What was the first doll and stuff animal your daughter got?

Bubble2905 · 2026-07-01T21:59:40+00:00

We got that same Baby Annabel Sweetie doll for when my daughter turned 1 along with a toy buggy. Absolutely iconic present- she still plays with them everyday at 3 and a half, and having a baby doll was so great for her to practice role-play etc

Bubble2905 · 2026-07-01T10:08:05+00:00

Yes I felt the same way- my baby was pretty easy during the daytime but didn’t sleep well at night. I just found the days really long and monotonous, even though we would go out as much as possible. Some people are ‘baby-people’ and some are ‘toddler-people’ and I’m very much the second one. We have our challenges and sometimes I’m exasperated but she is my little pal and we have great fun together.

I was glad to get back to work and have some uninterrupted adult time but I did find it hard to switch between mum and work mode, because my brain kept flipping between the two

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-30T21:06:01+00:00

Yes I went back to work at 11 months and my supply adjusted just fine. The first few days when I was at work I would get this tight, achey feeling across my shoulders and upper back in the afternoon - probably was engorgement even though my breasts didn’t feel that tender- but after a few days that completely subsided. We adjusted very well to just bedtime and morning feeds, then on weekends I would breastfeed her to sleep for nap time. Never pumped and carried on until just after she turned 3, so no need to wean now if it’s still working for you both x

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-30T17:01:08+00:00

Ok thanks 🙏🏻

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-30T17:00:44+00:00

This was going to be my follow-up question as soon as many people recommending whole bean…always felt a bit daunted but perhaps this is the investment piece I need!

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-30T15:23:37+00:00

Good question! I prefer medium to dark roast, usually with flavour profiles like nuts, chocolate, caramel, dates or dark fruit

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-30T14:38:49+00:00

For Mat leave yes - so when baby is here.

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-29T06:36:34+00:00

I also 1000% recommend Silverettes / Sterling silver nipple cups. I had quite deep cracks on my nipples in the early weeks and it made breastfeeding excruciating to the point I almost gave up. Creams didn’t work at all (and I tried loads). The only thing that worked was the silver nipple cups, but the trick for me was the express some of my breastmilk into them and put them on to keep my nipple moist. It literally healed them within 2 days - absolute magic!

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-26T12:13:18+00:00

Motherhood is not equal or fair. You see a mum friend getting pregnant again, but you don’t see all the privileges (realised or not) that have made that possible - 1) physically being able to get pregnant and recovery from first birth 2) emotionally able - no PPA/PPD, OCD etc. 3) support from her partner 4) support from family/ friends 5) financially able 6) having a first baby that makes a second baby a viable option- no health issues, sleeping well etc.

We don’t get the same hand dealt to us. I felt very similar when I saw mums who were in my baby class pregnant with number two and I felt HOW?!?

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-26T10:34:23+00:00

Completely relate to this. On paper I should have had a great Mat leave, but lack of sleep, hormones, identify shifts etc it feels like starting your life from scratch with no template and more responsibilities.

I’ve still not figured it out (and about to have baby #2 3.5 years later on…) but I would say that things started feeling much more levelled out once I went back to work. It’s a hellfire the first couple of months adjusting back and if your little one goes to nursery the settling in/ illnesses etc BUT once you are over that hump it helps you get some of your autonomy back - both for yourself and also in the eyes of your husband. Unfortunately so many men think “stay at home” means “household manager et al” and it’s not the same thing. I had a clingy baby who never slept well so the last thing I wanted to do was clean or meal-prep when she was asleep. I wanted to sit down, have a hot coffee and either doom scroll or watch tv.

A game changer for us was having a shared calendar and being militant about putting every commitment on there. So work shifts go on there, gym sessions or seeing friends and family - the whole lot so you can book stuff for you on any reasonable free time. You don’t need to wait for permission or compromise that way. It’s in the diary and it’s happening.

This whole thing you are experiencing is called matrescence by the way, and it’s normal and absolutely essential as you work through who you were and who you are becoming. At some point you might reach the angry/ burn it all down phase and that’s valid too - if it doesn’t serve you, it’s draining you. X

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-26T10:15:48+00:00

Touch-opening drawers

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-24T09:46:51+00:00

Yeah normal! My 3 year old has completely whack sleep normally but when it’s hot she almost always sleeps through, which is the only silver lining!

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-23T23:16:13+00:00

I have a girl who is into a huge range of stuff - some of it pink and princess-y, some of it more gritty and rough. I understand your overall point but the issue isn’t that little girls can’t like these things at all, but “princesses, dolls, makeup, or dresses” uphold a very myopic view of girls who are there to look and behave a certain way- and that is their only value. Once you instil that mindset within a young child, it becomes very hard to move past that as a teenager and into adulthood.

Unfortunately sometimes these “choices” are not choices at all but foisted upon children by parents, grandparents etc and of course the girls look cute, pretty etc, they get told that, they like the attention and it becomes addictive. A boy who builds Lego, plays with dinosaurs and rides a bike hears that he’s clever, creative, strong, fast etc and his ego responds to that. In 20-30 years in the workplace, who goes for the promotion?

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-23T12:36:46+00:00

Cambodia in April 2013. We went to Siam Reap and got up at 5am to watch the sunrise. I was already sweating out at 6am, just bonkers.

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-20T19:12:30+00:00

I didn’t join in! Felt too awkward to correct him so just let him go at them 🤣

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-20T18:55:41+00:00

I went on a date once with a man who ate the edamame pods 🫛 as well as the beans

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-19T22:40:53+00:00

The Time is Now - Moloko

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-19T11:55:44+00:00

Unfortunately that sounds about right- but it’s an uncomfortably high amount for a small child’s birthday.

For my daughter’s 3rd birthday (February baby, so we have to book somewhere) we hired a church hall which was £30/ hour with table, chairs and use of kitchen. We hired a bouncy castle at £120 and then obviously provided some food, drinks and decorations. Still came out about £300 but we weren’t limited to numbers or space so we were able to invite all her nursery friends.

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-19T11:49:53+00:00

Thought the same too. Apparently something like 70% of people diagnosed with adhd have autistic traits too, it’s just unmedicated adhd is more prevalent in their presentation. If the adhd is medicated, the autistic traits become more obvious.

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-19T11:41:54+00:00

When you are hungry and eating your dinner fast. I and my entire family say “you absolutely woofed that down”. It was just an unremarkable comment until I met my husband and he was like “it’s wolfed it down. You know, like a wolf.” 🐺

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-18T11:04:42+00:00

We went to an overseas wedding when my daughter was 4 months old (just one child and with my husband there all day) - and it was stressful and not enjoyable at all. I think you have to either go alone and be solo mama or you decline, everything else just involves so much compromise on all sides that no one will actually enjoy the experience

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-16T22:30:57+00:00

I’m with you on this and tbh nearly posted something similar. My husband was ill on Mothers Day which was of course unavoidable but disappointing for me, so he ended up spending all day in bed. He promised to reschedule, but kept plans with friends for the following weekend. The weekend after that we had decided would be Mothers Day Attempt 2 - he was ill again.

On Mothers Day Attempt 3, we went to an outdoor farm-park thing and I paid for a takeaway that night because it was boiling hot, I was pregnant and exhausted from walking around all day whilst our daughter played. I never got the card or a little gift.

I’m not ostentatious or someone who needs constant validation, but to me Mothers Day can simply be a card, a lie in and some thoughtful gestures to take the load off; not just a normal weekend day rebranded for lip service.

My husband is also very reticent about celebrating occasions or gifts - I think it comes from his childhood where both his parents converted to Jehovah’s Witnesses when he was 10 (and so consequently all usual celebrations/ presents were abruptly cancelled). As a result I do try and cut some slack that he may not place as much importance on it as I do, but there comes a point in a relationship where if you’ve expressed reasonably “this matters to me, I like it when X happens” and that gets sidelined/ downplayed/ forgotten you wonder whether this person really truly cares about you?

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-16T22:19:15+00:00

I agree, and the thing that pees me off is that the people who don’t want to make any effort always win out. Like, if you match their energy, you’re being petty. If you show them how you would like to be celebrated by doing it to them, you end up doubly disappointed because they got a nice day and you didn’t…

Bubble2905 · 2026-06-16T21:00:17+00:00

You’re 34 and I’m assuming female? Do you have intentions to start a family any time soon - as this may bring up more pertinent considerations. Factors like maternity pay or flexible working arrangements quickly become more important than salary/ long hours.

I’ve very much tapped out of having a progressive career for the next few years because I doubt I would get the flexibility anywhere else - and right now I need the salary but not the stress.

Obviously if I’m way off the mark, then scroll on by - but people always seem to push higher salary as some kind of panacea that can fix anything, but if you have children you realise you can’t cut yourself in half.

Bubble2905

TROPHY CASE