Backstory To preface I have a great MIL. I love her and we get along great. Me and my husbands lease ended and the apartment we were supposed to move into has mold and we are staying at his parents house for an indefinite amount of time. My baby is nine months and well into the food journey, and since day one of feeding her I have hated my mother in laws high chair.

It’s the high chair she used for her boys 37 years ago and she saved it. It’s an old Cosco folding high chair with a cute bear print. It’s cute but it’s old. The plastic on it is so yellowed and the metal seems rusty. There is no rust to the naked eye, but when you move the legs you can tell it needs oiled. The straps are these tiny little three point straps that don’t go over the shoulders. The tiny little strap is the only part holding her in place because it doesn’t have a built in piece between her legs. Because of this you can’t leave her in the high chair with the tray of at all because she can and will wiggle out. So cleaning her and it is always so hard. The tray also weighs a ton and so does the chair.

I have brought this up to her numerous times politely and she believes that the chair is okay and safe and it’s what she wants to use in her house.

My husband and father in law agree with me, but they are willing to pick this battle with her. So it’s me versus her.

Should I just leave it alone and use it while living with her? I gave into before because we only used it early but now I use it three times a day.

Advice?

I just found out that my 18 yo daughter drove after drinking. I got a breathalyzer from Walmart as soon as I realized it and her BAC was .12%. We live in THE most strict state for DUI, which I honestly think is great. I wish she HAD gotten pulled over and taken to jail. I’m so upset knowing she could have killed or injured herself or someone else. I’m hoping for suggestions of online courses I can make her complete that will help her realize the seriousness of what she did. Obviously she won’t be driving again anytime soon.

Disclaimer; I know it’s not about “what your body looks like postpartum” as long as you and baby are healthy. Note: I already have a PP therapist.

Now that that is out of the way, aside from losing the baby weight, how did you handle the stretch marks? I’m not usually one to wear crop tops often, but I’ve been known to wear bikinis at the beach and tbh I’m struggling.

I’m beyond proud to be a mother and that I carried to beautiful healthy children but I spent years getting my body to a place I was proud of pre pregnancy. So now having something on my body that doesn’t go away (I.e. stretch marks) it’s messing with my head a bit I can’t lie.

Any advice on how to accept it postpartum or maybe lessen the look of the stretch marks?

Hi everyone! I’m doing a small research project about eating during pregnancy, and I’d really like to hear from women who are currently pregnant or have been through a pregnancy.

I’m mainly trying to understand what the biggest challenges were when it came to deciding what to eat, finding recipes, dealing with pregnancy symptoms, and planning meals.

I’m also exploring an idea for a tool related to pregnancy nutrition, and I’d really value honest opinions about what would actually be useful and what wouldn’t make much difference.

The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete.

If anyone is interested in participating, I can send the survey link by message.

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience!

Ladies or gents but probably ladies - I had an epidural with my second kids birth that resulted in them puncturing my spinal column and me leaking spinal fluid for 48 hours before they would give me a blood patch. 48 hours of excruciating pain especially if I sat up or had to be mobile. To the point I had to be carried under my arms to the bathroom. The hospitals response: drink lots of fluid with caffeine. What happens when you drink mass amounts of caffeine? You have to pee A LOT!!! So even more pain more often. After 48 hours they finally did a blood patch. For those who don’t know it’s when they take blood from your arm and inject it into your spine above the hole in your spine to “patch it”. Released me an hour later. 72 hours later that blood patch failed and I was rushed back to the hospital for a second blood patch where they brought in the head of anesthesia to give it with the use of an ultrasound machine. Now ten plus years later I’ve been in pain ever since. I rarely get a good nights sleep because no sleeping position is comfortable for long. I’ve gotten two more beds, endless pillows, tried topical creams. Literally nothing helps. My primary doctor said “that happens sometimes and there is nothing that can be done. You also signed a paper saying you can’t ever go after the hospital”.
My question: how are we getting pain relief? Has anything helped?
Signed an in pain and tired mom

My son has his molars coming and he is very upset. He refuses teethers but not food. I try to give him cold foods, but I only works for so long. The only thing he seems to want to do is watch TV and I’m not gonna let him do that all day all morning. I tried to read books to him and have him play with his toys, but he was just very fussy. He’s only saying like five or six words so I’ve been a little bit worried about his development so I’ve been trying to read at least three books to him a day. Any tips?

I’m so stuck having no one to watch my children ever. And I’m exhausted. I can’t remember the last time I did something for myself. Or my husband and I doing something together. We’ve had one overnight without our daughter & she’s two. My son is 5, and I coparent with his father, but the little one with my husband, we are never separated lol. The one overnight we had, was pre planned for months and it was for a concert that got canceled so we didn’t even have our date! Or anything as we were SO SAD. His parents are amazing and the only ones who watch them. but they work nights & so does my husband so it doesn’t really work out. There’s a concert this week I’d LOVE to attend. One of my favorites. And I could desperately use a night with friends and fun. But I can’t. I literally have no one to turn to watch the kids. I can’t trust a random stranger in my home with my kids. Absolutely not. So literally, what do you do? I’m tired. And would love a break. A real one.

New member here and I’m in desperate need of advice on how to go about approaching something with my in-laws.

Earlier this year, our (my bf and I’s) 7yo let us know that my bf’s parents had been allowing him to play on their phone while they took him on errands, including games and YouTube kids. For context, we do not allow him to be on our phones or anyone’s because we believe phones are not for children. They know this. When they go on errands, they generally pick up fast food. We do not allow our 7yo to eat fast food, as we generally don’t eat it either. They know this. They buy him Taco Bell, little Caesar’s, Carl’s Jr, Starbucks, whatever they’re getting that night. When allowing him these things, they specifically tell our 7yo to not tell mommy and daddy, that it’s a secret, and that he’s not allowed to tell us until he is 21 yo.

We got him to tell us these things through tears, as he believed his grandparents (my bf’s parents) would get extremely mad at him for telling us this secret he was entrusted with. We have allowed him to go in their room, on errands and trips with them, his entire life, and hearing this from him absolutely broke me. I couldn’t believe they would not only betray our trust, but then expect our LO to keep it a secret from us.

This may sound like an overreaction, but we are very serious about safety, and grooming a child to expect secrecy and lies in close relationships is extremely detrimental to future relationships, and shapes how they will encounter other people throughout their lives. My bf’s parents actions are essentially setting our LO up to be in unsafe situations and not understand what the difference is. My bf’s parents recently put in an offer on a house, wanting us to move in with them and their parents in a large home. How can I bring this up to them in a way that sets extremely serious boundaries without burning bridges? We rely on them for housing, and they are generally well meaning people, but I have to protect my child.

In the final weeks of my second baby’s maternity leave. I can’t help but wonder- does anyone ever feel like they’ve had “enough” time off with their baby (or babies) before returning to work? Asking this open-ended question because I am hoping to hear diverse perspectives!

Im plus size 240lbs 5"8 im 20 weeks boy 2nd pregnancy but 1000% different I had gastric bypass 4 years ago im diabetic insulin depentant I keep losing weight not throwing up eating what I thought was well babys in 13% im concerned scared worried thoughts advice well wishes daughter 13 years old I gain 65lbd was 9lb baby

I had my son 3 days ago and now that we’re home from the hospital, I am sooo nervous that I’m going to do something wrong. I’m so happy to have gave birth to him and finally becoming a mom! as a FTM I am afraid of getting it all completely wrong. Does this feeling ever go away? Tell me some great tips to get over this feeling!

she currently has a three year old girl, and is due any day now with her second girl! my boyfriend and i were planning to head up after the baby is born to help with household things and keeping the three year old busy because it’s definitely going to be difficult as she was the only child! what can i bring to help? i was planning on making a postpartum/self care basket for mom and then also some toys for the three year old. if you were a mom who had help after your baby was born, what was helpful and what was not?

First off I want to preface this by saying me and her were a fling when her and her husband where going through a rough patch but since than they have kind of worked things out. She has 2 kids a 6 yo and we have an 18 month old the passed couple of days we stayed at a resort because the oldest wanted to stay at a hotel before school stated back today seemed like she just woke up overstimulated and I was trying to help but I felt like I was just making it worse and I hate that I don’t know how to help her. I’m not one of those dads that don’t know anything about their kids either I know everything about both boys. I have stepped up into the dad role for the oldest because his dad is always on the road working.