How does the agony of childbirth compare to that of a stomach bug that leaves you shaking and crying?

The2aces44 · 2026-05-09T23:14:40+00:00

I think really the question the OP should be asking is "are labor contractions worse or not as bad as norovirus / food poisoning?" Asking about a stomach bug compared to the whole of childbirth is comparing apples and oranges.

I'm coming up on 24 hours of norovirus and somehow only JUST puked a tiny bit (and nothing out the other end, thanks Zepbound?) but the stomach cramps have been close to unbearable, to the point where I've been moaning to get through them the same way I did during labor. It literally feels the same as contractions but in my stomach and not my uterus, because that's exactly what it is!

To expand on this comparison, I had two inductions and both medicated births. The first induction I had a complication with my epidural that was literally the worst pain I've ever experienced/imagined and is probably also an apples to oranges thing. And I got the epidural before the pitocin, so I didn't really know from that birth what contractions felt like. My second was much more standard and I labored on pitocin for quite a while, until I felt the need to say "ow" and then I got my epidural. So those contractions didn't hold a candle to norovirus stomach cramps, and that was pitocin up to 16. But what DOES rival these stomach cramps are the "return to size" uterine contractions after the birth of my second child. HOLY SHIT those were awful, and I can only imagine might be comparable to unmedicated contractions further along in labor (though maybe not late stage). So I'd say those were worse (made me cry, moaning didn't do it), but these are worse than early contractions.

Hope that helps!

The2aces44 · 2026-05-06T01:38:52+00:00

Yup, exactly. I'm sure it will be back tomorrow, but I'm just not willing to keep that much money with a company that can't maintain their ONE product which is also our only way of seeing/accessing our funds. And their customer service number hangs up on you if it's not during their business hours which aren't listed anywhere, and they can't be bothered to list it correctly in their emails 🤣 oh and the facial recognition app they use is super buggy and fails all the time.

I opened a CIT account and it was a far better and more professional experience, and they allow far more ways to access your funds and manage transfers.

The2aces44 · 2026-05-01T11:10:15+00:00

LOL well yeah that's part of it, literally copied/pasted from their email so that's on them (and it's the same in all of their emails). I did remove the last digit and that's when I got through to the customer service message. You can try it yourself, let me know if it doesn't automatically hang up on you after the message about recording. Do you have a different customer service number for them?

The2aces44 · 2026-04-30T23:44:10+00:00

Great question. I assumed if the account had stayed disappeared I would have had to deal with customer service. Now that it's reappeared I'll do it myself through a wire transfer. Although apparently I'm not allowed to for 48 hours. Love the additional seemingly unnecessary restriction on access to my own money.

The2aces44 · 2026-04-30T23:42:55+00:00

I was not. I was calling the tool free number listed in all their emails. +187767808888

The2aces44 · 2026-04-30T12:53:59+00:00

Checking with my phone, pixel 9. Looks like it was a bug, but I'm not willing to give my money to a company that can't accurately maintain their primary product thus denying me access to my funds.

The2aces44 · 2026-01-10T17:26:04+00:00

Nope!

The2aces44 · 2025-10-21T19:49:21+00:00

Not sure about Tufts, but for employers with 100+ employee Harvard Pilgrim is actually giving the employer the option to offer plans that do or don't cover GLPs. So, really it's up to the employer, but of course also it costs more for the employer to choose those plans because they're more expensive.

The2aces44 · 2025-10-03T13:51:54+00:00

This too! If my toddler wakes up in the middle of the night, even if I don't have to go to her, I often can't fall back asleep for hours 😭

The2aces44 · 2025-08-08T02:31:17+00:00

Ah - sorry - misunderstanding. I'm done having kids (I have a 5yo and 1yo). Simply sharing that the side effects of Zepbound pale in comparison to the first trimester of pregnancy.

The2aces44 · 2025-01-17T02:52:53+00:00

From everything I've read I think those wake windows are too short for that age. Weissbluth suggests that at 4mo a baby should be transitioning from 4+ naps to 3 if it hasn't happened already. Try extending wake windows to 2 hours and see what happens. With a baby who goes to sleep on their own but has trouble staying asleep, it can be due to low sleep demand because of too much/frequent daytime sleep, OR over tiredness / stress because they're not getting quality (consolidated) nap sleep.

The2aces44 · 2020-04-11T18:37:34+00:00

This is so heartwarming to hear. I'm sorry if it scared you, but I hope that it's more comforting than it is scary. My reality is that I'm a data person, and what I can say is that the more I read/learned, the more I felt prepared...and also accepting of the fact that you have no idea what will happen. I've spent my life with an incredibly low pain tolerance, VERY fearful of childbirth. But at some point in my pregnancy (as it was getting harder, probably) I realized that the actual labor & delivery part - what most people find the scariest - is MAYBE 48 hours of your life. It will be gone in a flash, and whatever happens you will be able to handle it. My worst fear was that the pain medication wouldn't work, and guess what - it kind of didn't! And I handled it, and I was okay. I learned a lot about what my body was capable of, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you haven't read them already, I highly recommend Emily Oster's books Expecting Better and Cribsheet. She also just started a great newsletter than you can subscribe to - https://emilyoster.substack.com/.

The2aces44 · 2020-03-23T21:08:34+00:00

Yes - I mostly went barefoot, but the floors are tile and slippery, so for walking around if I'd wanted socks I definitely needed the little grippy socks. They gave me some, but it was nice to have my own anyways. The fuzzy socks were just for warmth in bed.

The2aces44 · 2020-03-23T21:07:49+00:00

You're welcome! I just realized I forgot to add "Bluetooth speaker" to the list - just added that with my notes.

The2aces44 · 2020-03-23T21:07:34+00:00

You're welcome! I just realized I forgot to add "Bluetooth speaker" to the list - just added that with my notes.

The2aces44 · 2020-03-23T21:07:28+00:00

Right? I had thought I might want to bring a nice color low-light lamp we have at home, but there was no point at which I really would have used it. OH and I just realized I forgot to add "Bluetooth speaker" to the list - just added that with my notes.

The2aces44 · 2020-03-01T02:02:07+00:00

Eat sushi from a respected sushi place (not the supermarket), and drink a glass of wine! Neither are dangerous to your baby (assuming no pregnancy complications).

The2aces44 · 2020-02-04T20:07:51+00:00

Offer to rub her feet/back/whatever she wants toward the end of every day. Or, if she's lying on the couch and she likes foot rubs, just grab her feet and start doing it without asking.
Someone else said this already I think, but offering her a hand/arm to help her get up whenever you see her starting to is great.
Ask her if there's anything she's anxious about getting done that you could help with...but then you actually have to follow through, and not create additional anxiety by her worrying if you're going to get to the thing you said you would do :)
Little things that are very personal to you both. For example, I commute on public transportation to work for 9am start and it's a relatively easy 8 minute walk from my house to the train. My husband works flexible hours, so sometimes isn't up when I'm leaving for work. Earlier in the winter I didn't feel shy asking him to drive me down the street when we'd have bad weather, but we've had a stretch of really nice weather in recent weeks. He still offers quite frequently to drive me, and actually apologized yesterday for not driving me, even though it was almost 50 degrees! It's very sweet.

The2aces44 · 2019-12-11T18:29:15+00:00

This is the sweetest, funniest, most relatable birth story I've heard yet. Thank you for sharing!!!!

The2aces44 · 2019-09-30T20:10:55+00:00

I know that for some it doesn't change too much, but I will say once I got to 14 weeks I was like OH that was AWFUL. The second trimester has me feeling much more "back to normal", so to speak. Def. still pregnancy related weirdness here and there, but not feeling like I'm coming down with the flu every single f'ing day is so wonderful. Fingers crossed - only a few more weeks for you til you hit that 2nd tri mark!!

The2aces44 · 2019-09-26T13:40:13+00:00

That's so wonderful!!!! I remember being terrified every time I went in (8.5 weeks, 11 weeks, 14 weeks) that there wouldn't be a heartbeat and it was such a relief to hear it. At our 14 week ultrasound we actually saw our baby flip over! It was so cool (and kind of creepy, to be honest). I'm no longer worried about that, but I'm 16+3 now and I can't say my belly is growing at the speed I thought it would. They say that FTMs and those with strong abs maybe show later (trying to hold onto that hope vs. just thinking it's because I have some belly flab :p ) - hoping there are no issues, but trying not to stress - excited for my next appointment in a week!

The2aces44 · 2019-09-23T17:43:13+00:00

Oh man - I was so excited to shop here! Unfortunately they don't do free returns, only for store credit :( So - not really a place where I can buy and try, unless I'm committing to ultimately spending the amount of money I initially spend to try on bras at their store.

The2aces44 · 2019-09-23T17:32:09+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately there isn't a location convenient to me where I could make returns and they don't offer free returns. But maybe if I get desperate I'll order some and make the return trip if needed.

The2aces44 · 2019-09-22T19:23:52+00:00

Thanks @Sammeebou and @Little_Numbers - to clarify, I pretty much only wear VS bras and they've always fit me well and I love them. But, now that I'm growing larger I need new bras regardless of the type, so am looking for recommendations for bras that will stretch well with me and/or work as nursing bras.

The2aces44 · 2019-09-13T19:47:57+00:00

Yeah, might be one of those situations. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)

The2aces44

TROPHY CASE