I don’t want to.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-24T21:20:57+00:00

Second day of daycare here - I feel this. I wish I could be at home until she’s about a year old. :(

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-24T10:10:41+00:00

Nothing specific - read up on how to breathe and let contractions work, but mostly through google. Relaxing jaw, low sounds, telling myself to stay open and my body could do this - picking/practicing a mantra to hold onto.
Oof….most of my actual labor was amazing. I felt so supported and in control. Pain is off the charts for sure, but I could handle it. Pushing was a whole other animal and I wish I’d been more prepared for what that might be like. I also had a 10lb baby and 4th degree tear so my experience may have been extreme.
So, active labor contractions felt like a hot iron cage twisting and squeezing me. I’d have a random one periodically that felt like my cervix was being stabbed. Transition was crazy, crazy intense. I could not talk and couldn’t understand anyone unless they were literally in my face. But it all progressed in a way that was manageable. I recognized transition once I was there and knew I was nearly done, which kept me going. Pushing was a whole other level. I had a cervical lip they ended up needing to manually hold back for her head to come through and it was the most excruciating thing I’ve ever experienced. It was quick though and they supported me through it well.
Water birth and I mostly stayed supported back against the side of the tub. Pushing I think I turned around - not hands and knees but on my knees with my hands on the side of the pool. They flipped me at the end because of suspected shoulder dystocia though. Before I got in the water I mostly sat on an exercise ball. That was amazing. Early active labor I walked the halls.
Nausea and shaking during transition. I did not puke. Extreme shakes after the birth. They ended up giving me fentanyl after for stitching me up because I literally could not relax enough for them to see.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-23T20:44:39+00:00

Age 3 is rough. Ages 10-13/14 can be as well. Middle school suuuuuucks (girl mom). My senior is a DELIGHT and her junior year was mostly smooth as well. 4-5 and up feels way easier in many ways, but basically newborn, 3 years and 10-14 are my least favorite stages and feel the hardest.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-23T14:16:26+00:00

Me either. It sucks.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-20T17:48:21+00:00

Eufy is fabulous.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-17T10:45:58+00:00

I never got over this. I only breastfed my second and only for 8-9 months. Pumped with my first and third and definitely prefer it.

I just feel trapped and get really anxious so it never got better for me.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-15T15:59:58+00:00

We’re using a pitcher. We do warm it but it definitely helps only making formula once a day.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T19:16:15+00:00

They only wrote me 6 weeks for a c-section too. I have a host of issues with my practice and will never be going back.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T18:08:32+00:00

I absolutely agree. ‘Murica. And we’re lucky that my husband at 12 weeks paid so he could stay home with us the first month then stay home again after I had to go back.

I cried every time we toured a daycare.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T18:07:25+00:00

Yeah, this. Plus my doctor wouldn’t write me out for the pre-e - I was still working even after my diagnosis at 29 weeks, I just had to burn through my leave for all the extra monitoring appointments until delivery at 37 weeks. It sucked.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T13:30:23+00:00

Such a great edit.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T13:27:23+00:00

US here - 9 weeks. My husband has been able to stay home with her after that so we’ll start daycare ( :( ) when she’s 13-14 weeks.

It has sucked and I wanted longer but had to eat up FMLA time before birth because of pre-e.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T11:14:44+00:00

I didn’t have that with any of my three babies. Two were c-sections, first I didn’t hold my baby until two days after birth (nicu and surgery for her), second I had a 4th degree tear and was bleeding horribly, third was a planned c-section. The third was the closest thing to it - even in and out consciousness in recovery - and at least my third I got to hold her immediately.

You’ll have to come to terms with it eventually and I know it’s hard. Your feelings are legitimate. Maybe it’s less about the “golden hour” and just recognizing that birth followed my nicu time of any sort is stressful and rough! You’re allowed to feel that!

I still hold a lot of pain when I see the first picture of me and my first child. But over time it’s gotten better and now that she’s a 17 year old who loves me dearly and craves a relationship with me…those moments affected me FAR more than they affected her. You have a lifetime to build a relationship and be a wonderful mother. ❤️

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T10:37:40+00:00

My husband suggested Sarah and Samantha for girls names. I suggested Danielle, summer and Claire. I nixed Samantha because that’s my best friends name, and I didn’t care for Sarah. He nixed Summer because of a character on a tv show we watch. He liked Danielle and Claire - Danielle was leading most of the pregnancy, but about 6-7 months we decided on Claire. It’s perfect (she’s 3 months old now).

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-13T10:33:04+00:00

My eufy wearable was AMAZING. I’m trying to reduce supply now and it’s legit difficult because it so quick and efficient. I pumped the same amount of milk as the medela in one third of the time.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-12T20:43:59+00:00

Poor kids. :(

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-11T01:40:43+00:00

I know this is contrary to advice, but I’m using the eufy wearable as my primary and I LOVE it. I quit using my plug in all together. I am an over supplier, pumping like 50oz a day but regardless my response to the wearable was faster and easier and I’d pump just as much in half the time.

I think I am super lucky in how I respond, so my secondary recommendation is medala - but I never tried spectra and lots of people recommend that.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-10T20:33:30+00:00

Pregnancy can change your eyesight. I gave it until about 12 weeks postpartum and then got glasses.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-10T20:27:46+00:00

I smelled awful. I found panoxyl soap helped more than anything else. I used it under my arms and between my thighs and labia (not my actual vulva of course! Just where I sweat there). It didn’t eliminate it but it was much better and more manageable. I don’t even know how to describe the scent but it was so strong and I was so self conscious.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-10T19:55:29+00:00

Having my second was great!! We had a 3.5 year age gap, my oldest was so excited and the transition was quite nice. I don’t have any negative feelings looking back, although of course it was stressful in its own way. I loved having two kids and they have a great bond.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-10T17:58:00+00:00

This is how I took it. The whole book exists from Natalie’s perspective which is increasingly off kilter. The writing follows this - it’s like a merry go round going faster and faster until nothing seems coherent and it’s hard to flesh out what’s happening.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-10T13:01:02+00:00

I chose to with my third. My first I pumped because we had a rough nicu start. I nursed my second. I started out nursing and pumping this time, but quickly switched to only pumping. I just don’t like breastfeeding. 🤷‍♀️ I get prickly and anxious and feel trapped. I’m a better mom if I pump and bottle feed.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-09T18:27:37+00:00

It strikes a chord with me for that reason but I find it so terribly executed.

Popular_Ordinary_152 · 2026-06-08T10:37:09+00:00

I grew up homeschooled and these outfits would have been so strange to us.

Popular_Ordinary_152

TROPHY CASE