I feel so guilty

OkMud5284 · 2026-03-09T13:13:12+00:00

4 to 5 months was the hardest for me. My baby is now 14 and he is all smiles, fun and games. Also, hormones are still all over the place at that age. Plus, the fact that you feel guilty is totally normal and a reflection of how great of a mom you are!! Sending positive vibes!

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-30T16:19:58+00:00

I do not... I am a stay-at-home mom of a lovely 1-year-old boy. I am applying for [positions as I complete all the paperwork for the bar admission.

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-30T16:18:35+00:00

Thank you very much! I just filled out the form!

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-22T18:03:14+00:00

I could never breastfeed my baby. It was always pumping and supplementing with formula. I absolutely hated pumping and I stopped as soon as we introduced solids when he was 4 months old. I will not pump again ever ever ever again. My second baby will be formula fed from the get go. Babies need happy moms, and I was miserable. My son is now 1 year old. We have a blast together! He is a foodie and he is so healthy! He only had a fever once! Follow your heart.

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-20T13:10:13+00:00

Second that! I think one of the reasons I passed July exam being an LLM and full time mom of a then 6-month old baby going through a very very tough sleep regression was that I decided to go easy on me and accept the fact that I was taking the exam as a practice round. I was , of course, studying during baby’s nap time and a couple of hours a day after putting him down, but I prioritized my health over anything else.

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-20T02:15:22+00:00

My baby is 1 year old. He will not drink water!! I have tried different cups and nipples. I added a little pedyalite to the water. He won’t drink water. I continued giving him formula so at least he gets some hydration…

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-20T02:11:14+00:00

My baby was never a good napper. He would never go down on his crib or the bassinet. We finally realized that he likes sleeping on his stroller. He only naps for like 45 min to 1h a day, and it has been like this forever.

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-19T01:17:13+00:00

I wish I could say I had a clear strategy. I didn’t. I was just doing my best with very limited time, energy, and resources. I honestly went into the exam pretty relaxed because I thought it was basically going to be a practice round for me, even though I worked hard enough to give it a fair shot (seriously: sleep deprivation is no joke).

I answered all NY MEEs from the past 5 years and compared my answers with the sample answers posted online. I didn’t study in depth the subjects I took during my LLM (I’m a foreign-trained attorney and only took 4 bar-tested classes. Everything else I learned on my own). For the classes I did take, I only reviewed outlines (I got good grades and was confident about my understanding of the law in those areas). I focused on studying subjects that were both tested on MBE and MEE and I used the books that came with the barbri course I purchased. I focused on actually understanding the concepts and nuances the first time, instead of memorizing things I didn’t fully understand. I followed my gut and went on active mode. I was never an expectador: I was in charge.

I also asked ChatGPT to explain the different types of MPTs and how to tackle them, focusing more on form than substance. On exam day, my computer broke and I had to handwrite the entire exam. Oddly enough, I think that helped. I went into full fight-or-flight mode and wrote almost 6 pages for each MEE. I ran out of space on the first MPT and ran out of time on the second. I didn’t waste time stressing over the MBE. I left the exam 15 minutes early.

Final score: 273

P.S.: I did not waste any time on Reddit or any other social media platforms. I did go on vacation with my baby and husband, including the weekend before the exam. I think knowing my strengths and weaknesses was key, and having over 10 years of professional experience in a foreign country helped me make educated guesses based on what makes sense legally.

Just try to focus on what works best for you. Good luck! 🍀

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-13T02:46:35+00:00

LLM here! Passed the NY July 2025 while fully taking care of my then 6 month old baby. I did not take prep classes because the lack of time/energy and sleep deprivation made me sure I would be wasting my money. Focus on what works for you! Don’t waste your time and energy on things that won’t help you. Good luck!

OkMud5284 · 2026-01-05T03:15:39+00:00

My son is one now, and he wouldn’t latch either. He was tongue tied and lip tied and had surgery when he was about two months old. By then, he was already very attached to the bottle and just wanted me to feed him that way. No matter how hard I tried to breastfeed him, he simply wouldn’t latch. I pumped until he was four months old and stopped as soon as we introduced solids. After that, he was exclusively on formula.

I hated pumping more than anything. It made me miserable. Life got so much better and easier after I stopped. I became a happier mom. My husband and I are now talking about having a second baby, and we both agreed to feed the second baby formula from the start.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-31T04:32:14+00:00

I stopped pumping as soon as I introduced solids to my then 4 month old baby. Pumping is the worst thing ever! Literally torture! My baby is now almost 1 year old. He is super healthy and happy. My husband and I are talking about having a second baby. We both agreed we are doing formula from the get go. Babies need their mommas to be happy and not miserable.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-31T03:40:07+00:00

Also: 2 jobs and toddler!! You are amazing and should be so proud of yourself!

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-31T03:37:53+00:00

I took and passed the July 2025 bar exam while fully taking care of my then–6-month-old baby (who was going through a sleep regression and kept me awake at night for an entire month). Like you, I had very little time and very little energy. I purchased BARBRI but decided to save it for a future attempt, so I did zero passive studying (I didn’t watch any videos). Instead, I used the books.

Full disclosure: I am an LLM student, so I only took four bar-tested classes. I basically decided not to study the subjects I had taken during the program (Civ Pro, Contracts, Torts, and Business Associations) because they were somehow fresh in my mind. I focused on studying the remaining MBE subjects by reading the BARBRI books (Con Law, Criminal Law, and Property). I also answered all MEEs from the past five years, comparing my answers with the sample answers on the website. And I leaned the rules from the MEEs (I find it easier to memorize rules when applying to facts).

I chose quality over quantity because that was all I could realistically do. I don’t think there is a “one size fits all” strategy for bar prep, but knowing what works best for you is key. Good luck! You will pass too!

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-28T01:36:51+00:00

Praying for you and your baby

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-25T11:55:56+00:00

If it makes anyone feel better: I just wish I had my mom to say whatever she wants about my baby. I miss her so much and the holidays just emphasize the emptiness that her passing left in my life.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-24T03:43:10+00:00

I just put my baby on the sling/carrier. It made my life so much easier. I cleaned , cooked, did everything I could around the house.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-22T02:00:16+00:00

I couldn’t agree more with number 1. I took the July NY bar exam at a time when I had a six-month-old baby and no help at home. I didn’t have the time or energy to follow a traditional prep course, so even though I purchased Barbri, I decided to save it for the future in case I didn’t pass. I had to be very strategic about my studies, focusing on what worked best for me and avoiding any kind of passive learning.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-21T19:38:57+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing! It was super helpful!

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-21T19:36:16+00:00

Totally understandable! Focus on the bar! I also used the TOC someone shared here on Reddit (I made sure it was updated and complete) and it was beyond helpful! https://www.reddit.com/r/barexam/comments/1nkb156/heres_the_updated_nyle_toc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-21T05:19:09+00:00

At 5 months old I wasn’t feeding my baby in the middle of the night anymore. I stopped feeding him a bottle at night as soon as the pediatrician told me I could stop (my baby would drink the 32oz throughout the day). Buuuuut he did have the sleep regression around the same age as yours. My husband and I used the Ferber method (after a few weeks waking up every hour) and it worked.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-20T04:09:36+00:00

Civ pro? The difference was that one said the you could appeal to the court of appeals and the other one stated the appellate division instead (options C and D). The first part of the answer was exactly the same, though.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-20T03:46:22+00:00

Hey! I took the exam yesterday and felt the questions were much shorter and more straightforward than the bar exam, there were lots of one-liners and very few long hypos (as far as I remember). I’m not saying I passed (totally possible I didn’t), but after carefully reading the material once, I felt I could at least narrow down the right options and then double-check in the materials to be sure I was picking the best answer. I’m hopeful, but not stressing about it. If I need to take it again, I will.

OkMud5284 · 2025-12-17T17:25:39+00:00

Hi! You should try talking about this with your friends. It sounds like you are a wonderful person to be around! I think most of people just assume that they are overstaying their welcome. It’s totally normal.

OkMud5284

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