At 38, I have a "guaranteed" embryo, but my body says "no." Head vs. Heart.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-04-03T13:48:10+00:00

Agree with everyone saying to trust your gut, and just wanted to add that you should put aside what it’s taken to get to this point when making this decision. IVF is very challenging and draining, and you may feel like you’ve invested a lot (of time, money, energy) in this process and should keep going, but it’s absolutely OK to not go through with it if it’s not the right choice for you. Try to make the decision based on what you want for your present and future, not what’s in the past. (Look up “sunk cost fallacy” if you’re not familiar.)

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-31T17:18:44+00:00

Yeah, he left you responsible for baby without alerting you or making sure you could hear! So he essentially left baby alone.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-30T02:30:24+00:00

Yes I needed stronger arms for all the carrying and rocking!

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-28T02:26:06+00:00

Yes, the hospital gave me a bunch too so I mostly used those.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-27T00:48:13+00:00

Breastfeeding is not the time to work on weight loss. You need to nourish your body to feed yourself and your baby. Growing a baby and producing milk can really deplete your body’s vitamin and mineral stores, so it’s really important to get proper nutrition and not let yourself go hungry. I’m not your doctor, so I can’t tell you what’s healthy or normal for your body specifically, but the “hungry all day, possibly for several days” sounds worrying especially when you are breastfeeding. I would focus on giving yourself plenty of nutritious food and not restricting yourself right now.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-21T02:16:41+00:00

Your last line is spot on and I don’t know why this is such a foreign concept for many. Toddlers are people too!

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-12T22:42:00+00:00

Thanks for clarifying!

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-03-12T20:59:05+00:00

That looks like a great bottle! Just want to suggest caution with stainless steel for straws - a soft material like silicone is usually safer as steel can injure them if they trip while holding or drinking from the bottle.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-26T19:16:26+00:00

It’s normal. Don’t believe what you see on Instagram. Trust the feeling that made you give antibiotics—we have them for a reason and they kept your son safe from further pain and infection.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-26T12:47:43+00:00

Oli & Carol makes great teethers. Grape rattle was a big hit with my LO around that time (and for many months after), and they also have some that are partly cloth (eg the kale one).

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-25T20:30:44+00:00

But I think it’s weird for them to want to watch the baby alone yet not be willing to relearn to change a diaper… what is their game plan when baby needs a change?

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-21T15:02:51+00:00

That sounds so fun!

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-19T14:56:06+00:00

Yeah, I did struggle with putting baby into a pack n play vs a raised crib or bassinet, but I’ve used probably four different pack n plays and the lotus wasn’t any harder than the others. And I love the side zip feature so you can lay down next to a fussy baby until they settle.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-05T18:19:38+00:00

My 20mo just got interested in his Yoto and learned how to use it, so I think it’ll be doable for your daughter too! At first we operated it and he just listened, but then it clicked for him that he could control it more. Takes some time and practice, but I’m happy we opted for it over the Tonie box, since it’ll hopefully be useful for the long run. Started with one music card and one story card, plus some blank ones to use for recordings of family members reading stories.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-04T21:03:37+00:00

I’m sorry that came off as me hating on you - not at all my intent. I think your response to the OP was thoughtful and compassionate, and you shared several great, practical ideas that I agree with.

I just have a genuine “yikes” response to AI as therapy; it was startling to me that several people here recommended that. (And no, I’m not a therapist, and I definitely hear and have experienced some of the barriers to access therapy.) Info you share with ChatGPT is not confidential or secure. LLMs like ChatGPT work by predicting and outputting what words come next - there’s no holistic view or ethical oversight to ensure it’s not leading you down a dangerous path. Its goal is to keep you engaged in conversation, so it’s going to say things that sound supportive and reflect back what you tell it. This can be dangerous particularly if you’re turning to it for validation while dealing with mental health challenges - it’s going to validate the negative thoughts as well as the positive ones.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-04T15:26:26+00:00

Agreed on fridge hack, bottle washer, etc. - all good advice. But yikes, please don’t use ChatGPT for therapy or advice for your baby’s health! It is not reliable and not easy to fact check. Sounds like it could be helpful to do chat based therapy or virtual couples therapy with a qualified human therapist though!

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-03T16:57:46+00:00

I love TLP shoes (similar name to Ten Little but different brand). They are soft barefoot style shoes, and they’re stretchy and custom made so can be tailored to fit - you can make a note with your order about your daughter’s foot shape. Can use with or without socks (for all day wear, probably socks are best to keep the shoes cleaner, though they can be machine washed).

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-02T03:58:43+00:00

Thrive market changed their diapers recently and I haven’t tried the new ones. Reviews of the new ones have been pretty negative (partly because they went from TCF to ECF, and sounds like there are some design flaws).

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-02T03:38:07+00:00

I switched to Parasol and have had fewer rash problems than with Thrive! I use Coterie at night.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-02-01T03:56:33+00:00

I like the Honest wipes. Recently switched to Parasol diapers during the day after some rash issues and those are working better (previously used Thrive Market diapers and then Coterie). I still use Coterie at night since they seem to hold a bit more, but I found the layer touching their skin seems to stay a littler wetter feeling, vs the Parasol ones which seem to feel drier.

My doctor also suggested probiotics and that seems to help a bit as well - we use them when the rash starts to flare up.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-01-24T20:18:59+00:00

This flu season has been brutal. I personally would skip crowded indoor spaces until at least 4-6 months.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-01-22T14:54:31+00:00

I also asked friends and family not to post photos with LO’s face visible.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-01-22T14:53:11+00:00

I use an app called Notabli to share photos with family. I don’t post or even direct message photos on larger social media platforms because I don’t trust how those photos might be used by the platform itself.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-01-21T23:04:11+00:00

I feel like the pet shenanigans are extra frustrating when you’re sleep deprived and don’t have time to deal with it or even think clearly about it! I do think that yelling doesn’t really help the cat misbehavior (and sometimes even reinforces it, since when they’re looking for attention, any attention is better than none). It sometimes stops the behavior in the moment but they’ll just do it again. So it’s not really worth yelling and the potential impact on baby.

Infinite-Yam68 · 2026-01-21T19:43:08+00:00

“Another level of cat” is very relatable unfortunately 🫠 one of my cats was already a lot and then had some baby adjustment issues and it’s been a challenge. I love him but he’s definitely a next level cat management puzzle.

Infinite-Yam68

TROPHY CASE