***Read First Board Organization***

varimama

Stolen from February’s BMB.  We can always modify or update as we see fit. 

Some links that you may find helpful: 
What do all of those abbreviations mean?  
How to add a signature 
How to GIF 

How-To Guides: 
-How to quote: Hit the "quote" at the bottom of the post you want to quote. You will be taken to the reply box with the quote set up already. 
-How to tag: Add an "@" in front of the username of the person you are talking to. 
-How to change your username: log in to TheKnot, hover over My Knot, and click Account Settings. Be sure to log out and log back in after changing your username. If you are having issues doing it that way, you can email [email protected] and ask them to change your username. Give them a few suggestions just in case your top choice is taken. It may take up to 24 hours for the name to update. 
-How to insert a spoiler box: click the drop down list arrow next to the paragraph symbol (sixth from the left, next to the emoji button) and choose spoiler. It will insert a grey box, and everything that you type in there will go into the spoiler. 

For the sake of board organization, here are some simple guidelines for posting threads: 
 DO: 
         -Introduce yourself in the "Introductions" thread 
        -Feel free to start one of the weekly posts listed below if you don't see it started yet
        -Check to see if a thread has already been started on your topic or question so we can avoid too many threads of the same topic
        -Post a thread that would apply to the entire community and doesn't fall into one of the categories for daily threads listed below (Ex: What to pack in your  hospital bag, baby gear, etc.) 
        -Comment, share advice, and show support for your fellow bumpies; this is a two-way street, to get support, you must show it as well 

 DON'T: 
        -Ask the community if you are pregnant, it is against the Bump's Terms Of Use (TOU)
        -Post pictures of your pregnancy test, this is also against TOU (there is a thread on the open 1st tri page for this)
        -Post a thread that asks a question only applying to yourself unless you suspect you may be going through a MC 
        -Get bent out of shape if someone calls you out for not following these guidelines; if you expect to be part of a supportive board (which we are), you need to be able to take the time to learn the ins and outs of the board.


Here are some weekly/monthly ideas that may be good to start with. We can always add to best suit our boards needs, so please let me know if you have any other ideas! 

MONDAY

• Weekly Randoms 
• Meal Plan Monday
• Man Crush Monday (MCM)
• PGAL Check-In 
• Due Date Week Groups:
     - Group 1: March 1-8
     - Group 2: March 9-16
     - Group 3: March 17-24
     - Group 4: March 25-31
  

TUESDAY

• TW Tuesday
• Plus-size Mom Check-In 
• Ten Things Tuesday 

WEDNESDAY

• HDBD (Hump Day, Bump Day) 
• WTF Wednesday 
• Woman Crush Wednesday (WCW)
• Wellness Wednesday 

THURSDAY

• TTGP Grad Check-In 
• Thankful Thursday
• Unpopular Opinion (UO) 

FRIDAY

• Flame Free Friday Confession (FFFC)
• Product Spotlight: __________ (e.g., strollers, car seats, etc.) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1viBwjSlUQHpyJ_zwpmhx2V9GxJqKK7iWvUfckfseAhM/edit?usp=sharing (spreadsheet for product spotlight schedule. There is an item for each week, see comment below for more details)
• Fit Friday

SATURDAY

• Weekend Randoms

SUNDAY 

• Weekly Questions

MONTHLY

• Symptoms Thread
• Appointments Thread
• FTM Check-In
• STM+ Check-In
• AMA Check-In

OTHER THREADS

• GTKY Threads
• High Risk 
• Milestone Threads (specific appointments/weeks gestation, etc)
• Breastfeeding
• PGAIF (Pregnant After Infertility)
  
• Single Moms
• Moms of Multiples

Once we all get farther along, we will also have pinned threads for things like ultrasounds, sex announcements and birth announcements. 

Important board organization notes on spotting/bleeding/losses 

If you are spotting or bleeding & would like support, please post to the Spotting/Bleeding Support Thread (TW). This thread comes with a general trigger warning.

If you are a contributing member with a confirmed loss, please create a New Discussion titled something like “Confirmed Loss (TW)”. Threads like these come with a general trigger warning. Consider before posting: Will you feel like any replies/support during this time will help you get through what you are going through? Or will it feel like you are announcing your loss to a roomful of strangers? Most importantly, consider what’s best for YOU during this time, and proceed from there. Feel free to copy and paste the language below if it helps you during this difficult time to not have to write as much. 

This is a post indicting a confirmed loss, and therefore please do not provide direct questions or lengthy replies during this difficult time. Use the "Love It" button to show your support, a quick “sorry for your loss,” or something similarly short and sweet. Please try to avoid tagging me in replies to this thread or anywhere else on this board moving forward.

Here is my loss story:

Your story portion can be as brief or as long as you would like or can be omitted entirely. Know that the board organizers have provided the above for your benefit. We felt it was important for anyone going through one to know it's okay to post a New Discussion and also important for anyone in that situation to have something easy to turn to in case they had to announce something so difficult.

I've copy/pasted this from previous boards, and it seems to be the way that they are all organized, but of course we should feel free to tweak for our needs! For example, some boards do weekly ticker changes while others do weekly due date check-ins (ex, DD 1st week of Mar.). If anyone has a suggestion for other threads, please feel free to comment a suggestion. PLEASE keep in mind that there will eventually be a lot of us on this board, and an organized board will be much easier for everyone to use. If we can all keep the one-off posts to a minimum the board won't be too cluttered to navigate, and hopefully we won't end up answering the same question 2,000 times.

varimama

@BumpAdmin can you please pin this thread

sunflower_auryn

@varimama can you update the due date week group dates for March? Thanks for posting these guidelines!

varimama

@sunflower_auryn done! Good catch! 

keeksie84

Hey ladies, just a thought:  I've been thinking about due date week groups vs ticker change groups.  I like the idea of due date groups because it makes more sense to me to be grouped with people with similar due dates as opposed to those with due dates spread across the month.  The one thing I liked about ticker change groups is that they are smaller, so it's easier to get to know people.  I've been pondering the idea of having 6-8 due date groups instead of 4.  That way we can be grouped with similar due dates, but the groups will be a little smaller.  What are your thoughts?

littlebug2010

@keeksie84 I think we might want to check and see how big each group is before we break them down too far. I think it was Jan (based on lurking) that ended up making only 2 groups because there were so few people. 

keeksie84

@littlebug2010 That makes a lot of sense! I feel like my last BMB (April 18) was pretty big. I just assumed they all were. 

littlebug2010

@keeksie84 my Aug 17 was big as well, but from looking at other boards it looks like the crowds are a bit smaller. I’ll be interested in how big ours will be. 

varimama

I like the idea of breaking it down into smaller groups if it gets too big but agree we should probably see how big they get. Maybe we leave them how they are now and consider regrouping in august? I’m fairly certain my due date will change after my U/S in the end of the month and I’m guessing a few other people might as well! 

kagesstarshroom

*TW* this post mentions losses, generally, at times.

I don't see an ideal way to announce losses? I did see we have had at least two already, and they've been relayed different ways--one in PGAL alone and one in a separate thread. I think having a standard way to announce that is best for the board--being someone who has been on a BMB and suffered a loss, it's pretty devastating to be tagged into things by people who just don't know what you've gone through, and it's also hard to navigate the most appropriate way to tell the board if it's not in the board organization?

I think that giving people who have confirmed losses permission to post a new thread announcing the loss and providing a standard set of instructions they can copy/paste after their announcement, might be best? IDK if this should be edited into this post or be its own pinned post? I'm happy to work on those instructions if people agree this is a good idea.

Also, can we add Ten Things Tuesday to Tuesdays threads? Pleasssee? It's my fave.

Finally, has anyone started a spreadsheet for the Product Spotlights? Happy to modify an old one from my prev. BMB at some point soon. FTMs (like I will be!) can really benefit from that thread if it's super well organized. Again, IDK if this should be edited into this post or be its own post/pinned post, but I just want to make sure someone else isn't already on top of it before I start?

 

mrsvp614

I also like having a thread with a spreadsheet where we can each add our basic info.
Username, EDD, age, location, FTM/STM +, etc. 

varimama

@kagesstarshroom first I’m so happy to see you here! Second I’ve added 10 Things for you bc I agree that is an awesome thread! 

I’m happy to add whatever you’d like with how to announce losses and definitely think losses deserve their own post! I’m not great with words so if you or someone else has a way to say that and/or a format for people to follow I can edit the post. Or if you feel it should be it’s own post that is totally ok too! 

I don't personally have a spreadsheet for product spotlights so if you do that would be amazing! I can edit the post with a link if you want or you feel free to make your own post and we can ask the bump gods to sticky it!

kagesstarshroom

@varimama I can come up with some thing for losses & we can go from there if that's cool? I have been thinking about it for, like, months.

@MrsVP614 ...Do you want to do the general spreadsheet for the group & I'll do the PSS spreadsheet?

mrsvp614

@kagesstarshroom Sure! 

varimama

Sounds great! Thank you @kagesstarshroom! And thanks @MrsVP614 too!

stassischroeder

Just popping in here to say that y'all are the best!

kagesstarshroom

Okee here's our Product Spotlight spreadsheet! I took my old one for Sept. 2019 and changed all the dates--if we start tomorrow as scheduled (there's a lot of "non-registry" stuff at first since ppl are still coming on in), we have something for every week until at some point in March, so I'll post the first one tomorrow! (I actually worked backwards from March and somehow it worked out perfectly.)

I will probably try to be the one that posts it weekly & let ppl know when I can't/need someone else to-- THAT BEING SAID, if anyone knows of or has any particular questions I should add about the products, LMK & I'll add them to the prompts? ALSO if there's anything missing, you can add a comment to the spreadsheet that indicates what it is and where you think it should go? Or just LMK here. 

Bc I'll be a FTM, I am relying on all yall who are STM/+'s to make sure I make smart registry choices when it comes time for that haha, hence why I am so dedicated to this thread.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1viBwjSlUQHpyJ_zwpmhx2V9GxJqKK7iWvUfckfseAhM/edit?usp=sharing

ETA: @varimama You can/should add a link/super brief explanation to the original org. post however you see fit. I shouldn't draft that text bc I suck at brief.

varimama

Thank you so much @kagesstarshroom! I edited it!

miss.sally

@kagesstarshroom looks great! When it’s down on paper like that it sure makes it seem like there’s NO time until baby. Ahhh! 

kagesstarshroom

@varimama Can we switch PGAL to Monday since it's always been posted on a Monday since the board's inception? @EmilyLove25 & I were talking about it over there earlier this week & I think that makes the most sense? I hope yall agree? We could add WCW as an option for Wednesday posts then, too, so it doesn't look so bare? Or a Wellness Wednesday? or.. .both!? Just spitballin' here. DH went to bed early & I'm bored.

varimama

@kagesstarshroom all updated 😊
 
everyone else i can only edit for 2 more weeks so share your ideas!

kagesstarshroom

@varimama Okay, so I finally came up with something for losses to add to the organization? IDK if you want to wait and see if anyone has any opinions about it or if you want to just add it?

Important board organization notes on spotting/bleeding/losses 

If you are spotting or bleeding & would like support, please post to the Spotting/Bleeding Support Thread (TW). This thread comes with a general trigger warning.

If you are a contributing member with a confirmed loss, please create a New Discussion titled something like “Confirmed Loss (TW)”. Threads like these come with a general trigger warning. Consider before posting: Will you feel like any replies/support during this time will help you get through what you are going through? Or will it feel like you are announcing your loss to a roomful of strangers? Most importantly, consider what’s best for YOU during this time, and proceed from there. Feel free to copy and paste the language below if it helps you during this difficult time to not have to write as much. 

This is a post indicting a confirmed loss, and therefore please do not provide direct questions or lengthy replies during this difficult time. Use the "Love It" button to show your support, a quick “sorry for your loss,” or something similarly short and sweet. Please try to avoid tagging me in replies to this thread or anywhere else on this board moving forward.

Here is my loss story:

Your story portion can be as brief or as long as you would like or can be omitted entirely. Know that the board organizers have provided the above for your benefit. We felt it was important for anyone going through one to know it's okay to post a New Discussion and also important for anyone in that situation to have something easy to turn to in case they had to announce something so difficult.

varimama

Thank you so much @kagesstarshroom! I added it since no one else seemed to chime in and I hope that it helps anyone who needs it (though I am hoping no one does)!

lusineg

I thought someone mentioned a FTM ask STM question thread? Or a STM to FTM, what they wish they did the first time around, or what they'll be skipping this time.

I'm really looking forward to the weekly product spotlights! The spreadsheet loving woman in me can't wait to discuss options/recommendations so I can make a price match spreadsheet. Oh, can we double check for w/o Jan 10/17 - are the seasons correct for those months? Or I may just be reading it wrong!

kagesstarshroom

@lusineg The seasons are definitely wrong--I meant to go in and fix that but didn't. Also, as a FTM, I am not sure what they even *should* be. You can let me know here what to change them to or just.... change them? As for questions, I would weight in that the weekly questions threads work as a "FTM asks STM/+" questions thread--they seem to be popular and get answers quickly. I would worry starting a separate thread would spread questions out too thin?

varimama

@lusineg if you have any questions for STMs id just ask in the weekly question thread or even pop into the STM thread. 

@kagesstarshroom I hope you don’t mind I updated the seasons. I will say those ranges will widely depend on your individual baby. I have a huge child who despite being 2 is in 4-5T. He wore newborn for 1 week, 3 months for a few weeks and was in 6 months clothing before he was 2 months old 🤷🏻‍♀️ My friend has a girl of similar age and she’s still wearing 18 month clothes! 

kagesstarshroom

@varimama Great! Thanks for changing them. I would not have a clue. Also--I don't think we need Weekend Randoms? Our Weekly Randoms thread should cover that, no? IDK what else we could do on Saturdays if we really wanted a new thread to start that day? I just searched all the BMBs and I see... Stabby Saturday, which I don't like (we kind of already have some "negative" threads for other days of the week? [TW Tues. & WTF Wed.]) I am also seeing one called Saturday Ticker Change which is just a... basic update thread on yr pregnancy it seems? .....I feel like I'm fine w/ nothing on Saturday? Or if we think Weekend Randoms are important we can keep them there? It just seems like--why go through all that effort to make a new thread when the weekly randoms could cover that? We could move Weekly randoms to Sunday like Weekly Questions? So there aren't too many things on Monday? These.... are my thoughts....

ETA: Also!!! STMs seem to have a weekly & FTMs a monthly check-in... they both say monthly above-- we could switch those to Saturday & make them weeklies rather than monthlies!?

alyssajr22

@kagesstarshroom I agree that we shouldn't need a weekend random thread. I think it should just be a weekly random thread to keep the board organized/clutter free. I also think we should do a positive themed thread if we are going to do a designated post on Saturday/Sunday. 

keeksie84

Is it me or does Wellness Wednesday/Fit Friday and 10 Things Tuesday/Thankful Thursday seem a little redundant? TBH, I don't care if they are, but in the interest of keeping the board clutter free, we could consider paring down here. Thoughts? 

kagesstarshroom

@keeksie I vote to keep Ten Things Tuesday over Thankful Thursday if we're going to cut down! But I'm fine with keeping them as-is--I don't think they've been posted each week thus far, and I feel like leaving them all in might leave the opportunity to, if no one does a Ten Things Tuesday, to see that there's a Thankful Thursday? I think I see them more as options? Also, I think we only added Wellness Wednesday bc we moved something from Wed. to Mon. & didn't want Wed. to feel lacking.

varimama

Agreed I think it’s ok to have redundant threads bc not every thread gets posted every week! Also IMO the weekend slows down a lot so it makes sense that we don’t need another thread for Saturday. I mean just because there isn’t a set Saturday thread doesn’t mean someone can’t post one like a GTKY or whatever they want really as long as it’s encouraging participation! 

I don't think I even noticed the weekly monthly difference for STM/FTMs ooops. I’d just feel bad starting a thread like that on a Saturday when I know a lot of people have restraints on the weekend that don’t allow them to bump. I could just combine Sat/Sun and have weekly questions that could be posted either day? Maybe we could have a weekend plans thread where people could talk about what they are doing for the weekend since those tend to be more exciting then weekly plans? Just trying to think of positive threads. 

kagesstarshroom

@varimama Yah, I agree starting them on Sat. would be weird. Just was trying to marry two things (foolishly) when I thought of the monthly/weekly ftm/stm thing.

lusineg

Thank you!!

bluguitarhannah

I appreciate the ladies that are keeping us organized.  I have no real preferences other than I don't love random trolls.

4ismagic

Hi, so I'm wanting to change my user name, but stupid question how do I get to "theKnot"? Is it outside of "theBump" cause I don't know where to find that to make the change, and when I emailed "[email protected]" it said it couldn't deliver it because it wasn't found. Soooo, I'm obviously doing this all wrong. I'm using the app on my phone. 😛 Help?

4ismagic

Never mind, I found it!  Haha! Easier than I thought. Sorry for the bug. 👍