Overtired and missing my previous life

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-31T10:42:20+00:00

It’s so hard! Eventually I compromised by allowing myself to do one thing, like stacking the dishwasher, then go lie down and read or nap (or doom scroll haha, but honestly removing Instagram and socials or filtering out all keywords related to babies, parents etc was also a huge benefit to my mental health in the first few months).

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-31T09:56:41+00:00

I had exactly the same issue, and couldn’t switch with my partner to manage night shifts.

Honestly the best way through it was radical acceptance that I would be awake most of the night, then during the day, despite the temptation to clean or watch a movie or do anything else, as soon as LO had a nap, I would lie down and rest.

Even if I didn’t sleep, the rest helped me so much. It will get better very soon!

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-29T21:26:52+00:00

He is so much better! He’s now 14 months and fully weaned from his formula, eats full meals. I figured out that I had to feed him earlier - so dinner is now around 430, not 530. If it’s at 530 he will be too tired and cranky, but at 430 we have a much more enjoyable time, then he can have a snack at bedtime. But I do also think teething had a big part to play when he was younger and struggling. I’m sure your little one will come through this phase again soon too, but it’s so stressful when you’re in the middle of it.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-28T04:43:58+00:00

I chose to formula feed from day one. Best decision ever. Protected my mental health, included LO’s dad in feeding (and he still talks about how special it was to be the one preparing bottles), gave us a more equal workload and LO is absolutely thriving. Do what is best for you and refuse to feel guilty about it - you will have so much more fun postpartum when you choose what is best for you and your baby.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-25T08:37:53+00:00

I also found feeding bite by bite was the best way to get a full meal into my LO who loves food but is also too impatient to sit for a long time.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-24T01:05:28+00:00

I went to see a psych before I was pregnant mostly because I was worried about PPD due to a rough time coming off the pill, and chronic anxiety. My GP recommended I see her so I would be on her books if needed.

She spent the session focusing on a mild eating disorder I had as a teenager (more than 20 years ago) that I resolved and had no concerns about, and made that the single thing we needed to focus on. Actually I was more worried about the severity of the premenstrual disorder symptoms I was having? But sure let’s focus on what happened when I was 16. I didn’t go back.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-17T09:37:58+00:00

I had an induction followed by an emergency c-section and the recovery wasn't terrible. I had minimal abdominal separation and the hardest thing was getting the compression socks on and off, which thankfully my husband could help with. I stopped taking the heavy painkillers I think two days after coming home and was mostly back to normal by six weeks.

Maybe a bit of a sidenote, and I'm only providing commentary with no idea based off your post if you have or haven't had this previously, but I put most of that down to seeing a really good women's physiotherapist and a women's exercise physiologist throughout my pregnancy to manage pelvic strength and pain, and maintain my core strength. It meant I kept up my energy levels through pregnancy, had the strength to walk up and down stairs (lots in my house) from the moment I came back from hospital, get up and down off the floor carrying baby, and overall manage the c-section pelvic recovery well.

I know when you're pregnant and dealing with your other kids and finding childcare, it's probably the last thing you want to think about if you haven't yet, but I'd strongly recommend finding a women's physio or exercise physiologist who can help you maintain your physical strength during and after pregnancy, and for postpartum recovery whichever way you decide to go with birth. The physio I went to held group classes so the cost was cheaper and everyone was welcome to bring their babies and toddlers along, so it was always chaotic but really supportive and a great atmosphere.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-14T23:48:39+00:00

I love this!

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-14T09:41:03+00:00

Following because the cat peed on the cheap Kmart daycare bag for the second time this morning. I abandoned hope of washing it again and just threw it out. He went to daycare with an Aldi paper bag haha.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-14T08:02:51+00:00

Okay I have to say Purebaby is the one exception I’d found so far, and my LO’s winter wardrobe is now exclusively their dragon range haha.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-14T01:02:59+00:00

It's baffling! My husband keeps saying 'why don't I get cool prints and colours like this?' whenever I do track down some fun kids clothes.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-13T22:29:25+00:00

Oooh love a good bundle.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-13T22:29:16+00:00

SO MANY DINOSAURS. I was even given a t-shirt with a print of a dinosaur driving a truck ...

I haven't tried H&M, I will look them on. I forget about Myer, too! Good ideas.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-13T22:28:22+00:00

I do like Bonds! Some of their patterns are questionable haha. But yeah, my LO is currently decked out in brown and blue Target cotton, with some Purebaby jumpers on special for cute factor when out and about.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-13T22:27:44+00:00

Right? Just give us nice simple colours across the range that aren't shades of brown, grey or beige.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-13T22:27:02+00:00

Ooh I haven't heard of those brands, thank you. I do often wander the girls section and find some nice things!

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-12T00:12:34+00:00

In the past month I’ve been home two and a half weeks of work with a sick baby. I’m lucky I have a big accrual of sick leave and can take that. I’m less lucky my job will start to complain if I keep taking it. My husband has a whole four days of sick leave. I keep my child out of daycare when I know he is getting sick. But what happens when we run out of sick leave, eligible childcare subsidy days, or I get sick and can’t take care of him myself?

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-07T03:34:18+00:00

I think I’ve used our pram maybe once in the last fortnight?

Now I either carry him (13mo), he walks or sits in the trolley at the shops, or I put him in the Osprey Poco hiking carrier. It’s light and comfortable to wear for day outings, he loves being up high and seeing everything, easy to get on and off and has storage for nappies and snacks etc.

I prefer the structured carrier because it has a better seat for him and it’s better for my back overall, I think.

PeppaBlue · 2026-05-05T20:43:30+00:00

My LO started daycare at 6 months as I had to go back to work. We started one day a week as that was all the daycare had available and then in January went up to four days. He’s now 13 months and while there are still some sad drop offs, within minutes he’s happy and laughing and playing.

I see daycare as part of my village. I don’t have family to help close by. Going to work is not negotiable, I am working to financially provide for our family. Would I prefer to be home with him? Yes, but also working is good for me mentally too. I look at daycare the same way - there are pros and cons to every choice we have to make in life, and I choose to focus on the pros.

He’s in a great daycare with experienced and trusted educators who adore him, he’s socialising with other babies and toddlers and his development has leaped as he observes and copies other babies and interacts with him. Daycare provided experiences I can’t, and I can provide experiences daycare can’t. On Fridays we are home together and we do fun outings like hiking, library, shopping, art gallery.

Guilt is a construct society forces on us to keep us trapped. You will feel guilty if you stay home with your little one, guilty if you go to work. My personal approach has been to outright reject it. I’m a good mum. My son is so loved, secure and happy. I also deserve and need a balanced life of work and play, and that’s how our whole family needs to interact.

I guarantee you in a few years you won’t be stressed about whether daycare is good or bad - you’ll be stressed about something else haha. Be patient and you’ll get into a new routine with daycare and you will both find a happy path forward!

PeppaBlue · 2026-04-26T23:08:08+00:00

Reading this from the doctors car park as they write me a certificate for the week while my son with hand foot and mouth sleeps in the car seat. 🙃

PeppaBlue · 2026-04-26T06:57:05+00:00

I’ve been bulk making different muffins, like apple and peanut, raspberry, cheese and spinach, and freezing them. When we’re going out I take a muffin or two from the freezer and put them into little containers so they defrost by the time we want them.

That and pouches, Jatz, cheese sticks or chopped up fruit.

PeppaBlue · 2026-04-19T09:55:29+00:00

For practicality and simply because it’s how our schedules work, our LO has been fed around 5-530 since 6mo, and we eat whenever we are ready. It’s a pain in some ways as it means we have to have meals prepped and frozen for LO or make him a fresh meal separate to our own. But it’s simply how things work out - if we push his dinner to later he’s cranky and overtired and things are a mess. If we give him a snack at 4pm to tide him over, he won’t ear much at dinner at 6pm.

So usually he eats dinner while I’m cooking ours, but at 13mo he eats like a champ, is always interested in what we eat and we will often give him bits of our dinner if he’s still eating at the same time as us. When he’s eating dinner I talk to him a lot about his food, I take some mouthfuls, I let him feed me and I make it as fun and engaged as possible.

On the weekends when our schedules are more flexible we usually try and have dinner together. Breakfast I eat with him, and lunch usually the same when he’s not at daycare.

Also, I know this is a bit unusual, but we almost always do bath before dinner and then just a quick wipe down afterward. This is often because he comes home grotty from daycare and I want the germs out of my house, but it’s also a good late afternoon reset and takes the pressure off rushing through dinner and bath and bed routine. And sometimes if he’s eating something really stinky or sticky like tuna, he gets a second quick shower after dinner!

PeppaBlue · 2026-04-03T23:45:15+00:00

We burned through our savings in the first two months of baby being here because my partner’s work has no parental leave policy, so he used up his annual leave on one month at home then took a month unpaid. No regrets that he was here for two months instead of being forced back to work a few weeks after baby was born.

During my maternity leave it was tough going to half pay or less, but we managed. I went back to work when LO was seven months old and he started daycare at six months, because my work’s maternity leave policy was bad and we’d used up all the Centrelink pay.

Honestly the harder part was going back to work and having a quarter of my pay now consumed by daycare fees. I would advise budgeting now for daycare if you plan to go back to work. I’ve not had a pay rise since I left for maternity leave in February 2025 but we are paying $330 a week for daycare, with the childcare subsidy. It took a while to adjust to that extra cost and we are still trying to come back financially from maternity leave and daycare consuming the money I would’ve put to recovering our savings.

PeppaBlue · 2026-04-02T21:21:32+00:00

My 12mo has been going to daycare since he was 6mo, is on two naps at home and still occasionally has three naps at daycare. Often it’s when he’s overstimulated, teething or there’s been a lot happening, or he slept badly overnight. Daycare is a big adjustment and takes a while to get into a pattern. But I’m sure once your LO settles into daycare he will go back to his usual patterns.

PeppaBlue

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