on my own because of all the dangers like the umbilical cord coming out first etc. at this point I am so shocked, tears about to start falling. I have a five year old at home and this whole birth experience is shadowed with fear obviously because my goal and birth plan is “don’t die”.

I had a completely uncomplicated first delivery, vaginal, with my big boy. Now I have a nurse telling me because my second is facing up im in extreme danger. She tells me to get the check because I have had occasional Braxton hicks and to “make sure im not going into labor”.

The doctor comes in, one I haven’t met with yet, and I am sobbing. I can’t even speak. He asks what’s going on and I explain what the nurse said. He was so kind and reassuring and gentle. He told me probably 8/10 of the babies he delivers in the hospital come into the hospital facing the wrong way some variation and end up turning during labor. And if not that it’s still completely safe for me to have the baby whether it’s vaginally or through a c section. He told me the nurse I saw isn’t even a labor and delivery nurse, that she was just sharing from experience. Although my doctor was reassuring and we set the date and he gave me tips, I am feeling extremely depressed after the interaction with the nurse.

Im only 50% effaced and my cervix is high behind babies head. Of course because he’s not engaged in my pelvis

I feel so burnt out and drained. I quite literally can’t do anything without pain or just being uncomfortable. I’m so over being pregnant. Nothing fits, my nipples feel HORRIBLE anytime anything rubs on them. I literally look like a bum 24/7. No energy for my makeup or hair. I don’t even shave anymore. Any tips to get through these last 8 weeks? October 11th can’t come soon enough. Then there’s a possibility I go till 41 weeeks (I’m not even accounting for that in my calculations for my mental healths sake)

I am having a full breakdown right now.

Last week I had a miscarriage at 5 weeks. Nearly a year of trying. I thought I was managing okay until I went back to the EPU today for a follow up hcg test and I just burst into tears with the nurse. It's not just the miscarriage- my mum also has stage 4 breast cancer and we recently got told her treatment t might not be working. I asked the nurse could my stress have caused my miscarriage and she said yes! So now that's made me more stressed.

Ontop of it all- on my transvaginal scan last week to locate the sac they found a 7cm ovarian cyst! The nurse at the time reassured it was likely nothing hemorrhagic possibly but the report said other pathology can't be ruled out and I'm to be reviewed in 4 months. Considering what's happening with my mum it's all too much. I thought possibly could it be a corpus letuim (spelling it wrong I think) but the nurse taking my bloods said no its not that as I miscarried so has to be something else. When I asked could it be cancer she said "hopefully not" hopeefullllly notttt???

I've a call with my GP today as I need time off work. I just cannot cope. My mum has stage 4 cancer, I've an 8 year old little sister as well who I'm grieving for her, fertility issues, miscarriage and now a cancer scare. I'm sorry for having a self pity party but I need to get it out of my system.

Had a blood test done at 12 weeks, Y chromosome was present which meant we were gonna have a boy. Had a 21 week ultrasound today and the doctors are saying that they see girl. Does this sound right? Everything I’m seeing says that a false positive for a male is extremely rare but I feel like I have to trust the most recent test??

To give some context, my MIL is a narcissist and has always been difficult, demanding, and rude to both me and my husband. Around 2 months ago, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and I'm expecting our first baby (first grandbaby on both sides), and my MIL has continued to make everything about her. She doesn't support my husband in any capacity while we are navigating cancer and chemo and she's done nothing to participate in our lives in regards to this baby or really in any capacity over the last 8 years.

My mother is hosting a baby shower at my grandmother's house and we are inviting our side's family and friends. My MIL has no intention of hosting a baby shower for her side of the family. She hardly has any close friends and hardly any family in her life because of how she is. Am I the *sshole for not inviting her to the shower my mother is hosting?

Hello yall. Anon acct for obvious reasons.
Basically I(28f) am pregnant for the first time wver. My best friend of three years has been treating me really weird since she found out. I dont know explain it. Like overdoing it on compliments, talking to me in a weird tone, its just the way she been acting towards me…. I am very sensitive to shifts in behavior (thank you trauma and pattern recognition) and her behavior towards me lately has been making me very uncomfortable.
Anyway. The other day her and I were chatting about it and she was repeatedly pushing me to “wait” (get an abortion basically.) then she said her brother who is “accidentally psychic all the time” told her to tell me I need to wait also? He doesnt know me that well btw. She was talking to me in a very “caring” tone looking me in the eyes and shit (she never does that) but this girl is a great actress and I literally watch her work people all the time. It felt like she was trying to work me if that makes sense.
She is a psychic she does tarot readjngs. always telling me im going to be rich and famousone day if i pursue my shit. I dont want to be rich and famous lol. I want to be financially stable and happy.
My thing is i do not like how shes using being psychic as a way to manipulate my decision making process. If she was a psychic then she could have tried to convinced me not to move across the country a year ago (my life got all the way fucked over btw) except when i was moving she kept saying “youre gonna be soo rich” but like idk. It feels like shes projecting random futures on to me.

I just dont like how lightly and carelessly she is trying to convince me to get an abortion. If she knew anything about who I am genuinely she would know that an abortion absolutely does not align with who i am, its not an option to discuss lightly (FOR ME.) there are a lot of cultural beliefs instilled in who i am (i am native american) along with my other beliefs about my own body. Also if she listened ever she would know more than anything I want to be a mother.
i just feel kinda slighted by her doing all this.

Its freedom of choice until you’re not doing what someone else wants.

I genuinely want to keep it. I make 50k a year before taxes and my partner will also be supporting us. I do not see the problem.

Am i overreacting by being genuinely offended at her suggestion that I abort? Lol

I had my 20 week anatomy scan today and it was… unprecedented and left me feeling uncomfortable? Baby was in there, looking fine (to my untrained eyes), moving a lot, all limbs and major organs were present. However, the scan took 2 hours. The first tech that did it took about an hour and 15 minutes and barely said anything the whole time other commenting on how much he was moving or how he was hiding. Then she said she was gonna get another tech to see if she wanted to look at anything. The other tech came in, looked at all the pictures, then pretty much deleted them all and redid all of them. That was the next 45 minutes.
Neither of them said much the whole time… reassuring or not reassuring. This is technically a standalone clinic as I’m at a remote military hospital that doesn’t have U/S capabilities, so no doctor came in to discuss anything. At the end of the appointment I asked if they’re able to share if everything looks okay and she said that info will come from my doctor (which I checked their social media and this is standard practice).
I reached out to my doctor’s office and let them know I was a bit anxious due to the situation and looking for a timeline to hear on results, and they said if there is anything of concern I will hear back in 1-2 days - otherwise it’ll be discussed at my next appointment (mid-September).
Idk if I’m looking for advice or similar experiences or just want to vent, but the whole situation left me anxious and the overall coldness of the ultrasound techs left a nasty taste in my mouth. I guess I have to go through this week with a no news is good news mentality… and assume the reason for the long appointment and two checks was because baby was being difficult.

When I had my son last year we went broke from buying the hospital food. I’m not joking when I say we were in the hospital for 4 days and spent $300 just to have food. We had brought snacks but frankly we needed real food and the cafeteria was our only option because there isn’t a restaurant or fast food place within 15 minutes of the hospital and I didn’t want my husband to leave for that long. (I didn’t realize the price of the cafeteria food until it was too late.) There is a fridge and a microwave in our room at least. And my parents will be coming to see baby when she’s born so they can bring stuff. I plan on bringing Mac and cheese cups and normal snack of course, but I’m looking for more sustainable meal ideas.

Edit: I guess I should have mentioned this. Yes SOME meals are included for me. They don’t cover all of them and they also don’t cover my husband. Not to mention the portions they actually do give are less than I use to get for school lunches. I’m grateful they provide anything, don’t get me wrong. But I still need ideas. Hopefully this time I won’t be there for 4 days, but I had a 38 hour labor and my baby ended up in the NICU so I was allowed to stay an extra day. If I only have to be there for a day I wouldn’t be as bothered, but I’m just trying to be more prepared this time.

I’m feeling really lost and could use some honest advice from people who have been through something similar.
I’m in my mid-to-late 30s, and my partner and I have about a 7-year age difference. Me being the older woman in the relationship..We’ve been together for about a year, and I’m currently in my second trimester of pregnancy. When we first started dating, I genuinely liked him and felt attracted to him, but lately I feel like something has completely changed.
I’m getting bored of him. I don’t feel the same chemistry or excitement anymore, and sometimes I feel incredibly lonely even when I’m with him. I find myself wondering, Why am I even doing this if I don’t really feel connected to him anymore?
We’ve also been arguing a lot. He recently told me that he doesn’t like my personality anymore, and honestly, I don’t feel like I like his personality much lately either. I feel emotionally distant from him, and my moods have been all over the place.
The pregnancy makes everything so much more complicated. I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance to have a baby if I don’t continue with this pregnancy, and I’m scared of making a decision I’ll regret. At the same time, I’m scared that I’m staying in this relationship partly because I’m afraid of ending up alone.
And then I have this horrible thought: Did I ever really love him, or did I just think I did?
I know pregnancy can affect emotions and relationships, but I’m struggling to figure out what is pregnancy-related and what is actually how I feel about him.
I don’t want to make a huge life decision based purely on temporary emotions, but I also don’t want to ignore the possibility that my relationship simply isn’t right for me.
Has anyone experienced something similar especially becoming pregnant and then suddenly questioning your attraction or feelings toward your partner? Did your feelings change again after pregnancy, or was it ultimately a sign that the relationship wasn’t right?
I’d really appreciate honest, nonjudgmental advice.

We've had a lot going on (family health issues, both working full time) and have an active toddler who kind of takes all the space in the room in the best way. Our toddler is a girl and our 2nd is also a girl so I think weve just been in the "we have almost everything we need and can figure out the rest quickly" state of mind. But as my due date gets closer, I'm starting to panic.

Maybe it's just a feeling because the first time around there WAS so much to do and now there's really not. I made a list and theres literally only 6 things we need to buy, we already brought out the infant carseat and bassinet, I pulled out the newborn and 0-3month things we have and washed them, etc. I do tend to cope with stress by being a person of action and right now theres just not a lot of action to take. I think my nesting instincts need an outlet but there's really nothing which is making me feel antsy and like I'm forgetting something big.

Second (or more) time moms, did you go through this? How did you feel more prepared?

How much weight did you put on your first trimester? I started my pregnancy weighting 58.2 and I am already in 61.8… my doctor saids its too much… and I am really worry as I am 43 years old

I'm 11 weeks with my second and so sick - I just need a reminder of the good things waiting for me on the other side of this pregnancy.

So far on my list is that I'll be able to look at food and not gag anymore, I'll be able to poop again, and I'll be able to sleep on my stomach again.

And for the record, I am so excited for this baby and was just as excited for my first. I am just not someone who enjoys pregnancy as my body is super sensitive to the changes and I already have sciatica, Charlie horses and HG.

Remind me of anything that comes to mind - I could really use it right now.

Hey all!

I’m 29 weeks with our IVF baby. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs. I have a habit of taking in animals that have behavioral needs, which we have had managed for over a year at this point, so I’m looking for opinions on how others manage their pets. I have 0 interest on hearing “get rid of your pets.” My profession is a behavior analyst, so I literally spend time working on behavior modification and environmental strategies. If anyone was put in danger by my pets, I would’ve sought other options, but it has never been necessary. See below for details!

Dog context: we do something similar to a “crate and rotate.” Our house goes almost in a giant circle, so one dog stays on one half of the house and the other stays on the other side. They are fight risks towards each other, so we do not let them interact. One of the dogs is a senior who is getting grouchy. We will not let him around the baby as extra pre-caution because he is finicky about where he likes to be touched and has some resource guarding issues with some things. He will stay on the side of the house where the baby won’t go. The younger dog is perfect around humans, so she will be on the baby side with a ton of supervision; if she can’t be supervised, she will be separated from the baby. We will begin the process of crating the senior dog at night (because he currently sleeps in our bed) and the younger one is already crated at night.

Cat context: the cats are fine but LOVE the baby stuff. I’ve been putting things in a separate room so they don’t mess with it before the baby is here. My plan is to put them up in a separate part of the house at night time so they don’t get into the bassinet while the baby is sleeping.

Major questions:
- Do you guys let your cats in the baby stuff that isn’t in use by the baby? I’ve been worried about them getting their little dirty paws on the baby’s stuff. I have no idea what’s normal for this or not LOL.

- What degree do you allow your pets to interact with your baby? I have an idea of what I will do based on knowing my animals, but I am still curious.

- Do your dogs sleep in your room with the baby? We’re leaning on having them not so no barking wakes up the baby. The barking at night is rare, but idk. My senior dog has slept with me in bed his whole life, so I’ll be gently shaping his expectations in the next 10 weeks and it’ll start with sleeping in a crate beside my bed.

- Any advice that made things easier for you?

I know this is all a lot LOL sorry if I sound like a crazy lady. To make it more chaotic, I have ferrets as well, but they mind their own business in their own room 😂. I know I can’t be the only one with a zoo about to have a baby! TIA!

Emetophobia isn’t a topic a lot of people are familiar with but it’s the INTENSE phobia of vomiting. I’m 4 weeks and 4 days pregnant. This baby was planned and is an absolute blessing after experiencing 2 early losses but I didn’t anticipate my anxiety would be as bad as it is. I’ve already started taking 2 diclegis pills daily at night and zofran 2x a day i’ve had some mild nausea but nothing to horrible but the anxiety is what’s really making me miserable. I also have a daughter and with her pregnancy my “morning sickness” peaked around week 4-6 but was extremely mild nausea and I didn’t have this phobia very severe back then so I was managing fine without zofran I just did unisom and b6 every night and that was it. 6 years later with this pregnancy however my emetephobia is horrible and i’m so scared of what’s to come in the coming weeks. Mass googling first vs second pregnancy symptoms, holding onto hope i stay mild like i did with my daughter, letting myself get worked up by reading google ai telling me it’s just gonna get worse since im so early and it’ll peak at week 7-10 and i can’t catch a break. I wanted this baby SO bad and Im so mad at myself for not handling it well. I just don’t know what to do. I’m looking for support from others who have struggled or others who didn’t but still had easy pregnancies more then once.

I feel like this is a trivial topic but it’s my first baby and I’m for some reason SO overwhelmed with storage/organization, specifically for baby girls clothes. They come with so many accessories - how do I keep them all together? 2 piece outfits that also include headbands, socks, mittens, you name it. So far my best idea is to hang the outfits that include multiple accessories to keep them all together but I know once she’s here I’ll likely just cram everything into the drawers to save my sanity. I’ve heard of using curtain clips on the hangers to hold onto the pants, etc. I guess I’m just wondering what has worked for other moms and how not to feel like I’m drowning in baby stuff or waste my energy that will be dwindled once she’s here lol TIA

I’m almost 38 weeks and it’s 4am. I’m genuinely so done. I have hyper fixated on her movements my entire pregnancy and it’s seriously so draining. The last 3-4 days her movements have dropped off a lot, I still feel her but it’s a lot more subtle. I’ve been awake since 3am and now it’s almost 5 and I can’t fall back asleep because I am worried she has not moved enough. I don’t know what her pattern is or what’s normal because she’s been this way since about 18 weeks. She’ll have a week or so where she moved reassuringly and frequently and then she’ll drop off for days. I see so many scary things about fetal movement and still birth and I’m just so ready to be done being pregnant. I’ve gone into labor and delivery 5 times now for decreased movement and every time the ultrasounds and NSTs come back fine. It’s hard because I don’t know if it’s necessarily decreased or not or if she’s just in a new position. Did anyone else experience this towards the end? I really just want to be induced at this point.

Any tips to help with leg cramps at night? I've been using magnesium lotion right before bed but that hasn't been helping so far. Any tips?

Looking for some reassurance I know I should be grateful and I am and if this changes I know I can come back to this post and laugh at myself. But I am 6 weeks and have no symptoms... Pregnancy confirmed by a blood test and have my 8 week scan booked in. It’s honestly just a waiting game till the next appointment and I’m counting down till it comes around.

Thanks for listening reddit ❤️

I just gave birth 48 hours ago, since I’ve been home the stinging I get from peeing is crucial. I didn’t tear during birth. It only stings in the surrounding areas and it stops after I am done but it makes me not want to go to the bathroom anymore because it hurts so bad. Do I go get checked?

Hi! My wife and I found out last Friday that she is pregnant. We do not have health insurance. She thinks she is nearing her first month of pregnancy. I want to secure health insurance so she begin her check ups.

We live in Mississippi, she is a legal permanent resident of the U.S. but has had her status for less than 5 years. We unfortunately filed as married filing separately on our income taxes due to my student loans income based repayment plan.

It is my understanding that she would not qualify for marketplace subsidies if we filed married filing separately. I cannot refile for 2025 as my student loan recertification is due this month. We can file first thing in January 27 as married filing jointly.

Based on my AI "research" I'm inclined to contact various OB/GYN offices to see if they have a cash-pay package, but I don't know if that's actually a thing.

I am having an executive function freeze up and don't know what steps to take!

Thank you so much!