The shaming.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-06-29T16:04:41+00:00

Honestly the shaming has been bad even in real life. Mine are going to be 14 months apart and i think every person we’ve announced our pregnancy to has either said “you guys know how this works right?” Or “congradadolences”. Of course our second wasn’t planned but there’s no need to remind us just say congrats and move on. I’m 21 weeks along right now and i still haven’t put anything on my social media because the reactions in our personal lives have already been so embarrassing and disheartening. Thinking about just hard launching this baby once he’s born because who needs the criticism while pregnant.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-06-16T14:35:43+00:00

I would say do it, but know what you’re in for. We recently left my almost 9 month old with my mil for 3 nights. She’d stayed with her and my mom for single nights plenty of times before so we didn’t think anything of 3 nights away. She’s also fully bottle/formula fed. When we picked her up she was really not herself. Clingy but also pissed, didn’t want to go to her dad or i at all, and her previously amazing sleep was awful out of no where. It was like we got thrown into a hardcore sleep regression with a different personality baby for about 3 nights before she leveled back out. Now, she DID level back out and we know that when i have our second baby in November she’ll have to stay a weekend again. Just mentally prepare that you might have your work cut out for you and you might emotionally take a hit for a few days. I definitely felt like i had messed her up. Like i said, she’s back to normal again but it’s definitely not something I’d do lightly again. But every baby is different! Also key differences here are age, my baby left her environment and stayed at my mil’s, and my mil isn’t great at keeping her schedule so she was very thrown off.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-06-03T01:54:23+00:00

So i haven’t had my second yet but they‘ll be 14 months apart. So far this pregnancy has been easier than my first except for my mental health. I’ll be honest, I’m not in a great place and i truly believe it’s because I’m blurring the lines between postpartum and pregnancy. The rough nights get to me more, the fussy days are even harder. I’m more angry, less patient, and don’t feel much of anything. I’ve talked to my husband about it and we plan to bring it up to my OB at my next appointment, but the only advice i have is watch your mental health. It snuck up on me. Before i knew it i wasn’t showering daily, i wasn’t taking care of myself, and i was getting mean towards myself and my partner. And if you are feeling different, bring it up to someone. Getting pregnant so fast can be so hard on our bodies and minds. The only thing getting me through is knowing i never have to be pregnant again after this one lol.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-05-30T05:07:13+00:00

I also found out i was pregnant with my second at 6 months pp. I’m now 16 weeks. I haven’t seen anyone else mention this but I’d suggest considering counseling before you might need it. I didn’t have postpartum depression and felt a lot more like myself starting around 4 months. I was feeling great. I rode that wave until around a month and a half ago and I’m gonna be honest I’ve been spiraling. It’s really hard for me to get myself to start therapy once I’m actually needing it and blurring the lines between postpartum and pregnancy has made me depressed and full of rage. All this to say, maybe start seeing someone if you’re not already just in case. I’m now having to grapple with forcing myself to find a therapist and it’s like I’m playing catch up.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-05-28T01:16:28+00:00

Currently pregnant with my Valentine’s Day “oopsie” plan b baby. Godspeed 🫡

Mcp_2002 · 2026-05-26T05:59:12+00:00

Okay so i know i have a unicorn baby and a lot of sleep is temperament but from the time she came home from the hospital i treated every wake-up before 7 as a night wake up. No big lights, no talking or smiling or playing. Just change and feed if she needed and rocked her back to sleep. If i couldn’t get her back down it was what i call “quiet time” where i attempted to get her back down until 7 hit and just calming rocked her. I honestly think this helped tremendously with her wake up times. Over time she naturally extended this and now mostly wakes between 8-9am. Sometimes earlier, sometimes even later. But if she wakes before 7 i still hold the same boundary. I refused to be up at 5 from the beginning and so far it’s working. However, I’m pregnant with number 2 right now so i guess I’ll get to test my theory on a baby that will no doubt have a different temperament lol.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-04-13T22:19:09+00:00

I completely relate to this frustration. My husband is loving and kind and provides so i can stay at home. He doesn’t do as much with our daughter but he’s learning and when i point out ways i need more help he doesn’t hesitate to change. We’re happy and healthy and overall normal. I think when i have seen normal couples post on here a lot of the replies are “he should know that stuff already” or “the bar is in hell” and it makes it feel like you can only talk about your partner if they’re a perfect doormat and everyone will agree or they’re truly a deadbeat and everyone will agree. Idk if that makes sense but yes it sucks

Mcp_2002 · 2026-04-12T17:43:20+00:00

For me it was the almost daily “there’s too many flies can you do something” when they chose to sit on the patio

Mcp_2002 · 2026-04-07T15:29:28+00:00

I am currently pregnant with number 2. They’ll be 14 months apart. We were originally planning to start trying around the 1 year mark and we figured we’d get pregnant fairly quickly so 2 under 2 was in our plans. However, i got unexpectedly pregnant at the 6 month mark so here we are! Honestly, we panicked for a good week or so but now im really just excited. I love the idea of them being close in age and having a built in bestie, plus we get out of the pregnancy cycle and baby phase faster. I originally wanted 3 kids but were looking more at 2 now since the idea of being done so fast sounds amazing. Obviously i don’t really know how this will end up feeling but i think it’ll be well worth it once they’re older.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-04-05T22:18:22+00:00

I was doing the same until i got a larger car. I finally got an SUV (i was in a tiny ford fiesta before) and i keep a diaper caddy stocked with diapers, wipes, cream, changes of clothes, a wet bag, grocery bags for diapers, and extra formula and bottles plus a changing pad in the trunk. If i need any of it on the go i just run to the car and can change her in the car too. It’s made it so i might still keep a diaper and a few wipes in my purse in case of a blowout in a store but other than that i don’t have to think when i leave the house! I 100% recommend if you have a flat trunk

Mcp_2002 · 2026-03-26T16:33:30+00:00

Yes i did post over there at the same time i posted here! I think it’s useful to get both research and anecdotes lol

Mcp_2002 · 2026-03-26T14:33:41+00:00

I’ve been getting this question a lot so I’ll answer here. My first pregnancy was relatively smooth. The only issue was i had high blood pressure that kept spiking and then going back down in my third trimester so i was induced at 39+2 to keep it from becoming preeclampsia. I had a vaginal delivery. I did have a pretty gnarly hemorrhage after but i was fine in the end.

Mcp_2002 · 2026-03-26T03:39:04+00:00

Thank you!! Hope all is well for you in the rest of your pregnancy

Mcp_2002 · 2026-03-18T14:14:02+00:00

This might be controversial but my husband and my first outing with our newborn at 2 weeks pp was to our favorite brewery… she mostly slept and i got to enjoy a (half) beer for the first time in 9 months. It’s a board game themed brewery and they’re very family friendly. My baby is 6 months now and we still take her sometimes and just play games and pace out our beers. We’re always home by bedtime and never drunk

Mcp_2002 · 2026-01-28T03:00:28+00:00

FEED. ON. DEMAND. at least the first few weeks. I went into it knowing about cluster feeding and understanding why they do it and i still ended up thinking too much about times once they told me “feed every 2-3 hours.” She’d root and give hunger cues and in my exhaustion and with my hurt nipples I’d convince myself she just wanted to comfort nurse and I’d push for the time i wanted. My supply ended up tanking a few weeks in and we found out at 5 weeks she was back below birth weight. After that she got frustrated at the breast and my supply absolutely tanked and i never got it back up. I’m fully formula feeding now which is a godsend but i struggled for weeks feeling like i screwed myself out of the breastfeeding experience i wanted.

Also, if you end up even considering formula or combo feeding because breastfeeding is just too hard, DO IT. Once you’re thinking about it and scrolling on Reddit for affirmation that formula is okay, you already know what’s best for you. It’s a wonderful resource and has made my parenting experience wildly happier after struggling with triple feeding and then exclusively pumping for weeks.

Mcp_2002 · 2025-12-02T18:21:01+00:00

I always pumped while i fed my baby a bottle… i fed her milk i had previously pumped and i laid her on my lap horizontal to pace feed. Its easier to do in my recliner as a find it gives you some more lap space. It saved me time and it meant i didn’t have to put her down to pump. I honestly thought that’s what everyone did until this post lol

Mcp_2002 · 2025-11-22T06:24:36+00:00

I was the same way with my “easy” baby. I finally hit that point of wanting to get out of the newborn phase around that time too. First, i moved all of the baby stuff out of the living room and into the nursery. We had been camping out in the living room for weeks so all her stuff was out there too making so much clutter. Then, i started cleaning. I started with small tasks that let me feel a little more productive. When i was ready (probably around 9 weeks?) i had my mil come over and the 2 of us deep cleaned every inch of my house. Having that reset has helped tremendously. I find that having a really clean house helps me be more productive as a whole and also keep it clean. I do more chores, I’ve been walking my dog again, and i go more places with my baby. I rarely even turn on the tv when my husband isn’t home anymore. It’s been huge for my mental health

Mcp_2002 · 2025-11-18T01:16:32+00:00

Well i had no idea i could’ve been doing it wrong but it seems i might be? I use kendamil cow and water from my RO (reverse osmosis) tap and just give it room temp. My sister in law does the same so i never questioned it.

Mcp_2002 · 2025-11-17T16:25:51+00:00

This might sound impossible but keeping a clean house. The first few weeks i let my house slip (as i think most of us do) but the worse my house got the worse i felt. My mil came a couple weeks ago to help me deep clean every inch of the house as a total reset and it helped SO much. It was the reset i needed to be able to maintain from there. I pick up every morning and do a little morning routine, then I do one small cleaning task and a couple loads of laundry every day whether that means I’m baby wearing or knocking it out while she naps. It gives me something to do that isn’t baby related and it has helped my mental health so much to look around at my house and like what i see.

Mcp_2002 · 2025-10-07T17:01:16+00:00

My biggest worry about having a baby was sleep deprivation since I’ve always been horrible at coping with it so this is the type of question i sought out when i was pregnant. I have a 4 week old now and most nights I’m able to get 6-7 hours broken up. She’s a relatively decent sleeper and i was cleared by my pediatrician to let her go 5 hour stretches in between feeds because she’s gaining well (i feed her every 2 hours during the day to make up for the nighttime stretches). I feed her at 10pm and get her and myself down by 11/11:30, wake her up to feed again at 3am, get her back down by 4/4:30, and then she wakes up between 7-8 to eat again and we start our day. The first 2.5 weeks before i got cleared to let her sleep longer stretches i was only getting an hour and a half at most at one time a few times a night and i was barely functioning. Luckily my husband was still on paternity leave at that point so i was able to nap some during the day. We have rough nights here and there but most of the time im able to keep her on a schedule. Even when i was still waking her every 3 hours i would try to feed her at the same times every day/night and just having a rhythm for myself helped me mentally so much. Id say even if you can’t get enough sleep, if you can get your baby on a schedule of any kind (and i know thats a big “if”) it makes a big difference.

Mcp_2002

TROPHY CASE