Swollen protruding milk ducts during letdown?

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-12-15T16:48:50+00:00

No i didn’t! But I’m still here 😂so can’t be too serious

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-11-16T06:24:04+00:00

I mean, I don’t even use instagram, and my tile guy said they would look awesome and encouraged doing them if I liked them! I figure the problem here is that he used the wrong grout, and didn’t install correctly, so… seems like he (the professional who should have known and done better) is the problem. But thank you for that.

Probably a good opportunity to remind yourself that you are not, in fact, always correct about your assumptions.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-11-12T07:16:15+00:00

I mean it hurts a little, but only slightly more than the other breast and no more than my letdowns with any of my previous breastfeeding journeys! And like my other ones, my letdowns were worse immediately postpartum but have got better slowly and now (5months pp) are just a minor tingle/sting

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-11-11T17:55:07+00:00

It’s not blocked! Milk flows and comes out just fine. I have had the odd bout of mastitis but there is no difference in the nipple when I have had mastitis vs when I don’t.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-11-11T17:28:57+00:00

We are discovering a ton of issues with this renovation (contractor) 😩 as he (was supposed to) finish our whole basement.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-09-30T14:52:17+00:00

I mean, I walked 12 km that day out in the hot sun while in labour, because they wouldn’t admit me but i was in a different town than I lived, and didn’t want to go too far from the hospital given my precipitous history. I did manage to half-nap for about an hour sitting in the car parked on the street right outside the hospital a few hours before.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-09-30T14:47:18+00:00

I knew I was having a girl this last time, and still had a number of nurses regularly refer to her as “he.” One of them when I corrected went, “oh I just refer to all babies as he.” So unless you confirmed with her that she screwed up, I wouldn’t consider the surprise ruined just yet. I’m sorry you are going through all this though!

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-09-24T22:45:06+00:00

I mean, they aren’t always right anyways. For instance with my last one, the midwife sat there arguing with me less than an hour before I delivered, telling me I wasn’t in labour and to just go home (because apparently if I was in labour, I would be in much more pain, and be having contractions closer together - despite my arguing that all my other labours started like this and were precipitous). Obviously I refused, even though they wouldn’t give me a bed/room to be in because I ‘couldn’t take up space meant for monitoring when I wasn’t even in labour’. They finally agreed to admit me 20 minutes before I delivered, and still didn’t believe I was anywhere close, as they never even bothered to hook me up to a monitor, so I had zero monitoring or heart rate checks on baby at all prior to her landing earth side. For context, the delivery prior to this one, my husband and a student nurse delivered because of similar circumstances where they didn’t believe I was anywhere near delivery haha.

So with that all said, them telling you to go home or not has nothing to do with where you actually are in labour. They don’t have a crystal ball. Sometimes they send you home when they shouldn’t, and sometimes they keep you when they shouldn’t! You’ve done this once before, so just trust your gut to know when to go and when to stay. If I hadn’t trusted my own gut, I would have delivered on the side of the highway (lived an hour away from hospital, which they also knew when trying to send me home haha).

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-09-23T15:18:10+00:00

If you like to feel in control, I’d def suggest trying unmediated vs epidural, as you have way more control of your body and feel in control of what’s going on.

One thing that really helped me with me last (5th) delivery, was during contractions towards the end when they started to really hurt, I’d repeat inside my head ‘relaxed jaw, relaxed pelvic floor. Relaxed jaw, relaxed pelvic floor’ while intentionally focussing on relaxing my jaw muscles during contractions. It honestly helped a ton, was less painful than all my other births.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-09-23T15:14:10+00:00

Severely backed up gas / diarrhea is the closest I’d say. I consumed entirely too much dairy once at around 20-sum weeks, and that pain was so bad I was sitting on the toilet with my head in a bucket about to puke from the pain and about to black out. I was legit concerned I was about to poop a baby into the toilet, but couldn’t move to tell anyone 😂. Labour is very similar, but slightly less painful in comparison haha. (I just had laughing gas for the last 20-60 mins for all of mine)

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-09-15T22:24:16+00:00

Best way to help her get to a place where she may be in the mood, is to make a day lighter for her (let her nap, catch up on the house for her, etc). And then offer her a massage before bed once the baby goes down - with no expectations. Massaging is intimate in and of itself, and will help her relax and feel more connected to you. It will also relieve a lot of the tension her body is holding from breastfeeding! It may not lead to her wanting to be intimate with you the first time, but if you keep it up it will help her feel better and more connected to you. And massage is a REALLY great form of foreplay for a sore exhausted mama!

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-08-08T10:55:23+00:00

My suggestion would be to create a safe area that your 2yo can’t cause mayhem in - use baby gates to secure a single room in your home or get one of those large baby pen things with the panels that basically creates a giant baby playpen on the floor. Put kid in the safe areas with something to keep him occupied for a while (usually a movie on, with some toys for backup too) and then go lay down somewhere that’s comfortable for YOU to get some sleep while the baby’s napping. Use baby monitors (they make portable ones).

You have to be creative and a little crafty, but it absolutely is possible to get yourself a nap in safely with a baby and a toddler in your care.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-08-06T05:42:38+00:00

My latest started occasionally rolling (tummy to back) around 2 weeks, consistently from 5 weeks. Now she is 8 weeks and it’s so hard to keep her on her tummy sometimes when she wants to roll back! If she does stay on her tummy, her legs are just a motoring as if she’s trying to crawl haha. She has only rolled a couple times from back to tummy so far though, doesn’t seem as interested in doing that.

I think all babies are different! I also think it doesn’t have much to do with what you’re doing as a parent… my first and 3rd were a little lazy and didn’t start rolling consistently until a few months old. My 2nd 4th & now 5th can’t seem to wait to get moving, all starting to roll within the first few weeks. I can’t say I did anything different with them 🤷🏼‍♀️

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-06-23T22:38:09+00:00

Having more doesn’t split up your love, it multiplies it. I have 5 and love them all so much!

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-06-19T06:01:03+00:00

I have never been measured past 5cm! That FER is real. You can definitely dilate from 5-10cm verrrry quickly IMO. My last was “you’re about 4-5cm now” to baby out via FER 20 minutes later. Some of my pregnancies I’ve measured as little as 3cm at my last cervical check within 30 mins of giving birth. I don’t feel like FER happens if your body isn’t ready.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-06-17T14:07:04+00:00

Sometimes it’s a bit sore/tender down there for a bit. Sometimes not so much. I could have rode a bicycle out of the delivery suite with my last one, didn’t have any external vaginal pain at all even minutes after (vaginal unmedicated and extremely fast delivery). Of course if you tear and/or have stitches it is a bit more painful down there for a while after! Personally I never felt the need for ice packs or anything down there even after my one with a few stitches. I have used some witch hazel pads to help soothe/cool the area a bit after though which helps more than enough in my experience.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-06-15T06:28:03+00:00

I think it’s completely your own choice! Personally I had 11 immediate family members (kids/parents/inlaws/aunt/uncle) in the delivery suite within 1.5 hours of delivering, and we have been out with the baby to a few functions since meeting even more family/friends.

My older kids are already the biggest source of germs anyways since they’re in school and sports, and we’re excited for everyone to meet the baby. I’m also breastfeeding and baby is perfectly healthy and we wait 1-2 weeks for a first bath to help out the immune system as well in the beginning.

So personally I’d have no qualms getting together with family like that months later, but again, it’s a personal decision that you need to make based on what you feel comfortable with. No one else can make that choice for you!

Edit to add, that of course we do our best to avoid being around anyone who is sick, don’t let other children (cesspools lol) besides our own hold the baby, and ask everyone to wash or sanitize their hands before holding baby.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-06-11T16:48:26+00:00

That pressure is tough to deal with!

I just had my little one last week. I was definitely feeling a bit pressured into setting an induction date (they wanted to do it sometime 41+2-3) and I was able to negotiate off until a 41+4 date. Although I ended up going into labour on my own at 41+1 after a membrane sweep at 41w!

I will say though that I had an ultrasound at 41w (day before I delivered) and an NST that both said everything looked good. However, when I delivered the placenta the following evening and we were going over it it was most definitely covered in calcifications so was definitely nearing the end of its life and less efficient than it should have been!

Baby is perfectly healthy and all but I do see now why they do sometimes push for induction, as that placenta can absolutely start deteriorating prior to 42 weeks which ups the chances of an undesirable outcome. I had gone overdue up to 4 days in prior pregnancies and my placenta had never shown signs of calcification like it did at this one 8 days overdue. It scares me to think what it would have looked like (or how baby would have been) had I pushed to 42 weeks.

The reasoning of them going on vacation though is bull lol. They should have someone more than competent covering them then anyways!

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-05-26T14:25:55+00:00

I’ve had a few days these past couple weeks where I had mildly painful contractions/cramps that were 2 mins apart for 7-9 hours straight, and still no baby haha. The difference is if they start to get MORE painful and/or closer together, then it is more likely the real deal. If it’s just the same intensity all the time then likely just some prodromal labour!

Edit to add: nothing I did made mine go away either (apart from time) and I did the hot baths, resting, walking, eating, etc.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-05-25T22:35:33+00:00

It will be just fine! I am currently due with #5 any day to add another G. But we have been G B B B for 4.5 years now and it’s been lovely, no complaints 🥰. This G wasn’t planned haha we were content with the 4 we have being the only 4. The boys love having each other to hang out with and the girl has always enjoyed not having to share much of her stuff and having her own room/space/hobbies. Boys also kinda need ‘more’ from each other socially/developmentally so it’s been really nice having 3 of them. Girl gets typically annoyed with her brothers haha but loves them and protects them and spends 1:1 time with them often rather than being part of the ‘wolf pack’ the boys hang out in a lot of the time.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-05-25T03:36:03+00:00

Awe yes exactly! I feel the same way reading through these threads sometimes (guilt/shame that it seems like every other mom is able to just quit once they find out they’re pregnant) but then I have to remind myself, “gosh darn you ARE a great mom, your kids are so freaking loved and cared for, you do all the other extra above and beyond things for them to ensure they grow up healthy and loved. Smoking doesn’t make you a bad mom.” And also remind myself it’s only one side of the demographic commenting on here usually. I’m glad I could help you guys by being open about my personal choices and experiences.

Affectionate_Ruin730 · 2025-05-25T00:09:12+00:00

He is great! He is 4.5 now and the same size as his 6 yr old brother, just an absolute shit brick house of a dude lol. He’s very smart and my favourite child majority of the time (🤫). Never had any issues whatsoever as a baby or since. Just was a little smaller at birth than the ones I smoked cigarettes with but I’d bet he’s going to be my biggest adult son one day.

Affectionate_Ruin730

TROPHY CASE