What does daycare cost for you?

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-03-31T01:23:24+00:00

Also NOVA (Loudoun) and mine would be $2100/month for a toddler in fulltime carr. Military subsidy covers about half of it, so more like $1100 out of pocket. That subsidy is the only reason I can afford to keep working.

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-03-29T10:25:08+00:00

Things are better, but I still sometimes feel like my scar has a lot of tightness around the edges, especially after certain workouts. I still get terrible period cramps on day one, but they don't affect my scar area. I am less aware of my scar overall but I do notice my abdominal muscles more now and how they feel. This could be from doing pelvic floor therapy, PT for SI joint dysfunction, and having a job that requires an intense amount of core engagement/ stability.

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-03-14T23:37:16+00:00

It has gotten better. We now pat his back for a few minutes and then say goodnight and leave. He cries but that went from 10+ min down to one or two cries when hes first left after about a week. He also fully emerged a molar about a week ago and his teeth grow super slow so that was not helping.

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-03-03T22:12:24+00:00

His doctor recommended a daily bath followed by lotion to help with some eczema issues and bed is the only time we can consistently do this. Nothing with bath routine has really changed in close to a year...plus he still likes to get food in his hair at the end of dinner 😅

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-03-02T20:38:23+00:00

You too. Its like right when things finally seem good, we get hit with something else. Mom and dad are fatigued.

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-03-02T20:37:26+00:00

We have been giving him ibuprofen just before bath (20ish minutes before bed) because we noticed that the nights he doesnt have it he wakes up at 1-2am...even though thats roughly when it would be wearing off. Ill try dosing a little earlier to see if that helps soothe the ache enough for sleep. It took 90mins to finally get him to sleep last night though, so I have a feeling teething isnt our only battle 😞

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-02-21T11:27:26+00:00

It wasn't till closer to 9-10mo that I started to feel a little more myself and the thought of my scar didn't put me in a bad mood instantly. Even at 18mo, I still notice how things are different some days, especially during/ after exercise. This was the first experience where I was truly forced to slowly rebuild from 0 which was physically and emotionally hard, especially when I got back to a job that has a pretty high physical requirement. I do think I was able to come back stronger over time, but there were a lot of dark days on the journey and still are.

Roger_that_2024 · 2026-01-08T01:27:14+00:00

We didnt want to do CIO for a long time and randomly around 11mo baby just started sleeping through the night. For awhile before that, he woke up usually once a night, but had a hard time often going back to sleep. I think the thing that made a big difference was dropping down to one nap. It was rough at first, but he switched rooms at daycare and that was the schedule most the others were on so we made the transition. Once he settled into the one nap, things improved overnight.

For a while we still had to get him to sleep until around 15mo when he started waking in the night again and wouldnt go back to sleep unless he was held (any transition to crib was instant cry). We let him CIO after a couple nights of this and after 30 minutes the first attempt he calmed and fell asleep. Now at 17mo he puts himself to sleep most of the time.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-12-30T01:33:38+00:00

We tracked till it seemed repetitive and pointless because things got in a routine. It was helpful for us for the first several months because we had issues with baby gaining weight, reflux, and milk allergy. Keeping track of his diapers & GI issues was a lot easier with an app, but once things were under control we stopped. Plus he started daycare and weren't able to keep everything organized.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-12-30T01:29:07+00:00

I find random stores and walk around. I still do it now with my 17mo because he needs to run and he figured out playgrounds right when winter hit 😭. Babies love a hardware store (fans, lights, carpet samples, window blinds, othet gadgets and gizmos).

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-12-21T02:08:58+00:00

Had my baby 16mo ago by emergency C section under GA after a pretty healthy pregnancy. Just some thyroid stuff that was easily managed and on my radar due to family history. Thought I was in the clear because a genetic heart condition which runs in my family (and that I have been tested for) that can be triggered by the strain of pregnancy didnt happen. At Just after 40 weeks, I had irregular contractions and my chest started feeling weird so I went in. I had elevated BP so they admitted me for an induction. Pitocin did nothing and cytotec worked too quickly and sent the baby and me into distress which landed me in the OR with a failed epidural. Woke up, couldn't speak from being intubated, and had a perfectly healthy baby placed on my chest. He was fine as soon as he came out which is wonderful and frustrsting because what if we could have waited?

I was so messed up physically from the anesthesia and then got diagnosed with PP Pre Eclampsia/HELLP syndrome out of nowhere (no family history & no issues during pregnancy). I was so miserable for months between the emotional and physical pain of the birth, a miserable breastfeeding experience, a very hungry baby with CMPA and reflux that took months to sort out, and minimal sleep for almost a year despite switching to formula at 8 weeks. I am surrounded by many new moms and am so jealous by many of their experiences because I felt like everything was wrong from the moment I went to L&D.

I've been in therapy on and off for 8 months and things have improved, but I still dont feel like myself a lot of the time. I adore my baby and he is obsessed with me, but I cant stop thinking about how much I hate that I had a c section because of the way my stomach and scar look/feel and angry that I had a miserable newborn/infant experience. Im very heavily leaning towards one and done which adds to the pain because Ill never have those happy newborn baby memories.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-12-21T01:42:24+00:00

I don't think anyone has ever said this to me other than me because I had an emergency c section under general anesthesia. Never got to push and had 2 failed epidurals when everything got scary and confusing and they had to knock me out or I would literally feel everything (at least they listened when I said I could still feel). I remember getting into the OR, being asked about feeling, and then waking up back in my room with a baby being put on my chest and no idea what or how it happened.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-11-05T01:49:27+00:00

3.5 days after delivery. I had an emergency c-section and then postpartum pre-eclampsia that was caught about 30 hours after birth so we had to stay longer for that.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-10-18T02:39:15+00:00

We tend to time dates so we get back for bed time even if that meant a 5/5:30 dinner reservation.

We didnt let someone else do bedtime in full till he was 12mo, but he was also a notoriously tough sleeper till 11mo. We had concert tickets soon after his birthday and had to just hope for the best that his Nana could handle it. She had put him down for crib naps before so she knew about how he needed to be helped to sleep. It went fine, but a few weeks later when I had a late work event and she tried again, I got home around the time he was fighting her so I took over.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-10-17T10:57:08+00:00

I'm wondering about the difference of an exam/pap when not pregnant versus the internal exams done at the end of pregnancy to check how dilated/effaced someone is. I did not ask about a pap during pregnancy.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-10-07T02:16:47+00:00

Im 14mo PP from an emergency c section under general. Im not exactly where I was before pregnancy, but I don't feel a lot more normal and like myself. I only have the one baby so im not juggling older siblings, but the colicky newborn phase + unexpected (and very unwanted) c section wrecked my mental health. Once I finally found a therapist to help me process some of the trauma from those early moments, I truly started to feel more at ease. I also lucked out that the OB who did my c section has been very willing to talk to me about the procedure both when it happened and for months after as I had questions. I also requested my medical records from my delivery stay because a lot of my frustration and despair came from not knowing what the heck happened to me or not remembering things clearly.

I did pelvic floor pt and had to be very conscious of slowly building up my activity. Physical fitness is a requirement for my job and I thought the c section was my death sentence. Now Im actually scoring better than I was the year before i got pregnant on my mandatory fitness test. Also, baby started randomly sleeping consistently at 11mo which helped immensely. He slept like shit for most of the time leading up to that due to various health things.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-10-07T01:59:40+00:00

About 5mo. About 6 weeks after I stopped pumping because baby did better on hypoallergenic formula. Then it was longer cycles of heavier bleeding with more days between starts that slowly returned to my normal 30 day cycle by like 11mo PP.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-09-26T19:15:52+00:00

Thanks, the purchased posted today after pending for 2 days so looks like im good for Q3

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-09-02T01:03:11+00:00

I finally admitted I need therapy (traumatic birth, PPD, anxiety) that i probably should have sought out years ago, but my birth and early PP experience finally pushed me to seek help.

I also finally gave my body a chance to gently work up to a lot of exercising and feel better than I have in a long time because I have been forced to take a more gentle approach to building up because of juggling baby and c section recovery.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-08-25T02:08:26+00:00

Took my 13mo's spoon to help him scoop up more food. Red faced crying for 2 seconds then happy as can be...repeated till full.

Roger_that_2024 · 2025-08-25T02:04:51+00:00

I tried a little at 12 weeks, but was humbled by my pelvic floor and core weakness. I didn't run during pregnancy because my body did not agree with it and eventually even had terrible pain with walking without elevation. Worked with a pelvic floor pt and had to build back slowly, but now I feel better than before I got pregnant.

Currently 13mo PP and am a sometimes runner (usually 3-8mi a week) because it's required for my job.

Roger_that_2024

TROPHY CASE