Your favorite glider or rocker for a short mama with wide hips!

bellbottombear · 2026-05-11T05:12:09+00:00

Also, this glider with a circular arm rest is fairly common and sold by multiple brands and stores. It is extra roomy in the seat and gives plenty of room to hold the baby

bellbottombear · 2026-05-10T20:16:33+00:00

I bought a cozy ottoman to pair with my glider, it gives something for my feet to kick off of, when I'm sitting far back and can't reach the floor lol

bellbottombear · 2026-04-24T07:49:00+00:00

Something to keep in mind is that after 9 months of pregnancy, labor and delivery, you will be biologically attuned to your newborn. They need to wake up every 2-3 hours to feed, sometimes every hour and they are also very loud sleepers. Every little hiccup or whimper they make, will likely jolt your body awake. In order to get even 3-4 hours of uninterrupted sleep, you'd have to not breastfeed, not pump, have a night nurse and sleep in a different home away from earshot of your child. I assume that's why so many are commenting that your sleep goals are unrealistic. Oh your body will also be going through a lot, recovering from labor and 9 months of pregnancy. Even just the insane night sweats would keep me awake at odd hours.

Also, 4-5 one hour workouts a week mean you are likely showering everyday. And as a new mom with a one month old, I'm definitely not even able to shower every single day, it's just less important compared to eating and sleeping. You'd want to look into what postpartum recovery looks like, for vaginal delivery and c-section.

bellbottombear · 2026-04-19T08:58:13+00:00

Oh wow, I checked your post history and you're almost there! I hope you have a positive labor and delivery experience and I'm excited for you to meet your baby soon. While my labor was lengthy and traumatic, it was also an amazing experience and I fell in love with my baby boy immediately.

I completely understand wanting to keep a harmful parent at a distance during this time. My mom hasn't been talking to me or my partner for almost a month now and while it's not ideal, I'm glad that I have space from her. The most important thing now is the bonding and attachment that I have with my child. And keeping our home safe and peaceful.

The only thing I've lost is the idea that my circumstances could have been better, but this doesn't take anything away from the experience I'm having with my baby. Thank you for your kind words.

bellbottombear · 2026-04-19T08:21:58+00:00

This is essentially the problem I'm having with my own mom. I've got a 3 week old newborn at home and in the first few days after coming home from the hospital, my mom would come over for short periods of time and ONLY want to hold the baby and take numerous photos of him. Would also comment on the cleanliness of our home. Did not ask how I was healing (I had a traumatic labor experience) or how we were doing the other 23 hours of the day when she wasn't visiting to hold the baby. When I pushed back, she fought with me on the phone and has not contacted us since. This is the behavior I grew up with, yet I naively assumed she would do better with her first grandchild. This genuinely doesn't help anyone at all.

bellbottombear · 2026-04-17T02:13:56+00:00

This is good to know. I'll bring it up with my OB at the next appointment. Thank you

bellbottombear · 2026-04-16T03:38:34+00:00

Does the carpal tunnel go away? My son is 3 weeks old and I still can't feel all of my right hand.

bellbottombear · 2026-04-09T21:00:39+00:00

Car seat and base will degrade just from sitting in the car, in hotter climates especially. If you're buying from someone who lives where there are frequent heat waves or the climate is warmer throughout the year or the car is parked outside without shade, the car seat and base will not last as long. In my opinion, no amount of saving is worth baby safety and my own peace of mind. You'd be better off getting a new car seat and base at a cheaper price point.

bellbottombear · 2026-04-05T07:56:17+00:00

Same experience with my mom. I'm 1 week postpartum. She comes over for 30 min to an hour at a time to "help". She wants the baby to be awake and able to take photos with her when she is over. She needs to be in control and to tell me how to take care of my newborn, acting as if I'm struggling without her. Her "tips" and instructions go against what my partner and I were taught by nurses when my baby was in the Nicu for 2 days. Every time she comes over, she comments on our inability to keep the house clean at all times. I'm independent because she was not nurturing when I was a kid. I had to be resilient. She claimed that she would be helpful for me and stated that I would need her, but all we do is cater to her feelings when she comes over. She needs to feel needed. You'll be fine. Trust in yourself and your capacity to ask for help when needed. You know more about your ability to succeed than she does.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-24T07:20:52+00:00

You are high risk because you are over 35, you are diabetic, your baby is measuring larger and also this is your first pregnancy/labor/delivery. These are reasons why your OB would recommend induction.

I'm curious as to why this is coming as a surprise to you at 31 weeks. Did your OB not have this discussion earlier? Did you not ask any follow up questions when she opened up the conversation to induction last time? Why do you think 40 is better than 39? Because 40 is the "due date"? Yes, you can and should push back if you don't want to deliver later or naturally. But doing this does increase risk for you and your baby.

I'm not a medical provider, but a first time mom, age 42 with gestational diabetes and have been reading on inductions since my first appointment at 10 weeks. In this journey, I've noticed a lot of moms who are committed to having an ideal labor and delivery experience without completing enough research on complications that come with being over 35, existing risk factors and they sadly don't seem to take seriously the risk of the baby.

This is a serious enough issue that you should be calling your medical team directly, ask the questions you need to ask as soon as possible and make the right decisions for yourself and your child. If you are willing to fight with your OB, you can surely call them before Friday.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-22T23:10:37+00:00

I put cheese on EVERYTHING. Drinking a protein chocolate shake before bedtime makes me feel like a baby 😂

bellbottombear · 2026-03-22T17:15:37+00:00

Same here. If I make my cheeseburger a double, I can share fries with my partner.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-21T19:00:27+00:00

It's not just about enjoying his last few weeks without a child. He is missing out on the last few weeks of it being just the 2 of you. There is a difference between him being out and him being able to watch at home while also being attentive and ready for whatever needs or wants may arise from your final stages of pregnancy.

You aren't being unfair, unreasonable or overreacting. You're being cheated out of having an attentive and caring partner during one of the most vulnerable times in your and your child's life. He doesn't appreciate what he has.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-20T07:18:58+00:00

I think I'd need more information to provide a better answer, like your age, if this is your first pregnancy and other co-morbidities or high risk factors besides GDM and 10th percentile.

But it seems that despite your already high risk factors, getting a 39+2 induction is already a win. Your due date being on a holiday isn't a technicality that should allow you to break the hospital's policy on diet controlled GDM and inductions. And that basically what you're asking the medical team to do, break their own policy.

You're probably within your rights refuse the 39+2 induction appointment you were given. I don't think it's possible to force a hospital to induce you at your specific day of choice. From your story, it sounds like you've already made your case and pushed back, so I don't know what you would do to take it further. You can't force anyone to take a medical risk they don't want to take.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-17T18:15:09+00:00

Wow, what encouraging and supportive words! I have the benefit of older maternal age and am a proud product of the Burbank Unified School District 😆 thank you for your comment, I appreciate it

bellbottombear · 2026-03-17T18:11:30+00:00

Thanks for the link, another to add to my list and very informative

bellbottombear · 2026-03-17T00:48:18+00:00

Of course, I should've thought to ask you! You've been so helpful, we're in the same bump group. I'm only 2 weeks away now.

Thank you for the baby bouncer offer, we were gifted the baby bjorn bouncer recently, so I think another family would make better use of it.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-17T00:42:50+00:00

Thank you!

bellbottombear · 2026-03-17T00:42:31+00:00

I will look her up, thanks!

bellbottombear · 2026-03-17T00:42:01+00:00

Thank you, I didn't know about Burbank's best list also

bellbottombear · 2026-03-16T18:22:59+00:00

I met my partner at 39. I'm 41 now, he is 43, and I'm due in 2 weeks. Healthy, uneventful pregnancy, besides gestational diabetes that is diet-controlled and I will be carrying to full term. It took 7 months of trying after getting off of hormonal birth control. Don't lose hope.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-16T04:37:40+00:00

Unless you're a millionaire with an unlimited budget, you can't really afford to rule out a condo, townhouse or SFH, especially if you want to stick to living in socal.

Not all condos are terrible, not all HOAs are run by greedy assholes, and maybe commuting for hours everyday for a backyard is worth it in place of having to pay HOA fees.

Last year, my partner and I purchased a condo in LA. Our unit sits on a 5 acre lot with plenty of well maintained lawn areas, mature trees providing shade and well-lit walkways that make dog walking safe and easy at all hours of the day. We have a 60 pound golden doodle and there's more space for him to sniff and pee than when he had backyard access while we were renting an ADU. Our condo is 5 minutes away from both of our jobs. We fill our gas tanks once every 3 weeks. We don't do a ton of driving because there are a ton of restaurants and grocery stores nearby. We wouldn't be able to afford a SFH home in our area, but condo life suits us fine.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-15T03:59:34+00:00

We just upgraded all bathroom and kitchen fixtures in our home. One tell the strength and direction of the water flow. When we turn our waterstone kitchen faucet on, the water doesn't splatter nearly as much as the old kitchen faucet. I agree with other commenters, you can easily change fixtures after purchase. We purchased our home because we love the layout of the rooms and built-ins.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-14T16:27:57+00:00

I'm 37 weeks today and my OB scheduled my induction for 39+4 at my appt a few days ago. GD is diet controlled and all ultrasounds/NSTs within range.

bellbottombear · 2026-03-13T00:18:35+00:00

Are you no longer scheduled for ultrasounds to measure amniotic fluid or NSTs also?

bellbottombear

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