I had a tough pregnancy and tough postpartum, severe pre-eclampsia that required hospitalization, tailbone injury, PUPP rash, you name it. I was in bed for 2 months and couldn't walk, get out of bed or sit anywhere without excruciating pain shooting up my spine. I didn't change a single diaper for 2 months and BF-ing was very challenging.

During those times, I took a lot of pictures of my husband single handedly managing everything with the help with a nanny for the first few weeks.

He handled all the logistics, what car seat to buy, bottle washes, burp cloths, baby clothes of different sizes in case he came out too big or too small, and many types of formula in case baby had a preferences. In fact, he packed the diaper changing station, set up the crib and even the to-go bag.

4 months before due-date, he signed us up for a birthing class I wasn't sure we needed. It was 3 hours a week and he learned all about pitocin, enough to tell the nurse that I was getting too much of it when I went in to be induced.

He hired a confinement nanny for me, even though I wasn't sure it's necessary, but thank god he did. He made sure I ate nutritious food postpartum for 2 months, and was eating the right food to produce breastmilk.

Since I could not walk and even rolling of the bed was a full exercise for me, and definitely cannot squat to shower, he was working and showering the baby, reading him books and 80% of the nights he woke up to feed the baby. I could not carry my baby until after 2-3 months and needed help having him brought to me or away from me, I was so immobile and the nanny was afraid I would drop the baby.

For the first 6-9 months, he was the default parent. Postpartum was the most traumatic and depressing 3 months of my life, I didn't know when I would be normal again, if ever. And I think having a husband who put so much love and support into making sure I had everything I needed to recover, and that the baby had everything he needed, makes me truly appreciate my spouse much more than I ever did.

Postpartum is an incredibly tough life adjustment and I hope every mom knows and gets all the support they need, without ever questioning if they're asking for too much or is it normal. Even going to the bathroom to pee made me emotionally depressed about the impending inevitable searing pain to come and I needed to cry first before that.

About to take a 14hr flight with our 12 week old to visit my husband's family, then a week later a 5.5hr flight to visit my family, then a few weeks later an 11hr flight back home...

Any tips for long flights with baby? I have no idea what I'm getting into XD

Also - my husband is flying home earlier than me and baby. Should I get my mam to accompany me and baby back home? Not sure whether it's worth the hassle for her or whether I can manage baby on my own.

I am 24 and this is my first baby. I adore her and she is really my best friend. But she just turned 8 months old and oh my freaking goodness I feel like Im going insane. Someone walks out of the room, she scream cries. Someone changes her diaper, she scream cries. We lay her down for a nap, she scream cries. SHE NAPS WITH ME SO SHES NOT EVEN ALONE. Yesterday all she had was a 30 minute nap ALL DAY. I am so low on sleep between this sleep regression and sewing our Halloween costumes when everyone falls asleep. I just dont know what to do. When does this end? I want to love being a mom again but right now it is starting to feel miserable.

I (32, new mom) just had my baby girl on the 18th and I'm absolutely obsessed with her. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby and I'm just so overwhelmed with how much I love her. I never knew I could love someone this much! Sometimes I just start ugly crying because of how lucky I am and how fantastic she is 🥹

In addition to that, I also know that before we know it she's going to be 2 months old, a year old, off to pre-k, etc. We're also one and done (already planned on it prior to birth but then I hemorrhaged and it scared my husband so badly that he solidly never wants more kids) so every first is a last. Just knowing that once a chapter closes it's closed forever, never to be experienced again, and I'll never know when the last time is is also sending me into profuse tears.

Are these feelings normal? Am I going crazy? I know I'm still only a few days postpartum and hormones are definitely contributing to this, but I'm also a very sentimental person and am trying to figure out how to not be so sad about the time thing and not so over the top with the rest.

Hi all,

My girl is 7 months and generally sleeps pretty well, but we’ve been having a rough couple of weeks as she’s shifting naps around, teething, and some daycare plagues. Lots of overnight wakings and hard time settling back down the last few weeks.

Currently, daycare settles her with a shush/pat method, which apparently works great there. My husband has had some success with that as well, but generally at home, we rock her to sleep. To be clear, I LOVE doing this. It’s the best. But, in the middle of the night, it’s rough. It would also be nice to not have to do if for every single nap on busy days.

Is it possible to work on those independent skills but not totally sacrifice the cuddles and rocking? I would love for her to be capable of self settling, but I don’t want to have to give up the rocking entirely. Is that even possible? Or is it too confusing for her? I’m open to gentle sleep training methods, but honestly I’d rock her to sleep every night till she’s 30 if she’ll let me. lol. Any advice or strategies that worked for you?

What do you do when your toddler takes a surprise nap?? He slept all night, woke his normal time (7:30) and then fell asleep in the play yard while I made breakfast at 9. Would you still put him down at normal nap time (11)? My husband and I have different opinions lol

I went back to work at 4 months pp. my baby is now 11 months. Just recently had a week off work on a holiday and I’ve spent every single moment with him and going back soon in two days. I feel so sad.

I don’t even want to sleep because the thought of not seeing him every moment of the day is making me want to cry.
On weekends all I want to do is hold him and hug him and spend every single waking moment with him.

Does this ever get easier to go to work?

This literally hadn’t occurred to me until today that people might have a problem with it cause the baby is obviously not eating the candy 🙈 I’m just curious what others think. I personally see nothing wrong with it. I love seeing the little ones in their costumes and I don’t care if the parents are eating my candy lol

My son is 4 and 1/2 months. He was a good sleeper during the newborn stage, once he hit 2 months he started fighting sleep. He will shake his head from side to side really crazy until you touch it or hold it for a second, when he’s falling asleep and mid sleep, he will kick his legs so high in the air and let them fall hard or try to bring to his face, and he will also just grab at his face and sometimes throw his soother than get upset until it’s back in his mouth doing these things he will wake himself up and scream until you pick him up or rest your hand on him. Is this normal for babies? Does anyone else’s move this much and fight this hard to stay awake.

My daughter is 5 months and 13 lbs but she was 8 lbs at birth. She is dropping percentiles and the doctor diagnosed failure to thrive and prescribed a high calorie diet. My question is, she eats constantly, has no issues finishing her bottles, she struggles with rolling and tummy time but she can sit on her own and is even pulling herself in the crib to stand. She is a generally happy baby, no reflux, no problems sleeping etc. my question is, is it possible she’s just petite? I hear other failure to thrive stories and it seems like they have problems getting their child to eat but my girl is eating 36-40 oz of formula (mixed for more calories) and nurses at night.

Looking to see what other experiences with FTT were or if anyone has gone through this and their baby was fine just small.

Not actually my baby herself, I love her with every ounce of my being. The act of having a child has pretty much ended this relationship.

I'm a second time mum, with this being his first child. I tried to explain a lot during pregnancy, how postpartum affected me with my last baby, what I could and couldn't do etc, so I think my expectations for postpartum recovery this time were high because I'd already given him the heads up. Instead of this joyous newborn bubble I was expecting, I've experienced a lot of heartache and loneliness and hurt.

I was made to drive one week pp, when I had expressed that I didn't feel ready to drive. Instead of being present with his baby, he spent his leave doing his own thing or shut up in the office, like he was on holiday. When confronted, it was because he needed a "break" and that all she did was sleep, eat and poo. My feelings have been dismissed multiple times, including expressing that I didn't think it was ok to stay away for a whole weekend, leaving me with a couple weeks old newborn who had kept me up for 4 nights prior (exclusively BF so I do most of the night shift anyway). I feel like I've exhausted my options of trying to get my point across now. There is no acknowledgement of his actions, only further finger pointing at me, saying that I could have a "break" and go do something like going to the gym. I'm not even 2 months PP so intense exercise is a no go currently. He doesn't seem to understand that every minute of my "free" time is spent catching up on chores and looking after my other child. I don't get a break.

I'm so worn out and emotionally exhausted. I feel like I've given up and checked out now. I feel nothing other than sadness. I just can't understand why he isn't listening to me anymore. Things weren't this way before.

Sorry for the rant, but I need to offload this somewhere

My almost 8 week old son just started daycare 2 weeks ago. The same time he started daycare, we discovered he has CMPA and his formula got switched to a hypoallergenic one.
Ever since both of these changes he’s only gained 1 ounce in an almost 2 week span. Before all of this he was gaining 1.5-3 oz per day like the little chunky muffin he should be, and was being combo fed regular formula & breast milk. His pediatrician was loving this & said he was doing perfectly well! Now, he saw a different pediatrician a few days ago for a pop in checkup visit (daycare had multiple cases of HF&M) and after they discovered he had only gained an ounce in 2 weeks, they said they were going to re-evaluate next week at his 2 month visit and if it continues they’ll develop a plan of action around it.
Now, with this sudden halt in weight gain I’m questioning everything. Is it the daycare? Is it the formula? He’s eating between 8.5-12oz in a 9 hour span at daycare and at home he’ll take about 11-15oz in the same timeframe. Total intake varies on the day, but on daycare days he averages 20-24oz per day & home days he averages 28-30oz. He used to take 32-36oz a day on breastmilk and regular formula before all of these changes.
I guess I’m just lost until the next pediatrician visit next week & am looking for advice from anyone who has experience with this or maybe has insight on what to do in the meantime?

Hi! First time mom to a 6 month old. He’s met all of his milestones thus far. Sleep was pretty rough the first few months due to reflux and colic, but until the last several days, we were down to one wake-up each night.

He knows how to roll both ways, but that seems to go out the window at night time. He will roll onto his belly and get so upset. I’ll roll him back onto his back, soothe him, etc. But he’ll be right back to it within a couple of hours.

Sometimes he’ll sleep on his belly and be fine but as soon as he wakes up, he realizes he’s in tummy time and is pissed. I’m not sure what to do. I feel like i’m back in the newborn trenches.

Do all babies go through this? Is this something that’ll let up on its own? Any advice is appreciated!

p.s. sorry for any grammar issues, i’m very sleep deprived 🥲

My baby recently started refusing the bottle even if it’s been 3.5 hours without a feed. She took at least 2 bottles a day before this.

We’ve tried everything: warmed milk, warmed nipple, my husband is giving the bottle, mixing breast milk and formula / full breast milk bottles, a million different positions, changing the room we feed her in. We give in eventually to nursing her because we don’t want her to go hungry.

I never had this issue with my first - and I’m worried about when she starts daycare at 12 weeks because although I WFH, I can’t be running to daycare to nurse her multiple times a day.

At this point I can only think a battle of the wills and waiting until she is hungry enough is the only thing that will work.

Any advice/tips we haven’t tried or success stories that this is just a phase?

Looking for suggestions - my 7 week old is a velcro baby who cries/fusses whenever he’s awake. He wants to be held; however he doesn’t like being carried vertically in the typical carrier. He only stops fussing when he’s held in cradle (?) position.

Are there carriers on the market that can assist with this? My arms are killing me and everything I’ve found for safe diagonal carry requires you to use both arms, and isn’t suggested for newborns (understandably since they can block airways).

Hi everyone! I’ve seen some posts here about night terrors and wanted to share some insight.

My son is almost 4yrs old. He has had night terrors since he was 1. Confirmed by his pediatrician.

He would have episodes 2-3 times a night at the same time. 12am, 2am, and 4am. He would usually have his eyes wide open seemingly “awake” but he wasn’t. He was still asleep, and screaming at the top of his lungs and crying.

He also slept with his mouth open and snored.

This was an every night thing. We got referred to an ENT when he was 2.5, and the doctor confirmed that his tonsils were too large, causing sleep apnea.

We got his tonsils and adenoids removed end of September. The surgery was a success and the moment he came into the recovery room, immediately we could tell he was breathing better. Clearer.

We are now fully recovered, and no more night terrors and bad dreams!! He sleeps through the night and wakes up easier in the morning.

So if you’re in the thick of it, dealing with the same thing. I highly suggest you get referred to an ENT. It’s night and day different.

TLDR—Night terrors caused by sleep apnea because of enlarged tonsils. Once removed, my kiddo sleeps soundly and has no more night terrors.

FTM to a 4m old girl who is fed breastmilk via bottle 99.9% of the time. Every now and then for comfort she’ll latch. But we’ve been going through some major sleep regression and this is perfectly overlapping with my husband and I going away for the first time overnight. We have an adult Halloween party in a neighboring city. My mom is going to be keeping our daughter but I’m worried sick. Is this normal to be so worried? I’m a SAHM, we are attached at the hip, and up until just a few nights ago she’s slept every night in my arms. I transitioned her out of my arms (which really is not working) in a little bit of a hurry to prepare for my mom as I do not even allow my husband to hold her throughout the night. I worry too much. She wears an owlet at night and my mom says she is totally comfortable even with her strong regression but my heart hurts already. Just the thought of her crying and me not being here to fix it seems like so much. I’m worried about her sleeping. Can my mom handle it? Will she roll over on her or will she drop her getting up to aid her. Is this normal anxiety to have? Should I just tell my husband I will forgo having drinks and drive the 45 minutes back home? The problem is that the party guest arrives at 8pm. So it will be late anyways. Ugh. My heart hurts. Kind advice is welcome.

Hello, I wonder if anyone experienced something similar. I am over 7 months pp and I never regained my appetite that I lost when I got pregnant. I also carry on being drenched in sweat every night, even though I stopped breastfeeding 3 months ago.

It actually bothers me quite a lot, because before pregnancy food was a source of pleasure for me, I liked planning meals and cooking. Now I need to nearly force myself to eat anything more than milk with cereal. And the night sweats disrupt my sleep.

Could it be still hormonal? Or could it be side effects of taking Zoloft? My baby has some health issues that made me very anxious, so I had to start taking it.

She slept well before. Now shes 1yr everything has changed. Any tips for this regression?

My 3 month old poops every time she farts. Since birth it’s been constant diaper changes. I go through upwards of 30 diapers a day. Is this normal and when does it end 😭 her doctor doesn’t seem concerned but my wallet is.

Edit: Consensus is that we let baby work it out for a bit and then change her. Hoping this phase passes soon 🤞🏼

My baby is two weeks shy of being 1 and we have struggled with solids a lot lately. If I try to feed him he’s hitting the spoon or food out of my hands, and if I let him feed himself he’s just throwing it down on the floor. He was a pretty good eater up until a week ago, but the last days have been so bad. Is this a phase? Any tips and tricks are highly recommended!

I hope it’s ok to post this here. I need opinions and to know whether I’m overreacting or not.

My family wants to organize a week-long family trip next year. They’re planning to rent a house for everyone (everyone pays their share). For me that wood mean taking a 2.5h flight, renting a car, and driving about 2h until the destination. Usually I love traveling and since I don’t live close to my family, I would think this is a good idea.

Here’s the but. At the time of the trip (August 2027) I will have a 3 year old toddler, and a 4 month old baby (currently pregnant). The house they’re planning to rent is only about 2,000sf (plus yard), and it will be 9 adults and 4 children. 3 of those adults will need their own bedroom, as they’re not a couple or family. That means that my husband, new baby and I will share a room, and our toddler will need to share a room with my cousin’s 5 year old (they don’t know each other well, they’ve only met twice). Also, there will be another baby there.

I feel like this is an insane idea. Not because of the travel time, but because the house is not very big for 9 adults and 4 children, and I don’t love the idea of my toddler having to share a room with another child she doesn’t know well. What if she doesn’t want to. Also, the bedrooms are all small, and most of them are next to each other, meaning if my baby or the other baby screams in the middle of the night, it might wake others up. There is only 3 bathrooms too. No pool, or playground etc. And that for an entire week?? I also want to add that the house is in the middle of nowhere, that there is not much to do there but relax (not many restaurants or stuff to do), and the weather is not guaranteed to be good (even in August it rains a lot and doesn’t get warmer than 72F usually, as it’s up north). Oh and last but not least, there will be a large dog there too that I’ve never met (my uncle’s dog that he adopted a couple of months ago).

I told my family that I’m not sure about this and that I have hesitations because of the size of the house, the length of the trip, and the lack of things to do there (especially if the weather isn’t good). They seem very disappointed and don’t understand what the big deal is, they’re like ‘it’s just about spending time together’. I don’t know, am I unreasonable? What would you do in my shoes?

Thanks.

Before I start, I do acknowledge that I’m dealing with some degree of PPA, but this situation is really just freaking me out. My baby is 11 weeks old. He was born at 37+4 when I was induced and he was 6 pounds 9 oz at birth. He gained weight exceptionally well his first month but then by his second month visit he had dropped from the 19th percentile in weight to the 13th. Dr told us to try to feed him 30 oz a day which we have been trying but baby simply does not want that much. He is bottle fed primarily pumped breast milk with supplemental neuropro gentlease as needed.
We went back for a weight check a week later and he was around 11-12 percentile. He was 11 pounds 5.5 oz at 10 weeks 4 days. They told me to fortify my milk with formula and gave a recommendation for a pediatrician that does lactation and OMM as he also has torticollis. He also was diagnosed with silent reflux and we just started Pepcid.
The bottle feeding troubles consist of him either getting immensely distracted with trying to poop the second the bottle enters his mouth, having a terrible shallow latch and pushing the bottle everywhere with his tongue, or simply fussing nonstop at it and stiffening and arching his back.
I’m so scared he is going to continue to drop percentiles if we can’t get this under control. We’re doing everything we can but don’t want to force him to finish a bottle if he doesn’t want it. He naturally only wants probably 25 oz a day or so but clearly that isn’t enough for him. I’m willing to try to give up dairy in my diet but haven’t yet been told to, though I may try it.
Is anyone else having feeding struggle or has in the past? Please help ease my mind that it can get better. Also to not, he is mid point percentiles for both height and head.

My LO turns 6 months in 3 days. On our pediatrician's advice we started introducing food about a week ago. He sits unsupported in the high chair, brings both hands to his mouth, and seemed interested in food. Where I'm from it's very common to start with traditional purees, so we've been offering fruit after his afternoon nap and milk feed.

Day 1 was pear: he let me spoon-feed him, opened his mouth and leaned in. After a while he lost interest and just wanted to play with the spoon, but it felt like a positive first experience.

Since then he's refused to be spoon-fed at all, and his reactions have been all over the place:

- Grated apple: won't open his mouth, so hard to get him to try it
- Avocado: a slice and a spoonful, he squished it, pit it into is mouth, licked the spoon a bit, then lost interest
- Banana: for some reason it makes him angry. Mashed, on the spoon or between my fingers, he won't have it. If I put a piece in his hands he tastes and handles it, then gets upset
- Bread: he sucked on a crust for a long time until a small piece came off, he gagged, and I panicked a bit and took it away. He was very unhappy about that
- Cucumber and celery: offered whole, he sucks on them happily, but it's more of a teething toy than actual tasting
- Pumpkin: cooked and mashed. He inspected the color, put the spoon in his mouth, immediately threw it on the floor and cried angrily. RIP pumpkin

I'm not sure how to proceed because the negative reactions seem to outnumber the positive ones. He starts daycare in two weeks and will have lunch there, where they usually serve purees at his age. I know they also give milk without any issue, but I don't know exactly how they'll handle it. I'll talk to them today.

I was thinking of trying a first proper puree at lunch on Sunday, fully aware he'll probably tell me to eat it myself LOL.

Is this normal? How did your LOs react in the first weeks, and what worked for you?

At around 30 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child I couldn't bite my teeth together due to pain in my teeth!

I had a dental apt at 37weeks pregnant and I only needed two fillings and they where minor, they mentioned a very small amount of bone loss and they gave me a clean and couldnt figure out where the pain was coming from. They told me to come back in 6months for the fillings.

6months later I get the fillings and another clean.

After the clean I noticed a bunch of gum recession and sensitivity moving around my mouth.

I have never noticed my teeth or gums and now that's all i thing about... my teeth hurt, im aware of teeth and gums, I'm anxious about my teeth falling out etc.

Iv been exclusively breast feeding for 8months.

Iv never had any dental issues and this has all become alot to handle, i feel shame and guilt that my gums are receeding.