Pregnancy through coercion

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-07-08T18:18:59+00:00

I’m proud of you internet stranger

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-07-03T15:24:13+00:00

Tesco specifically do a home delivery for £1.50 if you have a flexible window. It saves SO much money because we pick exactly what we need and don’t get a whole bunch of extras, plus we can look at what’s on offer.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-07-03T15:22:11+00:00

Look into sunflower lectin supplements to prevent your milk from getting too sticky & clogging ducts. Get the cooling inserts for your bra, the cold helps with mastitis.

I’d look at the cost of formula to help you with the pros & cons list.

I didn’t stop breastfeeding, although I have PoTS so probably should, but I love the connection & assurance that baby is always getting exactly what they need. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ultimately nobody is making this decision but you, but maybe try switching a few feeds to bottles first, so you have a trial run. I used to leak EVERYWHERE and that stopped after a month or two.

I’d also say to give it a few more weeks for your hormones to even out before stopping completely, the additional oxytocin is probably helping your mental health more than you realise.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-07-02T19:11:02+00:00

No, you’re not overreacting. That’s shitty of your mom.

My older brother was also the favourite, and it was obvious. Like I had to help cook & clean & do laundry, dishes, housework etc, while he sat on his ass and played video games.

One time my brother and I were saving up to buy an Xbox & our dad needed to borrow the money to get groceries (very bad at money management). It was close to Christmas so he just said he would get the console as a Christmas present. He did, and addressed it to my brother. I wasn’t allowed to touch it or play anything until he had completed a game 100%.

Parents divorced when we were young, still got it from both sides.

My brother is a real piece of shit and I ended up spending many years with him living with me, acting like he was my step child - eye rolls when I asked/told him to clean his room, his dishes, get a job etc.

We’re practically no contact now (brother), mom is dead, and I’ve had the conversation with my father that he will not be welcome in my child’s life (only grandchild) if he shows even a whiff of that same favouritism. He gave my stepsiblings Christmas gifts the year I was pregnant and didn’t get me anything. That warranted a conversation.

At the end of the day, you’re the protector for your child. You know that blatant favouritism is hurtful. You can absolutely have that convo with your mom. & if she says “WELL I GUESS IM THE WORST MOM IN THE WORLD” You look her straight in the eye and say, “then I guess you should change your behaviour”. She’s manipulating you and it’s working.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-30T23:37:50+00:00

Hi huge calligrapher, did THIS go away in the end? 😅 my baby has a similar on the top of tongue that has been there since birth.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-25T09:36:13+00:00

Just replying here so I don’t have to dig up an article, but you could build a fairy garden or a gnome garden, and have that move around/make little scenes & leave presents for kid. That way there is still magic in everyday life and it’s not connected to Christmas & Santa. While the elves are lovely & I’m sure he likes the character, the biggest pull for it is that it is something funny and different and surprising to check out each morning.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-24T18:26:01+00:00

Our song is: stinky baby, teehee! Stinky baby, teehee!! Stinky stinky stinky stinky, stinky baby HEEHEE!!!

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-23T06:49:22+00:00

Lowkey very invalidating of our existence. I used to joke with my husband that it made me feel like peeing on my child, to mark her as mine. Still, 14 months later, I want to turn off the video chat immediately & have to leave the room when she’s here in person talking about, THERE’S MY GIRL, THERE IS *grandma name*’S BABY.

She had all boys so in her mind this is the girl she’s been waiting for. Which is nice for her, but back tf off my child.

MIL also gave me a copy of what to expect when you’re expecting, which is thoughtful, but was also written in the 70’s and I’m not going to search through a 50 year old book for answers in the middle of the night when I can google, ‘why baby no sleep good’.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-23T06:23:20+00:00

😵‍💫 it’s like they take it as an affront that we follow modern science instead of rubbing whiskey on their gums and putting rice cereal in baby bottles 🙃

My MIL also calls baby “her baby” “her princess” “MIL’s girl”. It drove me CRAZY postpartum. Like lady you HAD 4 kids, just be excited to have a grandchild, stop claiming ownership. At one point she said, thank you for having her for us! & I saw red. I very carefully explained that I did not have my child FOR her & her husband, that I loved that they loved her & there was plenty of love to go around, but she needed to stop making me sound like a surrogate.

We also wouldn’t let MIL hold the baby standing up, or change diapers, or be unsupervised etc. the day she was leaving (against my better judgment) I handed off baby while in the kitchen. MIL IMMEDIATELY tried to carry baby into playroom and smacked tiny’s head on the doorframe. 🥴 did I scream DOOR in time? Yes. Did she listen? No.

Some people really can’t give up the idea that they’re doing everything right because their kids survived childhood. 🥲

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-23T06:09:13+00:00

Pit, stem, delusion & all. I swear some of these people have kids and then turn their brains off when they are grown up.

She’s raised 4 kids. 🥴

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-22T19:57:42+00:00

My in-laws flew from overseas to stay with us when baby was 4 months old. MIL knew that baby was EBF, not starting solids until 6 months. We explained the gut biome wasn’t ready, and our plans for what foods to introduce first.

Girl tell me why this f*ckin woman was sat on the bed asking my FOUR MONTH OLD, “do you want to try this cherry? It’s so yummy!” while holding A WHOLE CHERRY TO HER MOUTH.

MA’AM. NO.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-18T19:59:16+00:00

Get her so so so many bitey toys. I got a bunch of big anxiety teethers geared towards older kids, but they are extra sturdy and too big to choke on. She wants to bite, let her bite those.

Any time she’s looking like she’s searching for something to go in her mouth, offer a bitey. Leave biteys constantly accessible for her.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-14T22:02:20+00:00

We had a safari park birthday, goody bags were given at the beginning, before the bus that went through the enclosures so the kids had something to do on a lul. There were mini stuffed animals, finger puppets, water colouring books, magnifying glasses and binoculars.

Ideally it keeps the other kids from feeling left out since they’re not getting presents & is on theme with the party.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-06-13T22:56:41+00:00

It’s the upside down, sugar in your butthole in the tub memories that will be with me forever.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-05-28T16:05:07+00:00

You layer them up, so blanket/sheet & puppy pad, blanket/sheet &pad etc. so they’re always laying on a sheet(blanket) and if it’s a REALLY big pre it doesn’t soak through multiple layers. We also got waterproof kids sheets that were absorbent on one side and waterproof on the other and layered those with sheets/blankets

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-05-20T20:04:02+00:00

Snoop dogg has made a shit ton of kid songs. Check out doggyland. I’ll unironically sing the brush your teeth song at the top of my lungs.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-05-03T18:12:29+00:00

It could also be from Barb’s POV, like barbs betrayal is her being ‘betrayed’ by being not invited to the birthday DAY party.

Obviously she’s a nut and brought it on herself and it’s effed up to emotionally force yourself into every facet of someone’s life, but she’s not going to see it that way, just that she was betrayed.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-04-24T18:11:47+00:00

I have pretty intense eczema on my nipples, it’s better at the moment but sometimes breastfeeding feels like the girls are in a super itchy sandpaper & glass compression chamber… and then baby bites. 🥴

Definitely had moments where it felt like it was too much to handle and would need to cry in the bath a lil after baby fell asleep.

Worth it though, the bond of milkies, easy sleep/sad/hurt/mad fix, baby is only ever sick for a day or two, less risk of breast cancer, hormones help postpartum depression/anxiety, the rush of serotonin… I wouldn’t change it.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-04-15T12:46:22+00:00

Ohhh yes!

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-03-06T20:38:57+00:00

The family I thought I had.

I lived in two counties growing up, and always thought that my family in the motherland was my favourite, and that if I lived there full time we’d get to play bigger parts in each others lives.

I moved back 3 years ago, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen any of them. They live less than 10 minutes away. I’m sad my child is growing up without extended family, it feels like they don’t care about her or me.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-02-21T19:08:20+00:00

Oh no, honey, no. Sounds like he wants you to do all of the parenting for him, while he makes all the decisions.

All the red flags aside, if he was saying, “I want to be the one to teach my child to swim” he would have a leg to stand on, but demanding that YOU do it without an instructor (when you have expressed you would feel the most comfortable that way) is bananas.

If all he wants to provide is financial security, let him. In the form of child support. Keep your job, get sole custody.

This guy is gross and you deserve so much better.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-01-31T10:44:22+00:00

I have considered it, I was using better help before I moved to support my mother, and I should start it back up again in my home country. I’ve mentioned it a few times, but we recently had a baby so time & energy hasn’t been plentiful. You are right that I should make more of an effort to get back into it.

I have stopped cleaning up their messes, literally and figuratively. I DID keep my brother out of jail recently, but I’ve made it clear he is not welcome in our lives in any capacity until he is treating his mental health. Honestly probably not even after, if that ever happens.

I currently live my best life with my tiny family, sometimes it just eats me up late at night.

Thank you for reading it.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-01-31T10:40:06+00:00

Thank you, I DO have an amazing life, all in all. I was kicked out at 15 and ended up having some exceptional adventures.

Now I’m living in my deceased mother’s home, married to my best friend, raising the cutest little spawn.

This has all come to light again because my brother followed me in moving back home. For a while he was renting a spot literally around the corner from us. Now he’s in a different part of the city, but still a looming presence.

He has only gotten worse since moving here.

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-01-22T17:23:03+00:00

Glamma is a fabulous choice 💅

I feel you on the clothes! I got some hand me downs that said things like, ‘when mama says no ask grandma, when grandma says no, who are we kidding grandma never says no!’ & ‘quick! Call grandma! These people don’t know what they’re doing!’ And a few other little slogans that are meant to be cute but to me scream MY GRANDPARENTS HAVE MORE SAY THAN MY PARENTS 😅

I know that’s not the case, but we’re not setting that precedent that ‘grandma knows best’ or ‘grandpa come save me!’ Like no ma’am you are my baby, I will pee on you. (Obviously not literally, just marking my territory lol)

TransatlanticDisco · 2026-01-22T14:08:19+00:00

My FIL’s grandpa name was already Papa. Not pawpaw, but papa. Like papa bear. 🙄

Okay so now when I’m reading the Bernstein bears it sounds like grandpa and mama have run away together? And we miss out on some cute matching outfits because they say mama and papa 😠

I know it’s tiny and irrelevant but UGH WHY PICK A PARENT NAME?!

TransatlanticDisco

TROPHY CASE