Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[CakeEater]

DH's grandmother and I had a similar conversation.

She told me about how she used to sew her children's little pantaloons and diaper covers, with millions of little frills, and then after they were dirtied she'd handwash (only option back then), line dry, and carefully iron each little frill every time.

When a second baby was born, she'd still iron, but was grateful she didn't have to sew so much (hand-me-downs). About the time she had three children--all girls at this point--she had to cut back on the ironing, then she had two boys but still started waving the kids out the door in the mornings in clothing that was ironed (on the outer layers), but she was sooo embarrassed that ruffly underthings weren't carefully ironed anymore.

Meanwhile, my brain exploded that she had time for ANY ironing at all with 4+ small children underfoot. These were the days before she had an electric iron, as the lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The fact she carried MIL (her youngest child) an extra 2 months in utero because she "didn't have time" to go see a doctor hurts my brain too, but coupled with the fact she was trying to find time to iron a bunch of clothes helps alleviate the brain pain due to cancelling each other out to a minor degree.

She did what now?

[parrot_girl]

DH's grandmother and I had a similar conversation.

She told me about how she used to sew her children's little pantaloons and diaper covers, with millions of little frills, and then after they were dirtied she'd handwash (only option back then), line dry, and carefully iron each little frill every time.

When a second baby was born, she'd still iron, but was grateful she didn't have to sew so much (hand-me-downs). About the time she had three children--all girls at this point--she had to cut back on the ironing, then she had two boys but still started waving the kids out the door in the mornings in clothing that was ironed (on the outer layers), but she was sooo embarrassed that ruffly underthings weren't carefully ironed anymore.

Meanwhile, my brain exploded that she had time for ANY ironing at all with 4+ small children underfoot. These were the days before she had an electric iron, as the lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The fact she carried MIL (her youngest child) an extra 2 months in utero because she "didn't have time" to go see a doctor hurts my brain too, but coupled with the fact she was trying to find time to iron a bunch of clothes helps alleviate the brain pain due to cancelling each other out to a minor degree.

She did what now?

I second that. Forget the ironing- she didn't seriously have an 11 month pregnancy did she? How well cooked was your MIL when the baby eventually turned up?
Good Lord.

[Morticia]

DH's grandmother and I had a similar conversation.

She told me about how she used to sew her children's little pantaloons and diaper covers, with millions of little frills, and then after they were dirtied she'd handwash (only option back then), line dry, and carefully iron each little frill every time.

When a second baby was born, she'd still iron, but was grateful she didn't have to sew so much (hand-me-downs). About the time she had three children--all girls at this point--she had to cut back on the ironing, then she had two boys but still started waving the kids out the door in the mornings in clothing that was ironed (on the outer layers), but she was sooo embarrassed that ruffly underthings weren't carefully ironed anymore.

Meanwhile, my brain exploded that she had time for ANY ironing at all with 4+ small children underfoot. These were the days before she had an electric iron, as the lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The fact she carried MIL (her youngest child) an extra 2 months in utero because she "didn't have time" to go see a doctor hurts my brain too, but coupled with the fact she was trying to find time to iron a bunch of clothes helps alleviate the brain pain due to cancelling each other out to a minor degree.

I think you hurt everyone's brain with that one and win the thread!

[Kariachi]

Meanwhile, my brain exploded that she had time for ANY ironing at all with 4+ small children underfoot. These were the days before she had an electric iron, as the lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The fact she carried MIL (her youngest child) an extra 2 months in utero because she "didn't have time" to go see a doctor hurts my brain too, but coupled with the fact she was trying to find time to iron a bunch of clothes helps alleviate the brain pain due to cancelling each other out to a minor degree.

Okay, thread's over. No way can anything top this.

[rose red]

^Thank goodness I wasn't the only one confused.  I've never had kids so I was wondering if that was some medical term I'm getting mixed up about. 

[MommyPenguin]

I remember reading a book on childbirth, I think by Bradley, and he talked about a woman having an 11-month pregnancy.  I, too, was very confused.  I wonder what the record is for lateness (and a surviving baby).

[Jocelyn]

An 11 month pregnancy is common enough...if the mother is a little confused about the date of conception. 

My mother was told, growing up, that a 7 month baby was more likely to survive than a 8 month baby. Now, we know that's not true, but she insisted there were many cases of that happening at the time. I asked, 'How many of those 7 month babies were born 7 months after their parents' wedding?' and her mouth snapped shut. 
Of COURSE they were comparing full-term babies born less than 9 months after the wedding, and true 8-month babies!
My sister read a historical account of a girl who was delivered of a big, heavy baby less than 7 months after her wedding. Her father was outraged...no way that could be a premature child! The doctor, taking pity on the young couple, told her father that indeed it was true that a big premie like that was a massive risk to the mother's health, and he'd better get to praying that his daughter survived the delivery. The father repented, and quit reviling his daughter and SIL for having conceived the child before the wedding. The doctor and his nurse carried out the charade so that the new family wouldn't be victims of gossip. So perhaps there were other doctors who distributed misinformation to angry in-laws, and that's how the 7-months myth came up in my mother's home town.

[nutraxfornerves]

If you search for "longest pregnancy" you will get a ton of references to a Dr. Alissa August who supposedly had a 17 month pregnancy. It's based on this, which is really just a part of a humorous slide presentation, that seems to be a roast of pediatric residents at the University of Texas. The Effect of UTMB Pediatric Residency TRaining on Previously Normal Young Adults

[MommyPenguin]

I also found lots of hits online for a woman who supposedly had a 375-day pregnancy (as opposed to 280).  Supposedly it was verified by her doctors based on the date she'd first tested pregnant and that it was due to a slow-growing baby.  Personally, I'm skeptical.  If I had to concoct a theory, I'd think she lost the baby and became pregnant again right away.  But what do I know?  It also references a 318-day pregnancy that was the next runner-up to the record.  I can't find any sources I would consider truly reliable, though, with "Time Magazine" being perhaps the most vetted of the sources but it doesn't let you read the full article without subscribing.

My grandmother once told me about how, when she married my grandfather, his mother told her how to iron his underwear.  Her reaction was basically, "Are you KIDDING me?" and she told him later that if he truly required ironed underwear, he knew where the iron was.  She was a pretty lively woman. 

[greencat]

Well, technically, those women could have been pregnant the whole time, just not with the same baby.
One of my friends when I was younger had biological full siblings were only born 5 months apart - her mother was carrying her brother, and then her sister was conceived sometime around the 5th month.  Ergo, her mother was pregnant for more than a consecutive year - it was just not with the same child.

[RingTailedLemur]

Well, technically, those women could have been pregnant the whole time, just not with the same baby.
One of my friends when I was younger had biological full siblings were only born 5 months apart - her mother was carrying her brother, and then her sister was conceived sometime around the 5th month.  Ergo, her mother was pregnant for more than a consecutive year - it was just not with the same child.

Wow.  I knew cats could do that but I thought it was impossible for humans.

[greencat]

Well, technically, those women could have been pregnant the whole time, just not with the same baby.
One of my friends when I was younger had biological full siblings were only born 5 months apart - her mother was carrying her brother, and then her sister was conceived sometime around the 5th month.  Ergo, her mother was pregnant for more than a consecutive year - it was just not with the same child.

Wow.  I knew cats could do that but I thought it was impossible for humans.

Sometimes the equipment malfunctions.

[VorFemme]

Well, technically, those women could have been pregnant the whole time, just not with the same baby.
One of my friends when I was younger had biological full siblings were only born 5 months apart - her mother was carrying her brother, and then her sister was conceived sometime around the 5th month.  Ergo, her mother was pregnant for more than a consecutive year - it was just not with the same child.

Wow.  I knew cats could do that but I thought it was impossible for humans.

More likely one of those things that doctors wondered about for hundreds of years but only recently had the tools to determine if it was scientific truth or "just an old story".

[jedikaiti]

A lot of couples don't have exactly the same sleep schedules - and yes, she probably does wait to go to bed until after the light is out in the bedroom.

My brain-hurt today...is "I'm just looking at the personals for the (erotic) pictures!" the new "I'm just reading it for the articles!" defense?  The brain-hurt was twofold - first, he expected me to believe him, and second, he was the second guy to use the exact same excuse!

I know men who will look at craigslist personals in other locales honestly for the explicit pics - it's cheaper than the girlie mags, and not so virus-laden as erotic websites.

His attempts to gaslight me on the matter (he gave me a different reason and pretended that he'd never said that bit about the photos) and the fact that he is most certainly computer savvy enough to avoid viral infections from websites (and does, and I wouldn't care about that) and the falsehoods he was simultaneously telling me about another related topic make me disinclined to give him the benefit of the doubt in the matter.  He was also looking in both local areas and near the location of a convention he's attending next month.  The previous user of the excuse was definitely lying - I knew he'd met someone off the site already.

Yea, that's a whole different story than just looking at the pics.

[kherbert05]

I also found lots of hits online for a woman who supposedly had a 375-day pregnancy (as opposed to 280).  Supposedly it was verified by her doctors based on the date she'd first tested pregnant and that it was due to a slow-growing baby.  Personally, I'm skeptical.  If I had to concoct a theory, I'd think she lost the baby and became pregnant again right away.  But what do I know?  It also references a 318-day pregnancy that was the next runner-up to the record.  I can't find any sources I would consider truly reliable, though, with "Time Magazine" being perhaps the most vetted of the sources but it doesn't let you read the full article without subscribing.

My grandmother once told me about how, when she married my grandfather, his mother told her how to iron his underwear.  Her reaction was basically, "Are you KIDDING me?" and she told him later that if he truly required ironed underwear, he knew where the iron was.  She was a pretty lively woman. 

My great grandmother had had a conversation with her DIL to be. She told the BTB that if my great uncle started to talk in his sleep to go into a room with a lockable door and stay there. He had severe night terrors from childhood and if he mistook you for the monsters in his dreams it could be dangerous.