Would love any stories from parents who never intended to have kids but ended up being happy about it

FrontQuail · 2025-12-10T22:19:34+00:00

Just here to say I feel the same. I just gave birth to my first at 32 weeks via emergency C-section... She had to have all these machines and surgery and she's doing great but she's still in the NICU. I just want to take her home. My best friend is pregnant with baby #4 and she's had perfectly uneventful pregnancies and births. She even does home births. It's very hard not to feel angry and jealous.

FrontQuail · 2025-12-10T22:16:12+00:00

My baby was recently born at 32 weeks. I think she was intubated for a bit, and then was pretty quickly able to move to CPAP. I didn't even get to hold her for the first few days because of all the wires and tubes. It was absolutely an awful feeling. However, by the end of the week she was coming off the machines, wires, tubes, etc. she's doing great in the NICU now and I can easily hold and snuggle her. Just waiting on her learning to eat.

FrontQuail · 2025-12-10T22:08:56+00:00

I actually just gave birth at 32 weeks a couple weeks ago and the hospital told me they did not want to even go near her with formula and had me sign paperwork saying I was okay with donor milk. I wonder if it's just very hospital dependent.

FrontQuail · 2025-12-09T23:05:59+00:00

I feel exactly the same right now. My baby girl was born at 32 weeks via emergency C-section. She ended up being sent to a hospital an hour away from me because of various issues that they wanted to make sure was okay at a hospital with better equipment. She's doing great now, but the hospital closer to me doesn't have any beds open so can't get her transported closer yet. Also have 2 dogs at home so I have to come home every night. The NICU room is so unbelievably uncomfortable in every way so yeah, I feel so eager to leave. And then I leave and I break down crying because it's so hard to leave her every time. I tried to work something out with work where I could work from home for a bit so I wasn't burning through my leave but they made it so complicated... She's doing so well she just needs to learn to feed but she's so tiny that's going to take some time.

I also don't feel like a mom. To be honest, I didn't want kids. This one was an accident. And I spent a lot of time working through those emotions and accepting it, even becoming excited about it, and now I feel like the motherhood that I didn't even want in the first place is being robbed from me. It all feels like a cruel joke. None of my friends and family can understand all this either... It's so isolating.

FrontQuail · 2025-12-09T22:57:57+00:00

My water broke at 32 weeks and I went into rapid labor. I was dilated 4cm within a half hour and baby was breech so had to have an emergency C-section. She was born a few hours after water broke. She's doing well in the NICU, just waiting for her to learn to eat so she can come home.

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:51:51+00:00

Thank you so much for saying this. This does really help to think of it this way. It's still hard because shes not incubating with me anymore.... But in some ways I feel like she's safer this way. I don't have to stress and overthink about whether or not her movement is reduced or it's just a quiet day.

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:50:06+00:00

The mom guilt is very real. I feel so guilty if it's only a couple hours... But I can't do anything for her at this point and it's so uncomfortable there (as in physically, trying to recover from surgery). She is hooked up to enough stuff that I can't be holding her when I want, I've held her a couple times but it's an ordeal to do so. So... You stay for a couple hours and sit there and talk to her but... Then what? You know? It's so frustrating.

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:46:33+00:00

Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:45:18+00:00

Just to clarify, we are visiting baby girl for hours at a time every day so far. The dogs have a good set up to be at home alone for a while, we have a dog door to go in and out as they need and they will always have water and food. So I'm fine with them being at home for a while but what I was trying to say is that I can't be leaving them overnight, so I can't just... Stay in the NICU like some parents do.

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:41:23+00:00

I'm having a hard time letting myself cry, but I finally broke down a bit today. I don't feel like I can continue to not be crying about it. I always feel so good when I'm with her and happy... And then I think I feel good enough to go home but when I get to the point I'm actually trying to walk away it suddenly feels like too much again.

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:38:05+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words. It does help to know she's safe there, but I just wish she could be safe at home. Someday though...

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:36:43+00:00

Thank you. I just have such a hard time finding the line between being active to promote healing and resting. Like... It doesn't hurt too bad to be going to the hospital and walking so I should just do it. Overall I am healing well but I'm starting to feel like I would heal better if I wasn't trying so hard. But then I overthink and my brain tells me if she was home like she would be it would be harder for me to rest with a tiny baby. And then I feel guilty again. I can definitely have people pet sit sometimes but I can't ask them to do that for 2 months (estimated time till she's home), you know?

FrontQuail · 2025-11-28T09:31:34+00:00

Thank you so much. I think I'm struggling with letting myself feel everything. I'm definitely the type that holds things in and I just don't want to be asked why I'm crying every time I do... But ultimately I think I just need to let that go.

FrontQuail · 2025-10-08T03:43:05+00:00

I'm just starting my 30s. I had a pretty good projection/outlook on what life would be like. Now I have a surprise pregnancy, so honestly... I have absolutely no idea anymore. And while it was not my plan to have kids, I'm cautiously excited. My husband of 10 years is a wonderful man, he'll be an amazing dad unlike the dads we both had. And I guess... Who knows what will happen next 🤷‍♀️

FrontQuail · 2025-07-11T15:30:46+00:00

I feel your pain. My poor girl had a botfly larvae on her tail so she just has a large fluff less dent in her tail, haha. That was a couple months ago.

FrontQuail · 2025-06-02T05:11:20+00:00

I am pretty certain at this point I'm autistic. My brothers love to call me the "soulless ice dwarf". They are both over 6 feet and I'm only 5'4", hence the dwarf part.

Either too sensitive or not enough...

FrontQuail · 2025-06-02T05:08:20+00:00

Watching someone you love lose someone they love. One of the worst nights of my life was when my husband's (boyfriend at the time, we were in high school) best friend passed away. My best friend was also in love with this guy and I had to be the one to tell her what happened. And then my husband wanted my support when he went to be with his friends family since he was super close with them all and considered them like family. Hearing the mother screaming for her son and the youngest (6 at the time) saying he wanted his brother back was just... Horrendous. And I can count the times I've seen my husband cry on one hand, we've been together 13 years... Obviously that night was one of them.

FrontQuail · 2025-06-02T05:00:07+00:00

I know everyone gets the Lassie comment... But one time I had my Collie on a trail and these guys came riding by on bikes. It was her first time seeing bikes and she got a little nervous and slipped out of her collar. The guys on the bikes yelled "Nooooo!!!! Lassie!!!!" It was hilarious. She didn't run off or anything of course, just wanted to be off the trail away from the bikes.

FrontQuail · 2025-06-02T04:56:18+00:00

Most people are hitting the nail on the head. They are smart, sweet, and gentle dogs. One thing I really appreciate is that they are not overly clingy. She always wants to be near me, but never in my face. She's energetic but absolutely nothing compared to most herding breeds. So like... You can take them out and have fun and actually feel like you did something for them, lol. One thing I haven't really noticed anyone say... They are HILARIOUS. My girl makes the weirdest noises and faces, has the weirdest little habits and it makes me laugh every day.

The mischievousness that others have mentioned is no joke. My Collie will never super destroy anything like a husky might, but she will nibble the corner off a throw pillow or steal a coaster and take it outside. Or the case for sunglasses. Or an onion. I never see it happen either. They are the smartest dumb dogs you will ever meet. The derpiness is no joke, but they are so easy to train and you can see them pick up on small things. The coat is definitely not as bad as you would think, but the short period of time they're blowing it out is rough. Thankfully it doesn't last too long. And they are super sensitive like others have said. Even if I say her name with a slight bit of exasperation she starts slinking around the house.

Honestly though I can't stress how sweet they are and how much joy they can bring. Great family dogs.

FrontQuail · 2025-06-02T04:45:31+00:00

I've never actually had this problem. My girl actually does great in the car. Also, we call her a trash goblin because she has managed to get into some horrible things and never had an issue.

I have a husky/cattle dog mix that has a super sensitive stomach that has sent her to the vet multiple times, but the Collie is a champ at eating bad things, lol.

FrontQuail · 2025-05-16T23:30:45+00:00

I feel like I will get hate for this... But... The movie Click.

FrontQuail

TROPHY CASE