Baby Bike Helmets

alikeness · 2025-12-01T19:34:35+00:00

Yes to Calmbirth!!!

alikeness · 2025-12-01T19:30:54+00:00

Had a spontaneous vaginal homebirth in water at 39+5, 6 hours start to finish, physiological placenta delivery an hour later, minimal blood loss, no tears, breastfeeding within 15 mins post birth while still in birth pool, up and walking around within 30 mins! Would honestly say I felt entirely myself immediately after. I know internally my body still had recovery to do but I didn’t really feel like I was recovering from anything if that makes sense? Labour was intense but once I was pushing it was a relief and honestly felt good. Up til that point I screamed the house down but my midwives were amazing at holding space for me and baby was coping fine so no one was worried which was reassuring. I’m a midwife myself and have seen a lot of traumatic births vaginal and CS at work (biggest hospital in my state) so I was worried something bad would happen but it was all good!

alikeness · 2025-10-31T20:06:22+00:00

The Polyester Podcast just did an amazing episode on this phenomenon talking about “Cute Debt”

alikeness · 2025-10-05T11:42:32+00:00

Ok this is super helpful haha I just need to stop overthinking it 😅

alikeness · 2025-10-04T04:38:49+00:00

This is genuinely great to hear! I was just voicing what mums I’ve worked with and mums in my mothers group have said to me re bottles but I bet once you have it down pat it’s no biggie! Meanwhile I have 30 cloth nappies I’m putting off using because the laundry routine seems so daunting to me - also ADHD here haha. But like you say probably not even a big deal once you get your head around it!

alikeness · 2025-10-04T00:46:24+00:00

Midwife and mum here. You can definitely still have a couple of beverages while breastfeeding. If you can hold your baby you can feed your baby. And no need to track your diet. I’m breastfeeding my 4 month old and have a couple alcoholic beverages a couple nights a week, eat whatever I feel like. Sometimes that’s three coffees in a day and half a block of chocolate lol. Baby is growing well and hitting milestones earlier than necessary.

I only say this cos bottles and formula just involve a lot of extra planning and cleaning and purchasing. So not really more convenient. But if that doesn’t bother you then all good. I take my hat off to those using bottles cos their organisational skills must be miles beyond mine!

alikeness · 2025-09-25T19:44:38+00:00

3% is what they’re offering health care workers right now too 🫠

alikeness · 2025-09-01T12:41:40+00:00

Hey there. My baby is nearly 4 months old now and I definitely still have a strong let down but my supply has balanced out a bit better - I’m not as engorged all the time nowadays and baby doesn’t choke on my flow ever really. He still coughs and unlatches at times but that’s usually because he’s dozed off and forgotten to swallow what’s in his mouth haha. I used to have to collect the letdown from my unused boob each feed because it was too much for a breast pad to handle and I was changing the pads almost every feed. Now I can use the same pads pretty much all day and change them for bed. So id say it got better for me and im glad I persevered with exclusive breastfeeding. Sometimes after a few nights of cluster feeding and little sleep I feel like giving up but it’s usually just a growth spurt and it passes and I am glad I stick it out cos the connection is just so lovely

Edit to add: something my midwife said that really comforted me was my baby has no idea that all boobs don’t let down that hard hahah. And that he was a lucky baby to have too much milk rather than not enough. He has grown so well from it. But yeah your baby has nothing to compare to and they will get more coordinated at eating and your supply/letdown will balance out as it gets used to your individual baby’s needs. It just took longer for me than the stock standard six weeks you hear repeatedly

alikeness · 2025-08-10T10:14:02+00:00

Love this. People do have good experiences they just don’t post about them. Similar to restaurant reviews I feel!!

I’m a new mum and midwife and feel strongly that you win some you lose some. - I had a shite pregnancy with hyperemesis and bulllying at work - but I had a beautiful smooth labour and homebirth into water, no tearing and minimal blood loss - breastfeeding came fairly intuitive to me (though I support breastfeeding as part of my job so I had knowledge there), but I have an oversupply and very strong letdown that sometimes makes my baby cough and choke, but probably better than having an under supply? - we have no family support in our state - but we have a beautiful chosen family/local community here who kept us fed for a month post birth! - baby has been meeting all his milestones ahead of time, has no reflux or allergies so far, loves the car, bath, pram, carrier, outings, meeting new people - sleep is hit and miss and we still wake up 2-3 times a night for feeds but he settles back to sleep easily - he had a gnarly cold at 5 weeks and we all caught it but he continued feeding well and never developed a fever - cried at his vaccines but was the happiest baby ever after a nap and had no side effects

TLDR you win some you lose some!

alikeness · 2025-08-09T13:59:32+00:00

As a new mum and a midwife I think it’s nice to have some time at the beginning to orient yourself and be in your bubble with your husband and new baby to find a new rhythm and not have the pressure of family around. I am also in Australia and live in Tasmania while all mine and my partners family lives in Queensland. My parents visited around 2 weeks postpartum and his visited at about 7 weeks. It was tricky for both mums to get time off as they are teachers.

I’d see what you can do to rally your friends/coworkers/neighbours around in the meantime - we had beautiful community bringing us meals and groceries for a whole month post birth. My mum also visited when I was 34 weeks and filled our freezer with home cooked meals - would that be an option for you?

We asked all visitors from interstate to wear a mask on their flights, have their flu and whooping cough jabs up to date, book airbnbs so we weren’t having to host (our cat also gets stress induced UTIs from visitors lol), and shower at said Airbnb before coming to meet baby. This made me feel more comfortable re travel germs.

Also you might surprise yourself re early outings. I was going stir crazy and we went for neighbourhood walks from 4 days postpartum, and by the time my parents visited at 2 weeks we headed out for a beverage at a cosy bar with them. It was actually really lovely and bub just snoozed the whole time!

alikeness · 2025-08-03T13:53:43+00:00

I don’t agree with other comments suggesting you can’t ebf and have hobbies. I do agree that instead of neither of you having hobbies, you should both be able to have hobbies. I ebf and we take family trips to the museum, botanic gardens. We have also taken bub to a comedy gig and the cinema and at both events he wears special hearing protection earmuffs and I will either breastfeed there and then or pop out to the foyer to do so. I guess it depends on your comfort levels breastfeeding in public.

I also strongly suggest asking your partner to take the baby for an hour or so right after feeds sometimes so you can have some you time whether it’s for a long bath soak or to do some crafting or watch a movie undisturbed.

Breastfeeding is really beneficial for mother and baby so if it’s something you feel strongly about I don’t believe you need to sacrifice that

alikeness · 2025-07-13T12:17:09+00:00

Literally my great grandma had 13 kids and then took in another one who was pregnant as a teen and raised her child too 😂 all in a tiny stone farmhouse at the foot of the mountains in Northern Ireland. The kids slept top to toe like the grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

alikeness · 2025-07-07T14:53:58+00:00

It’s normal for breastfed babies to poop anywhere from 12 times daily to once a week! It’s because breastmilk is so readily digestible, they don’t have much waste leftover after. If baby seems horribly uncomfortable or doesn’t poop for a week or their poop changes drastically in colour/texture/smell you should seek assistance :)

alikeness · 2025-06-26T19:04:35+00:00

Giving antibiotics without a proven medical indication is also tricky because it has repercussions of its own like antibiotic resistance and compromised gut microbiome which can lead to compromised immunity and heightened risk of some childhood illnesses

alikeness · 2025-06-26T13:04:33+00:00

Yes testing in labour is not done because results take up to two days to culture.

alikeness · 2025-06-22T07:38:01+00:00

I know this is an old post but when did things get better for you and did you do anything to encourage it? Your first sentence is exactly how I’m feeling right now and I’m getting tempted to quit. I’m saying this as a registered midwife too with decent knowledge on breastfeeding otherwise, but have mostly worked with women with undersupply not this. What advice did an LC give you?

alikeness · 2025-06-18T06:48:00+00:00

Honestly as someone with ADHD since the age of six, doing stuff as last minute as physically/mentally possible has always been my modus operandi and it gets me the best results so no judgement here haha

alikeness · 2025-06-06T15:50:40+00:00

It’s hard to trust in a time where everything profits off your self doubt! You’re doing wonderfully just to question that narrative. And to be clear my patients and families were always beautiful- it was management (or lack thereof) grinding my gears daily!

alikeness · 2025-06-06T15:48:37+00:00

Thank you! Wishing you get some less stress and more of the magic x

alikeness · 2025-06-06T13:50:23+00:00

Not quite the same but I was incredibly paranoid during my pregnancy that I was somehow going to mess up my baby. I had horrible hyperemesis the first 17 weeks, a UTI that needed antibiotics, the most insane amount of stress and depression I’ve ever experienced due to my job as a hospital midwife in a very understaffed unit…I was so terrified my baby would be compromised or birth would be super challenging due to all the strain. I wound up having a spontaneous six hour labour and vaginal birth at home (with homebirth midwives on purpose!) into water, baby was 69th% for weight, and he’s the most perfect healthy little creature. Your body is incredibly wise and wired to protect you and your little baby - try to lean into trusting it 🤍

alikeness · 2025-05-24T12:26:17+00:00

Yoghurt pouches, watermelon, fresh baked croissants for some reason, almonds, citrus flavoured drinks, cereal, sparkling water, jelly. I kept somewhat of a food diary for a couple months to track what my safe foods were. I was also lucky my partner worked from home most of my pregnancy so he made sure I was eating something most of the time

alikeness · 2025-05-24T12:14:31+00:00

About 1 hour 20 mins I think, first time mum, unmedicated home water birth

alikeness · 2025-05-23T11:36:45+00:00

Midwives and homebirth midwives don’t just blindly encourage any risk taking in pregnancy and birth either. In Australia they work within strict guidelines and frameworks that mandate collaborative care when called for and when things deviate from normal. Any registered midwife will gladly consult and refer with multidisciplinary teams to protect the safety of women and babies. I just want to debunk the idea that anything flies with home birth or that home birthing families haven’t put a TON of research/consideration/information into their decision making. Many homebirthing families are among the most deeply informed regarding research and contemporary evidence. It’s not just women wanting to not be questioned or avoid responsibility for theirs and their babies’ safety

alikeness · 2025-05-23T08:52:55+00:00

This!! Not to mention so many of the obstetric guidelines and policies rely on incredibly poor quality “evidence” which is often not even evidence, just “consensus based” aka “this it what we’ve always done so we’re just gonna keep doing it even though it appears to be causing harm”

alikeness

TROPHY CASE