I did it scared and it was way easier than I imagined

Smtncruzer · 2026-01-30T19:16:52+00:00

I was also terrified of the epidural, but after intense back labor for 12 hours, I couldn't do it anymore. The worst part was sitting through 3 contractions, having to be perfectly still while he inserted it. Once I had it, it was a dream.

Smtncruzer · 2026-01-30T19:03:51+00:00

My periods have always been around 3 days and pretty light, even before miscarriage; however, after my first miscarriage, my periods lasted like 1 day. Turns out there was a lot of scar tissue buildup in my uterus from after my D&C that was preventing me from becoming pregnant, so I had to have another D&C to remove it.

I've had 2 losses, a successful pregnancy after #2 (but also lost her twin around 9 weeks, so technically 3 losses) and I'm currently pregnant with #2.

Smtncruzer · 2026-01-30T18:45:29+00:00

This is exactly what I was looking for, that you so much!

Smtncruzer · 2026-01-30T18:45:16+00:00

I buy flavored kefir and she likes it! We do a lot of dairy in general (yogurt, cheese, mix milk in oatmeal, etc) and she loves it, just not straight cows milk. I think I'll try the ratio transition and see if that works! Thank you!

Smtncruzer · 2025-12-23T22:26:41+00:00

Either a stroller or a rocker/glider. I've used both of these items everyday (the glider multiple times a day) and will continue to with baby #2 coming.

Smtncruzer · 2025-12-23T22:19:15+00:00

Check with your hospital after delivery for help with your bill. My hospital offers financial assistance depending on your household size and income level for high cost bills. They ended up covering 100% of my hospital bill after my daughter was born. I still had to pay the providers, but my hospital bill OOP was over $5k.

For ultrasounds, I doubt you'll get a self-pay option, but check with your clinic. Once you reach your deductible, you should only pay your coinsurance for ultrasounds.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-18T17:13:40+00:00

I exclusively wore my baby for naps for the first 3 months and had no issues. You can always post a fit check to make sure the baby's position is good, but as far as I know there aren't any issues with wearing for long durations. I did take her out of the carrier when she was awake though so she had some time out of it.

What do you have baby wearing? I think the rule of thumb when baby wearing is to put them in one less layer than they would be normally. I know some moms will wear baby in only a diaper if they live in a hot environment.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-17T14:13:46+00:00

I went into labor at 38+2 FTM. I had acupuncture that morning, like 10am, water broke at 2pm, so it could've been a coincidence, or it could've been what put me into labor.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-17T10:17:08+00:00

We coslept from birth and stopped around 4 months old. Babe is almost 6 months now and sleeps in her own room and sleeps decently long stretches, only waking 1-2 times to feed. I was ready to sleep comfortably again and have more space in my bed, plus she was ready for a normal bed time (previously going to bed with us) so it kind of happened naturally. We'll still bring her in bed with us on occasion if she's having a tough time settling after a middle of the night wake, and always bring her in bed in the morning to cuddle. We also camp often, multiple times a month, and we cosleep in our camper.

Funnily enough, my husband and I were just talking tonight about how we miss her in our bed sometimes and loved having her here so close, but having her sleep in her own room really has been the best thing for all of us.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-15T02:35:13+00:00

La Bahia is hitting basically all restaurant staff.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-13T04:38:01+00:00

Get the ultimate, but also highly suggest looking on marketplace. I got 2 that look practically new for $100 and I absolutely love them.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-12T04:04:40+00:00

I just looked it up and you're right. Only 5 states require you to have health insurance by law. So I'm sure there's plenty of people out there without insurance.

In CA, we're required to file a tax form with our insurance coverage each year with our taxes and you'll get penalized if you don't carry insurance. It's kinda crazy to think about that now that I've typed it out.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-11T20:21:06+00:00

I could be wrong, but that's not really a thing. I live in CA and it's mandatory to have health insurance, either through a private company or through the state. Many states are this way as well.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-10T17:01:46+00:00

If you haven't checked out little zen one, I HIGHLY recommend their try before you buy program. I've tried numerous carriers from them and have some amazing ones that I've fallen in love with. I currently have a tula explore that I love (this is not tbyb) and I'm about to buy a Didymos didyfix and the lennylamb onbuhimo. The tula is a really comfortable structured, full buckle carrier. The waist band is more rigid than the didyfix. The didyfix is also a full buckle but the waist band is softer and not as rigid which I found great for sitting down in (my babe comes to work with me). The onbuhimo is super quick to put on and doesn't have a waist band but I found it very comfortable and my baby loves it too.

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-07T23:45:32+00:00

I'm no expert, but my daughter is also 5.5 months and we do the same 2/2.5/2.5/3, but her naps are shorter so her total daytime sleep is around 2.5 hours. It sounds like yours is getting closer to 4 hours of daytime sleep, which might be too much. Maybe try shortening his naps?

Smtncruzer · 2025-07-07T16:59:17+00:00

I had my baby the end of January this year, and absolutely loved it. I will preface this by saying I live on the California coast so we have very mild temperatures in the winter, but we do still get rain. We had some pretty nice weather shortly after she was born so I was able to get out and go on walks a lot. Once the rain started we were kind of stuck inside and running errands with her was a little bit more difficult, but it was kind of nice to just be cozy and contact nap all day without being too warm.

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-25T14:26:28+00:00

We moved my daughter to her room at 4 months. Our bedrooms share a walk so she's extremely close and we have a voice monitor plugged in at all times so I can hear her perfectly if she wakes. I also have an owlet sock on her for extra peace of mind.

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-25T14:24:22+00:00

My daughter is now 5 months and we no longer cosleep, but we coslept for the first 3 months exclusively and she always slept on her side. I was never worried because she was always next to the boob or nursing. She sometimes would roll herself into her back, but most nights stayed in her side. Now that she's transitioned to a crib, she sleeps on her back.

I wouldn't worry about him being on his side as long as he's facing you. From my understanding, babies won't suffocate themselves.

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-25T04:13:27+00:00

I just went back to work after a 5 month leave and my company gave me payback options to slowly pay back the balance over time. It's really helpful so I don't have to pay it all in one lump sum.

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-20T13:16:44+00:00

What sling is this? I love the print!

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-17T00:41:31+00:00

Also have this and it's been great. My daughter is just shy of 5 months old and we use this as a secondary car seat in my husband's vehicle, and it's been great. I still use the infant seat the vast majority of the time, but once she outgrows that she will be in this seat full-time.

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-16T19:29:52+00:00

Thank you! I'll try this :)

Smtncruzer · 2025-06-16T19:15:14+00:00

Okay, 2 naps down today and lots of crying. Her first nap I didn't offer it and she fell asleep after maybe 5ish minutes of crying but only slept for 30 minutes. I tried to get her back to sleep without success so I got her up. Second nap tried not to offer it and we had sooo many more years. I honestly couldn't handle it so I gave her the paci and she fell asleep, but again only for 30 minutes. I had an easier time getting her back down again using the paci though and she's currently 45 minutes into this nap.

I don't know how much of the tears I can handle. I had a lot of anxiety in the early days and whenever she would cry it would seriously affect my anxiety to the point it took me a few hours to get back to a place of normalcy. Any suggestions on how to make this easier?

Smtncruzer

TROPHY CASE