So for the last 9 months my husband has been taking care of the cat box as recommended by our OB.

Back when I was maybe 11 weeks, one of the cats puked on the floor. I was about to go clean it up until my husband stopped me and insisted he does it because the OB mentioned the risk of toxoplasmosis from the cat box.

I of course said nothing…didn’t have it in me to explain that it’s just the cat poop that’s a risk.

Anytime now over the last 9 months my cats eat too fast and happen to throw up he rushes to clean it, and I do not stop him.

I’ll take my wins where I can, I also don’t plan to tell him after the pregnancy either incase we have another baby, I get another 9 months off from puke duty😂

Second time mom here, graduating again at 39+4. I often see posts on here about decreased fetal movement and moms feeling silly about getting checked up. I want this post to serve as a reminder that the worst thing that can happen is that you're just sent back home

My first kiddo came at 40+5 after I decided to evict her because I was moving states. The practice I was at during my first has pro-induction after the due date. I was very convinced my second kiddo would go past my due date. My current practice is pro-induction after 41 weeks

I woke up yesterday morning (39+3), having slept better than most recent nights. I went about my morning getting my toddler ready for daycare and settling it for work. After completing my morning meetings, I realized that I didn't feel baby as frequently or strongly as I usually do. I ate my lunch to see if that would jump start anything, but when there were no changes, I called my OB/Gyn. They asked me to come in right away

I was monitored for 20 minutes. While they saw the baby was moving and that I had contractions, they didn't see the level of activity that was expected. They told me to go home, grab my bags and head to the hospital for the induction to be on the safe side

The induction went so much smoother the second time around. My first pregnancy, I entered the hospital as Fort Knox, tried all different induction methods and had to threaten my baby with a C-section before she came out after 2 hours of pushing (30 hours end to end)

This time, after being hooked up to the monitors, they saw I was already contracting every 8-10 mins. I was given pitocin and 6 hours later it was time to push (epidural about 3 hours in). I pushed for 15 minutes tops and it was so much easier than my first time. I'm now looking at my happy and healthy baby ❤️

Overall, I know many moms get scared about making "a big deal about nothing" or are scared of inductions. But please remember that the most important thing of pregnancy is a healthy baby and healthy mama

Sending lots of love to this channel and good luck!

Sitting in my OB office 37 weeks round, enjoying life, giggling away with my husband when I hear the front desk lady start making fun of someone who is a current patient in the back. I ignore it because none of my business and think “huh that’s odd”
30 seconds later I hear my OWN LAST NAME and this 40 year old lady is MAKING FUN OF MY NAME?!? AS IM SITTING THERE?!? I look up and say loud enough to my husband “wow that’s insanely rude” and she shushed real quick after that. tell me why the WORST (mostly) women EVER go into nursing/OB? I laugh at it after the fact but sitting there hearing that made me feel like I was in high school… why are people like this?
anyone got any stupid/funny things they’ve overheard in the waiting rooms?

Sorry for my bad English, I'm Italian.

My daughter (16F) has become pregnant. From what we’ve been able to piece together, it happened at a party. Unfortunately, date-rape drugs are fairly common in Italy. We obviously filed a police report against unknown persons, but we’ll likely never know who the piece of shit is that got her into this mess. She chose to tell only me (I’m her father), and as of now (7 weeks in), her mother still doesn’t know about the pregnancy.

Abortion is legal here in Italy, though the issue of parental consent is a bit of a grey area. We tried to get permission going through a whole series of steps that would be a waste of time to describe and I thought everything was going to be fine. But it wasn't. My daughter practically ran out of the clinic in tears, and now she says she’s "not sure about what she’s doing."

We have to hurry, we’re running out of time. And I’m terrified that she might keep the baby. It’s not about a lack of money. It just seems completely absurd to me. In a few days, we’ll be forced to tell her mother, who will rightly be furious with me. What a disaster.

So, I am a bit embarrassed of my behavior during labour. I was to be induced but a day before i went into labour naturally and delivered a beautiful baby girl. Now i got an epidural but it worked for maybe a couple of hours after which any kind of top up did not work and i felt all my contractions. What it did do was numb me enough that pelvic exams did not hurt. Anyway when i was finally 10cm dilated they wheeled me out from the general labour ward where only women were allowed (so only my mom or MIL were there at any time, husband had to wait outside, this is normal in my country unless you got a private room which we did for the induction but it was not available the day before).
Then, they took me to a separate delivery room where no one except doctors and nurses team were allowed. And they kept telling me to push and i pushed but i also screamed bloody murder. They told me to not scream as it will drain my energy to push but the pain was insane and i have always screamed when I’m scared (rollercoasters, lizards, what have you) and it helps me deal better.
Baby girl eventually came and i was just in an extremely drugged state as i was wheeled back to the ward after being cleaned up. There my MIL told me she had goosebumps hearing my screams, also the moms waiting to give birth were scared even more now because of my screams. I did not realize screaming was such an anomaly while giving birth so i checked online and yes people usually apparently don’t scream. They grunt moan etc, but idk what was wrong with me. I was and am so embarrassed i kept apologizing to my doctor and her team but they were so nice and said it was nothing. My MIL on the other hand told the “screaming gave her goosebumps” story to everyone in her family.

I’ve been constipated for the last 10 weeks, and I’ve needed zofran around the clock (even into my second trimester) which has only made it harder. I tried EVERYTHING. Miralax. Magnesium. Docusate. Prunes. Kiwis. Fiber supplements. Weird yoga poses. But I hadn’t pooped in weeks. It’d be like a few pebbles at a time maybe once or twice a day.

But OMG. I was at work yesterday and I was being so picky for lunch. The only thing I wanted was a medium rare (I know, I know, let a girl live) ribeye. One of my coworkers also caught a fresh yellowfin and brought it in, so my boss cooked that with the steak and a side of sweet potatoes.

30 minutes later I’m minding my business when I suddenly felt the urge to go. I had a MASSIVE bowel movement and nearly clogged the work toilet. Firm shape but soft, no straining, no cramping, no pain. Just slid on out without warning. It was pure ecstasy and I literally felt like I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. It was better than an orgasm. My bloating immediately went away and I felt so much lighter. It’s only a day later but everything’s moving normal now too and it’s just incredible.

I told my husband this and he thinks I’m actually insane lmao but IT FELT SO GOOD and I needed to share with people who could appreciate the relief 👌

We went from every other day (or every two days) to twice a week..

I’m 12 weeks pregnant and I feel so “FAT” 😭 and I hate sex when I’m hating my body or feel fat..

For baby:

- Lots of diapers & wipes (hospital didn’t provide)
- One single outfit for going home. Baby was otherwise swaddled the whole time. Doctors and nurses will be coming around frequently to check on baby so having them in clothes isn’t convenient.
- Pacifier
- Sound machine
- Egg light (lights in the room are very bright)
- Car seat of course

For me:

- Adult diapers
- Hair tie / clip
- Going home outfit (I didn’t end up wearing any PJs, was in the hospital gown the entire time)
- Prenatal vitamins
- Stroller fan (hooked it up to the bed)

For husband:

- Comfy clothes (sweatpants & T-shirts)
- Underwear

For husband & I:

- Toiletries
- Towels
- Flip flops / slippers
- Snacks
- Long cable charger for phone
- Water bottles

That’s pretty much it!

Edit: I live in Quebec, Canada. Healthcare is free but due to budget cuts they’ve stopped providing diapers & wipes.

No one told me sleep is so restricting during pregnancy, at a certain point you can’t sleep on your stomach, you can’t sleep on your back, and now I’m reading that it’s advised to sleep on my left side to maximize blood flow and minimize strain on my organs. Has anyone noticed a difference when they slept or their left versus right side when pregnant?

I'm a 36yo FTM who works a physical job outside in SoCal. My job is such that I'm on my feet all day long, sometimes doing grueling work such as shoveling, weeding, planting, harvesting, lifting heavy objects, etc in the hot hot sun (some days the heat index is over 100°).

Since telling my boss I was pregnant at around 17 weeks, I have had many accommodations made for me (and rightfully so!) to not risk my health or my baby's health. Management has actually been really great about handling my pregnancy, as I'm the only one at my company who's been pregnant before in this job position.

Now that I'm 32 weeks, my OB sent work restrictions that essentially render me useless at my job (not walking or standing for more than 30 mins every hour, not being out in the sun for more than 15 mins at a time, etc). The company is willing to put me on paid disability starting at 34 weeks (2 weeks ahead of what CA normally allows) once I complete training the new hires who were brought in to assist the department while I'm out on maternity leave.

While all of this is great, there are older women (>65yo) who work at my company in other blue collar jobs (kitchen, housekeeping, etc) who have made me feel terrible about taking advantage of the restrictions that have been put in place for me due to my pregnancy. Every time they see me sitting in the air conditioned break room, they give me stories about "when I was pregnant, I was on my feet for 15 hours a day, doing this doing that" or "I never got any additional breaks or special treatment" and the list goes on and on. I really just want to snap back and say "yeah that really sucks, and thankfully your generation fought for those rights that have now been afforded to me, so you should be grateful and happy that times are changing!" Like, I'm genuinely sorry that your experience was super difficult and not at all accommodating to your pregnancies, but I'm not going to suffer or put my baby in jeopardy just because you're making me feel guilty for not also killing myself in the year 2026. I've just ignored them, but it's really testing my patience...

Has anyone else ever experienced this? How did you handle it?

I’m 23 weeks pregnant and have been waking up with severe headaches, lower back pain, and so much bloating (like +2kg overnight bloating!). I try my best to prioritize my health by hitting the gym, doing my stretches, avoiding overeating, and making healthy choices overall. It was so frustrating to be in that much pain and discomfort without knowing what to do.

Then randomly one day, my body was so THIRSTY. It felt like it was begging me to chug water. I ended up drinking around 3L of water, which is quite a shock for my water depraved body. The next morning, no headaches! I woke up ready to burst, peed out around 800mL of excess fluid my body had been holding onto, had a bowel movement, and the bloating was completely gone. Even my lower back pain was reduced significantly. It honestly felt like a miracle.

Over the next week, I kept experimenting with drinking less water versus more water. Ladies, the difference is astronomical! PLEASE drink more water! Keep your water bottle right next to you, put it on your bedside table, set alarms, or ask your partner to remind you. Do whatever works, but do it! It’s actually wild how such a small habit made such a huge difference, and I’m kicking myself for not prioritizing water earlier in my pregnancy.

This pregnancy has made me realize just how differently my family and my husband's family show up for the people they love. The contrast has been heartbreaking.

For my baby shower, my mom insisted on being the one “in charge” but ended up doing next to nothing and instead spent her time making passive-aggressive comments about my mother-in-law, who was running around picking up catering, decorating, and making sure everything came together. She even got my car cleaned because she knew how stressed I was about that which I was beyond grateful for. My dad didn't even bother to come to the baby shower. My brother showed up with an attitude, stayed for about an hour, barely spoke to anyone, and left. My own family didn't even take a single picture with me.

Throughout my pregnancy, my dad has repeatedly made negative comments about the names my husband and I were considering for our son instead of just being excited for us. My brother's biggest concern wasn't how I was doing, it was making sure we weren't planning to use the baby name he wants, which we never would have done anyway. Any time he has reached out, it's been to ask me for money, babysit, or watch his cats. He's even trying to convince my mom to babysit for him so he can go on a rafting trip during the time she's supposed to come help me for a bit after the baby is born and my husband needs to return to work.

Now, at 38 weeks pregnant, my in-laws flew across the country just to help us prepare for the baby. They've deep cleaned our house, stocked our kitchen with groceries, cooked postpartum freezer meals, and even bought me a pass to the local community pool because it's been so hot here and they thought it might help me relax before labor. My family? They're nowhere to be found. They haven't offered to help prepare in any meaningful way. It feels like they're just waiting for the baby to arrive so they can come hold him. 

I know people will probably suggest talking to them, but my family doesn't respond well to those conversations. Whenever I’ve tried in the past, they immediately get defensive, avoid accountability, and it only creates more stress. It feels like nothing gets through to them, they just dig their heels in deeper. At 38 weeks pregnant, I'm choosing to protect my peace instead.

Has anyone else's pregnancy completely changed the way they view their family relationships? Hearing other people’s relatable stories may help me not feel so alone.

Update: Am I wrong to not have my MIL in my home after giving birth to my daughter?

See OG post here.

My husband called me and informed me that he will be working on his days off this week. Thursday and friday. And he will *try* to take a week off for her birth.

I lost it.

I told him that I didn't know what the F he wanted me to say. I told him our marriage is now dying in slow-mo. (Work has always been an issue. Mind you he is salary. So no extra days does not mean more money for baby. I won't get into it but I also helped him at work while I was pregnant when his finger got infected..... and on my birthday). I hung up after that. I would like to say I feel bad about it but I am just done.

Meanwhile, my MIL has decided it would be a great idea to tell me that it "would be nice" if I would not ignore her and give her answer about if she is gunna be at my home after the birth of baby.

This sent me over another edge I didn't even realize was there.

This b*t*h gets done ranting about how she needs space in that 10 min shit talking session and has the nerve to tell me I need to answer her so she can make plans for the weekend????

I called my husband back. Told him what she said and also that she and him can both go f themselves and I will go to my remaining appointments alone and the induction will be included in that. I would much rather be alone than deal with this shit storm of people railroading me left and right.

I have never been so railroaded and hurt besides the day I lost my son.

I guess my husband is horrible and everything will always come first before me or the life I thought we were in agreement to share.

He hasn't reached back out or even attempted to make things right. So I guess I have his answer. Yay me.

Today I told my direct supervisor that I am pregnant (I’m almost 11 weeks) so that I can set a reasonable expectation about my job performance and see what accommodations are available.

Her immediate response was “you aren’t supposed to tell anyone before 12 weeks. Then she crossed her fingers and expressed her hope that I didn’t have a miscarriage. She told me about how *she* had had a miscarriage and they told everyone “too early” and had to take it back.

Her response was so jarring to me and made me feel anxious and worried. I hate how sensitive I am right now but that was not the response I expected.

I’m just ranting but also how do you all deal with these comments!? It’s so upsetting.

Side note: my baby has a heartbeat and is growing perfectly on track so I have no real reason to fear but I hate these comments!

30 weeks pregnant with my first baby, a baby girl. All scans have been great and she has been developing as normal, last "routine" scan was 6 weeks ago and I did do a 3D scan 3 weeks ago.

I suffer from chronic pain and chronic migraines. MFM approved for me to continue taking Tylenol 3 (co-codamol) with the advice to wean in 3rd trimester which I am doing. I have gone from 4-5 tablets a day down to 2 a day and my migraines have significantly improved (thanks hormones), however the chronic pain still persists.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had to take this or just Tylenol for the majority of their pregnancy and how their baby or young child is now. I am worried about both ingredients but I know there is less risk of NAS if I can come off completely in the next couple weeks. There is so much fear-mongering regarding Tylenol, and something about pregnancy makes me feel guilty for everything I do/don't do. I just want to create the best outcome for her.

So… my husband and I were having sex normally and he decided that he wanted to try anal sex. We’ve done it before in the past (talking 7 years ago) and I remember absolutely hating it and just feeling like shit afterwards. No pun intended. But tonight he wanted to try it again. I didn’t really want to and I won’t go into it to much but I did let him try but once again I didn’t like it, was painful and didnt want to continue it so I told him to stop. He then put it in my vagina like normal and we were done but now i’m maybe unrealistically (or rightfully) worried that I could get an infection. I’ve only had a UTI once in my life but never anything else. I did the usual pee after sex but also understand that doesn’t flush out my actual vagina.

Does one just monitor for symptoms? What would those be if so?

Wish I would’ve just stuck to myself and what I was comfortable with knowing I didn’t like it cause then I wouldn’t be worrying right now.

I had a second degree tear, and I’m a bit nervous at the thought of having sex again because the pelvic floor and overall vaginal recovery has been tough. I’m going on 4 weeks ppd, and I know dr said it’d been 6 before my stitches heal and the swelling goes down fully, but I was wondering- do people feel ok after 6 weeks to have sex even after being “cleared” by a doctor?

If you tore, when did the idea of sex no longer feel scary?

Hi all!

I am 5 weeks pregnant and yesterday my partner and I were chatting about the things we have to do/organize/prepare before the baby arrives.

Of course there is the baby bedroom, making the house child safe, all the things you need to buy, the food you want to have, meal prep, etc and so on...but I was curious to ask the experienced mama out there like what are the things you wish you had done before giving birth outside of the classic list you will find on any website/blog or whatever?

I've heard a lot "sleep" lol, relaxing, etc. But i'm curious; Is there any other things that suprised you, or that you didn't think about before but was soo clear when you had the baby with you? Like aaah I wish i had done that before!

Update:
Just saw the ultrasound of my baby and baby is bouncing… waiting for the doc to read all the scan and explain why I was actively bleeding today.

This is my first pregnancy and today is my 13 weeks. I went to the bathroom and my panty liner was covered in light pink red.. currently in the ER. Waiting.. please pray that my baby is okay

Hey all, I always see the maternity clothes posts in this group and wanted to offer my now-obsolete maternity stuff if anyone wants it. I don’t need/want any money in exchange for it so I hope the mods will let this post stay up (but no worries if not!). I know how hard finding good maternity clothing can be and now that I’m 2 and through I’d like them to go to a good home!! (And to give me back my storage space LOL)

Mix of L/XL (US 14/16) old navy, target, j crew, and a few other brands plus some items that worked for my giant belly that are technically regular sizing. Message me if you are interested or want more details, I’m planning to donate them next month if no one in this group wants them! I’m in Maryland USA.

Final update: baby and I are fine and healthy. My water didn’t break and I’m going to bed now after all that anxiety. I’m glad I went because I feel so much better now. Thank you for all the advice and the kindness❤️

I might delete this later, but I am panicking. I’m 40w1d and yesterday I had random small gushes of watery, clear, odorless discharge throughout the day. Today I noticed it a few times, too. It started to concern me tonight, so I called my on call doctor and basically the answering service told me the doctor wouldn’t call me until the morning. She said they won’t even take my call and that if a woman is 20+ weeks protocol is to just send her to the ER.. so glad I pay all this money just for that advice. Great.

I call the hospital and she says to call the on call and do what they say, and she says no matter what I can come in and they can check to see if my amniotic sack broke.

I’m stressing because my SO and I had sex yesterday after I had some leaking (I thought it was just regular discharge since everywhere I’ve read says it has to be a nonstop trickle or a large gush). So I’m worried it could cause infection. I’m stuck because if I go to the hospital and it’s nothing, I have to spend over 1,000 dollars out of pocket. If I go and it’s something then it’s okay obviously. I’m debating if I should wait until the morning or go tonight..

I know no one here is a doctor but I’m so worried and I’m crying. I just want my baby to be okay and I’m frustrated that the doctors don’t have any answers for me one way or the other..

Edit: I’m a FTM but I have a step son, he’s here with us and if we go to the hospital we’d have to call my SO’s mom or sister to come pick him up. Poor thing is exhausted and has a field trip tomorrow and I also don’t want to inconvenience anyone and have it be nothing.

Should I wait until this morning? Has anyone else experienced a leak of fluid like what I described?

Second edit: I’m going to the hospital. Thank you for the people who were kind and encouraging. I’ve never done this before and no one really prepared me for what to do or what to look for.. what I’m experiencing isn’t “typical” and nothing I’ve read talks about water breaking this way. I appreciate the brutal honesty, I’m trying my best lol.

I’m 36 w pregnant with our first baby, me and my boyfriend have been together for 5 years and he’s watching porn/looking at naked women which wasn’t something he’s done before in our relationship, he doesn’t know that I know he’s doing that but last night I could see him looking at it right next to me w his phone tilted and I don’t even know what to say! I feel heavily disgusted and disrespected as he won’t even touch me while I’ve been pregnant, I tried to let it go because I know he doesn’t want to be intimate and it’s been a long time but right next to me? I feel like if I say something he’s just gonna lie or get super pissed but I mean come on? Has anyone else been through this? I feel super unattractive to him he says it’s because of the baby he won’t be intimate with me but now I think it’s just because I’m “fat” now?? I don’t even know who to talk to about something like this, he shows he cares about me but idk anymore, should I say something or is this normal behavior?

This baby is my 4th pregnancy, my first was 6lb12oz, second 7lb4oz, last was 7lb14. But at 36 weeks gestation, this baby is measuring at 7lb2oz and is 87th percentile (had ultrasound Monday). I am already measuring 38 weeks from pubic bone to top of uterus 🫣 She is estimated to be about 10lb10 if I was to go full term and Drs are concerned of the size that she will be at birth as the bigger the baby the more complications and risks there are at birth. I do not have gestational diabetes. And all previous births were a spontaneous and natural birth. They are looking at inducing me 1 week earlier. I have a few questions, 1. Did your dr give you the option for c-section and/or induction? 2. Was your ultrasound way off with the weight of baby and you birthed a smaller or larger baby? I’m interested in knowing the stats here girls lol.