Hi Ladies! Welcome to January Moms! And Congratulations!!
With so many new people joining the board, I thought it might be helpful to have a bunch of information in one place. Of course, you can learn all the same things from lurking, but this might save some time.
First, there is a glossary on the bottom left hand of the page. You'll pick up most of the abbreviations from lurking, but if you're not sure, just ask.
Second, with so many people joining, it's hard to keep track of who you are. Please consider adding an avatar picture to your profile or a picture in your signature, it makes it easier for us to recognize you. You don't have to use a picture of yourself, add anything you want. An easy way to do this is using tinypic.com.
Third, if you'd like to respond to someone directly in a post, click the "Quote" button in the bottom right of their post. You can delete parts of their post if you don't need to quote it all. If you'd like to send a Private message (often referred to as PM), click the "Contact" button in the bottom right of someone's post, and select "Send a Private Message". To check private messages, scroll down and look to the left side of your screen. There is a "Check Private Messages" link.
It's generally far easier to follow the boards if you scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose to sort posts by 'last post date'. The default is 'original post date', which means that, if there's a really helpful (or juicy!) conversation, once it's posted it never hits the top of the page again.
There are very few things considered ?TMI? here on the The Bump. Just explain what your question is using adult language and no one will be offended or ask that you remove your post. Also, expect honest answers to your questions and posts. It may not always be what you want to hear.
Please browse through the threads on at least the first two pages of the board before asking your question. It?s entirely possible 5 other threads already exist asking the same exact thing. Answering the same question 10 times in one week is redundant for everyone and is not likely to get a good response. Pull up a thread where that question already exists and post to it. We will still see your post and be able to respond to that.
?Is it safe to?? is asked a lot. Try doing a Google search and finding an answer posted by a reputable source- an OB?s office is usually a good reference. Anything that comes back from babygaga.com is not reliable and should not be referenced. ?Is it normal when?? is also a frequent question. Every pregnancy is different. A better question may be ?Has anyone experienced???
Please don?t feel jealous or envious of the women getting early or multiple ultrasounds/OB appointments/additional testing. Most of them are dealing with infertility or serious medical conditions and must be closely monitored. Also, coming up with fake reasons to see your OB or get an early/additional ultrasound is offensive to everyone on this board. If you are not truly experiencing an emergency, you will not find any support in your decision to fabricate your way into what you want.
Similary, it is not generally well received on The Bump to flaunt how easily it was for your to get pregnant. We know you are excited, and we are excited for you, but there are many women on this board that have been trying to conceive for more than a year, and many dealing with fertility issues. Please be sensitive to this.
If you'd like to use the January Joy badge that BekW2009 made, just cut and paste the following into your signature, under My Bump > My Profile: <img src="https://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af323/BekW2009/badge-smallsize1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Welcome again and good luck. I hope this helps!
Re: New to January Moms or The Bump?
Thanks for lots of great information. And I really appreciate this part:
Carina 12.28.2010 | Aurelia 9.23.12 | Chart - Round 3
One thing I'd add is that it's generally far easier to follow the boards if you scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose to sort posts by 'last post date'. The default is 'original post date', which means that, if there's a really helpful (or juicy!) conversation, once it's posted it never hits the top of the page again.
If you sort by original post date, 'bumped' posts stay right where they are, which is why I thought of it. heh.
Perfect, I'll add that. Thanks!
Carina 12.28.2010 | Aurelia 9.23.12 | Chart - Round 3
I did say that in the "Third" paragraph. Is it not clear enough? Let me know what you'd like to see there if it's not quite clear enough.
Carina 12.28.2010 | Aurelia 9.23.12 | Chart - Round 3