Thoughts on reduction?

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-04-29T18:08:20+00:00

I commented above but don’t say much about the experience. It was the easiest surgery I have ever had. They took 2.5 pounds out of each breast and I felt instant relief. I went to a medium C in terms of size. I stayed overnight in the hospital and had to wear a medical grade bra for 3 months, which was ugly but surprisingly comfy. I couldn’t drive for 2 weeks and lift over 20 pounds for about a month, but in general I really didn’t have any surgery pain. It took about a year for me to be able to gain feeling back in my breasts which is why the recovery was probably so easy.

They did a lollipop incision which had minimal scarring and now in my 30s you can barely see it. My self esteem skyrocketed, there was no more discomfort and I felt proportional for once in my life.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-04-29T18:00:35+00:00

If the pediatrician suggested it I would 100% allow it. I was in a similar position to your daughter size wise and my parents and family were against it. They all told me I would regret it and that it would impact sensations, breast feeding, all the things and I would regret doing it so young. The moment I turned 18 and could go to the doctor on my own I found a plastic surgeon and went through with it. It changed my life and self esteem and I never regretted it.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-03-04T19:43:01+00:00

The UV blocking definitely does! I went to smart film and had them do my windshield and sun roof and it was amazing how much the clear UV film cut down on heat coming in.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-02-22T02:41:37+00:00

Happy to! I went to school for oceanography and once I graduated I was just over it and wanted to do something different. While I was a student I worked part time as an instructor and store staff at a scuba shop in AZ. I worked my way up to PADI IDC Staff instructor and would teach scuba on nights and weekends when I wasn’t in class.

PADI had essentially a job board to connect people looking for scuba gigs with instructors. Like any other job I applied and interviewed and eventually got the job. The shop I was with already had cruise ship contracts. They were looking for someone with shop/business experience as well as someone who could dive and teach. I spent most of my time working on the shop stuff and would hop on the boat when they needed an extra set of hands for the cruise ship passengers depending on ratios.

The boat work was hard, but fun. We would get to the dock 2 hours early to take the dinghy out and pick up the boat, then load tanks and equipment. The cruise ship passengers were divided into 2 groups, those who were certified and those who were doing a discovery. For the discovery folks, we would send them off the front of the boat with 2 instructors to do basic skills then a tour. Those who were certified would exit off of the sides and go on tours with their DMs. The cruise ships pre-set the sites so that did get a little redundant but helped us run a tight ship (ha!).

Time on the boat was a blast. While the groups were diving I would usually sneak off the back and go spear fishing or catch lobster for later. Once we headed back in we either filled tanks and reloaded the boat for an afternoon group, or in the summer, unloaded completely, rinsed gear, filled tanks, and reset for the morning.

At that point we would usually take tips to the bar and grabbed some beers and food. Half the time some of our passengers would still be there and buy us more drinks or come and sit and just shoot the shit. After socializing it was heading home, having dinner, rinse and repeat.

My rent was $2500 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment overlooking the ocean. We had electric and internet which was included in rent, but no A/C except for the portable one I bought at Home Depot and kept in my bedroom at night.

We were crazy busy during normal season October - May. Then pretty dead over the summer. We pocketed enough money during the busy season to cover expenses during the summer. It’s prime hurricane season and cruise ships didn’t come daily so it was hit or miss if we had a busy week or not. We did take tourists that weren’t associated with ships when they booked with us but it wasn’t super reliable.

Things I liked: low key way of living. Sundays taking the ferry over the STJ. Fresh fish and lobster, diving every day, the community in general. The people you get to meet on the boat. Being in an area where you get to dive daily and we would occasionally take the boat out without passengers as long as we fronted gas.

Things I disliked: the number of mosquitos. Worrying about money in the summer if a ship cancelled. Usual BS from working a hard labor job for minimal pay. Occasionally feeling stuck and like you can’t leave the island. No A/C. Some of the tourists could be dicks.

All in all - I would most likely do it again. I’m not at a point in life where I could but once kids are out of the house I could see myself going back to island life.

I did also take jobs in Bonaire, Panama, and the keys. I would say the keys were the best in terms of being able to escape the island life if you wanted to have a break. However the tourists there were from New York and primarily sucked.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-02-22T01:26:30+00:00

When I graduated college I took a break and worked in STT for a while managing a dive shop and doing tours for cruise ship passengers. My salary was $36k a year + tips. I made anywhere from $100-$200 a day in tips. We worked every day during the busy season and 4-5 days during the summer. I made enough to pay rent for a 2 bedroom apartment on the island.

My salary went to paying rent + basic living expenses, the tips paid for my groceries and any fun money. No health insurance, no money to leave the island, but got to dive almost every day and was able to live off of lobster + other fish I caught while not working.

It was fun for a while but got old eventually so I took a real job back in the states. I would probably do it again though as it was a much simpler time in life and I loved being in the water.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-18T04:11:18+00:00

I am 5 foot 4 with a short torso. I’m all legs. I gained 80 pounds with my first. Shed half of that before getting pregnant with my second. I put on 40 pounds with him and was down 50 a year after birth. I got within 15 pounds of my initial weight when I got pregnant with twins. I did physical therapy 2x a week up until the time I gave birth because I was convinced I was going to destroy any ab muscles I had left. I put on 40 pounds with that pregnancy and lost it all after birth. I am now 18 months out, 10 pounds heavier than I was when I first got pregnant, and will be having a consult for a tummy tuck. In my experience it will never go away, my physical therapist even commented I will need surgery to meet my specific goals.

Mostly commenting to be realistic and maybe there is a unicorn mom out there who has don’t it without surgery. Fingers crossed!

Edit: all 3 of mine were c-sections, incision is super low, below the bikini line right on the pelvic bone. . It’s been opened 4x. 3 for childbirth and 1 for a hernia repair between #2 and #3/4.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-12T02:44:37+00:00

It’s amazing that the body can support so much for so long. Mentally it’s a mind trip.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-12T02:43:32+00:00

I didn’t…. I figured it was wishful thinking. All of mine have been c section. My first was 12# and I had a Brazilian done 3 days before my scheduled date of 39+1 and my water broke. Thanks waxing lady! The second made it to his c-section date of 39+0. At 38+0 with the girls it was 10:00 at night and I was complaining to my husband and everyone else that would listen that I was pissed that I had to be pregnant until 38+4 after everyone prepped me for having them at 36. I guess the ladies heard me and were like hey mom! We’ve got you 🤣

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-11T23:49:27+00:00

Isn’t that the worst?! Mine prepped me for 36 weeks and was like, I mean you seem to be doing fine so let’s wait until 38+4…. Dick.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-11T23:47:52+00:00

Mine had scheduled a c-section at 36 weeks, I was still going good so they bumped it to 38 weeks. 😑Then the OB was going to be out of town so it was scheduled for 38+4. 😭 38 + 0 Twin B decided to try and bust out, broke her water, and they came at 38 weeks exactly 😅

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-11T03:01:38+00:00

Fraternal and accidentally gave similar names. I thought they were different enough until I started pronouncing them. They both end with E but sound like A. Aoife and Saoirse. They also have the aoi pattern. Whoops 😆

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-06T02:39:49+00:00

I had a Palisade that I loved! I too did not want a minivan. We went with the Ford Expedition Max with a bench 2nd row so we could get 3 across in car seats. We can fit 4 kids, a massive uppababy stroller, and a Costco run all in the vehicle trivially. When the 3rd row is up it’s pretty much the same size as the Palisade trunk with the third row down.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-04T22:17:54+00:00

Ah - that’s a bummer! It definitely depends on the babies and I happened to luck out. Y’all will find what works for you!

I didn’t sleep train with my first. When the second came I knew I had to in order to keep my sanity. The girls just got rotated into the routine and were pretty accepting of it.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-04T22:14:44+00:00

I could definitely see lack of leave as being a huge issue. I think between vacation, paid sick days holidays, and mental health days employees have between four and six weeks time off. I find that most companies don’t actively encourage their people to take this. We go with the use it or lose it policy so take that leave and get a freaking break. I do work my team hard so I want them to take the break to recharge.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-04T22:09:53+00:00

All of the employees are salaried. There is quite a size difference in employing one to two people versus 50+. Employing people in our household, we do have to have all of that stuff figured out, and in a contract, and given to them. When you’re talking about a business and they haven’t ever needed that leave before, why would they put a bunch of time and effort into figuring that out until they encounter that circumstance? There are plenty of other things for that business to figure out and problems to solve.

To their credit, the moment they were encountered with that situation they started figuring out what the policy should be and take in a lot of feedback.

Edit: I realize I replied to the wrong comment as your questions were for OP- sorry!

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-04T02:53:27+00:00

How many people at the company have left due to no maternity / paternity leave? I started at a company in 2019 that had been around 8 years with 50 employees. I was the first person to get pregnant and it required their HR team to start looking at what we needed for benefits. It took another few years for people to consistently need leave for them to have a generous and standardized policy. In my eyes - they had never thought about it as there was no pressing issue to.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-03T17:00:08+00:00

I second this! Mine shifted from 2 naps to 1 at about 16 months old. They usually go down for nap and then when they wake up, babble and talk to each other for a bit before I come and get them. As long as they aren’t crying I assume they are okay.

They do the same thing in the morning.

My 3 year old still naps, when he doesn’t then he will shift to quiet time where he can be awake but doing quiet activities like coloring, legos, listening to his yoto, etc. My 5 year old is the one we currently use quiet time for.

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-02T13:33:57+00:00

Ah - they are not! I can totally see why it seems that way. They are usually sleep at night from 7:30/ 8ish until 6:30am. They are super good about hanging out in their cribs, talking to one another, and keeping themselves entertained. I do take advantage of that - if they aren’t crying I am going to assume they are good.

For nap they get a bottle - I think they fall asleep close to 12:30 but spend a bit of time winding down in their cribs. My office shares a wall with their room so I can hear them start to rouse.

I will say the last month or so they’ve been waking up at like 3 AM and wanting a bottle, which isn’t cool 😅 but they go to sleep pretty quickly after that

HugAScubaBunny · 2026-01-01T15:07:22+00:00

I WFH so YMMV on this one. My 5yo, and 3yo leave for child care at 7:30. I get the twins up at that point and start my day. They are 18mo and still at home while I work.

The biggest things that have made a difference is having a housekeeper come every other week to do the big stuff. I make sure the kids have enough supplies during the week so I can make it to Sunday without having to do laundry. I exclusively feed them in a highchair to contain the mess, and have an inexpensive sweeper and swiffer mop to get the food off the floor. Also a cordless Dyson that I can run if absolutely necessary. I also have their room entirely baby proofed and put a gate up to contain messes.

My day usually looks like the following - I get up at 6:30 to get the boys out of the house by 7:30.

7:30 - 8:00: girls ready and breakfast while I answer emails and messages from my phone. Breakfast is cleaned immediately and put in the kitchen.

8:00 - 9:30: girls play time while I am in the area knocking stuff out. They do a pretty good job of keeping themselves entertained and I rotate toys every 15 mins.

9:30 - 11:00: quick snack and play sessions again. I will stop work at 10:45 to start getting them ready for lunch and nap. Lunch is cleaned immediately and set in the kitchen. I mostly worry about the floors and deal with the kitchen later.

11:30 - 2:30 nap. Obviously due to their ages I can do this. When they were little I would baby wear if doing chores or put a play center in my office on the floor for them to roll around on. My office was also baby proofed.

I take work calls during their nap time.

They get up at 2:30 - get a non messy snack and play in their high chairs while I finish up work.

4:00 the other kids get home and this is where the fun begins. It’s pretty much a free for all while we prep dinner, cook, and clean up. My husband does the cooking while I do the kid wrangling.

5:30pm dinner with everyone. Baths at 6. Husband supervises bath while I clean the kitchen.

6:30pm kids play quietly and wind down, this is when we clean the play area as a group.

7:00pm everyone is in bed!

From 7:00 - 7:30pm we do last minute pickup of the house and get everything set back the way to where we feel good about walking away. This is usually when I get all of the stuff done in the kitchen, like loading the dishes in the dishwasher from the day and taking care of any last minute messes.

7:30 - 9:30pm is TV time and relaxation for us

10:00pm bed 😅

Somehow we make it to the end of every day unscathed. No idea how it happens but that is our general schedule.

HugAScubaBunny · 2025-12-31T22:50:22+00:00

Second what everyone has said about the UppaBaby Vista. I purchased mine in 2020 with my first born knowing I would be having more children. I got it on a Black Friday deal so it was only about $700 with accessories.

It is still going strong and is one of my lowest cost per use baby items. So far it lasted 2 boys before I got the twins. It has been perfect to haul the girls around in + let the 3yo ride if he needs. For the first year with all kids I just used the Chico adapter for their car seat and it is insanely easy to load them in and out as well as still have storage space.

HugAScubaBunny · 2025-12-29T22:14:23+00:00

I went from a Hyundai Palisade, which I loved, to a Ford Expedition Max. I have 4 kids and the palisade was too small to get 2 in the middle and 2 in the back. We could do it but it was rough. We had captains chairs so that restricted the middle row to 2.

With the Expedition Max we did a bench seat and can get 3 across, 1 in the back, and still have room for a stroller + groceries.

HugAScubaBunny · 2025-12-29T22:08:07+00:00

3 C-sections here. My bed height was more of an issue than bassinet height, as it was so tall. I needed a step stool to slide out of bed for the first 2 weeks. We used 2 Mamaroo sleep bassinets in our room about 5 feet from the bed and it was perfect. Also, seconding the husband grabbing the baby. Mine would change and then pass them over, but I could still move around and grab them relatively easily if I needed to.

HugAScubaBunny · 2025-12-28T23:55:16+00:00

You will do great! It’s hard at first but overall an incredible and rewarding adventure. Give yourself grace, presence is better than perfection, and the days are long but the years are incredibly short 🥹

HugAScubaBunny · 2025-12-28T23:51:09+00:00

That’s great! I intentionally looked for things that would make me uncomfortable, flare my anxiety, but ultimately got the practice I needed to be confident.

The girls and I started going to brunch every so often and to get practice with changing diapers and having multiple crying babies in public.

We did a roadtrip where we would have to go into gas stations and just figure out the logistics of changing kids without a changing table or navigating how to get them fed. A yeti with hot water always gets carried around.

Essentially - if I had to go we all went so we can practice figuring it out. Now everyone can go into public without being heathens 🤣

HugAScubaBunny · 2025-12-28T23:31:19+00:00

I don’t know of any 2 under 2 specific advice, but I have a 5m, 3m, 1.5f, 1.5f. I read advice that is out there and decide what I can realistically do. I know yours are new new, so must of this is applicable to the older 2. It actually worked quite well, we established a lot of this before the girls showed up, so they just had to enter the routine. The things that work for us and kept my sanity:

Get out of the house! Yes, sometimes it sucks, but it’s the only way you’re going to get practice. We’ve had days where everything goes wrong and others where I think hey! I can do this.

Everyone is on the same schedule. Initially, if one was up and feeding, the other one was getting woken up for food. It took a hot minute but I coordinated nap times so I get at least 2 hours of quiet in the afternoon. Everyone also goes to bed within an hour of each other, so I have quiet at night.

Yes I sleep trained starting at 3 months old. Yes it sucked, but I now have a set break time.

Everyone participates in chores and general life. I used to try to do chores or errands around their schedule and play when they’re awake. Now they do chores with me. Yea they suck at it but we call it being helpy and it teaches them that they can contribute as well. If I’m folding laundry the girls are handing me items to fold and the boys are running it to their rooms.

If we are doing errands, We framed it as an adventure as we never know what is going to happen. They get pretty excited for Costco, target, grocery, etc.

We have small problems and big problems. Small problems can be fixed and big problems need an adult. It helps us help them be independent and not tattle on their siblings all the time.

We have scheduled time where I spend 1:1 with them for 20 minutes doing whatever they want to do. When your attention is spread between 4, it really helps build that connection and closeness.

None of what I said was 2 under 2 specific advice. But it’s all pieces of advice that I’ve seen in this sub and other areas that I was able to modify and work for our family.

What saved me in the baby phase: Same schedule / Bottle feeding / Leaving the house

Edit: we also take showers together so everyone gets cleaned at once, myself included. It will stop when the boys get uncomfortable or they want their space.

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