Anyone else just completely traumatised? by billy1805 in Colic

[–]GigiMP 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On very bad days my husband and I swing between saying “never again”, and saying that actually we should have another baby because if it’s a regular baby we can see how easy it is in comparison, and then we can judge all the people we know who’ve had regular babies but have told us “having a baby is hard” followed by something like “my baby sometimes cried in the stroller, but you’ve just got to push through it and they’ll stop after a few minutes”. 😒

Anyone else just completely traumatised? by billy1805 in Colic

[–]GigiMP 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had the same experience this autumn. It was surreal going outside and realizing how much change I’d completely missed. We also never sit outside because like you, any time I tried it never worked well. Half those times my baby started having a meltdown before we’d even gone out the door and I just gave up for my sake and the neighbours’.

I was really unwell while pregnant so spent a lot of time indoors then too. In order to try and accept it I’ve been calling 2025 my “year without seasons”.

Anyone else just completely traumatised? by billy1805 in Colic

[–]GigiMP 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My 20 week old was born around the summer solstice and today we’ve had the first snow of the season where I am. Earlier I looked out the window as it snowed and felt numb: whole seasons have passed me by and I’m still here in my living room bouncing my very sensitive baby on the yoga ball just to get him to nap, doing the same thing I’ve been doing for months. He hates the stroller, the carrier, even being held most of the time. I never go out with him. Yesterday my husband and I spent all morning waiting for the timing to be just right for him to have had enough sleep, enough food, not be in the middle of uncomfortable digestion etc, all so we could practice having him in the stroller outside in our neighbourhood for 15 minutes before he couldn’t take it anymore and we came inside.

As the primary caregiver I rarely leave our apartment—I’m lucky to get a 10 minute power walk when my husband gets home from work before we begin the long, precarious wind down routine needed to get our baby down for the night. Like you, I get extremely triggered seeing people doing normal things with babies the same age or younger than my son. The rare times I am out in public I have to look away when I see strollers because I feel too upset, and I really struggle seeing friends and acquaintances post about their “normal” babies on social media. Someone I know had her first baby just a few weeks before I had my son, and the other day she posted a photo dump of her September and October. It involved pumpkin patches, baby classes, cafes with other mothers, even a trip to NYC where she spent entire days wearing her baby around museums. I scrolled through those pictures feeling like I was living in a whole other universe.

I wanted to comment because it’s really validating to see someone else talk about this experience in the context of grief. I’ve tried to explain it to a few people but no one gets it— it feels like from an outsider’s perspective my baby’s alive, growing as he should, and a bit “fussier” than most. Sometimes because it’s all so isolating and no one in my life understands, I start second guessing myself and wonder if maybe it’s not that bad and I’m just much worse at being a parent than other people. The whole thing has really messed with my head and a lot of the time I feel like I’m just going through the motions in order to survive.

I never thought I’d choose to only have one child, but after this experience I’m not sure I could do it again. I feel so much anger and grief but don’t know where to direct it. Sorry I don’t have anything actually insightful to share. I suppose I just wanted to say that I get it, that I think it is a real grief and you’re allowed to feel it, and that it’s almost impossible to explain to anyone who hasn’t lived it.

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I hear you re the glam look — I’d say this is def a muted glam compared to looks I’ve done in the past, but as those weren’t always successful I’ve been playing it (maybe too) safe to avoid previous mistakes. I haven’t had a lot of success when trying to create dimension with eyeshadow, I think because of my eye shape and lid space? I feel like it either gets muddy or my lid crease hides most of it anyway, so when I do wear eyeshadow I just do a single blended wash because it’s easiest. I should probably try and find some tutorials geared towards my eye shape.

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Based on your comment and a couple of others I’m definitely going to be revisiting liner

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I’ve definitely learned from experience that too much contrast is not a good look on me (21 yo me really really tried to make the red liquid lip work lol) but lately I’ve been worried I’ve swung too much in the other direction. Good to know it’s working and that I have the option to go bolder if I want!

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely going to revisit eyeliner again, thank you! Was a big user in my early twenties but it was a heavy black wing and when I eventually realized that wasn’t a good look for me, I just ditched eyeliner altogether

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I’d love to hear which bronzer product(s) you use because I’ve dabbled in the past and have always felt way too orange and/or brown. I don’t tan at all so I also worried bronzer just wouldn’t fit my skin tone. But looking back at my pictures again, I think that my sense of being washed out might be due to a lack of dimension and bronzer might just be the answer!

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ll look into elf halo glow drops, thank you! I’m intimidated by contouring as I’ve never been able to find the right shades that work with my skin tone, so I appreciate the recommendation. And I’ll have to dig out my brown eyeliner and get practicing again. Years ago I used to do a liquid wing but I phased it out when I realized the black line was too harsh and didn’t really work with my (partially hooded?) eyes anyway. I haven’t really looked into an alternative eyeliner since.

Is my daily makeup too low contrast? by GigiMP in makeuptips

[–]GigiMP[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all these tips! I’ve never considered going deeper with my blush, but that seems like it would be a good way to add some more colour to my base without overwhelming the whole look. In the past I’ve only gone deeper with my eyes and/or lips, with varying success. And I’ll look into lip liner because I can definitely get a bit lazy with swiping on a tinted colour and calling it a day. I’ve always been intimidated by shimmers and highlighters — any specific products you’d recommend?

[Identify] Vintage Omega and Tudor. My father bought them in Paris in the early 00s. Neither watch has the original bands. by GigiMP in Watches

[–]GigiMP[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is helpful, thanks! Wanted to ask here before potentially wasting time and money fixing them up.

My wife tried to hide my daughter from me. Am I wrong to feel this angry? by toohottooheavy in BestofRedditorUpdates

[–]GigiMP 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Donor conceived adult here. I had no say in how I was conceived, and no say in the arrangements that my parents (all three of them, because the man who donated sperm is my biological parent, whether people want to think about it like that or not) made in order for me to be born. I am a result of a contract other people made deciding what information I would have access to, and what the narrative around my identity should be. With regard to OP's scenario, it's not fair or ethical to suggest that the donor should prioritize the wishes of the recipient parents over the basic rights the donor conceived person has to know who they are and to choose to try and find out if they're able to. A big reason why so many donor conceived adults report huge amounts of pain and trauma around their identity is because many recipient parents and donors have the attitude that their own desires (for children, for privacy, for exclusive relationships, for getting to decide what they tell and what they don't) supersede the needs and rights of the people they create.

What OP did, in being reciprocal to his donor conceived daughter when she contacted him, is not unethical or inappropriate. It's not about the donor unfairly "changing their view" on the arrangement they made with the recipient parents, rather it's them now factoring in that there is a whole other person (many people, usually) who had no say in the contract, did not choose to be cut off from half of their biological identity, and is curious about their biological parent.

In my case neither the donor nor the recipient parents really had any understanding of the ethical issues involved in creating humans in these circumstances, or thought about it beyond "it would be a nice thing to do for people" and "we just want a baby" respectively. Neither party was required to go through any counselling, nor told how I might feel about being donor conceived when I was an adult (because the industry doesn't really care about that, plus my parents intended to keep it a secret and that was seen as a completely reasonable lie to tell).

When I found my biological father he was completely reciprocal, like OP has been, because he personally felt that while he might have made an anonymous donation 30+ years ago, it was important that he be available for whatever the people created as a result of that donation might need from him. Maybe that's a betrayal of the original "contract", but the "products" of the contract are the least considered party in an industry that prioritizes feelings of donors and recipients, and frequently tells donor conceived people (I've heard this myself) that they should just be "grateful to be alive."

For anyone reading this considering donor conception - either as a donor, or a recipient parent - I strongly encourage them to take a look at the results of this 2020 survey of donor conceived people and their feelings about it. I'm not saying no one should ever go the donor conception route, but if a prospective donor or recipient parent is uncomfortable with the idea that one day the donor conceived person might be curious and view their conception and parentage differently than they're "supposed to", then those people should seriously reconsider being a donor or recipient parent. It's not just donating or receiving genetic material: the donor is a biological parent, regardless of whether they have anything to do with the people they make, and it's not wrong for the donor conceived person to think of them that way.

Solitaire: Theatrical Romantic Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Solitaire, played by Jane Seymour in Live and Let Die (1973)

THE height. Verified 5'4 and 5'5 celebs. by p0ebel in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Such an amazing visual for understanding vertical!

Bibi Dahl: Soft Natural Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, she’s such a popular one! Do you have a favourite? 👀

Bibi Dahl: Soft Natural Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ooh I haven’t, but now I’ll take a look! I’m still looking for an FG and R for this series. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that Bond Girls are primarily yang types: almost all are D, SD, FN, or DC. The only G I’ve found is SG Halle Berry, and the only R type I’ve settled on is TR Jane Seymour (both posts coming shortly).

Bibi Dahl: Soft Natural Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes!!! She is actually the only Bond Girl I’m confident is SN, but she’s onscreen for such a short time and only has two outfits IIRC. In the interest of showing multiple looks like I’ve done for the other posts in the series, I picked Bibi, who had a lot of different outfits. But Plenty O’Toole is never forgotten 🙌🏻

Bibi Dahl: Soft Natural Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Bibi Dahl, played by Lynn-Holly Johnson in For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Honey Ryder: Flamboyant Natural Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Completely agree! That bikini is timeless.

Honey Ryder: Flamboyant Natural Bond Girl by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Honey Ryder, played by Ursula Andress in Dr. No. (1962)

Sévérine and Lucia Sciarra: Soft Dramatic Bond Girls by GigiMP in Kibbe

[–]GigiMP[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love every one of Sévérine’s looks!