# What the hell is with pregnancy message boards?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [November 23, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293 "2004-11-23T16:18:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/21 "2004-11-23T22:31:28Z")
> [@Winnie](#):
>
> Unfortunately the main board I frequented requires a membership to view the message boards, but on this ivillage board forum for people Trying to Conceive (TTC), you’ll see lots of threads with crazy people wanting their mucus evaluated. I didn’t want to link to any particular threads in case there are privacy issues or something.
>
> [Ivillage Trying To Conceive Boards](http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-pptrying)
>
> It always drove me crazy when someone wanted the whole board to look at their “chart” and comment if they thought she ovulated or not.
Damn! That’s one TMI message board!!!
:eek:
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/22 "2004-11-23T23:02:48Z")
> [@Ghanima](#):
>
> Never been pregnant beyond a few weeks myself
I’m very sorry to hear that - it took courage to say.
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### Author:  [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/23 "2004-11-23T23:12:08Z")
> [@Sat on Cookie](#):
>
> I’ve re-written this a number of times because I can’t quite capture what I’m trying to say. I’ve decided to go the blunt route:
>
> Is it just me, or do the majority of the posters seem like total fucking idiots?
>
> Seriously, between the inability to separate paragraphs to the whining and stomping feet about Not. Getting. The. Perfect. Baby. Shower. to the “Help!!! I haven’t moved in a half hour because of severe stomach pain-should I call doc?” threads, I weep for the offspring.
Naaah, you’re just spoiled by the dope, we have brilliant people like **Sauron** and others to keep us straight. It’s not just pregnancy boards. I’ve been to a few where it really is just blatent idiocy.
I haven’t actually been to a pregnancy board, but I’ve seen several dopers complain about them, as well as childrearing boards, and those two do seem to attract more than their fair share of braindead morons.
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### Author:  [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/24 "2004-11-23T23:18:32Z")
The other posts reminded me of something. This happened years ago, when I was preggers with my now 25 year old daughter.
Some friends of ours, last name Dolphin, were also expecting, we had a baby shower for the one girl and me. Miss Dolpin’s mother and grandmother insisted that their babies were potty trained at 6 months.
And got all kinds of angry and up in arms when I expressed disbelief. Any of you know of any 6 month old infant able to walk to the bathroom, remove their diaper, get on the potty and do their thing, then clean themselves up (or ask for tp assistance), put their diaper back on, and walk themselves back to the playpen or crib? :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)
#### Post date: [November 23, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/25 "2004-11-23T23:35:57Z")
Actually, I hadn’t really thought about being spoiled by this board (I have never cheated on it w/another message board until now) but it _does_ make total sense.
**fessie** It’s a boy – I know it’s cliche, but all we want is a healthy little baby, doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or girl. (Although, I must say, having both must be great). I plan on lots of on-line shopping this fine holiday season 😉
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### Author:  [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/26 "2004-11-24T00:07:47Z")
CanvasShoes, it may be possible to put a six month old on the potty and for the six month old to learn that is a signal to perform. If the association is strong enough and a caretaker is attentive enough this may result in the caretaker not having to change diapers, especially not poopy diapers. It works best with babies who always make faces when they move their bowels.
Not having to change poopy diapers is the largest part of potty training from a parent’s point of view. Ad in any voluntary sign by the baby that it needs to be taken to the potty and I wouldn’t quibble about it needing help with the process.
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### Author:  [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/27 "2004-11-24T00:29:01Z")
> [@MinniePurl](#):
>
> \*(Most of all the god-awful stupid mispelled stripper names that people want to name their poor innocent children-- no child deserves to be named Maddycynne, for God’s sake.)
'Maddycynne" as in “medicine”? Really? Wow. That’s pretty awful.
These Americans are crazy. ::taps head::
/Obelix
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/28 "2004-11-24T00:47:45Z")
> [@Sat on Cookie](#):
>
> I’ve re-written this a number of times because I can’t quite capture what I’m trying to say. I’ve decided to go the blunt route:
>
> Is it just me, or do the majority of the posters seem like total fucking idiots?
Sat On Cookie, I mean this in a non-biblical way, but I lurves you.
After giving birth to The Most Perfect Son Evar!11!, I was trapped out here in FuckingNowheresville all by my lonesome with a couple of fuckwits for neighbors who had just spawned as well, making them even more fuckwitted, if that is possible.
I understand that a womans brain changes after she has kids. How can it not when you have a human life depending on you for food, comfort and guidance and you get to do it all with shitty sleeping hours and boobies that hurt? But these women just freaking checked out in the brain department. Hanging out with them made me depressed. I was their confessor/therapist. I had no one to talk to but my dog and Mr. Ujest. he doesn’t count My own family, forget it. I was depressed and it wasn’t because of my hormones dropping.
I had only just discovered on-line doping.
Until then, I tried a variety of pregnancy and parenting places, only to become discouraged by their lack of basic sentance structure, punctuation and speling. I can forgiven the basic, common errors, but the petty wah wah wah wah whoa is me I’m as big as a beluga whale and more touchy than a pinless grenade…drove me nutty.
It got worse. I tried to actually meet other mothers with kids about the same age. To meet these fuckwits face to face and listen to the _horrors_ of childbirth and how theirs was _the worst birth evar!!!111!!!_ :rolleyes: made me scurry back to my hidey hole. And back on line.
I’ve been torturing you nice people ever since.
Since then I have become more tolerant, but I avoid these women like a yeast infection.
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### Author:  [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/29 "2004-11-24T00:50:14Z")
> [@Yllaria](#):
>
> CanvasShoes, it may be possible to put a six month old on the potty and for the six month old to learn that is a signal to perform. If the association is strong enough and a caretaker is attentive enough this may result in the caretaker not having to change diapers, especially not poopy diapers. It works best with babies who always make faces when they move their bowels.
>
> Not having to change poopy diapers is the largest part of potty training from a parent’s point of view. Ad in any voluntary sign by the baby that it needs to be taken to the potty and I wouldn’t quibble about it needing help with the process.
Well, I understood that, even at the time, but they made no effort to qualify their statement with any such explanation, only insisted that the baby was potty trained.
The term ‘"potty trained’ is understood to mean the ability to actually take oneSELF to the potty. What you describe, while obviously convenient, isn’t “potty trained”, not as most people understand the term.
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### Author:  [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/30 "2004-11-24T01:02:00Z")
Elimination communication strikes me as the most dumb parenting idea yet. Hell, yeah I wanna hang around monitoring Little Poopsy’s every expression in the hope I catch the poo or pee before it hits the carpet.
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### Author:  [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/31 "2004-11-24T01:16:52Z")
> [@aankh](#):
>
> 'Maddycynne" as in “medicine”? Really? Wow. That’s pretty awful.
>
> These Americans are crazy. ::taps head::
> /Obelix
Actually, it’s Maddycynne as in “Madison” but rendered totally yuneek and kre8tiv by Mr. & Mrs. Clueless Z. McFuckwit (thank you **RickJay** ). 'Cause you know that shitty spelling makes for a unique child.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/32 "2004-11-24T01:22:56Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#):
>
> The other posts reminded me of something. This happened years ago, when I was preggers with my now 25 year old daughter.
Jesus Christ, that must have hurt!
Oh, she’s 25 NOW.
Sorry.
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### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/33 "2004-11-24T03:17:15Z")
A lot of those message boards cater to the lowest common denominator. Consider the following:
Firstly, remember how many people still open strange attachments that say “I Love You”, forward the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe, send the “They are Cancelling Touched by an Angel becuase of the word God!!!” hoax, the “deoderant will give you breast cancer” hoax, an the Bill Gates will send me $10 for every email I forward. THink of the people that make Snopes an absolutely necessary thing for the survival of humantiy.
Secondly, remember that these are the same people who go to the non-Dope message boards.
And finally, put these people on a hormonal whacky-fest.
That should explain the weirdness.
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### Author:  [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/34 "2004-11-24T03:20:12Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#):
>
> And finally, put these people on a hormonal whacky-fest.
>
> That should explain the weirdness.
At first I thought this said whacky-Test, and I was thinking “there’s a test for that?? Do tell!”.
Sad to know there’s not.
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/35 "2004-11-24T03:32:06Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#):
>
> Firstly, remember how many people still open strange attachments that say “I Love You”, forward the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe, send the “They are Cancelling Touched by an Angel becuase of the word God!!!” hoax, the “deoderant will give you breast cancer” hoax, an the Bill Gates will send me $10 for every email I forward. THink of the people that make Snopes an absolutely necessary thing for the survival of humantiy.
>
> .
So.
Does this mean that all those bottle tab pull thingies I’ve save are for naught?
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### Author:  [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/36 "2004-11-24T03:37:23Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#):
>
> Until then, I tried a variety of pregnancy and parenting places, only to become discouraged by their lack of basic _ **sentance** _ structure, punctuation and _ **speling** _. I can forgiven the basic, common errors, but the petty wah wah wah wah whoa is me I’m as big as a beluga whale and more touchy than a pinless grenade…drove me nutty.
(Bolding and italicizing mine.)
Why oh why _must_ **Gaudere** ’s Rule get us every time. I so enjoy your writing, that when I read the two things together, both problem and execution, I had to stop for a minute and see if it was me instead of you. I thought I was the only one who was ever destined to do this, especially in a really horrible way and often. So now I know you’re human **Shirley**. It’s like finding out on Christmas that there’s no Santa. ☹😉 Whoever will I look up to now as the The Perfect Doper Author?
::: whimpers :::
Thankfully, I’m sure you’ve never done this before and won’t ever again, so that I may firmly plant you once more atop the golden pedestal I’ve imagined for you. Whew! I was getting worried there. 😃😃😃
And just so you know, I fully expect for this to be more riddled with errors than your average third grader’s first spelling test of the year. I’ve run it through spell check twice and have corrected once, but I just _know_ it’s there. Therefore I’ll wait patiently for it to come back and bite me on the butt and then I’ll have to eat some good ol’ crow (to happily mix my metaphors). I can’t wait. Yum, yum.
~faithfool, who knows absolutely anything about giving birth, unless we’re talking puppies (or maybe kittens)
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### Author:  [@MinniePurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinniePurl)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/37 "2004-11-24T03:40:01Z")
> [@IrreverentTone](#):
>
> Actually, it’s Maddycynne as in “Madison” but rendered totally yuneek and kre8tiv by Mr. & Mrs. Clueless Z. McFuckwit (thank you **RickJay** ). 'Cause you know that shitty spelling makes for a unique child.
The whole time I was pregnant, I waited in vain for someone to ask me, “If it’s a girl, will you name her Madison?” Why? So that I could answer, “No, I was thinking Milwaukee. Or Sheboygan.”
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### Author:  [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/38 "2004-11-24T04:08:05Z")
> [@faithfool](#):
>
> (Bolding and italicizing mine.)
>
> Why oh why _must_ **Gaudere** ’s Rule get us every time. I so enjoy your writing, that when I read the two things together, both problem and execution, I had to stop for a minute and see if it was me instead of you. I thought I was the only one who was ever destined to do this, especially in a really horrible way and often. So now I know you’re human **Shirley**. It’s like finding out on Christmas that there’s no Santa. ☹😉 Whoever will I look up to now as the The Perfect Doper Author?
>
> _[snip]_
Whoosh?
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### Author:  [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/39 "2004-11-24T04:21:32Z")
That was my assumption.
**Sat on Cookie** I hope you’ll keep in touch as you embark on this new adventure! When my babies were born, I felt self-conscious about opening parenting threads, like the subject wasn’t cool enough or something. But actually since I’ve been following the topic more closely, it’s become obvious that there are many wonderful parents here with terrific advice and empathy. It’s been a valuable resource as well as providing tons of laughs.
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### Author:  [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-with-pregnancy-message-boards/276293/40 "2004-11-24T14:50:55Z")
I’ll third the whoosh.
**fessie** I realize now the mother ship has called me home. I most certainly will attempt to bond with other parents via threads on this here board and not a cheap stupid fucking idiotic goat-felching imitation.
Plus, I’m confident that if I start to go overboard or propose boring subject matter, ya’ll will call me an overboard asshole or a boring asshole or something equally appropriate . 🙂
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