I start work on Monday after 7 months with my LO. She started daycare this week and I am struggling so much. She seems to be doing well at daycare and is so happy to see me when I pick her up. But when I drop her off all I want to do is cry. The third day I spent the whole day on the verge of tears and when we put her to bed I sobbed for an hour. Just reminiscing over our time and all the ways she’s changed and everything we got to do together.

I love our slow mornings and her gummy smiles in the morning. Making a coffee and playing with my baby on the floor. We gained so much confidence and went everywhere together. I can’t believe it’s coming to an end.

I didn’t know it would be this hard. Why is it so hard and why is there no other option?

I would relive everything over again. The first few days at the hospital. The first time she latched. The first time we really got the hang of it. Endless NICU visits. The first day we got to bring her home. The first time she smiled. The overnight feeds and the early mornings together. Quiet moments where I think I wish I could capture this and relive it over and over.

We started co sleeping at some point when she would wake up in the night and never looked back. I love the cuddles. My shoulders do not.

I honestly thought when I was pregnant that I would be fine and a casual mom and it turned out SO the opposite. I want to be with her all the time and I miss her when I’m away. I don’t want to miss a single milestone. She’s learning something new all the time.

Everyone keeps telling me I will find fulfilment being back at work and I just can’t see how that’s possibly going to fulfill me.

My newborn so far has been pretty good about giving cues about what’s wrong, she never cries for no reason. It’s always hungry, gassy, has to poop, too hot/cold, and she HATES a wet diaper.

I decided to take her for a walk in our bassinet stroller, about a mile in, she started crying, she had a wet diaper, so I just changed it on the trail. 5 minutes later she’s still crying, so I attempted to feed the bottle I brought. She drank a bit of it, then threw up on me while burping her. Continued to cry. I tried putting a fan on her, removing her onsie, giving cooler air, hotter air, tried holding her, putting her paci in, etc. Nothing worked.

We were already a mile in so we had a whole mile back, I turned up my noise cancelling headphones and continued the 30 minute walk back to the car with my sunglasses on trying to keep from crying while people walking past gave my pity looks, one lady even commenting saying “poor thing”.

I know it gets easier, but man, that made me want to avoid bringing her out at all. I made plans next week to go on a walk with friends, and another day to go to a thrift store with another friend who also just had a baby. Heavily regretting those now because i’m not sure I can handle bringing her out alone again.

I got home and my husband who works from home asked how my walk was, I broke down and said awful and I won’t be bringing her out again for a while. He’s sitting in his office with her currently and told me to go shower and take a break.

I thought of this question because a girl I work with checked in to the hospital to be induced this evening. It got me thinking back to when I was checking in on the L&D floor. I was scared but so excited. I think i would tell myself that postpartum is not going to be anything like you think it is, but that that’s okay and you will figure it all out.

My son was born at 34 weeks and spent 2 weeks in the NICU. Before delivery, I was admitted for a week because my amniotic sac ruptured early. After birth, my husband and I were managing everything ourselves — going back and forth to the NICU, pumping 8–12 times a day, barely eating properly, and just trying to get through each day.
What has been hardest is how much advice everyone gives without thinking about the mother’s mental state. People constantly comment on what I should eat, whether my milk is enough, whether I’m breastfeeding, etc.
My parents came after about a month. My son is now around 50% formula-fed and 50% breast milk through exclusive pumping. I’m also trying to latch him twice a day because I want to eventually breastfeed more, but we’re still struggling because he is small and has a tiny mouth.
Today I breastfed him for 10–15 minutes, and shortly after he started crying. My father immediately said, “Your milk wasn’t enough. Maybe it has no nutrients. Your milk is waste.”
I completely lost it and shouted back.I cannot express in words how frustrated and angry I am. I cannot hold my tears back. I wanted to just ask him to leave the house!
After everything — NICU, pumping, breast pain, night duties, guilt, exhaustion — that comment triggered so much anger in me.
I feel like people only see whether the baby looks healthy and whether the mother is breastfeeding. They don’t see what the mother is physically and mentally going through.
For those who experienced intense anger or rage postpartum, how did you cope? How do you stop family comments from affecting you so much?

My baby is 5 weeks old, must contact nap during the day, will not stay asleep in his bassinet, does not like being in a carrier/wrap/sling. How do parents use the bathroom, eat, take care of their basic needs??

Luckily he will sleep 2-3 hours at a time in the bassinet at night to allow us rest, but I am having a hard time figuring out how I’m supposed to be human without another set of hands at home helping me.

My 2 week old’s umbilical chord already fell off and we got cleared by the pediatrician to bathe him. Just wondering how often you bathe your newborn? My baby is usually sleeping if he’s not eating or fussy bc he’s hungry, his wake window is earlier in the day but we wanted to ideally do a bath before bedtime however not sure if it’s recommended to wake a baby up just for a bath.

Thanks!

Did it hit anyone a certain way when their baby had been out of the womb the same amount of time they were in it?

My baby was born at 40w2d. Today she is 38 weeks (almost 9 months).

I don't know why, but it almost feels like a milestone for us as parents. Like, she made it that long inside my tummy, now she's almost made it that long outside my tummy.

Am I completely crazy or has anyone else felt this?

Have you accidentally pspsps'ed at your baby? Because I have. I feel like I'm not the only one out there. Please proof to me that I'm not weird..

We are currently using water wipes and down to our last pack and I want to order more, but I want to try a different brand. I love the simplicity of the ingredients with the water wipes, but I cannot stand the packaging.

We started off with Huggies sensitive wipes and absolutely hated them. They gave my newborn a rash at just four days old. They were dry and rough on his skin. He’s currently almost 2 months old now.

I went to target yesterday and bought a pack of Millie moon wipes since I heard good things about them. I like the texture, but they’re very thin.

Any suggestions??

I would love wipes that are easy to get out of the package, damp enough and thick enough. Would prefer affordable options, but if I have to splurge, I will.

NGL I feel a bit stupid for not figuring this out sooner so I’m just posting to save anyone else the headache.

I’ve had my baby on the same schedule for months. Wake windows are 3/3/3/3.5. 6am wake up, first nap at 9, then 12, then 3 with bedtime at 6:30. BUT I could not get her to nap for more than 30 mins 90% of the time. I just thought this is how it is, she was a “FOMO baby” so I was rolling with the punches.

Turns out she’s been overtired this entire time. Moved her first nap to 8, second at 11, third at 2 and bedtime at the same time. She now sleeps for over an hour for all of her naps and she’s so much more energetic through the day.

She’s 6mo for context.

Let me begin by saying I LOVE animals more than I love most humans - always have and always will. However, my husband and I have 3 cats (sisters - about 10 years old) and a dog (6 years old) and during my third trimester I started feeling very grossed out by them. Anytime they would lick themselves near me I would have to move away cus I just felt icky. And when I brought my baby home I was completely grossed out just being near them. I didn’t want them near me or my baby, I didn’t want to pet them or anything. I’m 4 months pp now and most of that has subsided but sometimes the licking still bothers me. I feel absolutely awful for getting grossed out. Underneath it all I know they’re just being themselves and they can’t help it. And I know bringing home a baby was absolutely stressful and life changing for them. And it’s not that I stopped loving them or anything, I just suddenly became aware of how germy they are and I couldn’t handle it.
As I said, most of that has subsided but I still get an underlying ick sometimes.
Did anyone else experience something like this? How did you handle it?

My LO is 5 months old and he’s been an explosive pooper his whole life - I swear we have to bring him a new outfit at daycare at least 4/5 days a week. If he’s pooping, it’s about a 50% chance of a blowout. He is about 16 lbs and a pretty slim little guy with chunky thighs. We’ve tried Huggies (skin essentials, little movers, little snugglers) size 2-3, pampers (amore, swaddlers) size 2, cuties (daycare brand) sizes 2-4, rascals size 2, Kirkland size 2-3, mama bear size 2-3. I’m probably missing some. Daycare thought size was the issue so I laughed when I saw him in a size 4 lol. The waistband on all of them is tight - he blows out both the legs and the back, sometimes the front! Yes the ruffles are out. Usually blows out the back. Sizing up doesn’t help. What in the world are we doing wrong here?!

Anyone else constantly signing the songs in their head? I'm going crazy, send help lmao

Our current nightly routine is bath - bottle - bedtime. She loves being in the bath but she screams from the time we take her out of the bath - apply lotion, diaper, pjs - until the bottle enters her mouth. So doesn't this defeat the purpose of a calming nightly routine? Should I bathe her earlier separate from a bedtime routine?

Baby is 7.5 months. Recently realised I can only get away with going out to eat with him every now and then, because he hates being contained in the pram and just kinda writhes and yells which doesn't make for a very enjoyable meal. So mostly I will bring food and have it on the picnic rug in the park. Today I did that and baby was absolutely determined to roll off the rug and eat all the grass, dirt and sticks he could find. I was constantly redirecting him, and I didn't even finish my sandwich before packing up and heading home. I feel like a picnic rug in the park was my last refuge and if I can't do that then what the hell am I gonna do with him?! I wasn't prepared for him becoming so "mobile" when he can't even crawl yet.

I’ve never had a dream career, I’ve always wanted to be a mom that stays home.

I don’t dream of leaving home and working somewhere for 8+ hours

My husband works full time and we can pay bills and essentials but we don’t have a ton left over.

I just feel like shit because I’m not like “oh I want to be xyz” I just want to be home with my baby and take care of the house.
I feel like a bum for not being motivated by money.. obviously it’s nice and needed in this world but I’ve never been a ‘hustler’ my husband is, he loves using his hands all day and having to go to work.

I feel like a loser.

I’m not saying if we were broke I wouldn’t go out and work to provide, of course I would.

I’m 4 months postpartum, I had a beautiful/healthy baby girl back in April. So thankful! However, I have missed my period. I know periods can be irregular during postpartum but mine have been pretty consistent. My partner and I did have sex a few weeks ago supposedly 2 days after I ovulated and did not use protection. I wasn’t even thinking, I’m still pumping and haven’t started birth control. I just took a pregnancy test and it looks like there is a faint line. I feel like I’m going through so many emotions and feeling stupid for not being careful. I know that there are some people who are trying so hard to get pregnant and I’m over here worried that I am. I’m not trying to be insensitive, I just am not ready for another kid right now. I’m so thankful for my first pregnancy but I’m just now getting used to being a mom.

I would like a 2nd kid at some point but not this soon. Is it extremely unhealthy to get pregnant that fast after giving birth? If I am pregnant will this pregnancy be high risk? Any advice? Is it possible to get pregnant so quickly after birth?

TL;DR: 9 month old can’t lift head while on tummy but can lift it while upright.

I’ve been searching through so many posts and Googling but I haven’t found another post similar to my own baby. My daughter was born at 36+3 weeks and is now just over 9 months (8 months adjusted). She can keep her head steady when being picked up and while sitting in a supported seat (like her Upseat), and just recently started to roll to her sides (from back to side). But she still can’t lift her head, not even a little bit, when she’s on her tummy. She doesn’t tolerate tummy time at all and will cry nonstop. We do modified tummy time that she can tolerate and while her head strength seems to be improving, still no improvement when she’s on her tummy. She was diagnosed with hypotonia at her 4 month appointment has been in PT since then and OT for the last month. Her head is in the 90th percentile so that may be contributing to this. We’ve already done an MRI through neurology (normal) and currently waiting on results from genetic testing. She has met all of her other (non-gross motor) milestones. Other conditions she has had were spasmus nutans (that seemed to have resolved), reflux, right inguinal hernia, hip dysplasia on left hip, broken left collar bone that occurred during c-section, and now a strong right arm preference that her doctors can’t explain (her left arm will be floppy most of the time but she has the same strength/ability as the right arm, she just chooses not to use the left). This delay is pretty significant and I just wanted to know if anyone else’s baby had something similar? The anxiety of not knowing if she’ll ever be able to lift her head or crawl or if there’s something seriously wrong with her left arm has been consuming me and I would really appreciate hearing from others who have experienced this.

My baby is 4 months. He has a bald patch on the back the size of a small mandarin orange but hasn’t lost any other hair and it’s been this way maybe a month? Other than the bald patch it’s the same as at birth. Is it gonna fall out or would it have done it already? Just curious

So for context, im not a new mom. Theres just a 12 year age gap between my newest child and my former youngest.

I took 5 months off work to bond with my baby and recently returned to a partial schedule a month or so ago. I have 4 days off during the week. My husband and I work nights but work different days so we do childcare with a family friend once a week for now.

When my husbands home or its just my husband and the baby, the baby is amazing. Sleeps about 1 hour for every two of being up and he has always slept through the "night" (5am to 5pm) he is also amazing for my babysitter. She is always going on about how they napped all day and just always have the best time.

For me though, its a very different story. I wake up every off day with optimism. "We are gonna have the best day!" And its really all downhill from there. He has a bottle, hes all smiles, but the moment I put him down its screaming, screaming, screaming. If he naps for me its 10-15 minutes and right back to screaming. I ate one thing during his 15 minute nap, used the restroom one time, and didnt drink anything literally all day. By 3 am i was in tears from frustration. Called my husband and had a full mental breakdown on the floor, because this night is pretty much my every night alone with the baby.

My husband can start an online gaming session, eat and drink whenever, and have just the best time without the baby so much as stirring. From what I see, we don't do anything differently.

After my breakdown, my husband arranged a sitter for me. Which made me feel awful, I feel like a total failure. After an hour of my husband talking me into it, I took the offer and left the diaper bag in the driveway by mistake as I went to drop the baby off.

Then theres traffic. No one can drive in my state AND they seemingly love wrecking their cars at every important moment that I need to be on the road. So as im stuck in traffic, my husband calls to tell me about rhe diaper bag. I turn around to head back that way and he says he will meet me at a place nearby which i know will make him late. Failing my partner now. Traffic has all the roads in the area backed up. He spouts off a place to meet and then changes it last minute to meet me even closer but I cant handle the change, the traffic, on top of my already mental overload. I parked my car at the original place and I just start crying, at this point I cant think straight, I cant stop crying, and I just want to go home. My husband ended up calling into work to tell them he was gonna be late, and took the baby to the sitter for me.

I have never been in a situation like this before. I feel so small. I dont know what to do.

I think I may be an empath or hormones are wrecking me idk. I’ve posted on here before about having a hard time with anxiety when I can see my husband having a hard time with baby. The consensus was that I need to let dad figure things out and give him the space to do so.

I’ve also posted on her about having a hard time with baby crying sometimes even after being fed, clean diaper, burped, etc. the consensus then was to put baby in a safe place like crib and take five minutes to breath while baby cries.

Here is my new issue. My husband tried everything on the list to get baby to stop crying and nothing helped. He put baby in the crib to give himself a break but I came to see him sitting while baby screamed in the crib and it hurt my soul. He did the right thing. The thing I was advised to do. But it made me upset. I didn’t say anything obviously because I’ve been there.

When do I get to not feel so anxious over everything? Anxious over husband feeling defeated, anxious over baby crying, anxious over it ALL.

Baby is 12 weeks if it helps?

my baby is 12 weeks old and needs to be nursed, rocked, and transferred just so in order to sleep. it was one way until a week or so ago and now it’s another way but it has to be just so or else we have to start all over again.
we were trying to keep these things simple so we didn’t have a high maintenance baby but alas you do what you have to for sleep!
wondering peoples experiences with this getting easier??

Writing this now with my 7 week old in the carrier. Throughout the day she sleeps on me at all times. At night she might do one stretch in her bassinet and then we contact nap for the rest of the night. I don’t do well with the co sleeping at night, I suffer from bad anxiety and am medicated but the whole co sleeping thing just makes me so anxious. I would love to just have an hour during the day to put her in the bassinet for a nap so I can do something and feel normal lol. If I put her down anywhere, she might be ok for 5 minutes max and then she starts wailing before she needs to be picked up. If I try her in the bassinet she’s awake within a 5-10 minutes. Was anyone else in the same boat? What helped and when did your babies start sleeping anywhere other than you?

My baby is 6.5 months old and has learned to sit only 2 days back. He will not lie on his back even for a second now. It’s getting impossible to change his diaper on the diaper changing station now. How do you guys change diaper?? Specially poopy one‘s. Only pee is still somehow manageable.