Baby Rabies
  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
  • Parenthood
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Parenting LOLZ
  • Photography
    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

      Reviews

      If Your Kid Loves Dump Trucks & Garbage…

      August 13, 2018

      Reviews

      Nobody Tell My Kids ABC Mouse Is Part…

      September 4, 2017

  • Subscribe

Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
  • Parenthood
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Parenting LOLZ
  • Photography
    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

      Reviews

      If Your Kid Loves Dump Trucks & Garbage…

      August 13, 2018

      Reviews

      Nobody Tell My Kids ABC Mouse Is Part…

      September 4, 2017

  • Subscribe

what is baby rabies

Why “Baby Rabies”?
Blogging

Why “Baby Rabies”?

by Jill September 28, 2016
written by Jill

First, whoa. The last week has been crazy fun. My “What (Not) To Say To A Pregnant Woman” video has officially gone viral (amassing over 1.4 million views so far on Facebook), and has been shared by The Today Show, US Weekly, Refinery 29 and so many more places. I’ve got a lot of new readers and followers, which is so rad.

What typically happens after a bunch of new people learn about my blog is I start to get questions about why it’s called “Baby Rabies” and that’s definitely been the case this time, too. Most are genuinely curious, but I also always get some people emailing or direct messaging things like, “Really? Baby RABIES?? What made you think that was ever a good idea?” 

It’s confusing if you don’t understand, I guess. I’ve even lost clients over it. One major brand kicked me out of a campaign because the higher ups thought it was “off color.” Okay.

IMG_7155

So here’s how I chose it and what it means:

In the summer of 2007, I was in between jobs, and basically living a quarter-life crisis. I decided to just go ahead and take advantage of the down time while I tried to figure out my life and get pregnant. Logical choice, 26 year old me.

This was SUCH a 180 for me, that nobody who knew me “in real life” would ever believe it (other than my husband, obviously), and I didn’t really want to talk to them about it, but I did want to document my thoughts, and I’d been active in online message boards for a couple years while planning my wedding. I thought I’d anonymously blog about it all, just to share with the people I talked to online and to keep for myself.

There was a lot of talk on the wedding message boards about “baby rabies” or what could happen to you if you became obsessed with getting pregnant- it was like incurable baby fever. We would see the girls graduate from the wedding boards and move on to the trying to conceive boards, and they would start talking about all kinds of crazy shit, like checking their own cervical mucus and taking their temperature every day, both classic symptoms of the rabies.

Once I realized I was becoming one of these women, I thought that would be a fine name for an anonymous blog about (at the time) trying to get pregnant, and I bought the dot com.

Read my first post ever here.

9 years later, and I’m not shaking it. I’ve considered re-branding, but the babies keep coming. I’m not saying it will stick forever, but it fits for now. I may continue to turn people off, and lose brand relationships over it. Meh. There’s no ill meaning behind it, and people who know me know that.

From the beginning, I’ve tried to laugh at myself when it comes to motherhood, and I think it reflects that.

September 28, 2016 8 comments
0 FacebookPinterestWhatsappEmail
BloggingTrying to Conceive

Back In Time Series: The First Post

by Jill July 31, 2012
written by Jill

This week, I’m running a very special series where I’m going to repost some old posts many of you may have never read before. It’s all super special, just for you, and not at all because I’m running around like a crazy person right now, preparing for Blogher, or because there’s no way in hell I’ll have time to post from NYC. Nope. That has nothing to do with it.

Today, I’m going to take you all back, way back, to the VERY first post I ever wrote, before I was even pregnant with Kendall.

Back then, I’d been telling EVERYONE that I was still “at least 5 years” away from wanting kids. And it’s not that I was lying, I truly wasn’t ready… until I was. And then, BAM, I was ready, HAD TO MAKE BABY RIGHT THEN.

I’d heard the term “baby rabies” tossed around message boards to describe women who go absolutely flipping crazy trying to have a baby. I mean, they would, like, chart and finger their own cervixes and everything. Dude. Right?

And then I became one of them. So I embraced it. I googled BabyRabies.com and found the domain had yet to be snatched up. I bought it from GoDaddy and posted my first blog post the next day, never EVER thinking I would EVER let anyone read it, especially not people who actually knew me. 

When You Know It’s More Than Baby Fever

As I type this, the only person who knows that the thought has even crossed my mind to begin the whole process of having a baby is my husband. In fact, I think anyone else who knows me well would be SHOCKED to hear of what I’m about to embark on.

Yes, up until a few months ago, I was a baby-phobe. Of course, I loved other people’s babies, relished in spoiling our nieces and nephews, oohed and aahed during trips through Baby GAP, and got the occasional bout of baby fever, but that was always quickly remedied with a brief evening of babysitting. The poopy diapers, projectile milk pukes, and graham cracker encrusted slimy little hands constantly grabbing for any piece of jewelry I had on was enough birth control to get me through a few months, at least.

All that changed in April when a rocking good time at a wine festival lead to a little “oops” moment. I woke up the next morning in my wine hangover haze and it hit me….”Shit! I bet I’m pregnant!”

The stages I went through were very similar to the stages of grief. First there was denial, I refused to believe it could happen. Then there was anger that we weren’t as careful as we should be. Then the bargaining began. “Please God, just let me get my period. I promise we won’t be stupid next time!” I will say there was no real period of depression. I just headed straight into acceptance, and a step you will not find in the grieving process (for most, at least) – EXCITEMENT!

One week before my period was due for her appearance I found myself browsing Gymboree and buying baby clothes. I called one of my best friends in a panic after my purchase. “What the HELL am I doing? I don’t even know if I am pregnant!” I shrieked into the phone. She was beyond supportive and very excited at the prospect of my possible pregnancy. “Maybe you’re just excited,” she said. “Maybe you ARE ready.”

I have to say that this whole time that I was worrying about whether or not I was with child, I had yet to say anything to my husband. I didn’t want to get his hopes up. I knew he was as ready as any man could ever be. It wasn’t until after I peed on three sticks that said I was indeed not pregnant that I told him about the close call. I heard the disappointment in his voice, and it all of a sudden hit me how sad I was that I didn’t see two blue lines on those tests.

So, here I am, three months later, and my occasional case of baby fever has turned into full blown BABY RABIES!! I’m afraid the only way to cure it is to have a baby of our own.

I decided to start this blog as a way to document my sure to be ridiculous, hilarious, at times disgusting, and at times painful journey through my first time around at trying to conceive, pregnancy, birth, and whatever I have time to write about after that.

I anticipate that I may share “too much information” at times on here, but that’s the whole reason I started this. I need a place to let it all out. I don’t intend to censor myself too much. So if you are squeamish about the whole pregnancy thing, or don’t like my views…read no further. However, if you want a window into my world, complete with first time ignorance and brutal honesty about what is about to happen to my body, stay tuned!

 

July 31, 2012 13 comments
0 FacebookPinterestWhatsappEmail

@babyrabies

Instagram has returned invalid data.

Buy Jill’s Book

50 Things to Do Before You Deliver: The First Time Moms Pregnancy Guide

Up Your Phone Photography

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

©2019 | BabyRabies.com


Back To Top