Can I be real with y’all for just one second????

Somehow in this stage of my life I feel completely like an outsider. If you relate to any of these.. please let me know. 😂

Every app I’ve ever used is pretty inaccurate for pregnancy and parenting. With my first pregnancy, I would get so angry when an update would come weeks later that I needed weeks before. I also compared myself to everyone and stayed sad or felt completely different than all of the other pregnant people ever. I thought I would post this. I’m sure it won’t get many reads, but maybe this has been someone else’s experience. Maybe this can help someone that’s going through it now. Just please remember it’s okay to be different and that you’re doing just fine. I keep them for the enjoyment of keeping up with the baby with the knowledge of how general these things are.

When the apps say we will have ultrasounds they are weeks off and random. Most people have had a few before 11 weeks.

The baby’s gender can easily be shown at 14 weeks with an ultrasound.

The at home blood test is a scam.. that seems to work for some lucky people. Not worth it. Very painful. You may faint. Or puke. Or both. Then not get your result after doing it all perfectly.

Braxton Hicks started last time for me at 14-16 weeks and were so bad I had to be in the hospital for them a few times. They would last for hours and come close together, so I didn’t know I was in real labor until I was 5 cm dilated and it was too late to have a working epidural. I didn’t just know. No water broke.

Kicks were felt the first time BeFoRE 13 weeks and were OBVIOUSLY real because my doctor did an ultrasound and told me it was normal to feel them like that.

People gain a huge range difference in weight and feel things so differently. Stop comparing or bragging that you’re so small or already showing. It’s awful for everyone else’s mental health. Celebrate yourself, but don’t brag or drag others down.

Some people’s morning sickness is hypermesis and NO, B6 or whatever else home remedy or false hope that helps morning sickness does not help.

Can anyone really exercise while vomiting and deathly ill or tired? Some people seem to and the app thinks that’s normal. 😂

The ligament pain can happen in the first trimester. Lightening crotch is the pain some people have been asking about already.

Babies are all different. Don’t even get me started on this... with pregnancy, babies may be the size they say on the apps, but they could be WAY bigger or even smaller. These weekly sizes are fake news. They’re just general estimations like everything else. Babies will be born all kinds of sizes and will learn at all types of rates. Your baby will be the best baby to you that you’ll worry about and believe is the smartest baby in the world all at once. Each milestone will feel like the first time it’s happened to anyone. Just don’t get caught up in what they have to be or do at certain times. Your strawberry sized baby could be the size of a lime. Someone else at 12 weeks could have a baby the size of an orange.

You don’t have to be skinny or anything to show early. It depends on your body and your baby. It’s not all bloat most likely. Especially if you have hardly gained weight.

Stretch marks happen for most people, but some people are born without the stretch mark genes. No lotion or treatment will prevent them. My doctor had to remind me of that many times.

Yes, a lot of people do lose teeth after having children. Don’t hate on those people or brag because you didn’t. It happens and is normal.

Not everyone can keep their prenatals down. Taking them at night only keeps us awake all night vomiting.

I adore your pregnancy or gender announcements/ reveals, but they’re all wonderful. But... People have continually tried to one up each other and some people are so sick of people doing these or doing the same things over and over that there’s actual hilarious videos on Facebook about it. If you want to celebrate like that, it’s fine, but don’t worry about doing it over the top please. It is fine if you do the same “basic,” “overdone” things. It’s okay to be happy and to celebrate! Just don’t get too caught up in trying to impress social media. Tons of babies have been born for thousands of years and people still get excited about it even if they don’t spend all of their money or energy on announcing things.

Some people don’t wait until whatever 1950’s rule determines they can announce their pregnancy without fear. The rule is fake and there’s always a risk. Some people can’t hide their pregnancy due to a baby belly and new found vomiting all the time. Sorry that we can’t just pretend we aren’t pregnant or shove our bumps into jeans. 😂

Some people are OUT OF THIS WORLD excited to have a baby, but hate pregnancy and/or delivery more than anything in the world. It’s okay not to enjoy your pregnancy or labor. We don’t have to feel guilty that the kicks are painful and you can’t clean, workout, do things that you could before. It’s okay to be “weak” physically or mentally for a little while if you are going through it. You. Will. Be. Strong. Again. You are doing one of the hardest things you’ll ever do and are stronger than you think! You’ll be stronger than ever when the pregnancy is over!

Not everyone enjoys hours of the worst pain of their life followed by not being good enough to breast feed and no sleep. Some people bond better when they stop breastfeeding! Some people tried everything and still couldn’t breastfeed. Some people brag about how it helped them bond and are obsessed with it to the point of rubbing it in everyone’s faces and judging others for not being able to. Some people think it’s gross and don’t try. Just stop judging other’s lives. They’re feeding their babies. And if you can’t breastfeed.. don’t hate yourself. Your baby still needs you. Nothing’s wrong with you. Your baby will be fine!

Sometimes people bond better after the newborn stage when their babies start to sleep and interact more. It’s okay that it’s hard. It’s okay if you get depressed or are still not yourself. It’s more than okay to get help and to take medications if needed. Your baby needs a healthy you if you can be that. That doesn’t mean we don’t love our babies with our whole heart! Labor, delivery, breastfeeding, and not sleeping all the while changing everything in someone’s whole life with tons of pressure and responsibilities on top of hormones can drive people mad. Reach out. It doesn’t make you weak.

Some people are healthier pregnant on antidepressants. (The nurse practitioner that I see sometimes is continuously asking why I’m taking my meds and if it’s worth the risk. She’s obviously against it and very judgey.) Even a nurse practitioner or doctor may not see that some people need antidepressants to not do something like hurt themselves, kill themselves, or to be able to do things like get out of bed and interact with people.

Fatigue is normal and dizziness can make it hard to drive. Some people are on bedrest. Some people faint a lot. Some people don’t get nauseous. Some people vomit blood because they test their throat vomiting. Some people run marathons. Some people can’t work or even do laundry. “Some people call me the space cowboy. Some call me the gangster of love.”

These apps are great for some information, but we have to remember that these apps are a lot of times inaccurate and not at all personalized. Not one person, pregnant or not, will be the same. It sucks that there’s not an app that doesn’t screw up the weekly updates and things for pregnant women, but as of now... these general updates are fun but just that. The books, the stories other women have... they’re all just other people’s experiences. We’re all going to experience becoming or being a mother differently....

And that’s okay ♥️