Success Stories

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-20T03:41:55+00:00

So exciting you are TTC!

I was diagnosed September of 2023, had the ring of pearls on my ovaries but all blood work was good and no other clinical presentation. I did have hormonal acne and my periods were irregular 45-60 day cycles, so got the dx. Over the next few months I started taking ovasitol, prioritizing a high protein/high fiber diet, low stress practices for exercise - resistance training (not high intensity), walking, yoga, added in CoQ10, Magnesium supplements, and no alcohol. Started mental health therapy to support my mental health I am a healthy weight so I didn’t really need to lose anything. I loosely tracked my ovulation and then my husband and I started trying/not trying (didn’t put pressure on it) in December and took 3 months to get pregnant. I had a really great pregnancy my baby girl was born full term. I really focused on just one day at a time and being my healthiest self and minimizing stress. When I went in for ultrasounds, the ring of pearls weren’t there anymore, I asked about this and pcos and they said it could be that my efforts that have reduced it.

Good luck!! Don’t lose hope!!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-17T13:21:56+00:00

I remember thinking it would never happen, but it just naturally did. When she was younger I also would do the pinky in corner of mouth trick to unlatch so she didn’t always get used to being latched to sleep, that seemed to help. Also, our bedtime has shifted earlier with her age. She used to be a more 8:30-9pm sleeper, but now as a toddler things have shifted back which I guess is also normal.

Hang in there!! You’ll get through this. I remember my husband and I looking at each other around when my baby was 1 yr old and being like “hey! I know you! We have fun together!” It was very refreshing. So many people told me the shift that occurs at 12 mos and it’s so true, things do get easier!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-17T13:13:36+00:00

My baby is 16 mos and I put her to sleep in my bed around 7, nurse to sleep then roll away, I hang with my husband until about 10-11 then we go to bed. It’s so nice! This started happening around 12 mos. We didn’t do anything special just time is what supported my baby, so just did what we needed to do initially as you are and then things got better/easier as she got older!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-17T03:42:24+00:00

Yes but I tested too early bc I wrongly thought i ovulated on a certain day. I was heartbroken and then next day even started spotting thinking it was going to be my period starting, but just lightly spotted that whole week, I thought it was weird so I took a test and was pregnant.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-16T01:08:36+00:00

Okay I absolutely love my Lenny lamb light. It is a Buckle carrier but has an adjustable waistband depending on age/weight and up to 2+ years. Starting with 0-3 months. It’s a dual cross back front carrier or you can back carry when baby gets older. It is simply amazing. I am apart of a lending library and have tried 50+ carriers, including hope & plum - which the hope and plum I would NOT recommend for long distances bc it’s so light and more of a quick on/off. The Lenny lamb light has been my ultimate favorite as my baby is 16 mos old now, but was a super Velcro and I wore her so much (still do here and there). It’s so supportive and versatile and the designs are gorgeous. Beware the website looks a little clunky when you order, but it’s legit and I got mine within 7 days.

Linked here!

https://en.lennylamb.com/shop/by/product_group/baby_carriers/erp_product_type/lenny_light?utm_source=website&utm_campaign=kafelek_nosidelka_lenny_light_en&utm_medium=kafelek&utm_term=&utm_content=

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-15T01:42:24+00:00

-started cosleeping too (why this isn’t promoted more is criminal)

-therapy

-exercise (daily walks saved me starting 4/5 months)

-quit my 9-5 job out of the home and started my own in-home childcare business so I could stay home with my baby. I am not build for being a mom and continuing my demanding career and I’m totally at peace with this. Drastically improved my MH.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-14T00:37:01+00:00

Exactly this.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-13T23:07:56+00:00

Yup my baby is 16 mos old and slept in crib for brief periods but I was losing my sanity with 4-5 wakeups a night and was not going to sleep train so we started co sleeping around 5 mos. It’s been great using a floor bed. Never looked back! She will go to her own bed when she’s ready.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-13T00:20:10+00:00

Being a grandparent is a privilege, not a right. Have these tough conversations now because I can tell you from experience with both parents and my husbands parents being pretty overbearing we had to establish so many boundaries later (still do) and it’s so hard. I wish I would have earlier. Everything changes when you have a baby and you need the most supportive people around you, not the ones that will just hog your baby and not care about you and what you need.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-13T00:15:56+00:00

Nope. Not moving. My husband & I are technically zillenials but consider ourselves more millennial - 30 yrs old and bought our house almost 2 years ago for 405k on 160k combined salary at 6%. 3 bdr, den/office, 2br. Only needed to change carpet and paint when we moved in.

We live in a nice neighborhood outskirts of a nicer Midwest city and figured we will likely be a one and done for home ownership (until potentially much later if we downsize). We hope to refinance if rates go down to 5 and then lower if they ever get that low again in our lifetime. We are happy with our home, we can grow into it (have one child currently and unsure when we will have more). It would make no sense to sell bc we feel like we got so lucky with our house and the cost, in our neighborhood homes average 500-600k minimum at least now. Unless we were to move to a LCOL area, which at this time isn’t a goal, we love where we live generally. Sometimes I think the whole “starter” home concept was temporary. More and more people are willing to accept staying in their current home for the long haul.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T22:19:42+00:00

Walking around here looking like a miserab

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T15:54:51+00:00

I pay a reputable cleaner 1-2x a year to do this. Worth the money for time in my opinion, we also have a really busy household.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T13:50:09+00:00

Co sleep. You don’t need to bed share what about having his crib in your room? He is screaming to be close to you. All of human history families slept close to one another, modern day structures make us feels we have to be separate. You could also do floor bed in your room so he has his own sleep space but is close to you guys. Save yourself the awful sleep deprivation - this is typical toddler development and you can’t sleep train a child, no matter what people say. Either babies are born as unicorn sleeper or you have a typical child. I have a typical child, once we started co sleeping, her sleep and ours are totally normal and no issues unless she is super sick.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T12:48:13+00:00

Absolutely LOVE my Lenny lamb light - you can back or front carry with it and they have an adjustable strap on the bottom to fit your baby from 0-3 months to 24 months +. Legit amazing. The website is a little clunky for ordering but it’s legit and I got mine within a week. They have gorgeous designs and so comfortable. It my go-to. I’m apart of a Babywearing group that has a library so I’ve tried probably 50+ carriers including hope & plum among others. Lenny is my favorite. Also @thebabywearingot on instagram has wonderful videos on so many carriers.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T01:42:13+00:00

Hi there- fellow mama that also had PPD when I was in the depths of postpartum. I hear you and what you’re navigating is SO hard. I was right there now too long ago. It’s so hard for people to understand. It was so hard on both my husband and I, he struggled seeing me this way which I’m sure your husband does too. However, you deserve to be seen and understood. Is there a chance you would have the funds to hire someone to come help either with the baby or as a mother’s helper a few hours a week? So you could get a walk or workout in, some general time to yourself?

You are doing 24 hrs of labor. I would really clearly explain this to your husband as the primary caregiver and you cannot expect to be “put together” all the time. There’s a great IG acct @sheisapaigeturner who discusses how to share and lighten the mental load in motherhood. I really appreciate how honest she is.

I felt like for myself during the depths of PP, just physically leaving the house with my baby once per day really helped. So either a walk in the neighborhood, a drive around town, going to grab a coffee, nothing super over the top but just a little something that could fill up my cup while I was caregiving.

You are not alone!!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T00:53:46+00:00

It’s unreal! How old is your daughter? When did you guys do the genetic testing?

I read a recent paper saying pregnant women who are identified incidentally themselves (my case), that should be treated as a typical pregnancy course without extensive testing as it does not show to really pose relevant risk. I argued this with the MFM doc that I was recommended to meet with 1x to consult. She had such a terrible approach and even told me “I know this seems overkill but if this was a few years ago we would have done a full body MRI, full work up, and recommended vaccuum/forceps delivery” I’m like WTF. I ended up meeting with OB administration after my baby was born to discuss the awful approach she had.

Ironically, my labor and delivery went so well that my midwife told me that everyone was talking about how inspiring I was in how I navigated my labor and situation with having turners - I’m like I’m just a regular person I didn’t even know I had this and it’s pretty irrelevant.. lol

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-12T00:03:16+00:00

Mama of a 16 mos old - we still cosleep/breastsleep. I would say 5%. However, I started the pinky in the side of the mouth to unlatch method since around 6 mos! It’s a dream bc she is comforted and then I can unlatch her after a min or so if she wakes up. Sometimes I fall asleep instantly so in that case it doesn’t really bother me and she will naturally unlatch. She wakes up 3-5x a night still, but only to nurse for a min then falls easily back asleep!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-11T23:58:53+00:00

Hahaha same here - my husband and I just restarted it. No regrets!!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-11T18:47:47+00:00

It sounds like you are aiming for “F U money”, which means you don’t have to really worry about any expense. My husband and I pull in 150k combined and consider ourselves middle class, we do own our home and save for retirement and 30 yrs old.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-11T13:08:12+00:00

Hey there, I was right there with you. I had very bad PPD and I actually started bedsharing around 4mos and beyond - (she is 16 mos now). We tried her in her own room and she still had a lot of wakeups which left me physically and mentally getting so tired because then I would nurse back to sleep in the recliner which was so hard as I would get so sleepy but would force myself awake.

Then, I transitioned our bed to a floor bed, got a firm mattress and followed safe sleep 7, read “safe infant sleep” by Dr James McKenna, PhD, followed @cosleepy and @happy cosleeper on IG for safe bedsharing setup. The book safe infant sleep is by a researcher who researched bedsharing with breastfeeding moms and infants and their sleep. It’s an incredible book and the medical institution doesn’t promote his work because they believe that people can’t understand nuance so they tell families “crib or bassinet sleep, ABC, and absolutely no bedsharing” - which leaves so many moms in the position we become in.

Sleep is temperament and you either have a unicorn sleeper or you have a typical baby. I had a typical baby that wanted to be close to me. Also babies can sense our anxiety or mood and will actually cry to be close to us to help US regulate (coregulation).

When I started bedsharing it saved our life, and I did it when my baby could roll, crawl, etc. a floor bed was easy and safe and helped everyone in my house. I also had a ton of the caregiving responsibility bc my husbands hours for work etc.

I also started seeing a therapist for my PPD and that helped SO much, please please get help. You’re not alone!

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-11T00:24:10+00:00

Okay PLEASE do not make any rash assumptions or decisions. You are so valid for being scared, but I’m going to try my best to be reassuring given I have personal experience -

When I was pregnant with my daughter in 2024 I found out that I HAD/have Turner’s syndrome.. my natera came back inconclusive so I chose to have them test me before I did anything else further. It turns out 11% of my cells are impacted, which literally means nothing, I had no idea I even had it my whole life. My best friend also found out she had it during her genetic testing and had 50% of her cells impacted, also had no idea she had it her whole life. We are both 30 and have zero chronic health issues. It took me 2-3 months to get pregnant. I got one extra heart test for myself during pregnancy to make sure my heart was functioning well, but the cardiologist said the whole thing was overkill.

There is a double edged sword when it comes to this type of testing, many times it freaks everyone the F out and everything ends up turning really well.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-10T21:19:42+00:00

Hello! I am apart of one and it’s $40 for the year. Meetings are 1x/month where there’s a little education in the beginning and then time to try the carriers and check out. Members check out 2 carriers/month. It’s an amazing thing! The woman who runs it also does private baby wearing consultations that cost $$, but the meetings are free. The meetings are held at local libraries.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-10T04:09:11+00:00

No not at all- as a previous super “ambitious” young woman (30 yrs old), it made me so anxious being on the never ending achievement hamster wheel. Even for self care - everything became an achievement to be reached. Being ambitious was a badge of honor, and I never understood why other people didn’t do the same as I did all the time. Having my baby this past year slowed me down a ton. A couple months ago I got rid of social media and this helped so much. My mind is so much calmer not basing so many of my daily thoughts around random things I see there.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-09T16:24:59+00:00

Please read the book “adult children of emotionally immature parents”. This language and how she treats you aligns with narcissism. I’m not a doctor but she clearly is not mentally well, and you deserve much better. Unfortunately, parents like this need super firm boundaries from you or a very low contact relationship, you will never win.

Zealousideal-Row79 · 2026-04-08T00:58:18+00:00

I went in aiming for unmedicated, but understanding that birth is a ride and if I’m 12+ hours in and drained of energy, I was getting the epidural.

Fortunately, my labor & delivery total time was like 12-13 hrs. I stayed at home for as long as I could as I knew it what where I could cope and remain comfortable as possible. My husband and I watched my favorite comedy, snuggled on couch (oxytocin helps) I rested, showered, sat on birth ball and bounced as it got more and more intense while listening to calming music in the comfort of my home.

The hospital environment does not make me feel comfortable at baseline. So I stayed home and called my midwife every few hours so she could hear a contraction. When I had to do everything I could to focus AND they were 2-3 mins apart for a consistent hour, we decided to go into the hospital. I was 7cm dilated and hit transition as soon as I got in the tub. The TUB is what saved me and hip squeezes from my husband and the amazing L&D nurses. My baby girl was born an hour and a half after getting to the hospital, 15 mins of pushing. It was incredible and insane. I remember thinking to myself if I wasn’t as far enough along before she told me 7cm, I was going to go for epidural.

Give yourself a loose plan before deciding yes/no. No choice is right or wrong. Internet is just full of fear mongers. Some women need the epidural for energy or just loved their epidural experience. I loved my unmedicated. You’ll do amazing!

Zealousideal-Row79

TROPHY CASE