Hey all,

I am currently 11 weeks which I know very early still. Everyone is convinced we are having a boy, which I am totally okay with. My husband wants to name the baby after his grandpa which would be Romeo. I don’t love that name and can’t see my son having the name Romeo, I suggested to my husband maybe for his middle name? And he got bent out of shape.

I just wanted it to be something that we both agree on. He wants the baby’s initials to be like his which is RAP. So any baby boy names that have an R is greatly appreciated with the middle name Romeo!

Hello 👋🏽 I’m 5 weeks & 4 days I get really hungry & I eat something only to hate the food as I’m eating it. No Nausea, just like a dislike for the food as I’m eating it. Also the flavors are awful of everything unless it has hot sauce. Which obviously causing me issues in the bathroom. Any advice? Is this normal?

Hello all

My wife is in her 34th week of pregnancy. The due date is 6 weeks away. I want to be ready with required stuff before the baby comes in and keep my waifu stress free.

As of now, i have purchased a baby cradle, a trolley to keep baby stuff & a baby carrier pouch.

I need suggestions and help from you folks on what to buy and keep in the delivery bag (for the mom & the child). And i would also like to hear any tips on what common mistakes to avoid while buying baby stuff. I would also love to know if there are a few things that many people don't buy but are infact super helpful.

Thanks Soon-to-be-dad

I went for an NST and they had me lying on my back. Shouldn’t I be lying on my left side? I’m worried it’s not safe for the baby to lay on the back for too long.

Best options for colorful fun summer maternity clothes (I also have 2 weddings)

Let me start by saying I love my job, look forward to returning to it after my leave is over, and am so grateful to have the flexibility and leave options that I do. But I'm feeling so anxious and overwhelmed and I just need to vent.

I’m a FTM due at the end of March - currently 32 weeks and all the fatigue and discomfort of the third trimester is really starting to hit me. I’m a tenure-track professor and per my contract only teach fall and spring semesters, but my college has a winter session as well which means the spring semester doesn’t start until mid-February. If I had known I was pregnant any sooner I would have asked to teach the winter session so I could just buy myself out of teaching this spring, but that wasn’t possible so here we are. I have had almost two months off and just as I’m getting supremely uncomfortable and exhausted in late pregnancy I have to go back to teaching for a few weeks, with the plan that I will teach for the final six weeks of my pregnancy up until I give birth to maximize my paid maternity leave.

My maternity leave is paid off of sick time and I have only accrued four weeks - I can take up to a year off unpaid but for financial reasons we’re really trying to avoid unpaid time off if at all possible, so the challenge was to try and stretch those 20 days to cover the remaining 10 weeks of the semester. What I worked out with my department chair is that I will teach my courses hybrid, and as long as I keep posting pre-recorded lectures after I have my baby it counts as days I am working and my sick leave can stretch to keep me fully paid through the end of the semester. Once the semester ends I'm extremely fortunate that my contract pays me over the summer even though I'm not working, so I'll have another few months home with my baby until I return in the fall. But it means that starting in a few weeks I will be back to teaching my labs in-person up until I give birth.

My plan for these weeks at home between semesters was to pre-record all the lectures I will post after my baby is born and prep everything for the sub who will take over teaching my labs. I have been making progress, but it's going much slower than I expected - even working from home I’m realizing how exhausting everything is at this point in pregnancy, and the thought of going back to commuting and teaching for the last six weeks of my pregnancy is making me so overwhelmed and anxious. I know I can do it and will get everything done, but I just feel so tired even thinking about it. I know it will be worth it because this plan means I get to maximize time at home with my baby while still getting paid, and it has the advantage of moving my tenure clock along (I would lose a whole year if I took the spring semester off entirely). Rationally I know all these things - I know this is the best plan for me, my career, and my family, and am grateful this was even an option. But I’m so exhausted and so worried about returning to work in a couple weeks. It’s such a weird scenario to have essentially had two months off (sort of) and then go back to work for the last and probably hardest stretch of the pregnancy.

I’m trying to remind myself how much I love teaching and that being busy with work has always been good for me and my mental health - I was so relieved to start the fall semester when I was in my first trimester and it really helped distract me from how nauseous and tired I had been feeling. In some ways I think it will be easier once I'm back on campus, because when I'm super tired or feeling sick working from home it's very easy to just give in and stop for the day. I know I can get everything done, I just have to keep pushing through. Has anyone else (especially teachers/professors) been in a similar position?

My husband and I both travel frequently for work. I am due May 14 with my first and I have cleared out my travel schedule as of April 1st (partially due to recommondations on this sub).

Husband told me today he has to be out of town for two days around April 22. He will be 4 hours away by car and driving conditions in the area can be dicey (snow, animals, etc). He has another travel day on the 26th but he'll only be 2 hours away on a major highway and I'm not as worried about that travel on that day.

I'm panicking, he thinks that at 37 weeks everything will be chill. I want the security of him being here becuase I am anxious about him missing the birth. I have lots of family here to physically help me so that's less of an issue.

Am I right to be upset? Is it crazy for him to go at that time?

She enjoys her junk food. I am not going to try to force her to not eat any, but is seeming to wanting to be eating that more than healthy food.

Eating healthy is very important to me and it's very important that our baby get the best nutrients possible. We have gone from agreeing to eating healthy with junk food here and there, to nearly primarily junk food, to then "thank you for the reminder, I needed to hear that," to now back to, "I’m going to eat whatever I want."

Again, I am not the type of person to tell her she CANNOT have what she wants, but certainly healthy food needs to be the priority and main focus while she is pregnant.

Please and thank you for your thoughts and your time.

Thinking about options for our daughter starting in the fall/ winter…she will be in the 7 or 8 month mark when our maternity leave is over. I like the idea of just hiring a private nanny. It makes me nervous sending her off to a daycare so young, but I’m curious to hear what others have experienced.

I own their bras, love them. Scared to try their lounge wear. I feel like it looks thin and might pill.

Has anyone purchased recently and what did you think of their PJ/loungwear?

I just got my NIPT tests back from Unity. Everything came back low risk, but my fetal fraction is 4%. I got the testing done at 11 weeks 4 days roughly. I did some googling and it seems like 4% fetal fraction rate could be low for this time frame? Does anyone have any similar stories where baby turned out totally healthy or is this something I should be concerned about?

Hi all, FTM here. I’m taking my 4 month old son with us to Disney in April (he will be 4 months in April, currently 6 weeks old). I know it will be warm there and I’m not sure what to dress him in. We are in the northeast where it’s been freezing. He currently lives in double zip onesies because they’re the easiest for the constant newborn diaper changes.

Is there a certain fabric or outfit I should get so he’s comfortable in the Florida heat?

Also, any tips for traveling with a baby will be gladly accepted ☺️

Thank you!

Hi all,

Just looking for some encouragement as I know what I need to do, just need the strength to do it.

I am almost 23 weeks. Unfortunately, I am one of those women who has almost continuously had spotting through out her pregnancy. Almost every three weeks or so, I am seeing some blood in my underwear.

There hasn’t been an identified reason as to why. I have been advised by my doctors at this point to always call in if I see blood and ask for next steps. This past weekend, that call led to an emergency labour and delivery visit, as it was accompanied by pain in my abdomen.

I am fine, and my baby boy is perfect, but this last hospital visit mentally broke me. They sat me down and told me that if I was going into labor, he would be delivered to early to live.

I am fortunate that did not happen, but since that moment I have been really mentally unwell. Every time I think about it I break down. Today I had a panic attack.

It feels like all the anxiety and stress the physical elements of my pregnancy has caused is catching up with me. I was already very overwhelmed with not being able to do things, the way I look now, and other physical symptoms like nausea, RLP, nosebleeds. The way people treat me also — I feel like an incubator. All this, plus a really stressful job that has ramped up is leaving me desolate. I am confused, I am panicking.

I know the next steps — I have anxiety disorder and am at high risk for PPD and PPA. I’m speaking with my therapist tomorrow to begin to get evaluated. Next step after that is to speak with my doctor and let them know I am struggling and the recommendation from my therapist.

I just need encouragement to take those steps. My husband is very supportive and told me if I need to take a leave of absence or quit my job to get mentally ok I can. We’ll figure it out. But I feel guilty I would be leaving a team that needs me. I also feel like I’m being over dramatic. So many people have harder pregnancies! Why can’t I survive?

Any positive words to encourage me to take these steps would be appreciated. I know it’s right thing and my brain is just sabotaging myself, but right now I just feel like I’m hysterical for no reason.

I’m in security and work access control for my building’s loading dock. The shelf for packages is on an elevated platform above the dock bay; there is a small set of stairs someone can go up to reach the elevation. The FedEx guys often just throw the packages on the dock, so whoever is doing access control has to lift them up. I just entered second trimester, and while I’m not “showing”, I’m still not supposed to lift above 20-25 lbs.

The first round of packages was fairly heavy, I barely managed to pick them up and place them on the shelf. I asked if he could bring the next ones up the stairs; he ignored me and placed another on the ground. I asked again, and he took out his headphones, laughed and said “why?!” in a condescending tone. I told him (in a similar tone) I was pregnant and needed help with heavy packages. He tossed the last one at my feet (so I had to pick it up) and left.

I’m admittedly pretty moody, so I can’t tell if my anger is justified or not. Is it “not his problem”/job to take 10 extra seconds to carry the package up, or was he in the wrong? My boss reminded me I can call him or the maintenance guys to help if need be, but there might be days I’m working alone on a weekend and won’t have that option.

Curious if anyone has any comparison between these two? I have a nuna pipa RX infant seat and am in the early stages of deciding on what convertible carseat to buy. I have really liked Nuna thus far. I enjoy the look of the exec and the fact that it truly seems to be an all in 1. It seems the only difference is the sunshade, price and 360 turning ability. I know the calisto is relatively new so there arent a lot of reviews out there regarding true longevity. I know people said the Sirona is a bit difficult to turn after some use which is why i had eliminated it and had my heart set on the exec. Wondering if the calisto will have the same issue eventually.

I've seen a lot of posts like this and I kind of can guess what the response will be but I guess I'm just having a hard time processing it now that I'm in this position myself so maybe just looking for some support.

For full transparency, I am not pregnant yet but we have started trying. My sister just started her second trimester and had told me that they had a middle name picked but they were going to keep it a secret until the baby was born. I'm not sure exactly how it came up but I made a comment about "As long as it isn't my middle name since I was planning on using that for my first kid." She kind of laughed awkwardly and let it go, so I kind of had the feeling that maybe that is what they were planning. Then a couple days ago she let me know that they were planning on using that name and wanted to talk to me first and make sure I was okay with it.

For background, this is a gender neutral name (different spellings for each gender), and it isn't just my name. It was my dad's middle name, my grandma's middle name, and my great grandfather's (her dad) first name, so it has quite the family history. It's also a name that has become kind of trendy in the modern era, especially as a middle name so it's not like some really old fashioned name that you would be committing too just for the sentimental value.

I didn't really give her a straight answer because I was a little confused and disappointed and just didn't know what to say. I ended up texting her a day or two later after I had time to think. We live in different states and I thought writing what I felt would be easier for me to be clear and concise and I'm not sure when I would see her in person again. I told her that I didn't feel like it was my right to tell her she couldn't use it as it's a family name and it's her legacy too, not just mine, and that I don't own the name. But that for as long as I can remember I have imagined passing that name on to my kid and that I just felt really startled and disoriented and disappointed about the request, and that it wouldn't be my first choice to have our kids have the same middle name as I would definitely still be using it when I have a kid, which she had said she didn't have any problem with. I am not sure why this matters so much to me, but it does and I wanted to make sure she knew that, but I also let her know that I wouldn't hold a grudge forever or be mad and 10 years from now it probably wouldn't matter to me, it's just not what I envisioned.

She waited two days to text me back because she wanted to talk to her husband about it. Basically though they are still going to use the name and she's "sorry I feel confused" but they really like the name and it makes her feel connected to the people who are important to her, her dad and grandma too. It's totally reasonable for her to want to use that name and logically I get it and it's not really fair for me to be mad but it still hurts and I'm not really sure what to say to her. I'm not sure why she asked how I felt about it if they were just going to use it anyway. I'm not willing to start a big family dispute over this, like I kind of feel like she's going to use the name no matter what I say and I would just be digging my own grave by pushing back anymore.

ETA: Now I'm kind of feeling like I might not want to use the name if she's using it. It just feels like too much, idk. I have a lot of time to think about it I guess.

Does anyone know of a group chat (on a platform like WhatsApp or Telegram) for new expecting moms? I think it would be nice to have a community where we can lean on each other for support.

If I were to start a chat, any to-be mommies interested in joining?

Does anyone have experience with having PCOS while pregnant and can give insight into after pregnancy? I was diagnosed before I got pregnant and had to take Metformin to conceive but was on birth control for over ten years which helped manage my PCOS. I stopped taking birth control a year before trying to get pregnant and during that time gained weight, my hair and skin were greasy and had acne which prompted me to ask my OBGYN to see what was going on. Anyway, now that I am expecting, I’m not having any symptoms and curious what will happen once I have the baby. I wasn’t wanting to get on birth control after but contemplating doing so to keep the symptoms at bay.

Wondering if anyone else can tell me about their experience with a drop in growth percentile? At our week 20 ultrasound our little girl was measuring 65th percentile. We did an ultrasound at 33 weeks because my fundal height was measuring behind to find she's now 27th percentile. The doctor said that was fine and they wouldn't be concerned unless she's 10th percentile or below but I was just wondering if that was a trend others experienced and how it turned out. Appreciate any insight! :)

My mother is a hoarder. Since I know this, as well as, the fact that everyone and their mother’s uncle wants to buy all the clothes in the world for babies to be, I planned our gender reveal late into my pregnancy. That way we got gender neutral clothes (for longevity sake) AND so that my mother SPECIFICALLY could NOT go buy a million things because, again, she wouldn’t know the gender.

I told her through my entire pregnancy LITERALLY, that we are well off and only need the things we listed on our registry, that we like to live a simple lifestyle.

I offered to fly her out to us but she couldn’t, because lo and behold! My sister (who found out her gender right away) was pregnant with the same gender alongside me and whatever didn’t go to her baby ended up at my house ON TOP OF stuff she continued to buy (at a great deal ¢ of course) just for my baby.

I have enough stuff from her to fill up 18 full sized garbage bags. All of which she prompted us to open just days after giving birth. It took forever to get through and everything in me not to be angry at her BEFORE baby was here when I saw her carrying in bag after bag from my ring camera at work, and to smile at every piece when we opened every bag, I had to sort through it all which took again forever, it took up space when other guests came to visit, AND I just finished bringing it all out to the garage, whilst taking care of baby alone, while my husband is away for work. I’m sweaty and annoyed and I fear what happens for when our next child comes around. I’m upset at how much time it took away from baby and me. I love my mom to bits but Dear Lord Woman! Would you just listen to me? I feel so terrible getting rid of so much. She doesn’t have much money so why why why does she put me in this position?

Has anybody else went through something like this? I feel like getting new parents everything takes away the joy we get from finding some of our own cute pieces and such. Ughhh I feel guilty and confused… How do I actually get this to stop, I’m scared for babies first birthday 😖.

Sorry for grammatical errors I needed to get this out as fast as humanely possible before baby wakes. 😂 I’m 27 FTM

Hey everyone! I’m pregnant with my third, due in April, my first girl after two boys (13 and 2.5)! My sister-in-law threw a shower for my last pregnancy, which was great since I had no baby things, but she now lives out of state as does the rest of my family. Several people have asked if I’m having a shower, and I’ve said no since I don’t really need much besides clothes (and diapers of course lol) , and I don’t have anyone to throw one. But someone suggested I still do something to celebrate, and I love that idea! I was thinking of hosting a casual "Baby & Brews" get together at a local brewery or something as a fun way to celebrate baby girl’s arrival without it being a traditional shower. I wouldn’t include a registry, as I don’t want it to feel like a gift grab. Just an excuse to gather with friends and family before it becomes even more difficult to make time. Would this be weird or seen as tacky? Has anyone done something similar, or do you have other fun ideas for a low-key baby celebration?

I had my first appt today with a midwife. Next appt is with a doctor. They did a vaginal ultrasound and I have a tilted uterus… the midwife didn’t even show us what she was seeing. She was moving it around and began to smile and said I see it then lost it.

She said she saw a heartbeat and the baby but couldn’t find it again. She said she was having issues with the machine and recommended I schedule an ultrasound with a tech later.

Have anyone had this happen? I’m 7w4d. Feeling nervous but also don’t think she would be said she saw the baby and heartbeat if she didn’t. Now I have to wait another week for the ultrasound because that’s the earliest they could get me in.

I'm 5w+6

It can start around 3 or as late as 5 but I swear for the past week or so my cramping & nausea has appeared on schedule at 4/4.30 in the afternoon.

Some throughout the day, but nothing of major consequence, then BAM. 4pm. It's sicky yucky crampy bloat city.

This is so bizarre please tell me who else has experienced this 😭

Hi mamas. I’m at WK32 and have had to deal with low iron for the past couple months due to which my iron supplements were increased. The iron supplements caused me to be constipated for a while and so bathroom visits have been very on and off, skip a day vibes. All of a sudden I enter week 32 and I need to go 3-4 times A DAY. Has this happened to anyone? Is this just one of those things that are “normal”? What’s happening to my bowels 😖

I feel invisible, sad, lonely, unheard, unnoticed, unappreciated, resented, useless and used at the same time. My 5 month baby is beautiful and amazing, but i don't feel okay. My husband and I aren't in sync, hardly see each other and I don't even recognize how we are with each other anymore. My heart feels broken and full at the same time. Is this what happens? You loose yourself, loose each other but it feels compensated for by this gorgeous amazing baby? I'm grieving the happiness we used to give each other. Looking at our photos with undeniable happy smiles, wondering now how it was possible to feel so good. Dreading the thought that's its no longer the same, I'm no longer the same to him. Does the loneliness hurt more or the heartbreak. Wondering if it's gone or just dormant, happiness that is. Thank you if anyone read this, it's barely touching the surface but I'm so full from stuffing it all down I can't clearly articulate it's depths. I guess I just needed to see if writing it out would help. But there are so many holes and details untold I'm finding it just stressful now to even try and write my feelings out. Overwhelmed, numb, hurt, empty, invisible.

Hi! I’m 27 weeks and 3 days. For 4 days now I have been having constant but irregular BH throughout the day. I’ve been tracking the timing and I haven’t had more than 5 in an hour. My OB said I need to come in if I’m having 6 in an hour. I’m staying hydrated, resting when I can and taking it very easy. I’m having up to 15 in a day and I’m just worried. Anyone experience this and have advice?

Hello! Please don’t judge, I just want to be super cautious.. I’m just wondering bc I’ve seen mixed things on google (and I’m not a googler). Do YOU use bleach spray of any kind when cleaning while pregnant? Or do you use natural products? I am worried about inhalation of the chemicals of bleach.

When not pregnant I LOVE using bleach for everything when cleaning! So I just want to be super safe/careful WHILE pregnant so it doesn’t harm my baby.

Thank you to anyone who reads and responds! I would love to hear any cleaning tips/advice at all or even product recommendations. I’m trying to get motivated here :)

Hey everyone, first time pregnancy (now 33w4d) and my husband and I can't make any in person birthing/ infant care classes near us because of our work schedules. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for online classes since there's a lot out there. Thanks!

Hey, everyone. My husband and I have been floating the idea of having a kid within the next 5 years, which is all well and good, but I’m terrified of what it could mean for my body.

I’ve had chronic SI joint dysfunction since around 2019 and I’m quickly approaching my early 30s. It affects some of my day-to-day life, a few hours of moving around a bit too much or walking for too long causes intense pain that causes my hips and legs to lock up until I take medication. My doctors believed that it was due to my joints being hypermobile, which makes sense since I’m able to twist and bend around in ways that I probably shouldn’t. When I was still working a job that required a lot of movement and physical labor, I would often have to stop standing during peak hours to sit, and was hardly able to climb the stairs to get back into my home when the night was over. Basically, too much physical activity seriously affects my movement.

Almost every resource I look for on this subject concerns SIJ issues caused by pregnancy, but there is very little regarding it as a pre-existing condition going into it. I’m worried that pregnancy may make my issues even worse, if not impossible to deal with, could lead to more permanent and worse mobility, or even paralysis. It would crush me if I were to have a kid only to not even be able to keep up with them or even really take care of them properly because of my chronic issues. I’m already not keen on the idea of pregnancy in the first place, but I think I could get over it if it weren’t for this glaring and possibly dangerous condition, which unlike some peoples’ pregnancy experiences I’ve read about, will never just go away after pregnancy and therapy.

Does anyone out there have any experience with SIJD as a pre-existing condition, or have any resources that might shed some light on what I’m looking at if a pregnancy is in my future??

Does anyone else have this problem? I’m so cold, can’t get warm. 6 weeks, been going on since I first found out around 3.5. It’s funny, like right after I eat I start shivering because I assume the blood is shunting to my abdomen for digestion. One of the weirdest symptoms I didn’t expect. Had my thyroid and labs checked and everything’s fine.