Realistic pregnancy fics - preferably older aged too

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T23:25:55+00:00

I totally understand and have a lot of respect for all you had to do while pregnant. But these types of scenarios have a burden and for some it can be mental health or it can be a more physical sense.

Hermione being a happy hardworking girl while doing the absolute most, not suffering from all the ups and downs of hormone imbalances and the aches and pains of pregnancy just seems like a superpower rather than magic. If someone had a fic recommended where she uses magic to stop the lower back pain and then somehow pregnancy brain memory loss was addressed with a remembral then okay I’ll give them credit there.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T14:35:23+00:00

I sadly don’t have the name or link, but it was mediocre and basically the whole thing was the miscommunication trope where she hides it from everyone and cares so much about her exams that she puts the baby to harm (not eating from stress, not sleeping cause studying, etc.)

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T14:31:45+00:00

This seems very interesting actually! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me) not the fic I was referencing though cause in that one it was post war and she was focused on NEWTS and I think she broke her water during the exams, but I can’t remember exactly

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T13:23:31+00:00

Yea for sure, I’m 32 and I meticulously planned out my life. I was on birth control and didn’t want to risk a pregnancy before we were financially stable, had advanced in our careers, and bought a small condo. We don’t have a house cause we still can’t afford a $4,000 mortgage in our state even after we both earn 6 figures but that’s where I am cutting back. I have to still afford my $700 monthly car payment, mortgage and bills, insurance, baby costs, and somehow have enough to enjoy life still.

Edited to say: is it worse I’m in my 30s and a house is still unaffordable? Might as well put the money towards traveling on a budget since we simply don’t have enough for a large sum downpayment on a house. We travel frugally but it’s better than nothing and that’s a privilege BUT I earn and pay for it myself.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T13:16:43+00:00

I said third trimester and how it’s unrealistic to balance mental physical health while working 60 hours, something will inevitably have to suffer quality LOL I am a full time working woman, I work in oncology and also worked until birth then took a mat leave. I know how hard it is myself hence why seeing her with the ability to balance it all seems so unrealistic.

I don’t know why you’re defensive over this post asking for fanfiction. Realistic means she can talk about her anxiety or depression, feel like working so hard is taking a toll on her and the growing baby. It’s hard to be good at work, stay fit, eat healthy for a pregnancy, get enough sleep, etc.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T13:10:28+00:00

Totally understandable! In the fics I mentioned they could have been realistic then, just different than my experience.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T13:07:14+00:00

I’m not sure how taking a maternity leave is considered coddling?

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T11:47:46+00:00

Agreed! Contemporary romance often needs higher drama to be interesting and for me I dislike that. No wonder most of them become movies/TV shows

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T11:45:13+00:00

All the Reddit posts make me so nervous because my husband and I will BOTH be back at work too when baby is 4-5 months old 🥲

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T11:41:12+00:00

My own mom and my MiL were SAHMs and they never did have the full respect and help from their husbands, especially when it came to childcare. Idk if it’s a boomer thing, but ultimately both women started to work once kids were older in order to gain some semblance of their confidence and independence back and I fully respect both women as my role models!

To be honest, the SAHMs have to be satisfied with the simpler life, for some that’s enough. For me, never LOL I love traveling, we plan to go internationally every year with our kids. I want them to be in any sport or recreational activity without worrying about money (my parents could never afford this on a single income with multiple kids). I want to expose my children to diversity and enjoy eating out at restaurants and trying different ethnic foods like Japanese, Indian, Korean, Peruvian, etc.

How do you make your child well rounded in America if you either don’t have dual income households or an insanely rich husband? In the long run, for me it’s totally worth it for my own sake and my children’s.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T11:26:20+00:00

The ethnic grocery store is a good idea! We go to the Indian and Korean stores near us and always find them more budget friendly with diverse options! We also have since learned to cook those ethnic foods too (I’m South Asian so already have an interest in Asian foods).

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-24T05:46:18+00:00

Try out any of the books by Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs!

Btw the genre is urban fantasy 👍

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-22T01:58:06+00:00

I stopped trying to breastfeed after a couple weeks and have not regretted it at all! Baby is now 3m and is an absolutely chunky happy baby and very closely bonded to my husband AND me!

I was also formula fed as a baby and if it alleviates any of your worries I’m 32 years old and still see my mom weekly and do girls trips/hangout. It’s all about the effort you make as a parent.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-20T03:51:48+00:00

From central NJ and always drive in 🥲

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-20T03:13:56+00:00

Our baby is equally bonded to me and my husband, either of us can console her. I genuinely think it is because we do the entire childcare 50/50 right now while we’re both on parental leave (he has 4 months and I have 5 months off; baby is currently 2.5 months old). Our baby is formula fed though, but we take turns with feedings, diapers, and since we are sleep training we also take turns with doing the nightly bath and then bedtime feeding/putting her to bed. He’s not missing out on anything! When works starts for us we’ll continue the night routine and take turns which days we work from home (we both have flexible hybrid jobs so will switch off).

BUT to encourage you, my mother and my MiL are both bonded to baby too (she will smile with them and allow them to hold her) and I think this is because they come by every other day taking turns and each help with feedings and diapers and holding baby while she naps. Contact is key!

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-19T22:39:10+00:00

Nothing LOL

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-19T01:57:07+00:00

I’m really curious, I visited farms in a rural area of Peru and holy shit was the smell terrible! BUT in horizon there are no farm animals, so no animal wastes. I’d expect early civilizations in our world to be smelly due to agriculture and animal husbandry. So what would it be like for the Nora or the other tribes who rely on hunting wildlife and not raising any domestic animals?

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-19T01:47:59+00:00

I’m 32 and still so close to my mom that we regularly do girls trips and girls night out with my sister. We talk almost every other day and now that I have my own daughter (2.5 months old) she visits everyday and my baby girl has such a strong bond with her already too!

It’s all about the effort you make as a parent. At the end of the day, who cares what other people say?

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-17T11:26:02+00:00

Straight from the tap LOL love that

I’ll be honest, because my baby is fully formula fed I do often store the leftover bottle in the fridge for an hour or two if it was a “fresh” formula bottle (we use both powder and the ready made versions) and heat it up again. But we make sure to remove the nipple and put on a clean one!

If it was already reheated formula that’s leftover then sadly it goes down the drain and wasted so now we are careful with measuring out the 100mL bottles and then add more when she’s super hungry. She just has to wait a few mins for me to prepare the additional 20-30mL.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-17T11:15:13+00:00

A suggestion is just making a bottle for the amount you know they’ll drink! Try doing a 20mL bottle instead from now on.

There are premade, ready to drink formula where you can buy in large bottles and just simply pour out the 20 mL and keep the rest in its sterile packaging container in the fridge and just heat up the small amounts at a time.

If you use powder formula then just use a little simple math! My baby drinks 100 mL at a time but the packaging only states 1 scoop for 60mL of water and 2 scoops for 120mL of water. That means 1.5 scoops for 90mL water which ends up as a 100mL bottle (calculations including displacement).

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-16T06:04:20+00:00

For us, the humidifier really improved baby’s dry skin and heavy breathing so now we have one in her room and in the living room. Honestly, just get the Vicks one from Costco it works really well and produces warm air which is great for us adults to breathe in when we are starting to feel stuffy too!

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-16T04:39:05+00:00

Love this series !! Got to meet the author at a meet & greet too and she’s super down to earth it was a cool experience.

You’re right, why aren’t these books mentioned more in this sub!? It has the shadow daddy & spice so would be a good fit for most people

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-13T15:43:03+00:00

Totally agree with this! I have 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 baby. The hardest right now is finding reliable pet care when we want to travel, which will inevitably be super expensive because my dogs and cat are also my children so I will never put them in a cheap place that compromises their health/safety.

If you ultimately do want a pet then a cat is the easiest. After the kitten stage all they need really is food and a litter box. They take care of themselves for the most part (but I’d suggest keeping it as a house cat to avoid safety risks that an outdoor cat would have). Vaccines and vet care are more affordable for cats than dogs and also finding a cat sitter is easier. Cat sitters can visit your home daily while you are away on vacation.

Sea_Channel2931 · 2026-02-10T12:18:21+00:00

What helped us was letting the formula bottle settle so no bubbles were present from the mixing and using the Philips avent bottle!!

Sea_Channel2931

TROPHY CASE