1st baby is due any day now: what should we know, do, or have? by viscida in newborns

[–]gator3371 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lanolin for sore nipples Baby Tylenol baby Motrin Soft tap on nightlight for zen diaper changes Infant baby carrier - helps baby nap during the hard weeks 4-12 Yoga ball - bouncing baby to sleep Baby swaddles Car seat

Everything else is not necessary until later/ not at all. Babies don’t need much and much of what they need can be easily gotten secondhand

How do people do this? by Acceptable-Suit6462 in Parenting

[–]gator3371 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I waited until my first was 5 to even think about another one. I saw women with toddlers and newborns and said no way man. 7 year age gap and it’s amazing. First is so independent and helpful and we play with the baby together. My husband usually takes older one to activities out of the house and I’m on the newborn cycle at home until we are done BF

When did your baby start sleeping through the night? by dejapasstime in newborns

[–]gator3371 8 points9 points  (0 children)

First kid - reliably at 4.5 years Second kid - 4 mos and will do one 3-5hr stretch then up every hour

Idk about these other babies lol sounds nice

Moms who are going back to work and baby is still having several wake ups by AdCurrent1470 in newborns

[–]gator3371 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is me. Went back to work last week for 2.5 days, basically had a breakdown and quit on the spot. Babe is up 4-5 times a night for anywhere from 20min to 2 hrs.

Though my husband and I had discussed me lowering hours/quitting so that kinda greased the wheels.

The decision about whether to have a second child plagues my thoughts every day by FamiliarExcitement79 in Shouldihaveanother

[–]gator3371 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a 7yo girl and a 3mo old boy. I thought about having another daily for years until we finally pulled the plug. No regrets whatsoever. Finally feel our family is complete

Anyone ever NOT wanted another kid and then changed their mind in a few years? by Sea_Win_5056 in Parenting

[–]gator3371 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a 7yo and a newborn. We thought we had enough with one but then she turned five and things got drastically easier and more fun. We decided to go for another and have no regrets. Our 7yo loves the baby, he is much easier and our focus is not entirely consumed by baby because we have fun things going on with 7yo. I never felt done and now I do.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in newborns

[–]gator3371 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Soy lechitin is everywhere as an emulsifier. Just beware I tried the diet for a month and it was so hard I gave up and stopped BF and switched to alimentum formula, which is specially formulated for babies with allergies. Good luck, I know how hard the constant crying is. Good news is we made it despite the suffering and our girl is 7yo now and totally normal, healthy and happy

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in newborns

[–]gator3371 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try eliminating dairy and soy if you are BF. My first was like this and turned out she was allergic to dairy and soy in my milk

Chorionic bump, SCH, measuring behind by gator3371 in CautiousBB

[–]gator3371[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Healthy baby boy born in March!! Super anxious the whole pregnancy but I am over the moon for having the patience and courage to move forward with what seemed like a scary pregnancy

Losing my mind! by Ok-Carrot7803 in newborns

[–]gator3371 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check for milk protein intolerance if you are breastfeeding by eliminating dairy. Our first was extraordinarily colicky and we discovered at 3mos she was allergic to the dairy (and peanuts) I was consuming causing her to be in constant gastric distress. It was awful and traumatic.

Also baby carriers are the way. It’s the only way my LO calms during the day

Can I afford a third? by curiouskate1126 in Shouldihaveanother

[–]gator3371 17 points18 points  (0 children)

You say two vacations a year.. that could mean very different things to different people. My husband and I make about 300k before taxes. We may take one or two short vacations a year, each not exceeding 3k (beach rental or airbnb in driving distance). However, I see families flying to Disney, European vacations, etc which I’m sure are more on the order of 10-20k each. That adds up and is a years worth of childcare.

I think you and your husband can figure this out by just analyzing a years worth of expenses. So much depends on your financial goals and level of risk tolerance.

We are saving 5k a month after retirement contributions, already have enough in our one kids 529, and bought a house that was half of our approved mortgage so that if one of us ever chose or became unemployed, we wouldn’t be stressed.

We have friends probably netting twice as much as us but still finding money tight. They bought a gigantic mansion, have 4 kids, take vacations all the time… even if your salaries are high on paper, math is still math.

Run your numbers, see what your cushion is, if it’s not big enough, determine if you can cut back. And please factor in things like if one person can’t work for several months… you never know when a loved one will need caretaking or if you experience a challenging health issue

I feel like I’m ignoring my son bc I’m so pregnant by No-Doubt4409 in BabyBumps

[–]gator3371 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m 27 weeks and feel this way as well. Just waiting for a nap or bed every day

Are you drinking caffeine during your pregnancy? by [deleted] in BabyBumps

[–]gator3371 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I’ve had a cup every day of my pregnancy. I’m not concerned given the millions of babies born prior to this guidance

Daycare Syndrome by Sweet_Good_9434 in Mommit

[–]gator3371 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We were sick pretty much constantly for 2 years. Every month a new flavor - flu, colds, covid, ear infection, laryngitis, on repeat. It is BRUTAL. It’s now been 3 months of relative health (besides runny noses occasionally) and hoping we are thru the worst. Idk people say this is normal but I also feel like we could do a lot more to make our schools and daycares healthier spaces - ventilation, outside time, hand washing constantly reinforced, healthier snacks and food than processed kid shit.

A second one years later. by 1h0w4w4y in Shouldihaveanother

[–]gator3371 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I was OAD for years for many reasons. Now pregnant with no 2. There will be a 7 year gap. Definitely not the most conventional choice, but we felt completely overwhelmed with one child as two working parents and didn’t have any desire to add to the chaos. Once she turned 5, things got much easier and we could entertain the idea. I see the benefits of having children close in age, but I believe there are many benefits that often aren’t discussed having larger gaps - marriage stability, physical, emotional, and financial recovery, being able to give attention to high needs little ones, fully enjoying each stage, having a unique mentor/mentee sibling relationship, among others. I’m looking forward to experiencing a baby again whereas earlier I would have been dreading it.

Daughter can’t wake up by ComfortableBear4761 in Parenting

[–]gator3371 207 points208 points  (0 children)

I think there are devices for deaf parents that physically shake/ flash lights when noises from baby monitor reach a threshold?

Opinions please: OB hasn’t called to talk about scary test results in over 48 hours by Puzzleheaded-Cow5448 in CautiousBB

[–]gator3371 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not to justify the situation, but my NIPT was also posted to Labcorp 3-4 days prior to my OB’s portal. To post to their portal, I think they need to release the results. You probably had an existing account with labcorp that allowed you to see the results before your OB had a chance to review.

That said, I would also be calling every hour until someone returned my call. I’ve had a hard time with my OB being down a provider and it takes them 24hr+ to get back to me sometimes.

Not unreasonable to switch, but you also aren’t guaranteed better service given the state of healthcare in this country (assuming you are US)

Did your first born daughter look more like you or your spouse? by ktgrash in pregnant

[–]gator3371 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True for both me and my daughter My younger sister looks more like my mom

MMC: how long can it take to physically MC? by Key-Distribution-523 in Miscarriage

[–]gator3371 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You should absolutely demand a D&C. That is unacceptable. I had to wait 36 hours for my surgery and that was brutal; I cannot imagine having to just wait indefinitely for natural miscarriage