We are beginning the journey of TTC and just curious how everyone told their significant other!

Did you take the test with them? Privately took the test and gave them a sweet surprise to tell them? Went to your first ultrasound to confirm before telling them? I would love to hear how others have done it!

F35 yo, happily married to a wonderful man. 6 weeks 3 days. Had our first appt w/ transvaginal ultrasound. The pregnancy happened fast - took out the IUD in May, and pregnant by Aug.

I feel oddly calm about how much our lives are about to change. My husband, on the other hand, is rolodexing and feeling a lot of anxiety about the future. We don’t own a house, and have some cc debt. We live in a city, but have good jobs, making over 250k jointly.

How should I start educating myself? What can we do to best get everything in order financially in 7 months? What do I need to research about maternity leave?

I feel like I need a checklist of stuff to read, research, do over the next 7 months. Pls help me get prepared

1 week postpartum. I'm up all night with my son who was born on the 21st. I'm exclusively breast feeding so unfortunately I'm awake most of the night. My husband helps me with diapers and bringing me food or water ect....but I am still not getting more than an hour of sleep. I take naps during the day so I am able to stay up at night.

Is it really 2-4 months before I can start sleeping at night again??? 🫣 I'm terrified and currently feel like 💩 I would be happy with even 3 hours of sleep at night.

Should I just switch to formula so my husband can help feed at night as well? All my doctors are telling me not to pump.

I’m 39 years old and have two kids (4 & 6). I have always wanted 3 kids but I had my second right before the pandemic hit and my husband is a healthcare worker who was working crazy hours during the pandemic so having that third baby just didn’t seem like a good idea. Years passed and then I started to feel a lot of anxiety over not having had the 3rd kid. I decided to try last December and fell pregnant on my first try. Everything was going well until I had a miscarriage in April 😢. Since then, I have been deep in my sadness over my loss and couldn’t start trying again until July because I had RPOC after my miscarriage that my doctor kept dismissing.

Fast forward to now, I’m still not pregnant (I got my period today, how nice). My only worry now is my husband’s age (51). Yes, my husband is much older than me but this is how our lives played out.

I want this third baby so bad but my husband’s age now is starting to make me feel really insecure. I keep worrying what his friends might think if we were to have another baby now and then I say to myself “who gives a shit about them!”. I just wish I wasn’t having to worry about this and can just relax and keep trying to conceive.

I guess I’m just ranting now and wondering if there are any other “older parents” in this group that can relate to me. Am I wrong for wanting this so much? 😔

Hey all, I’m 36 weeks and I think I lost a thin piece of my mucus plug. Does this mean anything? My first I didn’t lose it until I was in active labor. Last time I had an ultrasound (Tuesday), my cervix was still long and closed, but it looked like (sorry TMI) a thin piece of mucus in the toilet bowl just now😳 I hope this baby doesn’t come early, I’m not ready!!

How worried should I be? I can't help but freak out, that's my little girl in there /: this is my first pregnancy and I don't know what to expect.

I know I need a follow up ultrasound because the baby's position wasn't optimal for some images but the wording just fills me with dread

Is it normal for a doctors office to not have you checked out for anything and just send a prescription? I’m 26 weeks pregnant and noticed some spotting and I’m having abnormal discharge and I called my OB office and they just told me “it’s normal” even though I’ve already had BV once this pregnancy. When they called back I told them I did notice an odor and she said she’ll just send a prescription to the pharmacy for antibiotics. Sort of irritated because this is my 3rd pregancy and I’ve never had issues with spotting or bleeding with my first 2 and I feel like they should have checked me out rather than just throwing a prescription out there.

So, to start off, my doctor thinks that I’m 6 weeks, not 5.

Which honestly makes me thankful that the sickness feeling hasn’t been too terrible. Definitely nauseous, but nothing leaving me gasping for air like I was worried about.

Anyway, I wanted some advice on a few symptoms I find annoying. When I wake up, it’s hard for me to eat anything, not just from an upset tummy, but from how dry my mouth is! Chewing takes an eternity and makes the food taste way worse. (Took me an hour to get through half a peanut butter sandwich this morning!)

The other thing is the amount of water I drink. I’m drinking plenty but don’t really have to pee until it’s time for bed. Then I’m up multiple times during the night. For example, I drank an entire tumblr before my appointment and could barely fill the cup 1/7th of the way! Same when I got home. Drank more, went pee thinking surely I have to go. Just a tiny puddle. There is no way I’m not drinking enough, so maybe now I’m eating too much salt? I didn’t think so but it’s not like my meals have been super diverse other than starches.

Anyway, not too worried, just wanted something to combat these things and make life a tad easier!

I’ve had seborrheic dermatitis before but it is flaring up during pregnancy. Has anyone else had this and any suggestions on pregnancy safe shampoos or remedies? A lot of the shampoos I’ve come across through research have tea tree oil or lavender in them, which I read is bad for pregnant people.

Hi all! Third time mom - and currently 33 weeks. And it’s miserable and can’t imagine another 7 weeks. I have severe SPD and just walking and moving is painful.

My first was over a week late, and my second while not a week late was 3 days late. Both came without induction.

Anyone similar and baby arrived a bit earlier than 40 weeks? Like even 37 or 38 weeks? 😂

I need hope that end is near. I don’t want to induce if everything else is perfectly healthy. TIA!

Is there such thing as most common weeks to miscarriage

We live 3 hours from the hospital in Phoenix we may be delivering at. I saw the high risk dr today and go back in a few weeks but it sounds like they may want me to deliver in Phoenix and not where we live as the hospital is small and the risk of complications I have. Does that mean they would induce me before due date? Anyone been in a similar situation?

Thank you!

Hi all, FTM 37w today and 1 cm dilated (dr checked this am). For the past 48 hours I’ve had the absolute worst middle/lower back pain that makes it nearly impossible to do anything. My stomach is extremely tight. There’s no rhyme or rhythm to the back pain, it’s pretty constant with moments that it feels unbearable. I also have pretty severe crotch pain that makes it tough to move around. I just feel really off and could cry at literally anything which is not like me.

But good god I am in so much pain.

I’m only asking this because a family member swears I need it… it seems like I could just lut shushing noises on a speaker instead.

Is it worth the hype?

I’m in general pretty stressed at anxious about giving birth, but at exactly 39 weeks I’ve become hit with extreme anxiety (can’t sleep, low appetite, feel sick to my stomach, constant scary thoughts). Is it hormones? Body preparing for birth? Or just the fact I know labor is near?

Context this is my 2nd baby, 2nd induction.

Had my baby boy this morning at 5am!

Went in at 7:30am yesterday morning, unfortunately there were multiple emergencies, I hope everyone was okay! It delayed my induction until 4pm, but honestly I didn't mind. The hospital staff was very much open and honest about the situation.

Meanwhile, we just hung out in our room, got monitored a little, got my iv and just hung out watching TV.

By 3pm my team came in which was great tbh bc that didn't happen with my first. All doctors and nurses came in, checked me, then discussed options. I was 2cm, 50% effaced and we decided to just start with pitocin.

We started pitocin at 4pm, slow and steady. My nurses continuously put me in different positions, peatnut ball, yoga ball and as scared as I was of pitocin it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought. By the time I was 6cm I asked for the epidural, got it placed and we continued to do position changes to bring baby down.

Around 8pm we noticed my water broke slightly. We allowed it to do its thing hoping it would totally break on its own. About 4 hours later at midnight they decided to break my water fully.

From midnight to about 4:45am my epidural just stopped working on my left hip area. I could feel every contraction in my hip/back area and tbh it was so weird bc it felt like someone hitting me with a bat and decided to call my doctor in to try pushing.

Well at 5:15am I pushed TWICE and baby was born. 2 pushes. That's it. It was INSANE.

Baby boy born at 5:15am, 5lbs 15.7oz, 20 inches long at 37+3. Crying, healthy, and we got golden hour. It was incredible. While my induction didn't go any faster, birth clearly was very fast lol I ended up with a small 1st degree tear, but nothing major. I'm still in shock.

He's currently eating like a champ, passed his hearing test and waiting on other newborn screening but we are set to go home tomorrow afternoon. It's been a crazy time. Lol but I'm so happy. 💙💙💙

I’m only 29W and haven’t been sleeping for the last two weeks. I tried all these pillows, stretch exercises, cold compresses, yoga, meditation, physio and nothing works. I’m a back sleeper and just can’t get comfortable on my side. My legs get sore, my arms gets sore, my back and even my butt muscles get sore. My last resort is to buy a recliner chair and try to sleep there. If it doesn’t work, I don’t know how I’ll survive the next two months living like a zombie during the day. One good thing about it is when the baby arrives I’ll just continue my sleepless nights but this time with a company! Any tips and tricks will be greatly appreciated!

I saw a dad post recently on Reddit about giving his baby HSV-1 when he had an active outbreak by kissing his baby. It was a very sad post and the transmission of the virus could have definitely been avoided. I wanted to share a product that may be helpful for those who suffer from cold sores especially with the colder seasons upon us. While you should NEVER kiss your baby when you have a sore with or without this product it could potentially help stop transmission if the baby inadvertently touches your mouth.

Hi! I am 36 weeks and will be induced due to hypertension around 38/39 weeks so very shortly lol.

I’m a FTM and am 28 going on 29 (shortly after I give birth is my birthday). I live with my 58 year old dad in a 1 bedroom apt. I stay in the bedroom so we are setting up my room for me to be with the baby.

I collect records and have a turntable/receiver and two shelves of records in here. Am I crazy for wanting to keep them as some kind of holding on to my old life? We keep arguing over this and he doesn’t get it because of the difference in generation.

I’m just asking for this one thing I can keep. I don’t know what to do but I will lower the amount of records and put them all in good sleeves etc.

need some unbiased objective opinions on this situation and let me know if you think I’m being unreasonable and should really get them out of the room. Thank you.

My HR rep is super unhelpful and gives very sanitized answers when it comes to maternity leave and what is available to me as a California resident specifically.

My company gives 4 weeks of fully paid maternity leave at 100%. Anything taken beyond that has to be “approved” (approved by who I don’t know and she didn’t answer me) at a reduced rate of 60-70%. My policy also states that California FMLA state programs run CONCURRENTLY with our company policy…

This pregnancy has been tough on me. I was diagnosed with GD and will most definitely be induced in week 38 or 39. I want to take advantage of short term disability (4 weeks prior to my due date) which I didn’t do last time. I understand this is a use it or lose or benefit that the state will provide at 60-70% salary.

We’re also one of those companies that have “flexible” paid time off. I have been told I cannot use my flexible PTO to compensate the remaining 30% of my salary for either short term disability or fmla. But I can use my “legacy sick hours” (sick hours that I accrued from being with the company so long, this was a roll over policy before we for flexible PTO).

So I guess ultimately my two main questions are:

1. How much maternity leave can I realistically get?
2. How can I use other pay to compensate the state pay, to make me whole?

Hi all!

I’m 20+3 pregnant, baby girl is healthy and doing great as per our anatomy scan last week. Now onto the issue, OBs nurse always checks my blood pressure the second I sit down after rushing me in her office. BP is around 130-32/85 and reading seems consistent for all three appointments I’ve had. However, I also check my BP at home daily and it’s usually 115-120/65-70. My OB advices I start taking 168mg aspirin (which I will) and also booked me for a specialised placenta ultrasound because of her concern of hypertension. In addition, OB tested my urine and did blood work for preeclampsia- all came back normal.

I don’t mind taking aspirin and the extra checks but is there truly a reason to worry considering my blood pressure being off only in the context of the doctors office? Would love to hear about your experiences. Thanks!

Does anyone else pump AND breastfeed everyday? I only ever see EBF and EP but I don’t know if there’s anyone that does both on a daily basis

My baby was born almost 6 weeks early so while he was in the NICU I got on a strict pumping schedule of every 3 hours to bring him milk as often as I could.

I am on the verge of being an over producer. I recently got mastitis last week (not fun) so I am very cautious now of not going too long without pumping.

However my dilemma is that my baby will nurse at random times throughout the night, but he doesn’t drain my breasts fully with each nursing session.

I want to continue pumping every 3 hours so that I don’t get a clog/mastitis, but I also want to have enough milk for him during the sporadic nursing session during the night.

Anyone else going through the same thing?

I adore my husband He is an amazing man. He is so protective of me and it has only gotten more since the pregnancy has progressed. He is to the point he doesn’t want me to bend over at all lift anything at all or reach for anything…. Plus standing to long. Etc. well if I am bending to do laundry or putting up the dishes from the sink and he sees it he freaks out… telling me I’m being reckless we are 37 weeks. Etc

But he won’t do the stuff like pick the basket off the floor unless I ask or things will be on the floor like shoes. Or paper and I hate to be like ummmmmm hello pick this up all the time so I do it. Basicly I’m so frustrated cuz he doesn’t think that I have to bend over sometimes out of necessity if the clothes I need to wear are in a basket on the floor I have to pick out if it. If the groceries are in van and no one is home I have to bring them in. I’m not being reckless I know our limits. It’s just Uber frustrating.

Hi all! I’ve seen plenty of recommendations about supportive bras and have found some good ones myself, but what on earth do people do for bikini tops? I’ve got a few pairs of one piece bathers but they are annoying to wear under my wetsuit. I normally wear bikini tops that cover a lot and keep everything where it should be as it’s for surf lifesaving so need to be quite sturdy. Currently I’ve got the Mara top by Jolynand it’s now way too small (wore it once, yay).

So, if anyone has any recommendations for a bather top that will keep everything in place and not feel as sore when running around, I’d love to hear them! I’m in Australia so bonus points if local (shipping is a nightmare). I have my bronze medallion requalification in a few weeks and my current plan is to just wear what I’ve got (I have a Roxy bikini top with good coverage that’ll fit but is not supportive at all) and just wear my sharkskin over the top to hold everything in place.

Asking here because it’s only my first trimester and all my friends are younger then me and haven’t been pregnant. You better believe I’ll be all over the recommendations for when they go through it!

Just needed a place to rant real quick because although I can and do complain to family and friends, I can only do it so much before I feel like they are probably tired of hearing about it, but I know my fellow preggos will understand.

Here we go: Second pregnancy, 22 weeks, way worse than the first which was also bad. Lost 20 pounds the first trimester from food aversions and throwing up, still dealing with some food aversions plus water aversion. Constant heartburn, constantly fatigued, can’t get real rest because I have a toddler, burping all day, back hurts, hips hurt, and the one symptom that has driven me insane is the hyper salivation which I definitely did not have the first time round. I keep waiting for it to end but I have a feeling it’s going to be around until this baby comes out. I have to carry a bottle around to spit in because it’s just nonstop saliva town over here.

I am thrilled for this baby but I hate being pregnant. Genuinely pleased for anyone who does love pregnancy, it just has never been me. This will definitely be our last child.

For those of you who used Myriad Genetics for your NIPT/Gender testing - when you got your results did it let you send the gender results to someone else? Will we be able to view all of the results except for the gender? I used Natera with my last and this was an option. Just want to see if anyone can give me an inside on how the results with Myraid will look and if not seeing the gender is a possibility.

hii im 36 weeks pregnant and i just saw my OB yesterday and everything was fine. today ive been having pain in the pelvic area (where the panty line is) and im not sure what this steady dull pain is pertaining to. could it be braxon hicks? should i be worried? no mucus plug or water break so far.

My wife is pregnant with second son and is currently 36 weeks into pregnancy. She was supposed to get a RHogam shot at 28 weeks, but OB and his assistant seemingly "forgot" to administer it.

My wife's blood is negative and I don't know mine at the time of posting.

Is it it too late for the shot? Should we be concerned?