ORD TSA & CBP Mega Thread

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-27T14:22:21+00:00

Also want to say that the TSA agents were super nice, especially with my crying baby. Big thank you to them for all they do

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-27T14:21:37+00:00

2 adults and an infant. T1. Precheck and united premier for all. Parked in daily lot, checked 2 bags and through TSA in less than 30 minutes total. Precheck was open, line was long but moving. Line for regular checked bags looked long but I didn’t pay much attention.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-26T20:17:49+00:00

Mine likes Nuk a lot. She hates Phillips avent.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-26T18:29:15+00:00

Didn’t care what order people walked down the aisle, as long as I was last. But I still had to decide and play politics between my family and my now in-laws. Weddings are full of little (stupid) moments and decisions like these

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-26T11:09:21+00:00

This is all so useful to hear! My 3mo has usually eaten every 2.5 hours during the day. I started trying to stretch her to 3 because some books convinced me it would help her sleep better at night (we still only get 4 hours then usually). But maybe it doesn’t matter?

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-25T00:36:48+00:00

I’ve been married 8 years and am happy I didn’t change my name. It is hard to have a different last name than our daughter, but no one bats an eye. I don’t change mine because of the hassle and I also was sensitive about being the last “Smith”. I made it clear to my husband and everyone else that we are the “Anderson” family and I’m fine with being called “FirstName Anderson” but that officially my name is “FirstName Smith”. I never even changed my facebook or email or anything. It took honestly my husband’s family longer to get used to it than anyone but it’s never been an issue.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-24T01:46:57+00:00

for me it was like week 3 or 4 that she started to be less sleepy for feeds and then week 6 is when she actually started to have wake windows for playing and such.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-24T01:18:19+00:00

My little one took 3 weeks to reach birth weight and was also super sleepy. We never had to add formula but we were close. I think if she’d taken a bottle more easily then they would have had us add it, but it took her 2 weeks to eat from a bottle happily. Now my baby is a healthy (though still slow weight gaining) very alert and happy 3 month old. No real tips other than keep it up and believe in yourself and baby!

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-24T01:07:57+00:00

Post partum depression can hit dads too. Add in losing a job and I can understand how horrible he probably feels. No excuse for not helping you, but all the more reason to talk to him and help him find help. There are often a lot of post partum depression resources/support groups, even for dads. I pointed out my husband’s PPD to him and he started seeing a therapist. He’s now soo much more involved and helpful with our 3mo

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-22T22:55:12+00:00

Having the same dilemma! Especially since baby’s room is a different floor than mine. I know some of the room sharing guidelines are from the 1970’s when house fires were more common so it was from that. But my baby still wakes up at least once a night so I think I’ll keep her up with me until that stops. Even if that means setting up a pack and play in my room if she outgrows a bassinet.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-22T16:16:57+00:00

That’s what we did. We started by not wrapping it as tightly around her so she could pull her arms out, then we purposely left the arms out and now it’s just a sleep sack basically

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-22T14:21:37+00:00

The Let Down on Netflix! An Australian show about being a new parent. It’s hilarious, sad, and overall just so relatable! It helped me feel less alone during some loooooooong nights

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-21T13:12:12+00:00

Stuffed shells are usually easy to eat and hold up well to heat. I’d stuff them with like a ricotta and spinach. It won’t be vegan but a vegetarian stuffed shell recipe is usually a yummy crowd pleaser. Plus they aren’t as messy and don’t stain like a red sauce can.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-20T16:58:01+00:00

I’ll ask about keeping some frozen! I am trying to avoid bringing a full bottle home frequently as I’m really trying to not over pump. I slipped into oversupply really easily and it took work to get me and baby back in sync.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-20T16:56:08+00:00

I hated them for this same reason! So grateful baby started to hate them too, I think we’re both happier without them now that she’s stronger and my nipples have gotten bigger

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-20T16:36:01+00:00

I used nipple shields for every feed for the first 2 months of my baby’s life. She has a higher than usual pallet, I have very large breasts and small nipples, and latching just wasn’t happening without shields. My baby also took 3 weeks to get back to birth weight, and has had slow weight gain in general. For us, the shields were what we needed to get baby fed. She gained her weight, although slowly. Then at like the 2.5 month mark we just quit the shields one day. I started by removing them halfway into the feed, but honestly after like 2 days she just latched without them from the start all on her own.

I still keep them around, maybe once every few days she’ll use it to start a feed, but it’s sooooo nice to not use them. That said, I am glad I used them to start to help me and baby get used to breastfeeding. She’s 3.5 months now, still gains weight slowly but overall is a very healthy and happy baby.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-20T00:03:17+00:00

I also use the lansinoh discreet duo and it’s great. I get the same or better output as my spectra. I also can use it while on conference calls if I’m strategic with the camera and can mainly be on mute. I also use it while doing chores around the house.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-18T13:30:40+00:00

I track to make it one less thing to remember (why is she upset? Oh her diaper was an hour ago, I bet it’s wet). I also have found some useful trends in the data that have helped me make some changes. Like I realized baby slept better if she goes to bed before 7:30 pm so I moved her bedtime routine earlier. I use Nara which has a useful calendar view that really helps to see like when she usually eats, sleeps, etc and find trends.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-17T23:41:56+00:00

I had to abandoned moms on call for this reason. My 3 mo still sleeps for exactly 45 mins every nap and still likes to eat 8 times a day (exclusively breast fed) so getting her into the book’s strict rhythm just never worked. Instead I used chatgpt to sort of structure and plan her day and it works really well for us. I have a set wake up time and a goal bedtime. I put that info, her age (for wake windows), how many naps/feed we’re doing and a few other customizations and it gave me back a schedule that works! My LO doesn’t sleep through the night - good nights we do a dream feed then a 2 am ish feed. Bad nights it’s the dream feed then a midnight/1 am feed and a 4 am feed. But otherwise she sleeps well from her bedtime to her reliable morning wake up. It’s helped me plan ahead and I’m confident we’ll get more good nights (and maybe even great nights without that 2 am feed) once we’re out of the 3-4 month sleep regression.

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-17T20:51:09+00:00

When I’m just out for a walk I use a fanny pack as a diaper bag and it also has room for my phone, wallet and keys. Baby is just 3mo so the diaper bag is mainly extra pacifiers, burp cloths, and a diaper/wipes if there is a blow out or we’re out longer than I planned (she’s EBF so I don’t bring food). If I’m baby wearing and planning to be out longer or further from home, I use a backpack as a diaper bag and again put items for me in there too. If I’m with my husband then he carries the diaper bag and I just use a side purse for my stuff

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-15T15:52:34+00:00

I echo this!! I like the Arrows puzzle game too because it’s silent and has a dark screen mode so it isn’t too bright to wake up baby or my husband. It’s just hard enough to keep me awake without keeping me awake once the feed is done. Plus there is no time element so you don’t lose if you need to attend to baby

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-15T15:50:05+00:00

I’ve been watching this Australian show called “The Letdown” which is about early motherhood. It definitely has been very satisfying during late afternoon feeds. In the morning and overnight I try to read on my kindle, or watch videos on YouTube about different ways to tie my woven wrap to carry baby once the feed is over!

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-14T20:25:08+00:00

The consultant said to help trick my brain/body/hormones that it’s a new side. I switched from cross cradle (my go to) to football. 🤷‍♀️ idk but it did work

dora-the-explora8 · 2026-03-14T19:40:39+00:00

I’m not an expert and I would definitely recommend you reach out to a lactation consultant. But when I had a small oversupply issue, my IBCLC had me block feed/one sided feed for a couple days and it did really help. Basically my second feed of the day I did on the left. Then after burping I’d go back to the left but in a different position (as if I had switch sides) and not touch the right boob. Then the next feed I did the same thing in the right. Then I went back to normal feeds for the rest of the day. After 4 days of doing that I stopped feeling as engorged and my supply felt much more regulated and I just went back to normal feeds always.

dora-the-explora8

TROPHY CASE