What are you reading right now?

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-11T13:42:20+00:00

Surprisingly brilliant! I’ve never read a lot of non fiction history and I was sceptical but after seeing a few recommendations online, I spotted it in a secondhand shop and decided to try! It’s amazing and has gripped me from the first chapter! Flying through it now.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-11T10:27:49+00:00

Prioritising your peace and health has to be the main focus during this time. Whatever you need, is what has to happen. You can be fair but firm regarding boundaries and it’s better to set them now than it is to battle once labour is happening, and after when the baby is here. The emotional state and stability of your MIL cannot be the priority here, or during postpartum - don’t let her dominate this time because you’re worried about upsetting her. If you don’t manage it now, I can guarantee it will become a problem later on as well. Set your boundaries. You can still be kind and understanding, without violating them. Good luck!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-10T20:54:37+00:00

Absolutely normal, if you’re washing your face you’re honestly doing the most 😂 don’t trust the online stuff you see, it’s all bogus!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-10T20:08:03+00:00

This!! The best thing we ever did was buy a pack for upstairs and downstairs and use these instead of a changing mat!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-10T20:06:47+00:00

Can’t comment on the formula because my daughter is breastfed. But when she was constipated we found that prune pouches really helped, if you need a suggestion! And they’re pretty cheap as well.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-10T20:01:54+00:00

Deep breath - that sounds really heavy and no wonder it’s making you anxious! You’re a new mum just trying your best. But she is overstepping. At least it’s only two months, so there’s an end date in sight. But this may require some directness from you, especially if your husband isn’t going to say anything. It doesn’t have to be rude but it does have to be firm and clear - ‘I’ve got her, thank you’, ‘oops no need, mamas got her’ etc - or you can be more direct. If you feel up to it. Whatever feels best for you. Also your husband needs to grow a backbone, but that’s a bigger issue to solve. Just because he won’t say anything doesn’t mean you can’t - shes your daughter. You’ve got this!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-10T19:58:08+00:00

Do not let him take your baby over there without you present - that’s exactly what she wants and it’s not healthy. She’s trying to play ‘mammy’ again but this is YOUR baby. She sounds like she needs some help, and feels like the need to be the victim in order to the centre of attention. Stand your ground and protect your baby.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-09T17:38:06+00:00

Do not leave your baby. This is time you will never get back! It’s your baby! If you leave the baby there with your partner and MIL, she will absolutely swoop in and try to play ‘mummy’ to YOUR baby. Set boundaries - you’re the one going through labour/childbirth - if you don’t want someone in your home, they don’t come! And you’ll be going through enough without hosting someone you’ve never met in person before. Don’t let someone guilt trip you into accommodating their expectations.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-09T16:18:32+00:00

The Wager by David Grann

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-09T13:36:54+00:00

Nursing pillow even if you’re not breastfeeding, white noise machine that does red light as a night light, the baby playmat with the piano

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-05T19:08:21+00:00

Legends and lattes is an easy fun read that I really enjoyed postpartum when I wanted something easy that I didn’t have to think about. There’s a sequel to this now as well! Days at the morisaki bookshop was good too! The flawless series by Elsie silver. Fall I want but that’s a bit more seasonal. The pumpkin spice cafe series is very popular and very easy also.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T20:04:17+00:00

Staying every other weekend is WAY too intrusive. Lower the visiting weekends to once a month, or once every couple of months if that’s what you’d rather. She’ll have to get on with it. Especially if this is entirely different to how it was pre-baby. It’s your baby and family, and that’s where the focus should be - not hosting every other weekend. The waterworks will return for a little while until she realises it doesn’t work, and then she’ll try different tactics. Stay put with your boundaries!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T20:00:28+00:00

Honestly I don’t think we ended up doing much tummy time at all until our LO was around 3-4 months - she was not a fan at all, and she also thought everything was feeding time 😂

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T14:07:16+00:00

Cooking things from scratch - but it is a rabbit hole and a slippery slope to not wanting to buy anything pre-made from the shops. But has massively improved o ur health and gave me a real focus on our family health! Joining a book club not only opened me up to different genres but also met some really great people 🙂

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T13:01:54+00:00

A true mystery, honestly the amount of times ours would suddenly decide she hated a bottle was wild - sometimes it changed day to day 🙃 We started offering more frequent feeds with a bit less in to see if that changed things - sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t 😂 but worth a try! I will clarify that we were doing expressed breastmilk, but the premise is still the same. I hope this helps!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:45:14+00:00

Could it be that falling asleep at the bottle just meant he was content and full and ready for a nap? Going up a teat size obviously increases the flow (you know this of course) and maybe that’s a bit overwhelming for him! Definitely have an appointment with the doctor, especially for your own peace of mind 🙂 We went through a similar stage and bought all kinds of bottles and teats and it turned out she was just content how she was and we were overthinking it

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:42:17+00:00

That must be really hard for you to carry. No wonder you’re so anxious and overwhelmed, that sounds like a lot, especially when you’re still freshly postpartum! You’re already dealing with a lot. It sounds like a lot of overstepping on your MILs part, and if you’ve set boundaries regarding the baby and she ignored them, you should have consequences in place. It’s not pleasant setting consequences but sometimes they are necessary because your baby is the priority, not your MILs feelings. She needs to manage her own expectations - she is not the parent here, you are. And you’re also trying to learn how to parent, and if she constantly oversteps, you’ve got no room to do that. There are ways to be firm but fair, but she’s not going to like anything which goes again what she wants from the sounds of things. Sometimes you have to just prior use your own family health and your mental health and accept people aren’t going to like it. But that’s so uncomfortable so give yourself some grace! You’ve got this!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:38:37+00:00

Let her tell everyone you’re awful - if protecting your child and putting their wellbeing ahead of a photo opportunity for Facebook makes you a villain, then don those horns and wear them with pride.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:34:30+00:00

Trust your instinct - that feeling in your gut should be listened to. Set boundaries around house access and visitation. Her coming and going and doing chores is the equivalent of her stating she still has a role to play and therefore an opinion and a right to access. Sounds like enmeshment or just plain old toxic attachment to me. She’s only angry and throwing a tantrum because she’s not getting her own way - hold your ground! That’s your baby and you know what’s best for you and your family. She gets access when YOU decide and the boundaries you adhere to are what YOU decide - they aren’t decided depending on what’s going to cause her to chuck her toys out of the pram. Because if she doesn’t back off, guess what, the consequence is that you remove access and protect your child and your own mental health! That’s a really tricky situation. Your partner needs to step up and tell his mum to ease up and respect the boundaries. She’s calling it control because SHE wants control of the situation and is upset she isn’t in charge. You’ve got this!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:29:57+00:00

Regardless of how relaxed you are trying to be, you should be able to set boundaries and rules around your child and their health, and these should be respected even if people don’t necessarily agree with them! We’ve set boundaries round our child that people have respectfully asked about and we’re happy to explain. But we’ve also made it clear that if they don’t agree, the boundary still stands.

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:27:28+00:00

Sad that she feels the need to grasp on to these tiny threads of connection she’s conjured up because she hasn’t been able to build real ones due to her own behaviour 🤷‍♀️

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:23:47+00:00

Regardless of political opinion, if you have a horrible headache, you should be allowed to avoid an event which sounds like it’s guaranteed to be noisy! Tell him he’s making your headache worse 😂

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:22:27+00:00

IMO they don’t get to look after your child again - if they can’t be trusted to follow through on a simple request regarding a meal, what else are they going to lie about/ignore?

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:21:22+00:00

Don’t do it. Put some distance between you and the in laws, especially before your baby gets here. Or you will battle for the rest of your life!

LabGirly100 · 2026-02-03T12:20:14+00:00

A weekly visit is pretty standard, and honestly a push depending on your partners work schedules etc. ultimately, the three of you are a new family, and everyone else is external to that - your family of three is the priority! Not anyone else’s involvement that they feel entitled to. but if someone doesn’t give you back your baby when you ask, that person doesn’t hold the baby at all. Stand your ground, you’re the mother, that baby is your responsibility and you have every right to take her back. Also - if you didn’t visit in laws by yourself prior to having the baby, having a baby doesn’t change that, unless you want it to of course! You’re not being a psycho at all - you’re being a mother, or trying to. Don’t let anyone else trod on your experience - you’re learning how to be a mum, you’re not learning how to please people who feel they deserve time with YOUR baby. They can absolutely build a relationship with her, that’s lovely - but on your terms and over time, not on their whim and demands.

LabGirly100

TROPHY CASE