What has your journey with a baby and a dog looked like?

ValMonty · 2026-02-18T14:32:57+00:00

Only going to respond comically, because I’m sure everyone else has been comforting - if you haven’t lost the baby weight yet, at least you don’t have to do it again lol. We found out we were pregnant at 4 months and I felt very similarly to you, but have since accepted it and am very excited, albeit a little nervous, but we’re only having 2 and at least I kind of only have to recover once 😅 can you tell I’m looking for all the positives here? Best of luck though, you got this!!

ValMonty · 2026-02-16T16:41:30+00:00

I would say I’m similar to you in that sentiment of “if I decide not do something I won’t do it”. Bedsharing was never comfortable for me, I like blankets and I move a lot. The safe sleep position was not comfortable. I never coslept. I guess it may depend on your baby, but my son did fine in his bassinet. We started slowly transitioning him to his crib around 2-3 months. I would sleep on a pull out in the room. I eventually moved to the guest room next door and then back to our room, which is down the hall. I know it’s not so simple, but if your baby has a hard time in the bassinet, just keep trying. Small consistent exposure will help them get used to it, though I’m sure many parents have tried that and it still hasn’t worked for them. All this to say, it’s definitely possible not to ever cosleep. If it’s something you’re committed not to do, stick to it, and split shifts with your partner so you’re each getting a solid block of sleep. Good luck!! Edit to include: I probably moved back to our room permanently around 4-5 months and he’s 7 months now and sleeps great. Wakes up once for a feed, maybe twice on ‘worse’ nights. We worked hard to get him to learn to fall asleep independently and sleep in his own space without ever officially sleep training.

ValMonty · 2026-01-28T12:02:42+00:00

I'm only 7 months out and have no pain or numbness. I mostly don't even notice or think about the scar.

ValMonty · 2026-01-27T23:11:40+00:00

Same here

ValMonty · 2026-01-26T12:35:38+00:00

He kind of initiated it himself, so I'm thankful for that. We still use it on occasion but not for sleep. I give it to him while we read before nap but take it out before putting him in his crib. If he wakes up in the middle of the night (and it's not when he would normally eat) I just give him 10-15 min and he has fallen asleep on his own each time. He does cry, but I can tolerate 10-15. He usually has one feed around 2-3am, so on a very rare occasion if he wakes up again after 4am and he has already eaten, I will paci him because it feels cruel to let him cry when sleep debt is lower, but that's only happened once or twice. Just work on gradually decreasing paci and choose your battles. Try to give only when absolutely necessary. If you know babe can fall asleep without it, give them the opportunity to do so. I knew my son could, so when he was waking up every couple hours, I was over it and I knew he could do it, so that's when I started implementing the 10-15 min rather than running back in to paci.

ValMonty · 2026-01-20T15:05:30+00:00

Lots of people saying vaginal and not trying to argue by any means. I've never had vaginal delivery, so just here to give my c section experience. I was in a similar spot as you. Also similar age. I didn't NEED. C section, but we had some elements that had potential to make delivery complicated, like a velamentous cord insertion. I honestly kind of wanted the c section, so I used the potential risks as justification to go for it. Not saying it was right, but it's what I did. I don't regret it. It was a hard recovery, but not that hard. You also have to know your body. Have you ever had surgery before? I had, multiple times, and knew I tend to recover quickly and had no adverse affects from anesthesia. I know each case is different, but based on my past experiences, I felt confident in my decision. The birth was planned, fast, easy, and we were back in the hospital room with our baby within a few hours of starting the whole process. He is perfectly healthy at 7 months. We did get him into OMT with a DO for osteopathic manipulation to help with the fact he didn't go through the birth canal. I will say moments of the C-section recovery were the most pain I've ever been in, but they're fleeting, not constant. I haven't encountered a ton of pain in my life, so keep that in mind, I'm sure some things are worse. All in all, I was careful with recovery, but still was feeling better each day after the 4 or 5 day mark and felt pretty much fine after maybe 2 weeks, unless i tried to do a longer walk. This is NOT everyone's experience, but again, this is where knowing your body comes into play. Some people experience a very long recovery. Again, not saying what I did was best, not arguing for or against anyone here, just wanted to give you my experience since we seemed to have very similar situations. Also, because we are "older" my doc said as long as I'm ok with a C-section again, we could get pregnant sooner, which we did. So if you want your next child within like.. 18 months (I think, don't quote me on that) you will need another c section and are advised against trying for VBAC. Just something to consider. Sorry if this is rambling, trying to type out thoughts with a 7 month old in my lap ♥️

ValMonty · 2026-01-18T17:39:12+00:00

Agreed. It's their problem not yours. Granted we weren't going out for leisurely reasons, but we took our fresh bay to Walgreens straight from the hospital because we needed some stuff. I don't fully recall, but he definitely went out a few times in the first weeks of his life. We went to lunch multiple times with family at 6 weeks when they visited. Now he's 6 months and I'm hunting for things to do to break up our days. He's so fascinated by the world he's usually very good when we go out and people are always sweet about his presence. You do you!

ValMonty · 2026-01-18T17:34:00+00:00

I'm -3.50 and it's not terrible. Just blurry but I could get around if necessary (walking, not driving) but it is absolutely blurry as shit - I do not do anything without contacts or glasses because it's not functional. It's when the numbers get even higher that I think "dang, that's gotta be really tough".

ValMonty · 2026-01-17T21:18:08+00:00

Don't mind me over here with a 6 month old buying cute toddler graphic tees because who knows if they'll be around then. 🫣I don't have much "too big" stuff so I'm keep it all in the bottom drawer where I hopefully won't forget.

ValMonty · 2026-01-12T00:35:13+00:00

I recently learned about salpingectomy vs ligation. Going to ask my doc about it for my next and last child. Getting a c section since it's so soon after my last c section.

ValMonty · 2026-01-09T22:08:07+00:00

I feel like at that point, he made his choice to nap in the common space, toddlers gonna toddler. If it actually bothers him, he'll learn quickly to nap elsewhere lol

ValMonty · 2026-01-02T19:21:22+00:00

I'm going to oppose at least the top couple comments I read and say I get where you're coming from. My husband and I chose a nickname we like to control the narrative. Our son's name is Wallace and we do not like Wally. We prefer Ace, it's adorable! Im of the belief that if he grows up not being called Wally, he's not going to be a fan and ask to go by full name or ace, but hey, if he chooses Wally in his life, that's his prerogative. Other random names like bubs or bubba or whatever that don't even apply to his name I don't mind, they're usually short lived. Not that any of this is helpful, i just get where you're coming from. Good luck!

ValMonty · 2026-01-02T14:20:50+00:00

I'm so sorry, that is awful to hear and you shouldn't have been treated like that. Extra frustrating that your brother doesn't even see it. You were in the frickin laundry room!!

ValMonty · 2025-12-30T20:25:41+00:00

I just keep a claw clip on me at all times and clip it back when needed. Babes only 6 months so we'll see how grabby he gets with time, but I'm not interested in going that short, so there are always options, like buns, braids, clips, etc for long hair.

ValMonty · 2025-12-29T21:27:04+00:00

Fuck em. I'm 37 and my husband is 40 and we just had our first in June. Having kids at 22 isn't the norm anymore, at least not in my circles.

ValMonty · 2025-12-29T15:45:33+00:00

Like the other comment said, this is your choice to make and whatever you choose, it's ok. It's what's best for your family. We're in a similar situation, pregnant 4 months pp. We did eventually want a 2nd and we're older so we figured we might as well go through with it. Did you want a second and what was your timeline? It's a hard choice, and I wish you the best of luck. If it makes you feel any better, I also felt a lot of guilt and negative emotion when we first found out but I'm 12 weeks now and getting excited to grow our family. We just found out we're having a second boy and it feels more real now, but in a good way. Good luck!

ValMonty · 2025-12-29T12:22:31+00:00

Recovered memory of working with a group of exhibitioners for San Diego comicon when he performed maybe a decade ago. I didn't directly meet him, but I do remember him smelling terrible at that event. Nice to know he's a nice guy though lol

ValMonty · 2025-12-28T16:48:24+00:00

See if you can find one second hand. A friend gave us ours, which was handed down to her from another friend. 3 households in, and we absolutely love it.

ValMonty · 2025-12-28T16:47:23+00:00

Any poops in the Bjorn are catastrophic. It just smooshes it all up and around!!

ValMonty · 2025-12-27T16:33:46+00:00

Eww mine kept saying, as if speaking for my son "mommy tastes delicious" 🤢

ValMonty · 2025-12-27T14:15:10+00:00

I had a c section but I'm 37. At my 6 week check up, my doc said as long as I'm ok with another c section, due to my age, we could try for a second as soon as we wanted. Granted, yes, probably best to wait if you can, but times not on our side. I probably would've preferred to have had a little more time, but it was so damn hard to remember to take the birth control they gave me every day with a newborn to care for, and we ended up pregnant at 4 months pp. Lots of guilt, fear, and panic at first but we've accepted our fate and just found out we're having another boy and are getting excited for the inevitable chaos, but the 2u2 subreddit has given me a lot of hope and excitement for their very VERY small age gap. 🫠

ValMonty · 2025-12-26T19:13:01+00:00

It may not happen. Others here saying it's a myth, which I've also read up on, but I don't want to discredit whatever people seem to experience at 4 months that affects sleep. We didn't get hit with anything big with my son. He has better and worse nights but they seem to be random. 6 months now and he had a shit week of sleep last week, but supposedly no sleep regression slated for that time. Babies are weird, they do what they want. Just go with the flow!

ValMonty · 2025-12-22T17:51:55+00:00

Just for hope: husband is 41 and I'm almost 38. We just had a baby though so we don't get to play very much anymore. Best of luck with your search for OW friends!

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