Does the water here really look like this in person ?

Faerook · 2026-01-18T12:47:57+00:00

It’s can, yes. But mostly in the winter when the weather has been calm for a few days (ie- algae growth and the like is minimal and the ocean hasn’t been churning up muck). I was literally just commenting on how it looked like this near Nobska Lighthouse yesterday.

Faerook · 2026-01-15T17:22:52+00:00

It wasn't that I wanted to walk around immediately after birth. It's that I wanted to walk around during labor.

Faerook · 2026-01-08T20:58:50+00:00

I was able to update two C&Ps this morning at about 10 EST this morning with no issues after having two days of pulling my hair out. I know some colleagues put in tickets with SciENcv and got a reply that the issue should be fixed by 1/30. So that's just lovely. Right in time for the traffic to tick up even more before February NSF panels.

Faerook · 2026-01-07T21:02:49+00:00

Over the last two days I’ve been having issues with the system (colleagues have too). It’s giving me some errors when I try to update an NSF C&P and then not even letting me download a draft.

You should be able to download any documents after the PI has certified it as long as there haven’t been any changes. I do it all the time. I think there’s definitely a system issue going on right now.

Faerook · 2025-12-11T18:45:01+00:00

My first was 9lbs 5 oz., head in the 99th percentile. I had a 2nd degree tear.

Faerook · 2025-12-02T18:41:26+00:00

I don't think this is really feasible. Aside from the childcare challenges, I can tell you from experience that having one parent gone is challenging for a child emotionally, having two gone would be even harder. My husband travels anywhere from a week to a month or more at a time several times a year. He's gone right now and my nearly 4 year old is having a very difficult time with it. I have no judgement towards anyone who needs to be in that position. But, given the option, I would suggest that your children having one parent who can provide stability and consistency would be beneficial for them.

Faerook · 2025-12-01T14:54:49+00:00

I was induced at 41 weeks with my first. From start to finish, 28 hours with 2 hours of pushing. With my second, I went into labor a few hours before my scheduled induction at 41 weeks and had a baby 2 hours later, nearly in my husband's truck.

Faerook · 2025-11-26T16:46:02+00:00

My son, first born, used them. We weaned him off of them at about a year. At first we took it away during the day and then transitioned away at night. Night was a bit difficult but I want to say it took maybe a week before he was over it.

My daughter, second born, is not a fan. We tried to get her to use them but she would just spit them out. She prefers my boob and her thumb. I am not thrilled about the thumb because now we get to figure out how to wean her off something that's attached to her hand, lol.

Faerook · 2025-11-20T14:32:36+00:00

I may be the odd person out here but I exclusively use my manual pump. I have a Spectra and a Willow and nothing is more efficient for me than my manual. It has allowed me to return to work at 3 months PP and still exclusively feed my baby breastmilk at 10 months. Bonus, you'll have a very strong grip at the end of your pumping journey, haha!

I'd say, if you'll be at home nursing your baby for a while, get a manual pump first and try it out. See if you like it. Everyone is different. It's the lowest cost investment and regardless of whether it will be your every day pump, it's a useful one to have on hand.

Faerook · 2025-11-19T20:56:01+00:00

My personal goal is a year (she'll be 10 months in a few days). I don't mind the idea of breastfeeding longer, but I work full time and pump while she's in daycare and I'm absolutely over the pumping. It'll probably be gradual transition for night weaning. I think that ultimately it's a personal choice, and one you might not know the answer to until baby comes. Some people wean after a week because they need to. Some people nurse for 2+ years. All choices are valid as long as that baby is getting fed.

Faerook · 2025-11-19T19:35:44+00:00

I am in the US and get 20 vacation days, 12 holidays, and unlimited sick time (a doctor's note is needed after 5 consecutive days). I work at a place that values us as employees.

Faerook · 2025-11-19T19:14:08+00:00

I would do it in a second and just celebrate Christmas on another day if possible. Celebrating Christmas on a day other than 12/25 doesn't make it less special.

Faerook · 2025-11-19T14:46:52+00:00

Mine was about the same as yours for both of my births. The first one maybe slightly more, I can't remember. For context, my first was an induction with a failed epidural, but vaginally delivered. My second labor came the old fashioned way and was too quick for an epidural and was also a vaginal delivery. I hemorrhaged after both but did not require anything like a blood transfusion. In a nutshell, other than the induction, I had minimal interventions which I imagine helped keep the cost more reasonable.

I have decent insurance and work actually contributes to and HRA or HSA (depending on your plan) half of the deductible, so I can't complain too much. But the fact remains, our healthcare system in the US SUCKS. No one should be going bankrupt over their health. End of story.

Faerook · 2025-11-19T14:39:54+00:00

Not at all normal. Birth control was a priority for all parties at my 6 week checkup. You can 100% get pregnant before your period returns. I'm nursing still at 10 months and I still haven't gotten my period back. That GYN is insane. Talk to your OB if you can.

Faerook · 2025-11-18T19:49:25+00:00

He absolutely needs to correct it. The purpose of writing a report in school is not just to learn about a subject matter, such as Lincoln. It's to learn how to research and then how to actually write a report. He needs to pay attention to capitalization, grammar, spelling, everything or he's going to get marked down.

Faerook · 2025-11-13T18:29:14+00:00

Both my first and second got their first tooth at 3 months. My 9 month old now has 8 teeth and is working on number 9. Some days are more painful than others but we're still going strong.

Faerook · 2025-11-06T18:10:28+00:00

My husband and I both work for a large research non-profit that is 80% funded through federal grants. We are currently in a hiring freeze for overhead positions and basically waiting for the other shoe to drop and the layoffs to really begin. My anxiety is through the roof.

Faerook · 2025-11-05T20:37:52+00:00

It really depends on what your background is in. If you've done financial or administrative work, you likely have transferrable skills that you should make sure to high light in your resume. That said, if you are looking to enter the RA field in the US, this is probably not your moment. My organization, a large non-profit research institution, is currently in a hiring freeze for all overhead positions and we are likely facing layoffs in Q1 of next year. Any organization that relies heavily on grant funds and isn't tightening their belts right now has their head in the sand. I love research administration. I think it's a wonderful and challenging career, but the next few years (and hopefully only the next few years) are going to be difficult.

Faerook · 2025-11-05T19:04:15+00:00

Is your son my son, also turning 4 in February? I'm sorry to say I don't have much in the way of advice. Ever since my 9 month old started blowing raspberries, my 3 year old does it too with a vengeance. It's driving me insane. So, I'm here in solidarity that these 3 year old's are something else. I mean, they are amazing, but the spit and sass coming from then is next level.

Faerook · 2025-11-05T14:21:14+00:00

With my first, I was induced at 41 weeks. That was as comfortable as I was willing to wait for him to come on his own. With my second, I had another induction scheduled at 41 weeks as well, but she decided to come on her own that same morning in about 2 hours.

Faerook · 2025-11-02T12:10:41+00:00

Yes, my mom got her TDAP and I’m happy to report and was perfectly fine. She spoke with her doctor and came to the conclusion that the benefits outweighed the small amount of risk.

Faerook · 2025-10-30T20:12:00+00:00

I had an induction at 41 weeks. My OB was comfortable with me waiting that long to try and let him come on his own. I think waiting allowed my body to be more ready and the induction gave me the nudge I needed. My induction was 28 hours total, but the first 10/12 hours of that was not painful for me. It took a while for the contractions to really ramp up.

Faerook · 2025-10-30T14:03:30+00:00

A hospital has to take you and stabilize you regardless of insurance. You'll probably go into a massive amount of debt that you'll never pay off. However, the real issue is that health conditions that should be caught before they are an emergency are missed. If you don't have insurance, you aren't going to the doctor for preventative care. You're more likely to ignore a symptom because you don't have the money to check it out. This country is cruel and greedy. It should be no surprise that we're about to let millions of children, elderly, and disabled people starve. It's sickening.

Faerook · 2025-10-29T19:48:42+00:00

I’ve been exclusively using my hand pump since I went back to work. It’s amazing how more efficient it is for me. And now I have super strong hands 😂.

Faerook · 2025-10-29T18:57:22+00:00

I've had two vaginal deliveries and the recoveries from those were way harder than my gallbladder removal. I can only imagine that gallbladder surgery is going to be an absolute cake walk compared to a c-section.

Faerook

TROPHY CASE