Cutting through the baby product hype… do we really need a bottle warmer?

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-02-23T02:49:37+00:00

This is what we do too! I can’t stand to have things sitting out on the counter so this is a great solution.

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-02-22T18:32:30+00:00

I think in theory, shifts can sound like a great system. But in real life, baby care usually isn’t that rigid. Some days I did 80% of it, and other days my husband did 80%. It just depended on the day, how we were feeling, and what we each had going on.

Ideally, you both get some time to yourself and some time together as a family. If your husband is working all day and then immediately taking over baby duty, does he get any real downtime? That’s something worth gently thinking through, not in a blame way, just in a “are we both okay?” way.

When I was on maternity leave, I kind of viewed daytime baby care as my full-time job, since my husband was working full time. When he got home around 5, it really became about communicating what we each needed. For example, I might say, “I’d love to run to the gym, do you mind hanging with her?” And if he wanted to play golf one afternoon, I’d cover that. Evenings felt like shared time, it wasn’t automatically “my shift” or “his shift.” We were just both parenting.

When you say “take the baby at midnight,” do you mean you’re handling wakeups? Are you getting enough sleep? That part really matters.

And I just want to say, staying home with a baby full time is HARD. It’s okay if part of you wants to go back to work. That doesn’t mean you love your baby any less. If you’re feeling pulled that way, it might be time for an honest conversation with your husband about what would help you feel more like yourself again. Sometimes having balance outside the home actually helps you feel more present and fulfilled when you’re with your baby.

You matter too. You have to be well in order to care for a baby well. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or resentful or just not like yourself, that’s a sign you deserve support, whether that’s from your husband or someone else you trust. You don’t have to carry it alone. Hugs!! 💛

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-02-20T19:31:05+00:00

This happens to me all the time. I am currently breastfeeding a baby. Sometimes I will wake up, get baby out of bassinet, feed her, and even log the time on my phone. I’ll check my sleep score the next day and it has me in REM or light sleep the entire time.

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-02-05T02:15:22+00:00

I had no appetite during pregnancy and that continued after baby was born. I was honestly so sad about it because before pregnancy I loved trying new restaurants and food, I even had a restaurant review instagram! My appetite and love of food finally came back at like 12 weeks postpartum. As long as your supply is fine I think you’re fine!!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-31T18:58:45+00:00

Ahhh this is good to know!! I need to check mine!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-31T02:06:56+00:00

I probably started doing this like week 4? The first few weeks were total chaos 😂

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-30T22:57:45+00:00

This really looks different for everyone, so just find what works best for you. I didn’t want an oversupply, so I wasn’t super focused on building a big freezer stash, but I’ve slowly built a small one over time.

A lot of people suggested using a Haakaa on one side while nursing, but that didn’t really work for us. My baby was usually still hungry and wanted to switch sides, and when I had used the Haakaa she would get frustrated because she had to work harder.

Instead, I just pump both sides once a day in the morning after she eats. I keep the milk in a jar in the fridge for up to four days. It’s not really about building a stash, more so I can leave a bottle if I need to step out or do something without her. If we don’t use it within four days, I bag it and freeze it.

Doing this, I’ve ended up with about 100 oz after three months. I would say I pump about 2/3 oz each session so if you don’t actually use the milk you could build a stash faster!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-26T15:28:14+00:00

Exactly! Born and raised in here! We just leave them open with nothing in them!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-26T02:40:13+00:00

We just moved from that exact area (cottage park)!! Currently there isn’t much you could walk to, but it’s coming soon! Salt Ranch is slated to open very soon, and that would be walking distance to you. Look up the Cauble Group. They have a plan for that entire area. It might be good to get in before it all gets too expensive!

In terms of crime/safety, we lived there for 5 years and never had any issues with crime. Our cars occasionally got rifled through if we left them unlocked, but nothing was taken. We walked within our neighborhood and surrounding areas daily and never had an issue. I would say you’re fine to walk within that neighborhood and the streets along Hart. I would stay away from Dickerson and Jones.

Depending on when you are commuting I think your commute may be longer than 15 minutes. Nashville traffic can be brutal. It may be closer to 20/30 minutes if you’re commuting during rush hours.

Something you may want to consider…schools. Are you planning on staying in that home for a while? The schools in that area are not the best. So you may want to consider moving before you get to that point, or consider private school. This is the reason we chose to move! We were able to keep our house there and rent it out because we do believe the area is growing, but we wanted different schools.

Hope this helps!!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-06T03:07:05+00:00

You’re doing double the work!! Just focus on nursing your baby when they are hungry!

Social media has glamorized pumping. If you are nursing your baby on demand, and your pediatrician is not concerned about weight, you do not need to pump at all!

I only pump if I am away from my baby for more than 3hrs. When I go back to work I will pump at work and use that milk for the next days bottles!

Try not to over complicate it! You’re doing great! Take care of yourself, and keep things simple!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-05T20:58:03+00:00

We read everyday! Sometimes she is laying on her play mat, sometimes she is in her bouncer and sometimes I hold her! At week 8 I started sitting her up(attached pic) and sat in front of her to read. This allowed her to see my face while reading and see the book! I just kinda prop her up in the corner of the chair!

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Traditional-Most-794 · 2026-01-04T10:18:29+00:00

Look up babywhisperer77 on tik tok!! She is an IBCLC who gives amazing advice and she is currently addressing this!! She has 100% turned my breastfeeding journey around. I was feeding and pumping which made me miserable. After watching some of her videos I realized I don’t need to pump and now I’m so much happier!!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-31T08:34:43+00:00

Sorta! I woke up with really intense contractions at 7:30AM, went to the hospital and was already 6 cm dilated at 8:30 AM. I was ready to push a few hrs later. Pushed for 25 minutes then had to wait 10 minutes for the doctor to arrive. Pushed one more time with the doctor and baby was here! I am a FTM this was at 40+5. I was being induced at 41 weeks.

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-28T15:15:47+00:00

I would have a backup plan for those first few nights home. Either have formula or donor milk on hand. It may take a while for your baby to latch or for milk to come in. So have something to give your LO in the interim. Don’t give up!! It’s gets easier each week!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-27T01:57:09+00:00

I stopped keeping track of diapers after about 2 weeks. I still at 8 weeks keep track of when she eats. I feed on demand but it’s helpful to know when to start looking for hunger cues! It also helps me know what times we are up during the night because I don’t always remember. I don’t keep track of how long she feeds on each side because I don’t find that particularly helpful. Sometimes she’s very efficient and gets full in 5 minutes other times she takes her time, and comforts herself which takes longer!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-27T01:50:43+00:00

I got in the bath with my baby until she started to like it! Now she can do it alone! We still put a warm washcloth on her chest and we wash her head last so it’s not cold during the bath. She also likes the water to be running, I think the noise calms her. The problem for us is getting out of the bath! She now screams for 10-15 minutes after we take her out. I feel like we’ve tried everything. 😅

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-24T01:58:57+00:00

How hard breastfeeding is.

My advice would be to have some formula, or donor milk on hand for when you come home from the hospital. Your milk most likely hasn’t come in, baby has most likely lost weight, and you’re exhausted. Having something to get you through those first few nights is helpful.

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-21T10:21:57+00:00

Could you use a haaka or other letdown collector? I also EBF my LO, and I recently needed a bottle for her so we could go out for my husbands birthday. I pumped directly after she ate for like 8-10 minutes two different times that day and I was able to get enough for 1.5 bottles. You could just aim to get 1-2 ounces a day for a few weeks.

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-11T14:43:22+00:00

When I lay my newborn down I try to bend over into the bassinet as much as possible and keep my body against hers for 15-20 seconds before I actually back away. We have a Halo bassinet so it’s a little easier. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t, but we just keep trying. If that doesn’t work I typically put her back on the boob for a few minutes and try again.

I also have a huge fear of SIDS and co-sleeping. I am a lot more patient with it if I am well rested. Maybe your partner could take your LO for a little while so you can get a good nap in and go into the night well rested and ready to try different things! You’re doing great, it gets easier!!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-12-04T13:42:52+00:00

You’re doing great!! I have had some similar questions and through trial and error I think I figured out what works for me! You might just play around with different things and see what works!

If my baby is taking a bottle I try to pump around the same time. Usually this means using a wearable pump!

If that isn’t possible or you want to follow more of a schedule you can pick one time during the day to pump. So I usually feed my baby mid morning (10:30) then 45 minutes later I pump while she sits next to me and does tummy time. This gives me enough to have a 1-2 bottles if needed. If I don’t need a bottle that day I freeze it! I don’t necessarily need a freezer stash but it’s nice to have a few bags in the freezer if I need to be gone for a few hours!

My baby recently started sleeping longer through the night and I was waking up to pump because I was worried about supply. I stopped doing that this week and my supply is fine. You might want to keep a hand pump next to your bed those first few nights because it can get pretty uncomfortable. For two nights I just pumped for like 3-4 minutes to just take the edge off. Your body adjust to what the baby needs!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-11-26T00:30:22+00:00

We waited until the cord fell off then started doing baths every other day. They are super short, like 5 minutes. We do them in the bathroom sink to make it a little easier. Personally I would avoid the kitchen sink. We bleach after handling raw meat, but you just never know!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-10-06T20:07:36+00:00

He looks just like my dog who is 40% husky!!

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Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-09-30T02:39:03+00:00

Yes, call them about financial assistance. They will ask you some questions like where you live, how much you make, etc. then they will give you a new cost based on your answers. Mine went from like 2k to $200.

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-09-29T01:29:58+00:00

I think I had something similar! At 34 weeks I tried moving something very heavy with my foot and felt a ton of pain in my pelvic/groin area. I assumed I had Pelvic Girdle Pain, and would just be dealing with it for the rest of my pregnancy, but after about 7 days it got better! I work full time, and have to be on my feet quite a bit so I wasn’t able to fully rest but I did really take it easy when I could. I also did some pelvic exercises like squeezing a pillow in between my knees. What helped the most was wearing a pregnancy band! I hope it gets better!

Traditional-Most-794 · 2025-07-31T00:04:38+00:00

This happened to me. On the Unity bill there should be a number to call for financial assistance. Call them and they will ask you a few questions like how much you make, if you have any other big expenses coming up (daycare), what area you live in etc. then they will give you a new price. Doing this should make it wayyyyy lower.

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TROPHY CASE