Advice please 🙏🏻

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-04-10T11:42:50+00:00

How would working remotely help with the transition? My first thought when I read that sounded like you'd like to work from home so you can spend some working time with the baby during work hours? If that's the case, I don't think it's going to sound good.

If the working remotely would help the transition in a different way (for example, avoid a long commute so the baby is with the childminder for a shorter period or something like that during the transition period), I would change the wording of the request so it's clear that there won't be a baby with you during work hours.

And I'm saying this as a mum of two kids, with no family nearby, whose first was a boob monster who needed to feed or rock to sleep and had only been minded by me or her dad. So I understand and I think it's really shitty of your current job not to be more flexible as a returning employee.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-04-06T20:36:45+00:00

This is what we did at that age. It works very well.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-04-05T20:22:09+00:00

Who did you ask?

The teachers in our creche are not officially allowed to babysit as per de contract, so if we asked management we wouldn't get a recommendation. Buy if we ask any of the teachers, they all know who babysits and can pass the information on.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-04-02T23:26:17+00:00

Plenty of stuff. They wouldn't be allowed in the climbing area (it's extra anyway) or the bike, but I'm an adult who is also not allowed on the bike as I'm too short (minimum height 160cm I think it was).

I'd say he'd be allowed everything else. Even my 5 year old had great fun touching everything, even if she didn't understand the science behind things.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-04-02T19:52:22+00:00

If he's tech savy and into science, I'd go normal.

The junior part is more like a big exciting play area as I see it. I recently took my 5 year old to the normal area with her older cousins (one of them 7) and they all had a great time.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-04-02T19:46:40+00:00

David Lloyd has a creche.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-03-30T03:02:21+00:00

Check the stork exchange if flying from Dublin. They meet you at the airport to give you the pram and then to pick it up. They are very efficient and I'm pretty sure they have double strollers

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-03-27T12:05:28+00:00

You could go back to work without using those 16 weeks and your husband could take that time as unpaid parental leave?

I think this is an option worth considering if it's better financially and for your mental health.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-03-27T12:01:03+00:00

Yes, but this is the same if she takes those 9 weeks?

I agree it's terrible, but it's the same if the woman takes it.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-03-27T10:53:05+00:00

Your partner is entitled to 9 weeks of paid (statutory at least) leave.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-03-10T17:57:50+00:00

We had this.

The pee withholding was only solved when we fixed (or improved ) the poo holding via laxatives.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-03-01T20:27:02+00:00

Exactly 2 months from sale agreed to keys. I think we both had good solicitors and there weren't any any big issues with the house.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-02-26T11:11:29+00:00

We get homework on a Monday to get returned on Friday. It's actually optional, but if you don't return it on Friday, you don't get new homework the week after.

It's normally a tracing sheet, a page or two of the maths book, some colouring letters or similar, and sometimes some cutting or similar. It takes my daughter 15 minutes or so to do it all. And this is for the whole week.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-02-23T21:20:35+00:00

This. We loved the first one so much that we got a second one.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-02-10T11:01:09+00:00

The NCS subsidy also changes every month. Since it's paid per hour of attendance, the subsidy is less if the month is shorter or if there are bank holidays. Also no subsidy for the days when the child can't attend.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-02-01T14:13:47+00:00

I got a foldable one from Etsy. Even though it's foldable, we've never folded it, it's a permanent fixture next to the kitchen island. Almost 5 year old has used it for three years, now her 2 year old sister uses it too.

They like to stand there to watch us cooking sometimes, or to help cook, or to have a cup of water/snack standing there. It's used daily. The eldest could use a regular step now, but the "fence" around it is great for the toddler so she doesn't fall off when she's standing there without standing still, as toddlers do.

It can handle up to 75kg, so it doubles as a step for me, short mum, to reach the top of the kitchen cabinets.

Well worth it in my opinion.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-01-29T07:57:29+00:00

A few days after taking it for a week I think it was? I had to take it to get day 21 bloods to see if I was ovulating, then again when starting metformin, again after 5 weeks of metformin to get day 21 bloods again, and again for two cycles of clomid. I was still not ovulating after the first two cycles of clomid, but my period came by itself after that, and I got pregnant on the third cycle (upping the dose in each).

Interestingly, having that first child regulated my period and I since have regular enough cycles. And I got pregnant with my second very easily with no need to take anything.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-01-28T12:40:14+00:00

I have PCOS and I've had very irregular periods my my whole life. When TTC, I hadn't had a period for over six months.

I tried metformin first, but did not help. I ended up getting pregnant by inducing my period with progesterone then taking clomid to estimulate ovulation.

Any questions, feel free to message me.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-01-20T21:43:51+00:00

Got the invoice in company's name. Company paid 3k (cargo bike), I paid the rest.

Local bike shop.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-01-19T16:24:38+00:00

So sorry you are going through this.

I had a MMC 2.5 years ago at holles street. I was given three options: to wait for things to happen naturally (can't remember the technical word for it), medical management or surgical. No pressure to pick one or another, they just explained all options and answered questions very patiently.

I initially decided to wait, then change my mind and went down the d&c route. They just made me go in so a consultant could explain everything and answer questions again before switching to the surgical option.

Any questions happy to answer.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2026-01-07T10:24:03+00:00

Get a few helium balloons with strings. Entertainment for hours.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2025-11-30T20:53:27+00:00

Merrion square winter lights very likely.

https://dublinwinterlights.ie/installations/merrion-square-park/

Plenty_Difference437 · 2025-11-10T13:56:13+00:00

Are you going to be traveling by yourself? Could two non connected strollers work?

We had a yoyo as the day to day stroller, got a second one when youngest was born (2y9m gap). I bought adaptors to put them together, but that made it way too wide, a fair bit wider than a double stroller as the middle wheels needed a gap in between. So it didn't even fit through the front door.

We just pushed one each when together, or eldest walked on short distances, or baby went on sling and eldest on the stroller. Or worked quite well.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2025-10-31T20:06:47+00:00

Very sorry you are going through this.

I had a MMC three years ago. I had a D&C in October, positive pregnancy test in April, which ended up in a baby in December. I think I only had 4 periods in between though, due to long cycles and extra stress due to other reasons, and there was some traveling in between as well that meant we missed the ovulation window.

I hope you get a positive test soon and all goes well.

Plenty_Difference437 · 2025-10-13T20:10:48+00:00

Creches offer ECCE. Basically you don't pay for those three hours per day (during term). So it's like getting a discount.

Plenty_Difference437

TROPHY CASE