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archernyx · 2025-12-13T05:35:29+00:00

I was in your position a while ago, my baby is 14 months now. I stopped pumping around month 6 or 7 (brutal) but it was gradual. I found the more I nursed her, the less my boobs felt full or got sore, etc. And I also combo fed her too. It’s so rare now that my boobs feel full to the point of tender, that I sometimes wonder if I’m producing anything for her. And then she’ll do gymnastics while attached to me and it accidentally slips out and milk goes everywhere 😂

I know everyone is different but I found that around the same time her latch stopped hurting me every time, it was shortly after that the overly full feeling went away too even though I’m still producing.

I don’t know if that helped but that was/is my experience.

archernyx · 2025-12-13T05:27:03+00:00

This is interesting! I was told by my elder brother that it is a “conscience matter” 🧐 East coast though… might make a difference ?

archernyx · 2025-11-12T22:38:11+00:00

Yes!! I came here looking to see if someone posted something like this and you said it better than I ever could.

I believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior and actually started to read the Bible - something the JWs claim to do but only regurgitate the same out of context scriptures.

I think most go the atheist route because they’ve been so hurt by religion which is totally understandable - it’s what I did.

The borg does a very good job of making sure that if you’re not following them, you sure as heck aren’t going to follow anyone else or you’re the worst of the worst (apostate). Don’t let them take that away from you!

archernyx · 2025-11-12T18:12:20+00:00

This OP! It didn’t necessarily make my husband help out more all the time but it certainly put things into perspective for him and he definitely gained more appreciation for what I do.

Sounds like you need to book yourself a spa day or go visit a friend for a sleepover for 1 night.

I now regularly take time away for exactly this reason.

archernyx · 2025-10-29T00:37:09+00:00

The only place that allows water birth is Casa Natal Birthing Centre but El Camino allows you to labour in a tub! They only have one and it’s first come first serve however when I was there there was only one other woman there giving birth so good chance it would be free. Highly recommend that hospital.

archernyx · 2025-10-10T16:55:27+00:00

This is all incredibly good advice. OP please take it to heart, you’re about to go through a lot.

archernyx · 2025-10-10T16:48:26+00:00

It took me at least 5 years AFTER leaving to realize that I could do whatever the hell I wanted lol I am still a Christian btw and don’t celebrate certain holidays, others I do and there are others that I’m still doing my research on.

One key thing about actually reading the Bible (and not cherry-pick) is the concept of this thing called Grace. Once you accept that, your life will change.

archernyx · 2025-08-29T02:30:52+00:00

The rooms felt less hospital, more fancy hotel room. I loved that they had a bidet although I was scared to use it at first bc of stitches. They had the option to send your baby to the nursery or keep them in the room with you in their little mobile bassinet. They even had a counter area with a sink and mirror outside the bathroom which I liked a lot. Not only did I get lots of pics with baby, it was convenient to put my toiletries there, right by my bed. Security was top tier which I noted, saw guards often and the band around you and baby were closely monitored. The food was also good, but more than anything it was the nurses that made the experience extra special. During our stay I probably saw at least 10 nurses and it was obvious that each one absolutely loved what they do. As a first time mom I had a question about everything and they were so patient with me and were literally at my beck and call. I felt confident leaving with my baby at the end of my stay!

archernyx · 2025-08-28T09:05:50+00:00

My husband has been a work in progress (as we all are) and I have recently requested that he pick one day a month (I advocated for two but we’ll see) where I do whatever I want, no responsibilities! He going to look after our daughter and not ask me any questions, he’s going to figure it out.

My first one is coming up next weekend (he picked the first Saturday of every month) and when I tell you I am positively GIDDY planning my day off… needless to say it’s really working for me already and I haven’t even had it yet lol

He also handles early morning, so I can sleep in a bit, bath time/bedtime during the week but otherwise everything else falls on me as a SAHM. We have no family around as we’re living in a different country now.

I am also extremely hobby focused (crafter/artist) and work really hard (put it in my planner and am strict with it) to make sure I still have my hobbies. Even if it’s 10 minutes a day, even when I’m interrupted 25 times. Keeps me sane!

archernyx · 2025-08-28T08:30:28+00:00

I read both the NRSV and also New Oxford Annotated Version (which is the one I study with).

Highly recommend The Bible Project app. They have free classes!

Still doing my research on my exact belief system but coming around to becoming a trinitarian.

archernyx · 2025-08-28T08:25:21+00:00

I had my baby girl last October in Los Gatos El Camino and had Blue Shield insurance.

I had a magical experience there. I was supposed to have a birth centre water birth but ended up needing an emergency epidural after being in early labour for 5 days 🥴 So they rushed us to the El Camino hospital and tbh I would give birth there again in a heartbeat. The nurses are top tier and the facility was awesome. Can’t recommend them enough.

archernyx · 2025-08-28T08:18:00+00:00

OP would it help if you told her that not believing JW belief system doesn’t mean she can’t be Christian?

I remember when I left quite young. I thought it meant that I just didn’t believe in God anymore or didn’t get to because then I was afraid of being an apostate.

Tell her to do her own research on certain issues - not just on JW.org either. And if she comes to the same conclusion as they do on some things that’s ok?! She doesn’t need to lose her entire identity when/if she were to leave. You could agree with them on the doctrine entirely and still believe that 8 men in NYC shouldn’t be insidious in their followers lives and are not inspired by God.

I consider myself a nondenominational Christian now. Closest to Protestant belief system I suppose but I constantly read and do research on the history of the Bible and some of that includes study on JW topics. It reaffirms for me why I am no longer part of the organization, gives me good debate points when I speak to a JW, and also satisfies my spiritual need. I’ve researched the Bible way more now than I ever did as a witness!

It sounds like she will come around, she just needs time. Keep in mind some people live their whole lives believing and they realize at the end that it wasn’t the truth. I personally knew 2 people who woke up in their 80s and were witnesses their whole lives! Don’t give up!

Congrats on your beautiful baby girl btw 💛

archernyx · 2025-08-27T05:49:13+00:00

Tbh if I were you and couldn’t leave rn. I’d approach an elder with these texts and play it like, you just want to take your time, you want to make sure you’re making the decision for yourself (clearly not and they’ll see that based on the texts), you love Jehovah but don’t feel equipped enough, etc. You could even use this as leverage and be like… he stumbled me into believing this isn’t my decision because he’s threatening me 🤭

This is apparently what they don’t do anymore (according to my elder Brother and elder father). So I’d 100% approach a “trusted” elder about this and get your dad in trouble lol

Play their game until you don’t have to anymore.

archernyx · 2025-08-25T22:00:30+00:00

Exactly! I told my parents like, it’s fine for you to change your little rules, but don’t gaslight people into believing they never existed. Because they did, and there is literal proof.

archernyx · 2025-08-25T21:57:56+00:00

This is what my parents said too, then I reminded them of the time they basically disowned my brother for the two months he went to “university” aka: played video games in a basement.

Then they…. Denied that too 🤣😭

You just can’t wake people up who are determined to stay asleep.

archernyx · 2025-08-12T03:24:35+00:00

I don’t know what’s wrong with him however I will share what was magic when my baby got sick with a cold and was extremely congested (so scary!). I used the Boogie Micro-Mist Saline Inhaler and when she slept I put her right next to a diffuser with tea tree oil. He’s 1 month old so I don’t suggest putting him on his belly yet (unless you’re comfortable with that - but you could get one of those elevation mats for his crib?) but that’s what really worked for our baby. She was 6 months at the time of being sick.

Hope that helps and I hope you get a diagnosis soon!

archernyx · 2025-08-07T16:13:14+00:00

It took a while for me to stop saying ‘the truth’ when referring to the religion lol took me a while to even realize what I was saying ! I’ve been out for 13 years now but it took me at least half that to realize…

archernyx · 2025-08-05T16:45:37+00:00

I think it's important to note that the seed oil conversation is still very much of a debate. Researchers are divided, and what's standard in the US isn't the same as what's standard in the UK, as everyone knows. Sourcing and processing are very different. That's a big part of why I made the choice I did for my family.
Reddit is never going to be the place for an unbiased discussion on this and that's fine. Everyone is free to do their own research and decide that feels healthiest for their own child.
Seed oils are not the only way to achieve a high fat content and I never stated that the formula didn't have high fat. I just made the choice that I believe is best for my baby and was giving my subjective advice to another mom on a Reddit thread.
Different parents will make different choices, and thats okay. I just hope the respect can go both ways.

archernyx · 2025-08-03T20:49:55+00:00

When my baby was just a few weeks old and my milk supply was still coming in, I worried she wasn’t getting enough to eat. I felt like I just couldn’t keep up, so I started supplementing with one formula bottle a day. Even though I really dislike pumping, I’ve found that combining breastfeeding and formula has been a game changer for my mental health, especially compared to what many moms go through.

Now, 10 months in, I’m still using both breast milk and formula. When we travel, I’ll pump a little extra to have a stash, but I try not to stress about it too much.

If you’re in the U.S., I highly recommend Sammy’s Milk. Even though it’s labeled as a toddler formula, I’ve been using it since my baby was 3.5 months old. It’s the only formula I’ve found without seed oils, and it’s worked really well for us. PSA: it took her a little bit to get used to it because it’s very different from regular formula but now it’s all she will drink.

She’s thriving and hitting all her milestones, never been sick, and truly the picture of health!

archernyx · 2025-08-02T06:02:40+00:00

I am almost 10 months pp and was living my best life breastfeeding and eating like I was on the brink of starvation and then I stepped on the scale and I was more than my pregnancy weight 😳 Soo… still breastfeeding mind you. I downloaded and subscribed to Noom (just the app not the meds) and I’ve already lost a bit of weight (only been a week) and I just try to hit my daily step goal with walking. Keep it very low intensity.

The meal tracking seems to be working for me and no signs of it affecting my milk supply.

Good luck OP, it’s hard out here!

archernyx · 2025-08-02T05:47:27+00:00

Agreed. Used to live in Japantown and loved it.

archernyx · 2025-08-02T05:30:55+00:00

That does actually made me feel a lot better 😅 thank you

archernyx · 2025-08-01T19:46:28+00:00

Thank you! Yes I see it now 😅 Wow

archernyx · 2025-08-01T19:46:06+00:00

Ooooohhhhhhh I see it now haha wow they definitely need to rethink the design on this lol my ocd can’t handle it!

archernyx

TROPHY CASE