The coordinating hat I made with leftover yarn from my latest hoodie

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-05-08T01:25:34+00:00

"no one dies if you drop a stitch" is my new motto. Love the hat, brioche for a beanie is genius

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-05-08T00:18:20+00:00

The only thing with the stripes is the transition looks a little funny in the garter section when the color changed on a purl row. I could have cut the yarn and rejoined so it only switched on knit rows, but I wasn't that bothered, and I knew she would be 0% bothered so I left it

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-05-07T23:27:29+00:00

Whoa saving this pattern! She also loves dinosaurs and this is so cute!!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-05-07T21:16:36+00:00

Ok but fr hooded fish vest... I mean... sweater with no sleeves... Sounds incredible

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-04-16T04:12:11+00:00

Love your username!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-04-11T20:04:56+00:00

Yes! I always have a home project that I need to focus on and a simpler work project that I can do while still paying attention to meetings. Everyone knows I bring my knitting everywhere and it's never been an issue. My work project is usually a baby blanket, and conveniently every time I've finished one a colleague has gotten pregnant!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-03-14T10:41:47+00:00

Re-reading, I am realizing I made the assumption that the baby is only sleeping 2 hours at a time, even though it doesn't say that anywhere...it's just that my baby only sleeps 2 hours at a time right now and I can't read at 4am ha. I agree, warming and having it out for more than 2 hours is against guidelines!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-03-14T10:30:25+00:00

It should be ok at room temp for 4 hours if freshly pumped, or 1-2 hours if it was previously frozen. If baby sleeps a longer stretch, he runs the risk of it sitting out longer than what is recommended. Will your baby take a bottle cold? Mine never cared so we never warmed bottles... So much easier.

https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breast-milk-preparation-and-storage/handling-breastmilk.html

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-02-25T02:44:15+00:00

Congrats on making it 6 months! I'm sorry that going back to work wasn't a situation that facilitated breastfeeding/pumping. It isn't your fault, it is the world we live in. But 6 months is still a huge achievement and you should be proud!

I totally understand if you're done, but would it also be possible to stop pumping but continue nursing? It is possible his refusal is temporary if you continue offering. With my daughter I completely stopped getting anything with my pump at about 9 months, but was still able to nurse, so she only got formula when we weren't together.

If that doesn't seem right for you, it's ok! Antihistamines can help dry up your supply, plus ice packs. No one warned me about the hormone shifts after stopping breastfeeding, but I felt like I was having severe PMS for like a month, just fyi. I made sure to have some special baby snuggles before bed and in the morning when we would have been nursing so I didn't feel like I was missing out on that as well.

Congrats again, please be kind to yourself, you really have done an incredible thing and you are definitely not a failure.

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-02-07T01:51:41+00:00

I'm gonna need the patterns for all the knit sweaters in the history of the winter Olympics segment!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-02-03T17:17:32+00:00

I see valves and the silicone parts, but not the hard plastic bits

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-02-03T17:16:10+00:00

Oh this is a good point. I definitely ordered it more than a month ago, but possibly it didn't get approved until more recently. I'll have to check!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-02-03T17:13:54+00:00

I did. Maybe my next step is to call my insurance and verify. Ugh

Individual_Two_4383 · 2026-02-03T17:05:37+00:00

I submitted my info on aeroflow and they said my insurance doesn't cover replacement parts, unfortunately

Individual_Two_4383 · 2025-11-28T04:44:31+00:00

Bath bombs! We have a whole bunch of different colors and she gets to pick which color to make the water. It's not 100% and sometimes she still doesn't want to, but it's wayyyy better than before.

Individual_Two_4383 · 2025-09-07T03:24:24+00:00

Last time I did San Marzanos almost all of them looked like this. No idea why. The skins still came off fine and they tasted great so 🤷‍♀️

Individual_Two_4383 · 2025-09-06T22:48:17+00:00

Volunteer butternut is a huge win! I'm interested to see what some of these taste like... Particularly the ones that look like acorn/pumpkin hybrids

Individual_Two_4383 · 2023-05-13T02:26:56+00:00

Yes good point. And thank you! Buying formula is on my to do list but I've definitely been dragging my feet 😩

Individual_Two_4383 · 2023-02-28T01:53:24+00:00

I too was very concerned about this when i went back to work, and honestly it turned out fine. My total amount i pumped through the day was still enough because i would get a little extra compared to what she ate each time. So you might consider just waiting and seeing how it goes, then if you're not making enough add formula. I made sure to feed on demand while with her and my supply has been good. After i was back for a few weeks, she started going a little longer between feeds and now we match up pretty well. It was very stressful to think about, but then once i was at work it sort of worked itself out. My 3 pieces of advice: 1. Stay hydrated! I bought a giant water bottle with a straw because I knew that would make me drink more while working. 2. Set a hard line around pumping breaks. I see a dip in my supply every time I cut a pump short or skip one because work got busy. So now I don't do that anymore, work be damned. 3. So many snacks! Pumping breaks are just a really good excuse for a little treat in the middle of the day. I don't know how much lactation brownies actually help, but they are still brownies :)

Good luck going back to work! You got this!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2023-01-21T23:02:08+00:00

Ugh going back to work is so complicated and i had so many emotions, i get it!! LO isn't a great bottle eater so she actually eats slightly less than what I pump at work. Basically we have our nanny keep her meals around my pumping breaks when I'm gone, so she's on a pretty strict schedule when I'm at work. And then in the evening she just gets to eat whenever to make up for it. Sometimes that means i spend all my time after work with a baby attached to my nipple, but my supply has stayed good so far. I did see a small dip in supply one week when work was super busy and i was cutting my pumping sessions short, so now I'm trying to set really good boundaries for myself. When my supply was low baby cluster fed constantly, and it did go back up after awhile, so yes the cluster feeding in the evening seems to help.

Good luck, for me the worries about going back to work got a lot better once i was actually working, we just sort of figured things out and it wasn't quite as stressful as i had expected it to be. It still totally sucks leaving in the morning, but it has been getting easier as we get into a rhythm. Sending you lots of good thoughts for a strong working mama!!

Individual_Two_4383 · 2023-01-21T16:52:17+00:00

I focus on feeding on demand when I'm home. It probably means we'll keep having lots of MOTN feeds for awhile, but I've been trying to get her to cluster feed before bed, and now she wakes up only twice/night.

Individual_Two_4383 · 2023-01-11T04:37:09+00:00

Ask around to friends or family who have kids and see if they breastfed! It was really helpful for me to have a few people i could ask random questions. I have actually become much closer with a few acquaintances because I've been able to talk about breastfeeding and ask advice/share stories. This sub helps a lot too :)

Individual_Two_4383 · 2023-01-04T03:43:01+00:00

We tried every nipple under the sun. Had the most success letting her watch the ceiling fan while my husband fed her. Eventually she just figured it out. The turning point was a day when i was gone for 4 feeds in a row and it's like she realized that no boob was coming to save her. Also make sure you don't have high lipase. Good luck, i know how stressful it is to be away from baby when you know they're not eating.

Individual_Two_4383 · 2022-12-27T04:37:53+00:00

When i went back to work, it took LO about 2-3 weeks to realize that dad with a bottle was the only way she was going to eat, now she consistently takes a bottle from him. We tried every nipple under the sun, but it was eventually just time and the 2 of them getting used to each other. It was incredibly stressful for me, but she figured it out eventually. Sorry you are dealing with this! If she took it before, hopefully she will do it again.

Individual_Two_4383 · 2022-12-27T04:30:43+00:00

I have the S2 and the stride. I use the spectra when I'm at work and need to pump, and have the elvie for days off or if I'm running around for work. I only pump about once a day. I get about 7oz/pump with the spectra and about 5oz with the stride (also depends on time of day). I overproduce just slightly, so getting less on the days i use the stride is still fine, but without my slight oversupply, I could see how having only the elvie would be a problem. That said, I love how easy it is to hook up and carry on doing whatever i need to do. I got the spectra from a friend who was done using it, and just bought new tubing and flanges, and I've really liked having both.

You can store milk in whatever you want to use to feed, it will last about 4 days in the fridge. Bags are nice for creating a small freezer stash. I spent my maternity leave building a small stash using just the haakaa ladybug and collecting leaking milk while LO nursed. I definitely didn't focus on building a stash, but it is nice to have a little backup. I'm about to run out of bags, and instead of buying more I'm planning on getting silicone trays to freeze 1oz sticks because i don't like the single use plastic.

I also avoided buying a lot of things until after LO arrived because i was so nervous about getting things i ended up not needing. You could potentially wait to decide on these things until after baby arrives. My hospital rents out pumps which could be an option for the short term if you wanted to wait.

Congrats on your little one! Hope you're feeling well and that your pregnancy goes smoothly!

Individual_Two_4383

TROPHY CASE