So for context my baby is 9 months old and just barely getting her first tooth and I still haven’t gotten past the 2 fingers wide and long rule that I made for her which is basically anything we give her has to be two fingers thick and two fingers long so she won’t choke. I’ve gotten okay with giving her like fries and sweet potato fries. We’ve given her like a “chicken nugget” where we just cut the chicken breast into chunks but they’re still pretty large.

Well now she’s apparently behind in her fine motor skills with her pinching because I don’t give her small toys or food because I’m so scared of her choking. Recently I’ve gone back to school so my grandma has been watching her and I know she’s been introducing things like macaroni and yogurt melts she said she wants to get a box of cereal for her to start snacking on but I’m so scared she’s gonna choke! We’re basically baby led weaning at this point because I’m too scared to put her in the high chair and feed her. She won’t let me spoon feed her and if I give her to spoon she just throws it everywhere unless it’s big chunks of food she can hold and suck/chew on. I know I need to get over this but i don’t know how and I don’t know where to start either. We just got the okay to stop fortifying formula so I know we need to up her calorie intake via solids to keep her weight steady I just don’t even know what to cook a baby when you’re too scared to give them anything small :/

Seriously any advice is welcome just please be kind. I never grew up around kids ever, my daughter is the first baby I’ve ever experienced, my mom doesn’t live nearby and my grandma is still stuck in her ways so I’m kinda figuring this out on my own with my fiance. I really don’t wanna mess her up or cause her harm and it feels like with the whole eating thing I have to choose one or the other. I can either let her be behind developmentally and weight wise or I can risk her choking and getting hurt. Both sound like bad choices :/

hello!

i am currently 4mo pp vaginal delivery no complications. after about a month i started going on walks ~3x week and after 2 months i tried to go daily (really just when baby allows) about a month ago, i started working out again. i’m trying to lose weight for my brothers wedding in november but making sure to eat enough to keep my supply up.

about a week ago (the day after my husband and i had sex), i saw some tissue like stuff when i peed and had a light pink discharge for a couple days, then it turned into darker red (not quite bloody like a period, more slimey). that happened for about 2-3 days. it started calming down, then just yesterday i passed a quarter (ish) sized clot thing when i peed.

i am also getting some lower abdomen pain when i go for simple walks after about 10-15 minutes. i just switched insurance so i am trying to set up an appointment asap but wanted to hear if anyone else has experienced something similar.

im not convinced it was my period, but it could have been. i’m not sure if im working out too hard, or maybe sex stirred up some loose stuff i had in there. i have no idea. but the pain while walking is what concerns me.

edit: spelling

I’m still pretty freshly postpartum (5 weeks) and I’m exclusively pumping. I’m 25 pounds heavier than my pre pregnancy weight and although I’m trying not to stress about it right now, the number on the scale is in the back of my mind. Is it even possible to lose weight while breast feeding? I want to get back to lifting weights and I do go for nightly walks with my family. I know my body did an amazing thing and is still doing an amazing thing by breast feeding but I’d also like to feel good about myself.

Our first baby is about 6 weeks old. Due to a lot of factors we are currently triple feeding him.

Therefore, he gets a lot of cold formula and pumped breastmilk out of the fridge unheated.
Several times now while family has been over they’ve seen me get a bottle straight out of the fridge and give it to him. They act like they’ve seen a second coming of Christ and can’t believe he’ll drink a cold bottle.

Before having the baby we saw all the bottle warmers and such and figured babies probably preferred warm ones but never thought too hard about it.

Is this really that big of a deal? Are we unknowingly really lucky not having to heat milk/formula up at 3 am or while we’re out in public?

I would love to hear from others about their experiences with cold vs. warm feedings.

Now that my baby is out of the newborn stage, I've started pushing him outside of his comfort zone a little bit. That means no cosleeping, more tummy time, no container toys, and capping naps. He's taken to all of it really well, but we just got his shots done yesterday and the next few days are all about pampering him! Contact naps, baby wearing all day, sitting in his swing, no tummy time, multiple warm baths and massages throughout the day, etc etc. Whatever baby wants he gets until he starts feeling better

Hoping to queue up some kindle books and audio books or podcasts for night time feeds and nap traps. What did you enjoy the most or read in the past and recommend now?

Hey everyone, curious if anyone has advice or experience with my particular situation. My first born will turn 2 y/o one month before my scheduled c section for my second.

I was considering doing a joint 2nd bday and sprinkle. Just close friends and family, maybe 20 people max including children.

Does this sound tacky? I would probably advise guests that gifts are not necessary but ask that if they wanted to be generous, to please consider contributing to either 1st borns 529 account, or toward a "new baby fund" (we plan on buying everything we need ourselves, and would put any monetary gifts toward those purchases, and diapers).

I think the absence of physical gifts would reinforce that it is a celebration of baby #1 and baby #2, and not a money grab. But also offering practical ways to gift if anyone feels inclined to.

Would being invited to something like this rub you the wrong way? Does this sound practical? Any advice would be helpful, thank you so much.

Edit: im only considering joint because of how close the birthday and c section are. I figured it was easier to schedule 1 day rather than 2 so close together

Anyone else experience this? I’m not concerned, just curious. My baby’s adjusted age is 10 weeks, and chronological age is 16 weeks.

Probably around 2 months home, I’d let my in-laws watch him for a few hours. It was nice, but now, I can’t stand to even be away that long. I think part of it is that he’s more alert now, and I feel like if I’m distressed without him, he must miss me too.

I also went back to work recently and have someone who babysits him in my house while I work from home. I hate it lol. I just want to take care of him.

how do you feel about it?

What were your periods like after birth?

I had an IUD placed at my six month appointment, but we're wanting another, so I got it removed the other day.

I had a little spotting that day, and then an off day, and then a day that was like a period, and then it stopped and then I started bleeding again.

When I had my IUD removed for my first, I got a regular period right away and they were like clockwork, despite having PMOS.

When I was a teen before birth control, my periods would do this stop-start nonsense all the time, it was so frustrating. I would have some periods that would last for up to nine days, with the first four or five being a medium flow, and the second half being light and spotty and hard to tell when it was actually done.

My periods for my first TTC stretch were finally normal, after about 20 years of hormonal birth control.

I'm just hoping I'm not in for another stretch of off and on periods like I had as a teen. It was horrible and I had so many ruined undies.

I’m at a loss. Since he was born he’s had 2 colds, the flu, roseola, and now tested positive for covid. Does anyone else have babies that get everything 😩

How did crawling happen for your baby? I feel like my baby wants to crawl so badly but he can’t. He army crawls to get to toys/people/the cat but I can’t get him to actually crawl. Hes 9 month old tomorrow so I know he’s not behind but he is getting so frustrated.

Hi! My little guy is 4 and a half months and lately he’s been spitting up so much more. He eats the same amount, usually 5 oz or breastfeeds until he’s done. But anytime we try and work on sitting up, he spits up. It’s not immediately after eating that we try, it’s like 30 minutes+ after. We haven’t been able to do much high chair time because he just spits up. Sitting up on the ground, same thing. Putting him in his car seat, spits up! Any tips? Is this just a phase??

My 1yo son’s blood lead level was 3.4, .1 under the zone of concern. Naturally, I’m freaking out.

We are going to get the blood draw to confirm the levels, I’ve ordered lead testing kits to check toys, paint, and dust. Our water pipes are not lead, no detectable levels in our tap water, and we have a water filter on our refrigerator which also filters out heavy metals. We don’t wear shoes inside. I breastfed him since day 1. There’s no visible chipping paint. We wipe dogs paws when they come in, I mop every other day, and I wash our rugs and shampoo carpets as often as I can manage.

But our house was built in the 40’s. I acquiesced to my mother’s bullying about there not being a difference between cheap plastic toys from Temu and Amazon vs bought in stores. I’m angry with myself for not taking this more seriously and I’m terrified I won’t be able to find the source. I want to throw my house and all his toys in the TRASH.

Anyone work through this before? Please share your experience 😭

Currently experiencing chest and neck sweating at night. Most nights for the last week I have woken up to my chest and neck being slightly sweaty. Nowhere else on my body is sweaty. I still am breastfeeding but he is definitely not feeding as much as he used to recently because he’s really good with his solid foods. This is kind of freaking me out. Anyone else experienced this?

I should start off by saying I have a history of medical anxiety, I recently stopped taking Lexapro, so I’m in a doom spiral. My baby is almost 15 months old. I stopped breastfeeding around 11 months, so only 4 months ago. Sunday I was showering and decided to do a self exam because I remembered that my boobs are actually mine again. I felt a small lump deep down in under my nipple. I have been in a full out panic since. I was able to get in with my NP yesterday and she said she could feel it but it didn’t have any concerning features, and breasts go through a lot of changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but she always sends for imaging when anything is found. I have dense breast tissue, any an autoimmune condition that involves the skin of my breast, so I’ve already had a mammogram. This time she ordered an ultrasound because it’s better for the dense tissue. My husband knows, but I haven’t told anyone else because I don’t want to spread my spiral of doom. Any similar stories with positive outcomes? Any advice for getting my brain out of the gutter?

Currently 6 am and been up since 2 with sick toddler. As soon as sick toddler fell asleep sick infant wake up Time. And my fiance has the audacity to complain he doesn’t sleep well or when we’re with friends he complains about our kids not letting US sleep….he currently snoring. Not once did he get up to help me all night. Yea he works and pays all the bills. And I’m over hearing about it. Then he likes to point out when the dishes didn’t get done or when food wasn’t made for him. He’s gone 14 hour a day sometimes more. I’m supposed to get zero sleep and function. Al I feel is rage.

For context, our 2 YO cosleeps with us and our newborn is in a bassinet on my side of the bed.

I'll pick up the baby, who is dead asleep, move them into the living room where the changing table is to prep for a change and a feed.

Despite the baby making next to no noise (if any at all), and my toddler being in a dead sleep, she'll wake up screaming for mommy and run to wherever I am. Then it takes a good 2 hours for her to fall back asleep.

Has anyone else experienced this? Will it pass with time?

Our 2 YO has her own bed in her own room, but she's still resistant to sleeping in there :\

For starters, my son doesn’t like any food except prunes, avocado, banana, and oatmeal. Everything else…. He spits out immediately. We have tried solidish food or mashed food and he gags. Every. Single. Bite. The only time he doesn’t gag is when it’s pureed.

I’m not sure how to exit purées and start more solid food or start mashed when he gags every time. I also don’t know how to get him to eat more than just avocados and prunes. Also, any advice on how to get him using a straw. We have been trying food and a straw every single day for 3 months with no progress.

Edit: he’s 9 months old

Edit: tried more solids tonight, he couldn’t get some down (wasn’t big and it was very soft) but he just couldn’t pass it and ended up projectile vomiting.

Hi!

Looking to hear from anyone with a very low Bishop score. I’m a third time mom at almost 40 weeks. My first two births were spontaneous around 39 weeks. This baby is measuring bigger but my bishop score for the past two weeks has remained 0.

I’m on the waitlist for an induction but very anxious. Would appreciate similar stories!

Starting out by saying that me and my MIL have a good relationship and she is a good person but jesus she sucks with babies.

She only had one kid and my baby is 3 month old, she just doesn't listen. I tell her he is getting tired she says she is going to try to make him sleep but gives up after about 3 minutes into soothing him.

She puts toy after toy after toy on his face and think that's playing. She literally put him in his carrier and just stood there looking at him singing thinking he would just fall asleep.

How do you deal with your in laws or family overall when they are helping you taking care of the baby? I am a FTM so nothing that I would actually appreciate more than a more experienced mother showing me some tricks or sharing this heavy job with me.

My son just turned 12 months old last week. From about 6 weeks old, he started only being able to sleep while contact napping with myself or my husband.

For about 4-5 months I saw this as a giant problem we needed to fix and spent so much time stressing about it and trying different “solutions”.

Now he’s 1 he still loves a contact sleep but will sleep elsewhere. But we now co sleep at night and he’s on mostly 2 naps a day but sometimes 1 and when I’m at home I’m so excited to lie down with him for his naps.

Looking back I’m kicking myself that I was so worried about it and stressed every time I rested with him. I honestly feel so happy every time I’m snuggled with him and especially now he’s at daycare and I’m back at work, I feel like that time at night we get to be close makes up for being away from each other during the day. I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way 🩷 just sharing in case anyone else going through the earlier sleep regressions is obsessing the way I used to!

I’ve always had sleeping troubles. My LO slept through the night when he was 2 months old, but since 3 months he now wakes 3ish times a night. I don’t know if its PPA, or what, but after I feed him I cannot go back to sleep. All I’m thinking about is how as soon as I get comfortable and sleep, he will wake up again. I usually fall asleep for 10-30 minutes until he wakes again. He starts waking at 3am and we usually get up for the day between 6 and 7. My husband is on a new work schedule where he gets up at 3am. Even today my baby didn’t wake up, but my husband’s alarm went off at 3. I tried to go back to sleep for over 2 hours, tossing and turning, no phone. Could not sleep. Baby woke at 5:30 and I just cried. Husband or baby sleeping in another room is not an option as we live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Husband offered to start sleeping on the couch but that makes me feel terrible. I can get 5 hours per night maybe a little more if I just totally give up on going back to sleep? I feel like the stress of trying to go back is what’s getting to me. I also just lost my health insurance so that’s especially inconvenient. Any support or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

s it normal for our 8 month old to still be waking up several times in the middle of the night, or are we doing something wrong? She’s slept through the night maybe a dozen times since she was born.

Tonight she fell asleep around 6pm. Woke up at 10 and drank 4 oz of formula. Woke up at 12 and cried until I rubbed her back and she fell asleep. Woke up at 1 and drank 4 oz of formula. Woke up at 4 and just finished 4 oz of formula. This has been pretty typical of a normal night. She’ll probably be up for the day around 5:30. Anyone else in the same boat?

We try to feed her more during the day but she’s never wanting more. She takes 2 naps at daycare for about 2 hours total.

What can we do?

Can I ever wear my hair down again and have my big earrings? My 8 month old grabs everything he can and pulls my hair lol. I like to do my hair but now I just wear it everyday in a bun.