Oh, my pregnant friends, are you sitting down? A new study brings some news that, while not unsurprising, may yet be tough to hear, especially for those of us who, unaware that we were pregnant during the first few weeks of pregnancy, maybe had a glass of wine or two in the days before seeing those twin lines appear on that tell-tale stick: It's never safe to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy -- and it can be particularly harmful to your fetus during the first trimester.

On the (relatively) bright side, it's actually drinking alcohol at the end of the first trimester that puts your fetus most at risk for developing physical, behavioral, or cognitive problems, this new research, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, has found.

Being pregnant is pretty amazing, isn't it? The whole "glowing" thing kinda rules (if that happens to you - I only "glowed" after I vomited). Explaining why you're eating two cheeseburgers becomes a lot easier when you can say, "I'm eating for two!" And having a new life whirling around inside you, well, that's one of the most incredible feelings on the planet!

However, being pregnant comes with some pitfalls. Mainly, other people. Something about seeing a pregnant woman makes them think they can say and do anything they please.

Here are 3 of the rudest things people you know -- and people you don't -- will do while you're pregnant.

It's estimated that one in every four diagnosed pregnancies end in miscarriage. The reasons for miscarriage vary wildly, however most miscarriages do not ever have a diagnosed cause. Whatever the cause -- known or unknown -- miscarriages can be devastating. Even worse, miscarriage is a taboo subject, the type of loss that is rarely discussed.

Here is my story.

Shortly after my middle son turned one, I realized I hadn't gotten my period in ... well, I couldn't tell you the last time I'd had it. But I'd recently weaned the kid off breastfeeding, I'd been stressed about the death of a good friend, and, um, there had to be a zillion and a half reasons I couldn't recall the dates of my last period ... right?

We all know how pregnancy brings about plenty of weirdness. You're growing a whole new person inside you, how could that not be weird? Weird symptoms. Weird feelings. Weird cravings.

But the unexpected weirdness that comes along with pregnancy is probably the most irritating: the impractical advice.

It comes from every angle, the unsolicited pregnancy advice, until you're ready to hide under the bed (presuming, of course, you'd fit), until those nine long months are over. From the checkout girl at the grocery store. Your mother-in-law. Ladies in the waiting room. In elevators. You can't go anywhere without someone spouting some sort of impractical advice.

Here are my favorites.

Pregnancy. It's the most joyful time in a woman's life ... or is it?

While growing a new life inside of you is easily one of the most miraculous things a woman can experience, there are an awful lot of weird things that go along with it.

These are the kind of things I've never seen in any of my pregnancy handbooks, but through word-of-blog, I learned that I was not the only one.

So here you have it: five of the most horrifying pregnancy symptoms you'll never hear about.

Pregnancy is a game-changer. Not only does your life change forever, but your day-to-day becomes much different. One of the most stressful things can often be how hard pregnancy can be on the body. Sure you may be glowing, but those aches and pains, heartburn, and hemorrhoids are making you cranky. To top it all off, you can't just go taking a lot of medicine since many things aren't safe or the effects aren't really known when it comes to the baby inside your belly.

If you're planning on going a more natural or home-based route, or just want some easy pregnancy-safe OTC meds, I've got some suggestions approved by doctors.

Maybe Kate Middleton's refusal to eat that peanut butter the other week really did mean something after all! In Touch magazine is reporting that a "palace insider" who has "correctly revealed other royal secrets" says Prince William and his wife are, in fact, expecting a little royal ... in a bit less than eight months. That's right, according to the magazine's source, Kate Middleton is now about six weeks pregnant with the couple's first child!

The relative newlyweds are said to be already at work on the royal nurseries (there will be three, in as many palaces and cottages) and thinking about names: "Something traditional," the source says, adding that William, especially, is hoping for a girl, who, according to new equal-opportunity rules, would be as eligible to inherit the throne as a firstborn boy.

When I was pregnant with my first son and heard that you could rent those baby doppler gadgets online in order to hear the fetal heartbeat in the comfort of your own home, I thought it sounded kind of cool, but rife with the potential for obsession. I didn't want to be constantly poking a goo-slathered microphone around my belly, intently listening for sounds of distress, not that I even knew what a fetal sound of distress might be. (A tiny voice begging me to stop already with the Haagen-Dazs?)

Then I sort of completely changed my mind and ordered one. I'm not really sure why—maybe because during those early weeks I felt ridiculously gassy and bloated (an overabundance of frozen dairy can do that to a person), but also weirdly not pregnant at all. I decided that being able to hear the heartbeat would be soothing, and that listening to it with my husband would be a special, loving ritual we could share together as we bonded with our unborn child.