https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:45:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality/page/2#post-1664311 Thu, 29 May 2014 04:05:10 +0000 Bubbles 1664311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Getting pregnant was much easier than I expected, but the rest has been a lot harder! I had planned for a med free water hypno birth, but had to be induced and attached to a machine. The intensity of the chemically induced contractions knocked me for six and I ended up having pethidine despite having been so determined not to. </p> <p>I thought my baby would sleep well and be happy and calm - it didn't even enter my mind that he might be fussy! I was very wrong and only after 3 months of colic did he start to mellow out.</p> <p>I am also a cloth nappy dropout - I had dreams of being all natural and only using lovely soft fluffy nappies on my boy. I shelled out on all the gear but after a few months I had to admit defeat as I would have done anything for a little bit more spare time and less on the to do list! </p> <p>All the planning in the world couldn't have prepared me for motherhood, and I've had to let go of a lot of my previously held ideals and plans - but I try to remember that as long as he's happy and healthy then I'm not doing too bad! :wink: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality/page/2#post-1664310 Thu, 29 May 2014 04:03:00 +0000 Cherrybee 1664310@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@chibee: I'm good, thanks. Things have settled into a nice routine now and I'm finally enjoying being a mummy. I can't wait for you to have your baby, too - I'm so excited for the pictures of the youngest baby in our little TTC club! :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality/page/2#post-1664306 Thu, 29 May 2014 03:38:35 +0000 Mrs.Panda 1664306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy had been kind of rough. I didn't expect for my right leg to start going numb at only 18 weeks, didn't think I would be in so much pain in my back and thought I'd be this healthy mama who ate only the best foods and exercised. All I want to do is put my feet up and succumb to these cravings! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1663504 Wed, 28 May 2014 16:56:41 +0000 rachiecakes 1663504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy was a horror show third trimester, once I got pre-e I was 60lbs heavier, so swollen I thought my skin would burst.<br /> L&amp;D was different than I expected (no abdominal contractions whatsoever, back labor only - I didn't even know this was possible until it happened to me! and I DID take birth classes. I thought I was having a seizure from the pre-e, lol) but the delivery was way easier - all pressure, no pain when I was actually pushing, he came out, I was stitched up, etc.<br /> Recovery was WAY longer and WAY worse - all those stitches swelled and caused all sorts of complications I had never heard of, granulation tissue, trapped nerves, etc. </p> <p>Despite the small parenting bumps - breastfeeding, no sleep, etc. - at least I was prepared for that. It's really been AMAZING. He's the baby I've always dreamed of, even better. I'd never been around babies and at times doubted my motherly instinct and with him, it's always been so clear that this is what I've always been meant to do. It's the best! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1663405 Wed, 28 May 2014 16:00:57 +0000 Boheme 1663405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LovelyPlum: :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1663360 Wed, 28 May 2014 15:47:06 +0000 Mama Bird 1663360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamiMami: haha, that's me! Pregnancy was easy. Labor was easy. Parenting, now... I never knew baby screaming grates so much! I was not prepared for that bit. It's still a struggle to deal with it calmly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662831 Wed, 28 May 2014 13:24:23 +0000 chibee 1662831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: haha hi! i ALSO feel like i've been pregnant for AGES!!!!!! I'm a bit uncomfortable these days, I'm not used to carrying around so much weight i think?? Can't wait to just have this baby already!!! how are you doing?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662823 Wed, 28 May 2014 13:22:23 +0000 heartonastring 1662823@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy was as I expected it to be: easy and uneventful for me. But L&amp;D was nothing like what I'd hoped for (wanted an intervention-free birth with my midwife. Instead, went to 42 weeks agreed to induction but ended up as a transfer-of-care to an OB when baby was still too high after Foley catheter, then epidural, then csection), although my csection recovery was easy peasy.</p> <p>Being a parent, on the other hand, is WAY harder than I expected. It's definitely gotten way easier, probably from 9 months onward, but I was not at all prepared for the breastfeeding pain and challenged, the loss of freedom/independence or just how difficult the sleep deprivation would be. But it has been 100% worth it because I get to be the mother of this sweet, adorable, happy little lady :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662821 Wed, 28 May 2014 13:22:08 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1662821@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It feels kinda like therapy for me to read other people's bad experiences! Sorry! </p> <p>Getting pregnant sucked...took two years and IVF. But being pregnant was absolutely horrible. I couldn't enjoy a minute of it until about 14 weeks, then things were okay, but I went I to labor at 23 and delivered at 25 so that was terrible. Then I spent 5 months at the hospital everyday instead of enjoying the special newborn bonding phase at home. And I wasn't able to fb because of the NICU.</p> <p>But everything after has been exactly what I expected in a good way. I felt prepared and I love all of it. I'm happy with my baby and happy working when I'm not with him. But I guess I am shocked at how deeply crazy my emotions are now. I always thought people were exaggerating about how motherhood changes you. All totally worth it (but I won't do it again...because it could've gone much worse). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662742 Wed, 28 May 2014 12:55:56 +0000 Mrs. M 1662742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy wasn't quite what I imagined. Now pregnant with #2 I've been surprised how much worse this pregnancy has been (and I thought the first was hellish for the first 20-weeks). Labor and delivery was somewhat like what I thought, except I imagined there would be no pain with an epidural. Mine wore off quite a bit and I felt way more than I ever imagined while pushing. Parenting hasn't been a huge surprise. I babysat/nannied so I had a good idea what to expect. Breastfeeding was a lot harder/demanding than I imagined! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662515 Wed, 28 May 2014 11:46:36 +0000 Caly 1662515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Getting pregnant, not at all as I imagined. Being pregnant, it was a lot tougher, I was miserable. Miserable. L&amp;D was a breeze compared to what I'd imagined it would be. Parenting so far has been a mixed bag with the difficult parts stemming from having two at once. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662487 Wed, 28 May 2014 11:36:01 +0000 mamimami 1662487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This says it all! </p> [attach=1900/14/n6am41.420x294.200788_10151373607409710_1043945538_n.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662482 Wed, 28 May 2014 11:33:41 +0000 cascademom 1662482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My pregnancy with LO was tough with infections and scares, but my labor and delivery was awesome. I had moments where I loved pregnancy and then absolutely hated it. I more or less rolled with the punches throughout it. I was definitely caught up in being pregnant versus preparing for a baby to live in our house and our family. </p> <p>I think I was more unprepared for parenthood once he arrived. I knew the basics, but when colic struck, things got tough in general. The first year was super tough for so many reasons. Once we sleep trained, then later weaned, life got better. When we do have another LO, I think we're more prepared for the parenting part of it after having been in that rodeo already. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662433 Wed, 28 May 2014 11:19:15 +0000 ElbieKay 1662433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did not expect breastfeeding to hurt for 8 weeks. I also did not expect to start pumping during the first week of my child's life. Now, at 12 weeks, I am shocked that I don't completely DESPISE pumping (still don't love it), and that I am able to breastfeed whenever I want without discomfort. I continue to be surprised at the role that breastfeeding plays in my relationship with my child. The psychology of being the sole food source is interesting and more complicated than I expected.</p> <p>I expected to be more broken up about going back to work, but only because everyone seems to get broken up about it (as opposed to thinking I personally would be upset, based on my personality).</p> <p>During my pregnancy, I joked that I knew my child would be a champion sleeper with a sunny disposition. But you know what? HE IS! OMG! It's amazing! He is a smiley baby who only really cries for a reason, not colicky at all, and while he still wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, he goes right back to sleep. I was terrified of having a fussy baby and worried how I would deal with sleep deprivation, and neither of those really turned out to be terrible. I know we are just lucky, and I am very grateful for that. For my son's sake, I hope he manages to hold onto his easy-going nature. I consider it part of my job as a parent to facilitate that!</p> <p>I also am way less proprietary about my baby than I expected. The day after he was born, I was happy to let my parents hold him in the hospital and did not feel a strong urge to cling to him all day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662142 Wed, 28 May 2014 10:09:51 +0000 LovelyPlum 1662142@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@grizz: it makes me so happy to read this. You had a really rough fo of it. glad to see things are better :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662141 Wed, 28 May 2014 10:09:45 +0000 Cherrybee 1662141@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@chibee: Hey you!! It feels like you've been pregnant forever!! When are you due - is it August? I hope you're feeling well. xx </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662095 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:49:14 +0000 pui 1662095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@septca: Yeah I can remember a few times when I had "pregnancy scares". Makes me feel so stupid now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662082 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:44:30 +0000 Boheme 1662082@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I thought I would gain a healthy amount of weight - nope! Gained 62 lbs. I thought I'd have an easy, unmedicated birth - nope! I thought my baby would sleep through the night consistently at around 6 months old, maybe earlier - nope! He was a little fussbucket at night til around 8.5 months.</p> <p>But, you know? All that being said, it has been totally worth it. My dreams were nowhere as good as the reality. The hard parts make the awesome parts seem even better :) I'm hoping for a smooth delivery, and an easygoing baby for you! You have certainly paid your dues thus far :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662068 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:39:21 +0000 chibee 1662068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>lol yes! I am a very conscious eater and an active person - I ate very healthy and worked out every single day, and I was sure I would be extra conscious of what i put into my body and stay super active when i got pregnant. Ummm that went out the window after my miscarriage, i got paranoid and stopped working out after i got my bfp this time around and never got back to the gym. After being in survival mode the first trimester with eating because i was so sick, my healthy habits went out the window and i am eating whatever now. I'm a terrible pregnant person. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662066 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:39:11 +0000 Grace 1662066@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: I thought the exact same thing as far as a baby! Sleep deprevation doesn't bother me like I thought (and I've been averaging 6 hr broken sleep per night for the past 8.5 months). It's amazing what you get used to. But the fussy, crying baby was nearly my undoing. But you are right. It will and does get WAAAAAAAAAY better.</p> <p>I was also scared to death of an epidural, but when I had to have the spinal for the c-section, it was easy-peasy. Pushing was much harder. Didn't realize how much of a whole body workout it would be. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662046 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:31:31 +0000 MoonMoon 1662046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm the opposite direction. Before my pregnancy, if you told me I'd have 2 doulas and an epidural-free birth, I'd have laughed. Then, if you told me I'd be an EBF baby-wearing, bed-sharing mom, I'd have laughed even harder! We just have to go with the flow of where our bodies, instincts, circumstances, and oh yeah babies take us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662037 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:28:16 +0000 septca 1662037@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: It's so funny - I took BCP religiously for 11+ years, and the whole time I would laugh to DH (way before he was DH) that I was going to be *so* annoyed if it turned out I never needed the BCP. Ha. Joke's on me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662031 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:25:56 +0000 Cherrybee 1662031@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I were talking about this last night!! I have had a really hard time adjusting to motherhood and a huge part of that was because it was nothing like my expectations. I thought I'd feel a certain way - I thought I would be filled with love and wonder but I just wasn't. I was beyond anxious all the time and dreaded the sound of her cries. I didn't begin to bond with my baby until she was around 4 months old and and it's only now, at 10 months, I would say that I'm head over heels in love with her. I'm only just now starting to feel like a mummy at all (I felt like an incompetent babysitter prior to that!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1662012 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:20:36 +0000 Littlebit 1662012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy is nothing like I expected it to be. I expected to be on cloud nine, and that is definitely not the case. </p> <p>I've had horrible nausea the entire pregnancy. I'm just now (at 24 weeks) able to stop taking my anti-nausea medication and feel ok. I also expected to feel super attached to my LO, and that hasn't been the case. I feel more attached now that I know the sex of the baby, but it isn't what I thought it would be by this point. But I think having a MC is the reason for that.</p> <p>Overall I know I'm lucky to have a healthy (so far) pregnancy. But I really thought I would love being pregnant and I'm overall pretty 'meh' about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1661982 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:09:16 +0000 pui 1661982@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My biggest fear growing up was having infertility problems, and that's what ended up happening. My TTC journey was not the blissful, exciting time I thought it would be. Instead it was emotionally draining and physically demanding. It sucked and I am dreading TTC for our second child already.</p> <p>Pregnancy on the other hand has been pretty much exactly what I expected so far. I'm nearly 28 weeks and I've had a pretty "normal" pregnancy I think.</p> <p>We'll see what labour and new motherhood bring. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1661974 Wed, 28 May 2014 09:05:15 +0000 septca 1661974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What I thought would happen: I was sure I would get pregnant the first or second month we tried (that has been the case for all my female relatives), but I was terrified that being pregnant would be terrible - that I would feel awful and gain a ton of weight that wouldn't come off after the baby was born. I expected L&amp;D to be hard, but I was convinced I could have the natural, med-free birth I wanted. I was certain that DH and I, who had been together forever, would be great at being parents and would just increase our love by having a baby.</p> <p>What actually happened: It took us more than a year and surgical intervention to get pregnant. IF really strengthened DH and my bond but it was *rough* on me emotionally. I am honestly not sure I will ever recover. I absolutely loved being pregnant - every single minute of it. I felt and looked great and I bonded with my baby from the beginning. L&amp;D, on the other hand, was a long mess that felt my body in shambles... it took 7+ months and a D&amp;C to get back to "normal" - I still have some lady bits issues that I am not sure will ever be resolved. I loved having a baby and the newborn stage was much better and easier than I expected, but I had to go on a medication after her birth that made me depressed. It took several months for DH and I to figure that out - and my marriage *really* suffered during that time. DH was a great husband and dad, but I was a having a tough time being a good wife. I felt overwhelmed and angry until I went off those soul-sucking meds. We started TTC #2 once our marriage/my mental health was back on track and are on month 8 of TTC #2, so it looks like history is repeating itself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1661950 Wed, 28 May 2014 08:57:20 +0000 nana87 1661950@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy and birth were a lot easier than I expected. Not easy-- I still had issues and anxiety!-- but easier. </p> <p>The newborn stage has been so much harder though. Breastfeeding has been so, so hard-- dd is 8 weeks and my nipples are only starting to really heal now. And sleep is so hard-- lo is a clusterfeeding boob monster who eats for a long time frequently so sleep is still pretty elusive. She's only just starting to regularly sleep 3-4 hrs at a time. And even though I'm not staying home permanently I'm finding it really hard to be home, I get more restless than I thought I would </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1661872 Wed, 28 May 2014 08:31:01 +0000 Smurfette 1661872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pregnancy was harder and easier then I expected. I loved being pregnant, but I wasn't expecting the sleep issues. I couldn't sleep at all in the 1st tri without taking unisom. Then at the end I couldn't get comfortable at all. </p> <p>Labor and delivery was a lot easier and faster then I was expecting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1661861 Wed, 28 May 2014 08:26:28 +0000 PixieStix 1661861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh man.. I totally feel you on the eating right part. I was all hyped and told myself I'd eat nothing but healthy stuff. Then the morning sickness hit and suddenly things weren't so appetizing. After getting through the sickness part I just stuck to whatever sounded good... which was usually lots of bread, cheese and ice cream -- I didn't eat a lot of veggies. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/your-dreams-vs-your-pregnancyparenting-reality#post-1661825 Wed, 28 May 2014 08:11:21 +0000 LovelyPlum 1661825@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ha! Yeah, pregnancy was nothing like I expected. Nor was L+D, for that matter. Both were much harder and much more frustrating than I expected them to be.</p> <p>On the other hand, I'm pleasantly surprised by my postpartum experience. My recovery has been mercifully easier than I anticipated, and I'm thrilled that BFing has gone well. </p> <p>The thing I was 100% least prepared for? That very first MOTN wake up in the hospital. I had been up for almost 48 hours by that point, and I was beat. Trying to figure out how to get her to latch on 2 hours of sleep felt like torture and definitely made me question whether or not I was cut out for this! </p>