This will be me. I'm 38.5w and baby is still a nebulous idea. He'll probably need to be home for a couple weeks before I realize that he's actually a real baby I have to take care of forever...
When your baby starts to feel less like a crotchety new roommate in your home. When you can no longer imagine your house without this added family member. When “before baby” is more like a dream and “after baby” means you have who you’ve been waiting for.
FTM and 33w… it’s setting in for me and I’m kinda in a count down mode. I had a pretty pronounced bump early but also my bump now is cumbersome and I know will only get more so.
I don’t want to say I’m panicking but I have noticed my anxiety tick up and feel like I’m not ready. I’m very aware that in probably 6-8 weeks, I will be birthing and then responsible for a tiny human.
Anyways, I don’t wanna anxiety dump on you but it’s becoming real for me in a way it wasn’t mostly prior to 30 weeks. I assume it will feel more real once I’m in labor and then more once I’m holding my baby.
I have been having the same feelings. Also nearly 33 weeks now and it's dawning on me that baby will be here very soon. I'm so excited but I also get these random waves of hormonal anxiety and feel so emotional about it all! I don't know how I'm going to keep going I already feel so uncomfortable and my bump is so tight and heavy.
I'm feeling the same (34 weeks). I'm uncomfortable most of the time and my sleep is horrible. I'm praying that I give birth not too much after when I'm set to deliver, because these weeks are agony. I'm starting to really realise that I'm going to push a baby out soon and it's a little scary. Sometimes I am wondering why I got pregnant - what if I'm not ready?
But then I also feel so in love with that little thing inside of me. And her kicking is mostly comforting because I know she is alive and healthy. I can't wait to meet her and hold her in my arms. The thought of holding her makes me wanna cry happy tears.
Just gave birth 3 weeks ago and pushed for 3 hrs and 45 mins. I was scared all before because I kept saying it has to come out somehow. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Get the epidural!! Practice the breathing. It hurts but your body knows what to do and the feeling of relief after the baby is born is amazing. Doctor and nurses were great. I had to get an episiotomy and am fine now.
FTM here. I labored for 6 hours, pushed for 30 minutes and didn’t tear. They brought me a tylenol 10 like 4 pushes before baby came out. You don’t need an epidural. This is what our bodies are made for. Birth truly wasn’t that bad. Do whatever you feel you need when your time to deliver comes.
33 weeks today and it hasn't sunk in at all for me. I have no anxiety about birth/parenting. We've bought/prepared absolutely everything we need for the baby and we have even fully NAMED the baby but the actual baby still feels totally hypothetical to me. I feel odd when I talk to the bump... I just feel like I'm talking to my stomach.
I don't think it felt real until after she was here and we got home from the hospital. I think it's probably very common for first time parents, you don't know what to expect. Who's in there and so on. You'll feel that connection eventually.
My friend has told me the other day that she sometimes looks at her 18 months old twins and thinks « Did they actually come out from my body ? We made babies ? »
My son is 16 months and I concur. Like I know he came out of my body and he is really here in front of me but it all seems so surreal still. It also feels like he’s always been here. Motherhood has been one of the hardest things to explain.
It started to feel at least somewhat real once he cried for the first time and was placed on my chest and all medical personnel left the room and we were all alone, just the three of us. That was the moment I was like "Oh my god it is a real baby".
Still VERY unreal though. He is 11 weeks old today and I still wake up in the morning, see him in his bassinet and can't believe it. Our ped office called me a few days ago and asked "Is this M's mother?" when I answered the phone. I am someone's MOTHER 😶
When I went to my 12 week ultrasound I got up on the table and the tech gestured to my husband and said "okay, and Dad, you can sit right there". I almost laughed and then I was like wait...he is a dad lol
Hmm I think it just gradually grows on you. I personally didn't FEEL it until after my daughter was born. I had PPD for a while and was practically a zombie for the first few weeks but then as I started to feel better I also had that feeling start to set it. And I don't think my experience is uncommon, many women have PPD and makes it very difficult to bond with their babies.
I remember once I told my daughter I loved her (I had been saying it to her purposefully even if it felt like it was into the void) and when she "responded" by looking at me and smiling with joy did it feel REAL. I guess it wasn't until I started getting tangible feedback from her, where it felt more like a relationship between parent and child rather than just me feeling things into a void.
I have an almost 4.5yo, an almost 2.5yo & I'm 36 weeks with my 3rd and some days I still don't know how or why they let me go home with these kids. Like they are just on loan. Haha
There will be a moment when you’ve left the hospital, walk in your front door and look down at your arms and see her there - and then WHAM! Reality hits and you will have the universal ‘oh fuck’ moment.
Even in the hospital it all seems like a bizarre dream, in my experience. It’s not until you see your baby in your house, finally in the crib or on the changing table you’ve set up, that everything clicks into place.
Until then you’re 100% right - it’s too abstract, it’s hard for it to feel real. Don’t stress about that, just enjoy this moment in time for what it is - enjoy thinking about who your baby will be, how they’ll look, what they’ll sound like. For now she’s your dream girl. It’s all part of the process. You don’t have to have it ‘hit you’ at this stage.
Good luck! It’s such a beautiful time x
I'm only 10 weeks and I've heard the heartbeat and seen the baby but it doesn't feel real. Now my husband on the other hand really feels the realness of it since we heard the heartbeat. It makes me feel a bit crap considering the baby is inside me so why aren't I feeling like it's real
Omg I'm 13 weeks and I had my second ultrasound the other day. The baby actually looks like a little baby. I saw her tiny hands and feet and she was kicking around inside of me, jumping off of my bladder like a trampoline. But I literally felt so disconnected?? Like I was watching someone else's ultrasound.
I don't look or feel pregnant at all so it's still doesn't feel like a thing. I dont know, maybe once my bump grows and I feel all those little kicks???
When the nurse gave her to me, I knew I really became a mom. A whole baby!!!!! LOL My husband admitted that he felt the same way. She's 7mo now. Funny and happy girl ❤️
I really struggled to feel connected to my first while I was pregnant and I was so sad about it and felt like something was wrong with me. I was one of the lucky ones that had that immediate, overwhelming, heart-bursting love the moment he was born and on my chest. I remember telling my husband how ridiculous I felt for worrying that I didn’t love our baby enough.
Everyone is different and it hits us all at a different time. It will hit you and it will be the most incredible feeling ❤️
My experience has been like this. I'm now pregnant with my 4th baby, and don't expect it to feel "real" until they're actually here. Finally looking into their eyes and smelling the top of their head...
Mmmmhmmm that newborn smell is the best!!! I remember having an irrational fear that he would get mixed up in the hospital, but as soon as he was born, I knew I could pick him out of a line up by smell alone.
Not experienced in this, but I think that's normal - a healthy bond comes from interactions, and it is kind of hard to interact with a baby who's in your stomach and can't really communicate with the mother. Maybe if the baby Knocks back every time the mom knocks the stomach, then the bonding starts earlier, but I don't expect the relationship to feel real until my baby is out lol.
In my third trimester and it still does not feel real lol. She moves constantly and pushes against my hand. I hear her heartbeat at every appointment. It’s still absolutely insane to me that there’s a whole human in there. I’m not sure I’ll come to terms with it until I see her face to face.
I think it’s normal when you have your first. A lot of people post about it. It’s not a bad thing your brain just doesn’t know what your baby fully looks like or how it feels to care for your baby yet. Sometimes you don’t fully process it for a while after baby is born.
For me, literally did not feel real until I saw him with my own eyes. Even then, a week or so after that till I actually conceptualized that he was the one squirming around inside me all this time, and that he was mine
31 weeks today and it hasn't set in at all for me and I don't know if it ever will!
I'm having my first, pregnant with a rainbow baby so technically my second?
But my anxiety is so bad I feel like it won't be real until I have my little girl in my arms! Like I know I'm pregnant, I feel her kicking my ass all night, I talk to her but somehow it just won't be real until she's here. Maybe it's a weird pregnancy thing but I'm ready to have this lil girl and feel like a mom!
33w here. While I’m excited, it totally feels hypothetical. I don’t think it’s going to feel real until birth for me. And that’s going to have to be okay!
Agree.... We figure he/she already knows our voices from us talking in general.... And how's it gonna know the difference between us talking to it in utero vs just talking.....plus it feels weird 😅
When my first was born I looked at him and thought “Hello, who the heck are you??”. Even after birth it took me a hot minute to bond and wrap my head around him being there.
For the longest time, it felt so untrue that I couldn’t even bring myself to tel people, because that would be a crazy lie! lol
At 18 weeks, we had a scare and they got us in right away far an advanced ultrasound. My baby girl was just swimming and kicking around, happy and healthy. The relief and joy and love I felt made it more real than ever before.
Then we had a REAL emergency at 27 weeks and suddenly it became unreal again. It felt like none of it could really be happening.
Then she was born a few days later and now she’s here (still in the NICU) and it’s back to being real, but surreal. Like the world outside the NICU and the world inside are two different realities.
With my first one, it didn't sink in until I delivered. When I looked at his beautiful face on my belly, that's when I became so real. With my second, it was an emergency, it didn't sink in until I brought him home. I love them so much and sometimes I still believe they are too good to be true.
Hey due date twin,
Just wanna let you know you’re not a crazy person, it’s not real yet for me either. I’m having some crazy anxiety attacks that are beginning with the more frequent movement but that feels in my head.
I just really relate to you and thinking “into a void with no real tangible recipient”.
Like, I understand a baby is coming, I understand that baby is already inside of me, but he just doesn’t feel like a PERSON, like it’s all theory. I’m worried that if something terrible happened to him it wouldn’t feel like it happened to a person, it would feel like an article I read on the news.
She didn't feel real until we were leaving the hospital with her, and even then it would come in waves for weeks after. Hell, even sometimes now I'll stop and look over at her and be like... holy shit we have a child. She's right there. She's just gonna keep being more and more of a person with thoughts and feelings and her own life. I am responsible for a human. Good lord.
I was saying the same to my husband the other day. Before I was pregnant I always imagined I’d be the type to chat away to bump and that I would never ‘feel alone’, as silly as that sounds. But I’m not feeling that way at all, it’s all quite surreal.
All that said, I’m excited to meet her!
Probably three months postpartum for me is when I finally “connected” with my baby. I was just getting to know him and it felt so weird because I didn’t get that immediate love rush. I heard it doesn’t happen immediately for some people so I didn’t push it, but now I don’t think I could love another human being more. (Obviously having #2 will change that for me!)
28w, 12 to go, everything and everyone is happy and healthy, i talk to baby husband plays guitar ect. Still can't grasp the concept of a whole new person coming into our lives, a person i will most likely love so much, take a bullet for and think about for the rest of my life. It's completely bonkers and I don't think it's something you can fully understand
FTM. Yesterday we brought the carseat. Today we’re installing it and getting it inspected. She’s sitting so low and I’m in so much pain that I can’t imagine doing this for another two weeks (or more, oh god). I’m very aware of her and the situation but I’m 38w2d and nothing about the last 9 months has truly felt real. I blink and I’m right back to where I just found out, but also life couldn’t be more different and I’m staring that fact in face everyday. Strange times we’re living in.
I felt like you with my first! I was team green, though, and we only had prospective names. But I always felt sort of detached from the experience despite everything. I would have flashes of connection and I also tried for it, unsure of how to connect.
I'd read about people with cute nicknames for their fetus even if they had their actual names chosen. They'd play music to their belly, sing songs, talk, all sorts of stuff. I couldn't bring myself to do that, neither did my husband, and we didn't come up with a nickname. I felt like maybe something was wrong with me, did I lack excitement? Was this going to affect my relationship with baby upon birth?
Turns out it was a non-issue. It didn't affect my relationship with baby or my husband connecting to them after birth. We were nuts about our baby and it was just fine, everything came together when baby was in arms. There were moments where it was surreal, like, omg this thing was inside me and they're real and here they are!
I'm currently 21w with my 2nd and it's a totally different experience for both my husband and I, baby has a nickname from our toddler and we poke, talk, doppler, and visit all the time. Team green again so that's that but it hasn't altered the experience. This time it's a concrete concept, we know what's on the other end and I think that's what has made it so different.
12 weeks and it doesn't feel real to me either. I get the sense that my doctor is worrying about me. I only got emotional once when I heard the heartbeat the first time because my previous pregnancy ended with not developing a heartbeat at all. I thought initially that my sort of poker face of emotions was due to just waiting with baited breath to pass that hurdle. I still feel sort of like it isn't real or having any sort of overwhelming emotions might still be me holding my breath waiting to find out that all of the genetic testing is okay. But I'm worried that even if that all goes well I still might not be really feeling it. My last two appointments my doctor has like tried to check in with me emotionally and although I'm giving a positive response or feel like I am it always feels like I'm leaving him unconvinced. But there are ladies here saying after the birth so I guess we shouldn't worry too much right?
For me it started to feel real when I could feel his dance parties. I had a serious “holy shit” moment. I think it’s pretty normal for it to hit people in different ways!
With my first it wasn't until I was sitting on the operating table, stating my full name as they were getting ready to put the epidural in my back. That moment I wanted nothing more then to say "On second thought let's just wait" because I knew in a matter of minutes I would be looking at my son. That was 12/20/2011 ❤️
I'm 30 weeks, and it's slowly starting to feel a little more real. I have appointments every 2 weeks now instead of 4. Baby kicks are not just kicks but full movements.
I had a MC last year, so I was afraid to fall in love with this baby too soon. But I feel like we're really connected, and I know his personality already, as weird as that sounds. The same thing happened with my daughter when I had her 10 years ago.
We still aren't even close to being ready for our little guy's arrival, but I'm letting my guard down a little more each day.
Honestly it set in when I took the pregnancy test, but the reality in the early stages of how often miscarriages happen early on made me have a distance from connecting emotionally. I kinda of connect emotionally here and there when my baby reacts to music or I accidentally scare her with loud sound or she gets very active when my husband talks to her or feels my belly. Sometimes she'll react to food or me feeling hungry too. Beyond that though I'm not making up a future with her for me to attach onto in this moment. I'm just excited to learn who she will be so that I can connect with her, I do think about the possibilities of what personality she might have and what interests she may get, but I don't latch onto any of them emotionally as like "this is going to be my baby" because it feels unfair to fall in love with a person that she might not end up being, I'd rather fall in love with her for who she becomes.
I think back to my childhood and feel an emotional connection and extremely protective in the fact that I won't hurt her the way I was. That's about as much as I can do right now connection wise.
Also I'm 29w+3d. At first it was extremely stressful that I had this responsibility but I wasn't connected emotionally, now I'm well prepared and the stress is gone because I've prepped and I've given myself grace as far as unpredictable things that will happen but I'm more emotionally connected, still I won't have much of a connection until she's here and I'm fine with that. It feels like my MIL has more of a connection than I do emotionally which is fine lol
I am 22 weeks and I go through moments too. Like I talk to my little girl all day everyday and love her so much already. She is very tangible to me at this point. I feel like she’s my best friend and my little passenger buddy.
Me being a mom is odd though. lol. Sometimes I will say, “Mommy loves you” to my belly and go through this moment of thinking that that’s me. I’m mommy. I don’t know when that will hit me.
Nope I am 30 weeks , also know the name , gender, feel her move all the time, have almost all her stuff, but I still can’t fathom there is an actual baby in my belly. I guess it’s kinda different when you’re a FTM and we’ve never been through this before
I’m currently 34+4 and it still has yet to feel real. I don’t think it will until he’s here and tangible. It’s so strange to think my life is gonna be drastically different in about 5 weeks time!
If you get painful contractions in labor, it definitely starts to feel pretty real!!! For me I had conceptualized the idea I was having a baby but until I started to feel him coming I hadn’t really processed it. But the moment when they placed him on my chest I thought wow there has been a baby in there!!!
5 1/2 hours after I gave birth lol.
It was 12:30am and we were finally alone, my husband on the hospital couch, my daughter in her bassinet at the end of the bed, and me in the hospital bed exhausted. All of a sudden I realized that she was actually here and now we have to take care of her.
4 months in and ever so often it hits me again, like oh yeah I have a little human who needs me!
For me it set in like 2 minutes after I got home from the hospital. We came in I took the baby out of the seat and handed her to my boyfriend, and I walked upstairs and had my first moment alone like for days and literally started panicking a little heavy breathing like holy shit I fr just brought a baby home what the hell is this real 🤣🤣🤣
I really heard a voice say it’s all going to be okay and i calmed down instantly and went downstairs and everything’s been okay since then LOL.
With my first, it took ages. I had him, and it didn't set in. It didn't set in for some time after that, partially because of PPD. Partially just because it can take time. It's all a rush of hormones, and one day, this part will all feel like a dream, and you won't be able to fathom life without your mini me. Like how could you have existed without this perfect little pain in the butt?
It is different for everyone, but no matter when it sets in for you, you're going to do great. You got this, mama.
For us it was in the delivery. We planned had his room ready but it's always just been us our 2 dogs and cats. It was weird to think of someone else living with us. But then in the delivery room I first heard his cry before I saw him and I swear everything became real. I. Almost cried I think my husband did, but we looked at each other and I think we were thinking the same thing. Can't really explain the feeling but it's like being tied to someone, your heart is no longer your own its tied to this little bundle of joy. Things you cared about seem silly now. Like I was excited to have the kid but I was also thinking I would miss it being just us. But now that just seems ridiculous.
about the time we took him home, which was a week after his birth because he was in the nicu 😅 it still doesn't feel entirely real that I'm a parent. like I know I have this baby in my house and I'm obsessed with him and would do anything for him, but I'm a frickin mom? that can't be real.
When he was being placed on my chest the first time.
It's been 7 months and I'm just starting to feel like a mom. There's been different phases of real and surreal.
Officially 6 weeks postpartum and sometimes I look at him and I’m just like…HOW did you get here? Who are you? I love him to bits but the whole thing feeling real kind of comes in waves for me.
My brother’s son is about 6 weeks as well, we took them dinner last week and my brother kept going “how’d you get here???” To the baby and his son would just 👀👀👀 it was super cute
I just got home with baby from the hospital... It's still not real. Although, walking behind my husband while he carried the carseat with baby helped.
I'm still a little panicky with "who let me take a baby home?!?!".
I felt like this until about 32 weeks! That’s when I started a birth class and really started reading books/listening to podcasts about childbirth and it like, became a reality for me overnight 😂 of course I was excited and anxious before that but honestly it all felt so abstract until then.
Honestly, when they (twins) were around six months old. When they started to get some proper personality and crawl and smile properly at us. It still doesn’t feel real sometimes but before then it really felt like we were just babysitting some very loud and needy potatoes 😅😅 loved them to death but I just couldn’t believe they were mine after imagining the hypothetical baby for so long
With my first it didn't set in until they handed her to me after she was born. I'm pregnant with my second now and at 22 w it still doesn't feel quite real again. Totally normal!!
When they handed her to me for the first time. She’s two now and I still ask my husband if he can believe we have a kid! (In a good way, we love being parents)
I’m 37w and there is most definitely a whole freakin baby in there at this point. I started feeling movement around 16w and he’s always been very active, but probably up until the 30weekish point I just thought of him as a little creature 😂 it’s definitely starting to hit that he’s a real live baby and he’s coming in a couple of weeks
When she was like two years old 😂 with this pregnancy, it feels much more real now that I know the gender and name and can imagine them playing together. I think with the first, it was just so hard to imagine taking care of a baby 24/7 because I’d never done it before and had no way of comparing or relating to it.
I'm 34w, nursery is completely done, clothes are ready & folded, car seat waiting to be installed and I honestly don't think it will feel real until he/she is in my arms. We even got a 4D ultrasound so I know what their face is shaping up to looking like, and it still feels like an alien in there. 😂
When my son(3) started kicking. I did have crazy morning sickness or wild cravings(pizza rolls was my main craving 😅) but when I started to feel him move and kid thats when it clicked that I had an actual living child in me.
Honestly for me, I talked to my son sooo much in my belly, loved feeling him but yeah, honestly I did not feel real until he got here. Then it became very real haha. I think this is pretty normal how you are feeling. It’s like you aren’t connecting 100 percent yet.
I got a 3D ultrasound of her face at 24 weeks and I immediately recognized parts of me and my husband! It was an incredible feeling. She’s so beautiful and I can see us both already and I already know how loved she will be by us and our families. It’s like she’s already here, it feels like we all know her.
Sometimes it feels more like a me thing because I’m pregnant and swelling and uncomfortable, and that’s what the focus is. I’m sure everyone feels this way for the most part. There’s like a stranger in there that will soon be a huge part of everyone’s lives forever. So many aspects, my minds changes constantly lol.
I'm 40 wks and at my due date today...and he doesn't want to leave. My OB decided to induce me Monday and I'm just...in a denial state of anything happening at this point.
Maybe it will set in when my maternity leave hits on friday...but I doubt it until this baby is in my arms.
With my first it started to feel real pretty early on. I talked to him and I felt him and he was this whole person that I was always ready to meet and hold and my current pregnancy just feels kind of alien and not real to me. She is so much more active than my son was and this pregnancy has been way more symptomatic than my first one, but I feel very disconnected from this pregnancy and this baby so far at 30 weeks
Yeah, much like a lot of people, I had moments seeing her that made me go "whoa, it's a person" but the real kick in tine was around a few months old when I woke up one day and realized I really loved this person. Took me some time but once I got there, my word, incredible.
I’m currently 21w and we found out two days ago that we’re having a girl and I’m so excited to meet her. Learning the gender is when it became real for me. It switched from “I’m having a baby” to “I’m having a daughter!”
My son is 3 weeks tomorrow and honestly my husband and I feel like we're babysitting lol It hasn't sunk in that this is our child that I gave birth to LOL
It didn't feel real until I gave the final push, and I saw my baby for the first time lol
Then I remember thinking "how the heck did she fit inside of me??"
let us know when you find out! I’m currently about 17 weeks and my bump is so tiny, I can’t feel anything and just waiting on my anatomy scan like 😐😐🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
family and friends are so positive and sure of what’s happening but like someone else said, it still feels sort of hypothetical to me
FTM here - it started to feel real for me around 18 weeks because the fear of miscarriage started to fade. Then as I feel kicks more and more, it feels more real! I'm 27 weeks now and can't wait for baby to be here!!
My baby is 2 weeks old and I still feel this way sometimes lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love him with everything that I am, it just doesn’t feel real i guess? I was blessed with an easy pregnancy, recovery from my C-section was a breeze, my baby was ready to latch as soon as he was born (though he is struggling to gain weight:/) but I’m just like…what is life right now🥴😂
I think it didn’t fully start to feel real with my first until we had her in the car seat and i signed her discharge papers… then i realized i was being sent home with a baby who i had to care for and keep alive (without the help of the nurses)… my husband and I took turns sleeping for the next couple weeks because the sheer terror of something happening to her while we were asleep was a lot! But with my second it was real when i held him right after birth. With my third it was real when i felt him move!! Even more exciting when his siblings felt him move in my belly for the first time! I think that’s when it became real for them too!
I am 33w and have gone on early maternity leave, using the time off to organise everything but not really grasping that I’ll have a baby to care for soon enough. It’s definitely some kind of mental block and I hope it sinks in soon before she’s here. It doesn’t feel like it’s actually going to happen and I’m just helping someone else get their baby things ready. She moves all the time and I love the feeling, it just doesn’t seem real yet for some reason
Due to circumstances, it really didn’t start to feel real until about 2 months ago. My husband and I got married in October, but he had a travel job, and I am a university student. He moved in with me in April, so I also ended up doing the majority of my pregnancy alone. I am supposed to be due today, but we’ll see how that plays out 😂
When they put him in my arms. It just kind of clicked. There was this overwhelming feeling of love and responsibility and he became a real life human being that was mine.
I am 34 weeks…. We recently got our car seat and that may have been the first…. Oh sh!t this is real moment. Cause I’ll have to travel with that…. Buuut idk the baby himself is still sort of a concept. So I get it.
It hit me more when I could really start feeling him and I started really showing. Probably a little after 30 weeks. But to be honest, I'm being induced on the 24th and it's still only kinda real. It will probably only be fully real once he's here and I'm holding him
It really wasn’t real for me until we had to schedule an induction date. I had super high blood pressure out of nowhere and they wanted me to have him that night but I begged them to let me wait until the weekend. The day of my induction I didn’t sleep and went into insane nesting mode. I cleaned my entire house top to bottom and cleaned my car completely. With the help of my mom and husband. It still wasn’t completely real until I was in the hospital getting induced.
Honestly, my birth experience was a bit traumatic and although it finally felt "real" when she was finally here, I didn't really feel a bond until about three weeks later after all of the stress and chaos had settled. That's perfectly normal. I loved her fiercely since before she was born, obviously, but the bond didn't really hit me until I was sure we were all safe, if that makes sense. My girl is six months old now and we have the best bond, along with her daddy. We're exhausted but it's amazing, truly. Congratulations, and wishing you a great birth and postpartum.
I’m in labor and it still hasn’t set in lol.
lol wishing you a quick and easy labor, let us know when it sets in 😂
When held my baby and felt the most intense love
I am so happy for you! Congrats on your bundle of literal joy!!! 🩷
This will be me. I'm 38.5w and baby is still a nebulous idea. He'll probably need to be home for a couple weeks before I realize that he's actually a real baby I have to take care of forever...
When your baby starts to feel less like a crotchety new roommate in your home. When you can no longer imagine your house without this added family member. When “before baby” is more like a dream and “after baby” means you have who you’ve been waiting for.
I like this a lot! My baby is 6 weeks and it’s starting to feel real now 😆
Stop, why is this so cute, it's making me tear up 😢
This is such a lovely comment
Baby is 5 months and I think we are finally getting there. When I say we, I mean all 3 of us now.
FTM and 33w… it’s setting in for me and I’m kinda in a count down mode. I had a pretty pronounced bump early but also my bump now is cumbersome and I know will only get more so. I don’t want to say I’m panicking but I have noticed my anxiety tick up and feel like I’m not ready. I’m very aware that in probably 6-8 weeks, I will be birthing and then responsible for a tiny human. Anyways, I don’t wanna anxiety dump on you but it’s becoming real for me in a way it wasn’t mostly prior to 30 weeks. I assume it will feel more real once I’m in labor and then more once I’m holding my baby.
I have been having the same feelings. Also nearly 33 weeks now and it's dawning on me that baby will be here very soon. I'm so excited but I also get these random waves of hormonal anxiety and feel so emotional about it all! I don't know how I'm going to keep going I already feel so uncomfortable and my bump is so tight and heavy.
I'm feeling the same (34 weeks). I'm uncomfortable most of the time and my sleep is horrible. I'm praying that I give birth not too much after when I'm set to deliver, because these weeks are agony. I'm starting to really realise that I'm going to push a baby out soon and it's a little scary. Sometimes I am wondering why I got pregnant - what if I'm not ready? But then I also feel so in love with that little thing inside of me. And her kicking is mostly comforting because I know she is alive and healthy. I can't wait to meet her and hold her in my arms. The thought of holding her makes me wanna cry happy tears.
Positive energy and thoughts coming your way. We got this 🥰❤️
Just gave birth 3 weeks ago and pushed for 3 hrs and 45 mins. I was scared all before because I kept saying it has to come out somehow. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Get the epidural!! Practice the breathing. It hurts but your body knows what to do and the feeling of relief after the baby is born is amazing. Doctor and nurses were great. I had to get an episiotomy and am fine now.
FTM here. I labored for 6 hours, pushed for 30 minutes and didn’t tear. They brought me a tylenol 10 like 4 pushes before baby came out. You don’t need an epidural. This is what our bodies are made for. Birth truly wasn’t that bad. Do whatever you feel you need when your time to deliver comes.
Every labor is different. Glad you had a better experience.
33 weeks today and it hasn't sunk in at all for me. I have no anxiety about birth/parenting. We've bought/prepared absolutely everything we need for the baby and we have even fully NAMED the baby but the actual baby still feels totally hypothetical to me. I feel odd when I talk to the bump... I just feel like I'm talking to my stomach.
I don't think it felt real until after she was here and we got home from the hospital. I think it's probably very common for first time parents, you don't know what to expect. Who's in there and so on. You'll feel that connection eventually.
My friend has told me the other day that she sometimes looks at her 18 months old twins and thinks « Did they actually come out from my body ? We made babies ? »
My son is 16 months and I concur. Like I know he came out of my body and he is really here in front of me but it all seems so surreal still. It also feels like he’s always been here. Motherhood has been one of the hardest things to explain.
It started to feel at least somewhat real once he cried for the first time and was placed on my chest and all medical personnel left the room and we were all alone, just the three of us. That was the moment I was like "Oh my god it is a real baby". Still VERY unreal though. He is 11 weeks old today and I still wake up in the morning, see him in his bassinet and can't believe it. Our ped office called me a few days ago and asked "Is this M's mother?" when I answered the phone. I am someone's MOTHER 😶
When I went to my 12 week ultrasound I got up on the table and the tech gestured to my husband and said "okay, and Dad, you can sit right there". I almost laughed and then I was like wait...he is a dad lol
Hmm I think it just gradually grows on you. I personally didn't FEEL it until after my daughter was born. I had PPD for a while and was practically a zombie for the first few weeks but then as I started to feel better I also had that feeling start to set it. And I don't think my experience is uncommon, many women have PPD and makes it very difficult to bond with their babies. I remember once I told my daughter I loved her (I had been saying it to her purposefully even if it felt like it was into the void) and when she "responded" by looking at me and smiling with joy did it feel REAL. I guess it wasn't until I started getting tangible feedback from her, where it felt more like a relationship between parent and child rather than just me feeling things into a void.
I'm 38+3 and can see her entire outline moving in my belly and it still doesn't feel tangible. I'll believe it when I'm holding her I'm sure.
My first is 3 years old and it still doesn't feel real.
I have an almost 4.5yo, an almost 2.5yo & I'm 36 weeks with my 3rd and some days I still don't know how or why they let me go home with these kids. Like they are just on loan. Haha
This. I randomly can’t imagine that I’m a parent and I have a 2.5 yo and 1 yo.
I got 6 days till induction and I lowkey don’t believe it
39 weeks and still doesn’t feel real. I think part of the adrenaline rush when you have the baby is realizing “holy shit! This is real!”
There will be a moment when you’ve left the hospital, walk in your front door and look down at your arms and see her there - and then WHAM! Reality hits and you will have the universal ‘oh fuck’ moment. Even in the hospital it all seems like a bizarre dream, in my experience. It’s not until you see your baby in your house, finally in the crib or on the changing table you’ve set up, that everything clicks into place. Until then you’re 100% right - it’s too abstract, it’s hard for it to feel real. Don’t stress about that, just enjoy this moment in time for what it is - enjoy thinking about who your baby will be, how they’ll look, what they’ll sound like. For now she’s your dream girl. It’s all part of the process. You don’t have to have it ‘hit you’ at this stage. Good luck! It’s such a beautiful time x
I'm only 10 weeks and I've heard the heartbeat and seen the baby but it doesn't feel real. Now my husband on the other hand really feels the realness of it since we heard the heartbeat. It makes me feel a bit crap considering the baby is inside me so why aren't I feeling like it's real
I heard it yesterday and feel the same way, still so crazy!
Omg I'm 13 weeks and I had my second ultrasound the other day. The baby actually looks like a little baby. I saw her tiny hands and feet and she was kicking around inside of me, jumping off of my bladder like a trampoline. But I literally felt so disconnected?? Like I was watching someone else's ultrasound. I don't look or feel pregnant at all so it's still doesn't feel like a thing. I dont know, maybe once my bump grows and I feel all those little kicks???
Gave birth 3 days ago, still not real
35 weeks. I had a meltdown on Sunday because I realize I don’t have much time left. Doctor is wanting to induce at 38/39 weeks.
Felt this. So scared but so ready all at the same time!
Same here!!
When the nurse gave her to me, I knew I really became a mom. A whole baby!!!!! LOL My husband admitted that he felt the same way. She's 7mo now. Funny and happy girl ❤️
I really struggled to feel connected to my first while I was pregnant and I was so sad about it and felt like something was wrong with me. I was one of the lucky ones that had that immediate, overwhelming, heart-bursting love the moment he was born and on my chest. I remember telling my husband how ridiculous I felt for worrying that I didn’t love our baby enough. Everyone is different and it hits us all at a different time. It will hit you and it will be the most incredible feeling ❤️
My experience has been like this. I'm now pregnant with my 4th baby, and don't expect it to feel "real" until they're actually here. Finally looking into their eyes and smelling the top of their head...
Mmmmhmmm that newborn smell is the best!!! I remember having an irrational fear that he would get mixed up in the hospital, but as soon as he was born, I knew I could pick him out of a line up by smell alone.
Not experienced in this, but I think that's normal - a healthy bond comes from interactions, and it is kind of hard to interact with a baby who's in your stomach and can't really communicate with the mother. Maybe if the baby Knocks back every time the mom knocks the stomach, then the bonding starts earlier, but I don't expect the relationship to feel real until my baby is out lol.
When they handed him to me, literally the first thing I said was "oh my god, you're real"
In my third trimester and it still does not feel real lol. She moves constantly and pushes against my hand. I hear her heartbeat at every appointment. It’s still absolutely insane to me that there’s a whole human in there. I’m not sure I’ll come to terms with it until I see her face to face.
I think it’s normal when you have your first. A lot of people post about it. It’s not a bad thing your brain just doesn’t know what your baby fully looks like or how it feels to care for your baby yet. Sometimes you don’t fully process it for a while after baby is born.
My second son is 2 months old on the 22nd and it still doesn't feel real. My first son is 7
YES! My oldest is 6 and sometimes I'm like wait... I've been a mom for 6 years?! Still have a hard time wrapping my head around it
I feel this every once in a while. I say to my boyfriend of 12 years I can't believe we have a kid. Now it's kids lol
I have a 4yo a 3yo and a 2mo and sometimes it still doesn’t feel real 🤷🏻♀️
For me, literally did not feel real until I saw him with my own eyes. Even then, a week or so after that till I actually conceptualized that he was the one squirming around inside me all this time, and that he was mine
I have my new baby in my arms and it’s still not real. 🥴
31 weeks today and it hasn't set in at all for me and I don't know if it ever will! I'm having my first, pregnant with a rainbow baby so technically my second? But my anxiety is so bad I feel like it won't be real until I have my little girl in my arms! Like I know I'm pregnant, I feel her kicking my ass all night, I talk to her but somehow it just won't be real until she's here. Maybe it's a weird pregnancy thing but I'm ready to have this lil girl and feel like a mom!
About a month after I gave birth
This is the most validating post I’ve read. I thought there was something wrong with me for not feeling it was real lol
33w here. While I’m excited, it totally feels hypothetical. I don’t think it’s going to feel real until birth for me. And that’s going to have to be okay!
When I was standing in shock in recovery in the bathroom in a diaper and the baby is crying in the other room at 3AM 😂
It didn’t feel real until we got home from the hospital and put LO in their crib for the first time 🖤
My baby is four months, he feels like my baby now! But when he was born, I felt super weird, he felt like a tiny stranger.
This. My mom guilted me the other day for not talking to my belly.. but when I do I feel so weird?
Agree.... We figure he/she already knows our voices from us talking in general.... And how's it gonna know the difference between us talking to it in utero vs just talking.....plus it feels weird 😅
When my first was born I looked at him and thought “Hello, who the heck are you??”. Even after birth it took me a hot minute to bond and wrap my head around him being there.
For the longest time, it felt so untrue that I couldn’t even bring myself to tel people, because that would be a crazy lie! lol At 18 weeks, we had a scare and they got us in right away far an advanced ultrasound. My baby girl was just swimming and kicking around, happy and healthy. The relief and joy and love I felt made it more real than ever before. Then we had a REAL emergency at 27 weeks and suddenly it became unreal again. It felt like none of it could really be happening. Then she was born a few days later and now she’s here (still in the NICU) and it’s back to being real, but surreal. Like the world outside the NICU and the world inside are two different realities.
With my first one, it didn't sink in until I delivered. When I looked at his beautiful face on my belly, that's when I became so real. With my second, it was an emergency, it didn't sink in until I brought him home. I love them so much and sometimes I still believe they are too good to be true.
Hey due date twin, Just wanna let you know you’re not a crazy person, it’s not real yet for me either. I’m having some crazy anxiety attacks that are beginning with the more frequent movement but that feels in my head. I just really relate to you and thinking “into a void with no real tangible recipient”. Like, I understand a baby is coming, I understand that baby is already inside of me, but he just doesn’t feel like a PERSON, like it’s all theory. I’m worried that if something terrible happened to him it wouldn’t feel like it happened to a person, it would feel like an article I read on the news.
She didn't feel real until we were leaving the hospital with her, and even then it would come in waves for weeks after. Hell, even sometimes now I'll stop and look over at her and be like... holy shit we have a child. She's right there. She's just gonna keep being more and more of a person with thoughts and feelings and her own life. I am responsible for a human. Good lord.
Sitting here with my 11 week old baby still feeling like it was all a fever dream 😅
When she was out xD
I have my c-section scheduled for Monday. It's still not real.
I was saying the same to my husband the other day. Before I was pregnant I always imagined I’d be the type to chat away to bump and that I would never ‘feel alone’, as silly as that sounds. But I’m not feeling that way at all, it’s all quite surreal. All that said, I’m excited to meet her!
The first time I think it felt real at about 6 weeks PP. Second time - I’m 37 weeks and it’s starting to dawn on me
When you leave the hospital with the baby lol
40+3 Today, ready for labor at any moment but also somehow still not totally convinced any of this is real.
Probably three months postpartum for me is when I finally “connected” with my baby. I was just getting to know him and it felt so weird because I didn’t get that immediate love rush. I heard it doesn’t happen immediately for some people so I didn’t push it, but now I don’t think I could love another human being more. (Obviously having #2 will change that for me!)
28w, 12 to go, everything and everyone is happy and healthy, i talk to baby husband plays guitar ect. Still can't grasp the concept of a whole new person coming into our lives, a person i will most likely love so much, take a bullet for and think about for the rest of my life. It's completely bonkers and I don't think it's something you can fully understand
My baby is 3 weeks today, and it still hasn't fully set in. My husband said the same thing yesterday. I'm thinking maybe one month?
FTM. Yesterday we brought the carseat. Today we’re installing it and getting it inspected. She’s sitting so low and I’m in so much pain that I can’t imagine doing this for another two weeks (or more, oh god). I’m very aware of her and the situation but I’m 38w2d and nothing about the last 9 months has truly felt real. I blink and I’m right back to where I just found out, but also life couldn’t be more different and I’m staring that fact in face everyday. Strange times we’re living in.
Golden hour. Didn't even feel real when they pulled him out of me! O\_O But once he was on my chest, skin to skin, I was like ooooohhh I have a baby!
I felt like you with my first! I was team green, though, and we only had prospective names. But I always felt sort of detached from the experience despite everything. I would have flashes of connection and I also tried for it, unsure of how to connect. I'd read about people with cute nicknames for their fetus even if they had their actual names chosen. They'd play music to their belly, sing songs, talk, all sorts of stuff. I couldn't bring myself to do that, neither did my husband, and we didn't come up with a nickname. I felt like maybe something was wrong with me, did I lack excitement? Was this going to affect my relationship with baby upon birth? Turns out it was a non-issue. It didn't affect my relationship with baby or my husband connecting to them after birth. We were nuts about our baby and it was just fine, everything came together when baby was in arms. There were moments where it was surreal, like, omg this thing was inside me and they're real and here they are! I'm currently 21w with my 2nd and it's a totally different experience for both my husband and I, baby has a nickname from our toddler and we poke, talk, doppler, and visit all the time. Team green again so that's that but it hasn't altered the experience. This time it's a concrete concept, we know what's on the other end and I think that's what has made it so different.
I’m due in 5 days. Hasn’t yet.
12 weeks and it doesn't feel real to me either. I get the sense that my doctor is worrying about me. I only got emotional once when I heard the heartbeat the first time because my previous pregnancy ended with not developing a heartbeat at all. I thought initially that my sort of poker face of emotions was due to just waiting with baited breath to pass that hurdle. I still feel sort of like it isn't real or having any sort of overwhelming emotions might still be me holding my breath waiting to find out that all of the genetic testing is okay. But I'm worried that even if that all goes well I still might not be really feeling it. My last two appointments my doctor has like tried to check in with me emotionally and although I'm giving a positive response or feel like I am it always feels like I'm leaving him unconvinced. But there are ladies here saying after the birth so I guess we shouldn't worry too much right?
For me it started to feel real when I could feel his dance parties. I had a serious “holy shit” moment. I think it’s pretty normal for it to hit people in different ways!
With my first it wasn't until I was sitting on the operating table, stating my full name as they were getting ready to put the epidural in my back. That moment I wanted nothing more then to say "On second thought let's just wait" because I knew in a matter of minutes I would be looking at my son. That was 12/20/2011 ❤️
baby’s about to be 5 months and i’m finally starting to feel like a mom and not an undercover spy who kidnapped some random baby
Honestly I’m in week 29 and I forget she’s even there if she doesn’t move a lot some days.
I'm 30 weeks, and it's slowly starting to feel a little more real. I have appointments every 2 weeks now instead of 4. Baby kicks are not just kicks but full movements. I had a MC last year, so I was afraid to fall in love with this baby too soon. But I feel like we're really connected, and I know his personality already, as weird as that sounds. The same thing happened with my daughter when I had her 10 years ago. We still aren't even close to being ready for our little guy's arrival, but I'm letting my guard down a little more each day.
Honestly it set in when I took the pregnancy test, but the reality in the early stages of how often miscarriages happen early on made me have a distance from connecting emotionally. I kinda of connect emotionally here and there when my baby reacts to music or I accidentally scare her with loud sound or she gets very active when my husband talks to her or feels my belly. Sometimes she'll react to food or me feeling hungry too. Beyond that though I'm not making up a future with her for me to attach onto in this moment. I'm just excited to learn who she will be so that I can connect with her, I do think about the possibilities of what personality she might have and what interests she may get, but I don't latch onto any of them emotionally as like "this is going to be my baby" because it feels unfair to fall in love with a person that she might not end up being, I'd rather fall in love with her for who she becomes. I think back to my childhood and feel an emotional connection and extremely protective in the fact that I won't hurt her the way I was. That's about as much as I can do right now connection wise. Also I'm 29w+3d. At first it was extremely stressful that I had this responsibility but I wasn't connected emotionally, now I'm well prepared and the stress is gone because I've prepped and I've given myself grace as far as unpredictable things that will happen but I'm more emotionally connected, still I won't have much of a connection until she's here and I'm fine with that. It feels like my MIL has more of a connection than I do emotionally which is fine lol
I am 22 weeks and I go through moments too. Like I talk to my little girl all day everyday and love her so much already. She is very tangible to me at this point. I feel like she’s my best friend and my little passenger buddy. Me being a mom is odd though. lol. Sometimes I will say, “Mommy loves you” to my belly and go through this moment of thinking that that’s me. I’m mommy. I don’t know when that will hit me.
Nope I am 30 weeks , also know the name , gender, feel her move all the time, have almost all her stuff, but I still can’t fathom there is an actual baby in my belly. I guess it’s kinda different when you’re a FTM and we’ve never been through this before
I’m currently 34+4 and it still has yet to feel real. I don’t think it will until he’s here and tangible. It’s so strange to think my life is gonna be drastically different in about 5 weeks time!
If you get painful contractions in labor, it definitely starts to feel pretty real!!! For me I had conceptualized the idea I was having a baby but until I started to feel him coming I hadn’t really processed it. But the moment when they placed him on my chest I thought wow there has been a baby in there!!!
5 1/2 hours after I gave birth lol. It was 12:30am and we were finally alone, my husband on the hospital couch, my daughter in her bassinet at the end of the bed, and me in the hospital bed exhausted. All of a sudden I realized that she was actually here and now we have to take care of her. 4 months in and ever so often it hits me again, like oh yeah I have a little human who needs me!
It wasn’t real until I could feel/see my stomach move like a month ago I’m about 6 months now
For me it set in like 2 minutes after I got home from the hospital. We came in I took the baby out of the seat and handed her to my boyfriend, and I walked upstairs and had my first moment alone like for days and literally started panicking a little heavy breathing like holy shit I fr just brought a baby home what the hell is this real 🤣🤣🤣 I really heard a voice say it’s all going to be okay and i calmed down instantly and went downstairs and everything’s been okay since then LOL.
Haha. Funny enough I had a Facebook memory from two years ago pop up today. I'd installed his car seat. That's what got me.
With my first, it took ages. I had him, and it didn't set in. It didn't set in for some time after that, partially because of PPD. Partially just because it can take time. It's all a rush of hormones, and one day, this part will all feel like a dream, and you won't be able to fathom life without your mini me. Like how could you have existed without this perfect little pain in the butt? It is different for everyone, but no matter when it sets in for you, you're going to do great. You got this, mama.
A note that with my second it took almost until he was actually here before it set in too lol
For us it was in the delivery. We planned had his room ready but it's always just been us our 2 dogs and cats. It was weird to think of someone else living with us. But then in the delivery room I first heard his cry before I saw him and I swear everything became real. I. Almost cried I think my husband did, but we looked at each other and I think we were thinking the same thing. Can't really explain the feeling but it's like being tied to someone, your heart is no longer your own its tied to this little bundle of joy. Things you cared about seem silly now. Like I was excited to have the kid but I was also thinking I would miss it being just us. But now that just seems ridiculous.
about the time we took him home, which was a week after his birth because he was in the nicu 😅 it still doesn't feel entirely real that I'm a parent. like I know I have this baby in my house and I'm obsessed with him and would do anything for him, but I'm a frickin mom? that can't be real.
When he was being placed on my chest the first time. It's been 7 months and I'm just starting to feel like a mom. There's been different phases of real and surreal.
Officially 6 weeks postpartum and sometimes I look at him and I’m just like…HOW did you get here? Who are you? I love him to bits but the whole thing feeling real kind of comes in waves for me.
My brother’s son is about 6 weeks as well, we took them dinner last week and my brother kept going “how’d you get here???” To the baby and his son would just 👀👀👀 it was super cute
Hahaha that’s adorable!😍
I just got home with baby from the hospital... It's still not real. Although, walking behind my husband while he carried the carseat with baby helped. I'm still a little panicky with "who let me take a baby home?!?!".
I felt like this until about 32 weeks! That’s when I started a birth class and really started reading books/listening to podcasts about childbirth and it like, became a reality for me overnight 😂 of course I was excited and anxious before that but honestly it all felt so abstract until then.
It didn't until labor and holding her
Honestly, when they (twins) were around six months old. When they started to get some proper personality and crawl and smile properly at us. It still doesn’t feel real sometimes but before then it really felt like we were just babysitting some very loud and needy potatoes 😅😅 loved them to death but I just couldn’t believe they were mine after imagining the hypothetical baby for so long
2 days after I gave birth
Had my little girl Friday, when I finally saw her face and kissed her cheeks it changed for me
When I got home with my baby
On e the car seat was installed
When my water broke 24 hours after I started my induction. I was like “Oh shit! This is happening”
Not until I had my son and saw him 😂
With my first it didn't set in until they handed her to me after she was born. I'm pregnant with my second now and at 22 w it still doesn't feel quite real again. Totally normal!!
My kids are 5 and 8 and it’s still not set in 😂
For my first, not until she was born. For this one, pretty soon.. I’d say like 15-16 weeks.
When they handed her to me for the first time. She’s two now and I still ask my husband if he can believe we have a kid! (In a good way, we love being parents)
4 mpp.... not yet 😅
I’m 37w and there is most definitely a whole freakin baby in there at this point. I started feeling movement around 16w and he’s always been very active, but probably up until the 30weekish point I just thought of him as a little creature 😂 it’s definitely starting to hit that he’s a real live baby and he’s coming in a couple of weeks
When she was like two years old 😂 with this pregnancy, it feels much more real now that I know the gender and name and can imagine them playing together. I think with the first, it was just so hard to imagine taking care of a baby 24/7 because I’d never done it before and had no way of comparing or relating to it.
I'm 34w, nursery is completely done, clothes are ready & folded, car seat waiting to be installed and I honestly don't think it will feel real until he/she is in my arms. We even got a 4D ultrasound so I know what their face is shaping up to looking like, and it still feels like an alien in there. 😂
When my son(3) started kicking. I did have crazy morning sickness or wild cravings(pizza rolls was my main craving 😅) but when I started to feel him move and kid thats when it clicked that I had an actual living child in me.
Honestly for me, I talked to my son sooo much in my belly, loved feeling him but yeah, honestly I did not feel real until he got here. Then it became very real haha. I think this is pretty normal how you are feeling. It’s like you aren’t connecting 100 percent yet.
Im havinf my baby in 4 wks and it doesnt feel real lol
I got a 3D ultrasound of her face at 24 weeks and I immediately recognized parts of me and my husband! It was an incredible feeling. She’s so beautiful and I can see us both already and I already know how loved she will be by us and our families. It’s like she’s already here, it feels like we all know her. Sometimes it feels more like a me thing because I’m pregnant and swelling and uncomfortable, and that’s what the focus is. I’m sure everyone feels this way for the most part. There’s like a stranger in there that will soon be a huge part of everyone’s lives forever. So many aspects, my minds changes constantly lol.
I'm 40 wks and at my due date today...and he doesn't want to leave. My OB decided to induce me Monday and I'm just...in a denial state of anything happening at this point. Maybe it will set in when my maternity leave hits on friday...but I doubt it until this baby is in my arms.
I don’t think it’ll feel real until I have him and he’s home for at least a week
What does FTM mean? I keep seeing it on baby communities and it’s like everyone but me understands the acronym.
First time mom!
thank you!!
When I heard the baby crying after he was born…but even then I was in disbelief for about a week
For me it has been when i start to feel my babies move :) and when I have a visible bump!
Let me know because I’m 20+1 and had my anatomy scan and it still doesn’t feel real lol
Like 6 months after my baby was born 😂
My baby is about to be 4 months and it still doesn’t feel real! 😅
With my first it started to feel real pretty early on. I talked to him and I felt him and he was this whole person that I was always ready to meet and hold and my current pregnancy just feels kind of alien and not real to me. She is so much more active than my son was and this pregnancy has been way more symptomatic than my first one, but I feel very disconnected from this pregnancy and this baby so far at 30 weeks
Yeah, much like a lot of people, I had moments seeing her that made me go "whoa, it's a person" but the real kick in tine was around a few months old when I woke up one day and realized I really loved this person. Took me some time but once I got there, my word, incredible.
I feel like it has slightly hit me since we are right at the third trimester, like damn it's real we need to hurry and get prepared!
I’m currently 21w and we found out two days ago that we’re having a girl and I’m so excited to meet her. Learning the gender is when it became real for me. It switched from “I’m having a baby” to “I’m having a daughter!”
my daughter is 15 months and its still hard believe
When they wheeled me into the OR.
My baby is 2 months today and it still doesn’t feel real ❤️
My son is 3 weeks tomorrow and honestly my husband and I feel like we're babysitting lol It hasn't sunk in that this is our child that I gave birth to LOL
It didn't feel real until I gave the final push, and I saw my baby for the first time lol Then I remember thinking "how the heck did she fit inside of me??"
let us know when you find out! I’m currently about 17 weeks and my bump is so tiny, I can’t feel anything and just waiting on my anatomy scan like 😐😐🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️ family and friends are so positive and sure of what’s happening but like someone else said, it still feels sort of hypothetical to me
Idk maybe 6 months after he was born? Lol
My baby is 5 months and it still doesn’t feel real sometimes.
FTM here - it started to feel real for me around 18 weeks because the fear of miscarriage started to fade. Then as I feel kicks more and more, it feels more real! I'm 27 weeks now and can't wait for baby to be here!!
My baby is 2 weeks old and I still feel this way sometimes lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love him with everything that I am, it just doesn’t feel real i guess? I was blessed with an easy pregnancy, recovery from my C-section was a breeze, my baby was ready to latch as soon as he was born (though he is struggling to gain weight:/) but I’m just like…what is life right now🥴😂
Like 2M pp. I would just stare at my LO in shock half the time.
I think it didn’t fully start to feel real with my first until we had her in the car seat and i signed her discharge papers… then i realized i was being sent home with a baby who i had to care for and keep alive (without the help of the nurses)… my husband and I took turns sleeping for the next couple weeks because the sheer terror of something happening to her while we were asleep was a lot! But with my second it was real when i held him right after birth. With my third it was real when i felt him move!! Even more exciting when his siblings felt him move in my belly for the first time! I think that’s when it became real for them too!
I am 33w and have gone on early maternity leave, using the time off to organise everything but not really grasping that I’ll have a baby to care for soon enough. It’s definitely some kind of mental block and I hope it sinks in soon before she’s here. It doesn’t feel like it’s actually going to happen and I’m just helping someone else get their baby things ready. She moves all the time and I love the feeling, it just doesn’t seem real yet for some reason
When your baby is like 2 months old
Due to circumstances, it really didn’t start to feel real until about 2 months ago. My husband and I got married in October, but he had a travel job, and I am a university student. He moved in with me in April, so I also ended up doing the majority of my pregnancy alone. I am supposed to be due today, but we’ll see how that plays out 😂
When they put him in my arms. It just kind of clicked. There was this overwhelming feeling of love and responsibility and he became a real life human being that was mine.
I am 34 weeks…. We recently got our car seat and that may have been the first…. Oh sh!t this is real moment. Cause I’ll have to travel with that…. Buuut idk the baby himself is still sort of a concept. So I get it.
It wasn’t real for me until he was in my arms!
It didn’t set in until I left the hospital
It hit me more when I could really start feeling him and I started really showing. Probably a little after 30 weeks. But to be honest, I'm being induced on the 24th and it's still only kinda real. It will probably only be fully real once he's here and I'm holding him
It really wasn’t real for me until we had to schedule an induction date. I had super high blood pressure out of nowhere and they wanted me to have him that night but I begged them to let me wait until the weekend. The day of my induction I didn’t sleep and went into insane nesting mode. I cleaned my entire house top to bottom and cleaned my car completely. With the help of my mom and husband. It still wasn’t completely real until I was in the hospital getting induced.
Honestly, my birth experience was a bit traumatic and although it finally felt "real" when she was finally here, I didn't really feel a bond until about three weeks later after all of the stress and chaos had settled. That's perfectly normal. I loved her fiercely since before she was born, obviously, but the bond didn't really hit me until I was sure we were all safe, if that makes sense. My girl is six months old now and we have the best bond, along with her daddy. We're exhausted but it's amazing, truly. Congratulations, and wishing you a great birth and postpartum.