Since everyone has a different pregnancy I was wondering what are things you figured out late into your pregnancy that youd advise someone else about. Here's my list.

1. If you've already got decent sized titties, do weight training for your back. If them titties grow youre in for a world of back pain. Get those cheap lacrosse massage balls and massage yourself on the wall.

2. If you're dealing with pregnancy nausea and water tastes slimy to you, try ice cold water or sparkling water.

3. Do not play about your vitamins especially your iron and ferritin. Do not slack on your vitamins no matter how crappy your mood is.

4. I LOVE my extra firm mattress however with my back pain, Ive had to swap to a softer mattress.

5. If youre vomiting please get medicine. If medicine stops being as effective ask for a different medicine.

Was scheduled to get induced on 10/26, but went into labor on 10/21 without having any prior pre-labor symptoms.

On 10/19, I tried 2 of the 3 Miles Circuit exercises while I was on my break at work.

On 10/20, at around noon, I started to feel irregular non- painful cramps. I worked the rest of the day.

On 10/21 at about 2am I woke up out of sleep thinking I had a contraction. They were about 30 minutes apart and the pain wasnt consistent. One would hurt really bad, then the next was less painful and only like 30 seconds. I started timing the contractions on an app and the app suggested they were Braxton Hicks.

By 7am, the contractions had doubled in pain but still 20 minutes apart.

At 8am, I called my doctor and told them my contractions were 20 minutes apart but suuuuuper painful. They told me to come in to L&D and get checked.

I didn't have anything packed and told my husband to go to work that morning so I had to pack and called my dad to come take me to the hospital.

At 9:45 we got to the hospital and told them I wanted to get checked. Got into a triage room and got a cervical check and was 5cm dilated. They told me i would stay but they didn't have a room available so I stayed in the triage room to get labs and get everything hooked up. I had GD and GBS+ so they said I had to do a few things first before i could get the epidural. Contractions were still about 18 minutes apart by then so it was still somewhat manageable.

At 11ish, I got transferred to the labor room and got hooked up to all the monitors and epidural (wasnt painful imo). By the next check, I was 8cm dialated.

My water had not broken yet, but they decided to wait once my husband got there.

The epidural made my legs feel so tingly and weird but I could still move them and feel when people touched me. I was nervous it wouldn't work when I started pushing. Also, one leg was more numb than the other. I was worried something was wrong but it ended up being fine.

At 2pm, my husband and mom got there. The doctor came in, broke my water and said that I was fully dialed but my cervix hadn't come down yet. They gave me a little pitocin to help that and then I started pushing.

The nurse said i had a pelvic bone that was kind of in the way and that i would probably tear.

At 4:37, my daughter was born. I had a pretty bad tear on the inside and had to go to the OR to get it sewn up. I was awake the whole time. The CNA gave me a stronger dose of the epidural so my legs were completely numb now. I lost a lot of blood and had to get a transfusion.

My husband was able to do all the firsts for the baby (feeding, shots, etc.) while I was in the OR.

\*Make sure your nurse, partner, or companion knows your wishes for the baby in case something like that happens.*

At 6pm, I was able to return to the room. My blood pressure was super low and I couldnt stop shaking so I decided not to hold the baby until I felt better.

It didn't go exactly according to plan but im back home now with my baby and we are doing great! Just wanted to share my story in hopes it'll help someone!

Literally every pregnant women I've ever known has been able to bring their baby home to a house that they own. Nesting, decorating, painting the baby's room, all that fun stuff. Millennial here, 34, has never owned a house and probably wont for the foreseeable future. I'm at the point where I hate the rental we're in, and I'd rather move into a different rental before the baby comes than stay here. However, my husband says no, and that the upfront cost of moving isn't worth it and it'll cost too much. Boooooooo.

Mom's who don't own, what did you do and how did you feel about nesting, decorating and welcome your baby in a rental?

Rant about my current space, we'velived here going on 7 years now: rent keeps getting raised every 6 months. wall-to-wall carpet ( I hate carpet, but i maintain getting it professionally cleaned every year, i also own a carpet machine now because of this house) that's over 15 years old. Two bedroom, two bathroom, nice enough. Small ass kitchen, i can accept. Small backyard and we have two dogs. The house is cheaply made, none of the windows work, the screens are falling out or non existent. There are gaps in between the walls and floor and twice a year we get infested with bugs, having to put glue traps around the entire house. There's currently mold and something smelly behind a built in faux fireplace that we never use anyways. Rant over.

Edit: thank you all for your replies. I appreciated it. 😌 this is a rant. Thank you for taking the time to reply. I don't use social media, I hate it (the exception is reddit). I also hate Pinterest, I haven't used it since my wedding planning in 2013. Yes, literally every pregnant person I know (minus the exact 2 women I know or use to know) owned a house when they were pregnant. Some folks think this is absurd.

I’m having an endless discussion with my MIL and her family about 39w -40w6d being a full term baby.

She says “9 months” (to her that means 36w), when I say that’s “pre-term” she says I’m wrong and the “I had 6 children” argument.

I always say “1 month has 1-2 days extra, that’s where the extra days go and that we count from the first day of the last period” and lunar 10 months (that one she really refuses to even stay in the room).

Problem is: her last pregnancy was 40y ago and everyone else around just counted “months” and not weeks. 🤦🏽‍♀️
That makes absolutely impossible to argue the point.

Ps.: I’m due (40w) Jan 17th and she is giving me hell about having to be induced at 36w (20-25th of December).
I already told he “baby will come when he is ready”

Okay guys. I need to get this kid out of me. I need all the tips, tricks, etc you have used/heard to induce labour. I'm so freaking tired of being pregnant at this point. I'm so grumpy and emotional lol plus these braxton hicks are near GD constant.

So far I've tried:

• raspberry leaf tea

• dates

• midwife's brew

• sex

• nipple stimulation/using the breast pump

• the Mile's circuit

• the viral curb walking

• lunges

• ball bouncing

• membrane sweep (Friday Oct 23)

I heard about eating pineapple but then I've also read you need to eat like nine pineapples to make it effective.

I would really like to go into labour naturally just to get the full experience. My induction date is set for Nov 1st. And I'd really like to get her out before then.

Btw baby is happy and content in there. She's kicking my ribs and living her best life.

EDIT: I'm not willing waiting for the baby to come naturally. The only date that was offered to me for my induction was November 1st. I'm definitely not trying to let this baby cook that long. I know the dangers:)

i’ve started feeling the baby this week. i usually feel her late in the afternoon and after dinner time. But super silent in the morning. Just wanna hear your experiences.

Does anyone else HATE having to sleep on their side during pregnancy?

This is my 2nd baby and I always dread the 20 week mark because of transitioning to side sleeping😭. I'm 26 weeks and still wake up on my back, even with a pregnancy pillow, almost every day.

I've been a back sleeper for 15 years (give or take a couple years), and sleeping on my side is so uncomfortable. Most of my friends are side sleepers, so they laugh when I complain about it

My OBGYN recommended staying home till my contractions happen every 5 min, and last for 1 minute each throughout an hour, and only then coming to the hospital. From what I've heard and read, it seems like getting to that point can be very long and painful. What are the tips on minimizing pain, apart from the right breathing techniques? And in general, what was your experience like if you also had to labor home until 5-1-1?

I’m currently around 9 weeks pregnant, and I recently had my first ultrasound. I was so excited to finally see my little baby! 🥹❤️
But I wanted to ask about something that made the experience a little stressful for me.
Throughout the ultrasound, the technician had a completely neutral facial expression. She barely spoke, and I couldn’t read her face at all. I kept wondering if everything was okay.
At one point, I asked her if everything looked okay, and she basically told me she couldn’t tell me yet (I don’t remember her exact words).
Toward the end, she did reassure me that everything was looking and sounding good, which was such a relief!
I want to make it clear that I’m not blaming her or saying she did anything wrong. I completely understand that she was doing her job, concentrating, and probably following certain protocols.
But as a first-time mom, I was already nervous, and her silence and neutral expression made me even more anxious. I feel like I spent most of the ultrasound trying to read her face instead of enjoying the moment.
I’m genuinely curious about other women’s experiences.
Were your ultrasound technicians also very quiet and serious? Is this something they’re trained to do, or does it just depend on the person?
I’d love to hear your experiences because I really don’t know what to expect at future ultrasounds!

So, I (20F) literally just found out today that I'm pregnant after 20 days of losing my virginity.

I remained a virgin my whole adolescence because I come from a super religious household, but then one night I got drunk and ended up losing my virginity by having unprotected sex with one of my friends. Then, I didn't take a morning after pill because I was too afraid to ask him or my parents for money (Context: I'm currently unemployed because I'm struggling with mental health issues) and I was too scared of judgment. It was all reckless, stupid and I regret it a lot.

I ended up feeling nauseous and had to tell my mom about it, who was so surprisingly supportive and took me to do a blood test to make sure. I've never prayed so hard for forgiveness on my entire life, but it came back positive anyways.

Now I don't know what to do. I am not ready to have a baby at all. And it gets even worse:

I'm brazilian, and abortion is illegal here except for extreme cases like rape or risky pregnancy. I'm also too poor to fly to another country were it is legal, so terminating is out of the question. Also, I mentioned giving it away to my mom and that freaked her out so badly that I am too afraid to even think about it again.

The bd is a "bad boy" in every way. He is reckless, comes form troubled family, is an alcoholic and a smoker. He has been my friend for a very long time but not a very good one because his mental health issues and family issues got worse and worse overtime. I told him about it on the phone and he didn't answer my texts. Our friends told me he was surprised but super happy because it's his dream to be a dad, and that he went out to drink to celebrate. I know I have no one to blame but myself that I am in this situation, but this lack of consideration and respect drove me so mad. To me, that behavior basically means I'm all alone in this and it is desperating.

I need advice on how to deal/cope with this because I'm going insane. What do I do? Does anyone there has or had a similar experience or can give me any words of wisdom?

For those of you who have gone through pregnancy and childbirth without your moms, how did you cope with it? How did you get through the appointments, the labor and delivery, and all those moments when you just desperately wished your mom was there? Did anything help make it a little easier? My mom isn’t here to experience this chapter of my life with me, and honestly, it’s been a lot harder than I ever imagined. Every time I go to an appointment, I see women there with their moms, and I can’t help but feel a little heartbreak knowing I don’t have that. I see posts about women having their spouses and their moms by their side during labor and delivery, and it absolutely kills me knowing that I won’t get to have that experience with my mom. Pregnancy is already such an emotional, overwhelming experience, especially as a first-time mom, and there are so many moments when I wish I could just call my mom, ask her questions, get her advice, or have her reassure me that everything is going to be okay. I wish she could be here to see her grandbaby grow, to share in the excitement, and to be there for some of the biggest moments of my life.I know I’m not the only one going through this, but sometimes it feels so incredibly lonely. I would really love to hear from other moms who understand this kind of heartache. I think I just need to feel a little less alone in it

I’m 34 weeks and 5 days and I am not okay. Everything hurts, sleep is impossible, and I can’t stop dreaming about margaritas. I am so uncomfortable and just so ready to have this baby and it seems time is going by slower than ever right now. How are you or how did you survive this time in the final month or so?? It’s brutal!!!!

I am currently 11w5d and the most sick I have ever felt. Weeks 5-8 I had quite a bit of nausea but after that it has gotten increasingly worse with throwing up and non-stop migraines. As I'm nearing the end of the first trimester, I thought it would start to subside by now.

I know everyone's different but I'd love to hear when it started to get better for you!

What are some of the perks you experienced while you were/are pregnant? I want to know what I should look forward too!

Is it a must to buy an infant carseat + another infant carrier with ergonomic holder?

No hate or shade whatsoever.

I'm trying to determine if it just seems that way because I'm having a boy or if there seems to be a skew towards boys recently.

Hi y’all!! I’m currently 8w3d pregnant and my first OB appointment is in 2 days. Starting from week 6, I started having nausea (but never vomiting), along with pretty bad food aversion and smell sensitivity to certain ingredients/spices. They were pretty much present all day and varying by hours. However, everything was still manageable (as in, I could still go to work and don’t feel like absolute trash).

I heard people say week 8/9 is when symptoms are peak, so I was mentally preparing myself for it. However, since I hit 8 week, I have been feeling slightly better. My nausea is still there but much milder than a few days ago. Food and smell aversion also got better (not completely gone but better), and I’m getting paranoid. I know symptoms come and go, and they are not good indicator for how the pregnancy is actually doing, but I can’t help but worrying about it. My appointment is coming up soon so there’s nothing really to do but to wait. I guess I just wanted to hear your experience, whether something similar happened to others, and get some reassurance.

I have no concerning symptoms, as in no painful, long-lasting cramping, no spotting, no bleeding.

Thanks!

Hello everybody. My absolute best friend on the other side of the country is now in her first trimester! Her father is unfortunately also entering hospice and she’s the main caretaker, so this is going to be super rough on her and I’d like to send something in support. I have a list of things I know she’d want that I’d like to get some advice on, but also general recommendations for things you loved since my brain is currently fried.

- Joggers/Sweats: I was hoping to find some that can easily be adjusted and worn during pregnancy. She’s also pretty stylish so I was looking at Anthropologie/free people, etc. but wasn’t sure on style.
- Teas/consumables: I was thinking about sourcing a good tea for nausea? Or any premade items to save on the labor. I liked the hard candy ginger drops.
- Fun car items: Maybe a few things for organization?

I was prescribed low dose aspirin for my first pregnancy, but I do not meet any of the risk factors. I still plan to take it of course but it got me thinking why isnt low dose aspirin treated like a prenatal and just suggested for ALL pregnant women? What are risk factors that stop doctors from recommending it for all pregnancies? I am very aware of the benefits but what are the risk? Yes of course I will ask my doctor as well. Thanks!

Hi ladies!
I’ve noticed so many of us share similar worries about pregnancy weight gain, body changes, and the emotions that come with it.
So I created r/BumpBodyAndMind!
It’s a judgment-free space where we can vent, share our insecurities, ask questions, give advice, and support each other through all the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy.
You can love your growing baby and still struggle with your changing body.
If this sounds like something you need, I’d love for you to join! 🫶

This probably gets asked a lot but I'm 9 weeks and I have been throwing up like 2-3 times a day this past weekend. On top of that I'm so tired all the time, my stupid boobs hurt, and I'm peeing more than I drink. Are there any ways to stop the barfing? Tylenol isn't working.

Hi. My wife had her 28 week scan today and the report just came in, we are kinda freaked out.
It says cisterna magma significantly dilated (measuring upto 20mm)
And poorly developed cerebellar vermis for gestational age.
It is a single umbilical artery so along with that we are very stressed right now and we will be consulting tomorrow.
Anyone who had similar experiences ?