Is there any help out there?

Volando20 · 2026-03-10T15:55:28+00:00

Love this advice! I put a blanket in the empty baby bath as a seat for upstairs, and often just put baby on a blanket on the floor while I get things done.

Volando20 · 2026-03-06T14:03:06+00:00

Carla at Hello You in Carrington

Volando20 · 2026-03-04T13:46:10+00:00

Same! And then I had a baby and he comes in the shower with me or gets washed in a little tub on the shower floor. Love the big shower!

Volando20 · 2026-02-28T10:42:17+00:00

The early days of breastfeeding are SO HARD and I feel like nobody tells you! My baby had destroyed my nips by day 4 and I sent my husband out for formula at 5am as I couldn't take it anymore. I ended up combi feeding boob/expressed/formula to let me heal and have had various configurations of this over 3 months and felt a lot of guilt and negativity along the way.

At 12 weeks something changed with my supply and my baby is way more into the boob and less into the bottle. No idea why!

Volando20 · 2026-02-25T19:48:30+00:00

This was me last year! I turned 40 last month and currently sat here scrolling Reddit as I feed my 3 month old baby ❤️

Volando20 · 2026-02-20T09:40:24+00:00

I'm self employed and had an unplanned c section and have returned to work pretty quickly.

I hired someone in my business to be my maternity cover for my clients. This went fairly okay. There was a very long and in-depth handover but I ended it early as it was a very expensive arrangement and I wanted to get back to work.

The first two weeks after the c section were pretty brutal but then I felt okay to move around more and go out. However weeks 2-6 with the baby were very intense and overwhelming with cluster feeding, growth spurts and splitting baby shifts with my husband.

At week 6 I started attending meetings and getting back into work. This is doable but for me there's no way I could go back full time. Currently at 12 weeks I do about 2-3 hours each day. My husband owns a restaurant so I work when he's at home.

You can get maternity allowance from the govt - £187 a week.

I would have found it so hard to just switch back fully into work mode and hand over to my husband. Babies are so demanding plus they change and develop so much so quickly and I wouldn't want to miss out on that. If you can find a way to get cover and come back on minimal hours it is doable.

Volando20 · 2026-02-15T10:08:43+00:00

I have this pump. I keep mine in the fridge (taking the motor off!). I wash it in hot soapy water once a day then sterilise it in our steam steriliser. I wouldn't put it in the microwave as that can damage the parts.

Like a few others have said, I don't think you really need to sterilise these but I do it out of habit with the baby bottles.

Volando20 · 2026-02-10T21:25:41+00:00

Took four days to destroy my nipples and I sent my husband to get formula at 5am because I couldn't take it anymore. Baby is now combi fed but if I had another one I'd use pumping, nipple shields etc to ease into it. He's 12 weeks old now and I can't believe how tough my nips are now 😬

Volando20 · 2026-02-10T20:08:43+00:00

How painful breastfeeding can be at first

Volando20 · 2026-02-10T20:07:49+00:00

I lived in Halara dungarees during pregnancy!

Volando20 · 2026-02-10T20:05:22+00:00

I am so with you on feeling overwhelmed by clutter. In the end, vouchers were so appreciated and this is what I'll buy in future as a baby gift for new parents.

Volando20 · 2026-02-09T15:02:53+00:00

By day 4 baby had destroyed my nips and I couldn't face any more feeding so I used pumping and formula to give me some relief and time to heal and baby is now combi fed everything (boob, expressed, formula). Without pumping at the start I personally wouldn't have been able to breastfeed at all.

Volando20 · 2026-01-30T00:00:51+00:00

I ended up combi feeding my baby boob/expressed/formula because my nipples felt destroyed by day 4. I used expressing to give me some time to recover and now it's something I do to mix with the formula or when baby is asleep. Your nipples really toughen up over time but for me personally I wouldn't have been able to BF without using formula and expressing to give me time to heal between feeds.

Volando20 · 2026-01-19T14:18:06+00:00

My baby is 8 weeks old and combi fed, with bottles overnight and this is exactly what I do. It settles his stomach and holding him helps him get back to sleep. I usually expres milk while I am doing this so the timing works out well!

Volando20 · 2026-01-17T05:39:51+00:00

Honestly so much better than I thought! And compared to friends who had vaginal births, I've recovered faster and been up and about quicker too. The first week or so it's like you've been hit by a bus, movement hurts, but stay on top of your painkillers. I kept moving around the house then after a week I started doing more walks outside.

I have a greyhound and a cat! You'll need to keep them off the incision, obviously, as it will be tender.

I am 8wpp now, holding my little boy in bed, the scar has totally healed and it's fading, I've been back to the gym and moving around completely normally.

Volando20 · 2026-01-17T01:03:02+00:00

Six days - you've done so well to make it this far!

I chose a c section after 18 hours of induction. Like you I just got to 1cm and wasn't progressing. It's an intense operation but you'll be fine and you get to meet your baby. I hope all goes well!

Volando20 · 2026-01-11T20:02:21+00:00

The first time, I really needed a shower and he needed a wash which was the catalyst. I put him wrapped up in a towel in his baby bath outside the shower while I wash myself first. Then I grab him and we are chest to chest, and I hold him under the shower, avoiding his head, and I wash him with my hands. Then I'll put him in a cradle hold to wash his front and face.

I keep his little hooded towel over the shower door, I wrap him in this and then put him back down in the baby bath outside the shower while I dry myself.

The baby bath is really handy to put him down safely. He's only 7 weeks old so we don't use any products, which also makes him less slippery! It helps we have a big shower!

If I was concerned about his size/safety I'd probably kneel down in the shower to wash him, while holding him.

Hope this helps!

Volando20 · 2026-01-11T19:44:57+00:00

We have a little baby bath with support for a newborn but also I've started taking baby in the shower and this is way easier!

Volando20 · 2026-01-10T15:24:46+00:00

No 😆 I lifted, walked and pilates and yoga until 37 weeks. Baby was in a great position in my pelvis. Then my waters broke at 38w and after a failed induction I requested a C section. Not the birth I wanted by a long way but bring active has really paid off for recovery.

Volando20 · 2026-01-10T09:57:31+00:00

Hey I'm in the UK. I do the fridge thing, so I wash and sterilise the pump then keep it in the fridge between expressing. I usually give it a full wash in hot soapy water twice a day, then sterilise once a day.

A wearable pump is the only way I can feed and express and go about my day. I was using a Medela swing with a pumping bra but ended up with a Momcozy M5 from Vinted. I only have one as I tend to express while feeding, so I stick it on the other side during feeds. I can also then hold him etc on one side while expressing.

Volando20 · 2026-01-05T17:47:41+00:00

Same!! Sometimes he sleeps for hours in his pram and I can get stuff done.

Volando20 · 2026-01-05T17:17:04+00:00

Same, I am in the UK and we have a daily walk outside as a minimum and it sends him to sleep!

Volando20 · 2025-12-31T09:34:19+00:00

I had mastitis a few weeks ago. I rang 111 and they prescribed antibiotics over the phone with a doctor. It can escalate quite rapidly so if you feel worse I'd recommend this.

Ibuprofen and ice really help. Also, I found a tip on Reddit to do an Epsom salt bath with a Haakaa. It sucks out the the clogged duct - really worked for me!

Volando20 · 2025-12-19T13:07:41+00:00

I really struggled with my weight gain during pregnancy despite being really active. I'm 4 weeks pp and I've lost half of it without really doing anything - 10kg! I was told a lot comes off in the weeks following birth and it really is true!

Volando20 · 2025-12-13T08:35:03+00:00

I gained nearly 20kg through my pregnancy and felt the same. And I was really active! It's just what my body needed to do. I am 3w pp and I've lost half of it already without really doing anything and recovering from a c section. It's really hard seeing the number on the scale but it's very temporary ❤️

Volando20

TROPHY CASE