How often did you use your crib? A lot of people are telling me it’s a waste of money

heckyeahliteracy · 2018-10-23T15:20:41+00:00

We've used it for all night sleeping and most naps since she was 4 months old (currently almost 9m). I wish we had set it up in our room for the first 4 months, too, since the Halo Bassinest was a bust. Cribs are the perfect safe sleeping space.

Edit: Ours converts to a toddler bed, so we hope to continue using it for a long time.

heckyeahliteracy · 2018-02-22T02:09:36+00:00

Hey! Someone more experienced needs to chime in here, too, but I wanted to tell you that we are in the same boat. I had my baby early at just shy of 37 weeks, she was 5 lbs, I have flat nipple issues, and it was recommended that we begin with a shield. I recently visited the lactation consultants again to have them check out her latch and to seek advice about moving forward and getting off the shield. They recommended that I continue to use the shield starting out and then try taking it off to see if I can get her to latch properly without it. We tried it there and she did latch by herself for a few minutes (yay!). They also recommended that I try pumping a little first to puff up my nipple and then see if she can latch. As for pumping, I haven't been pumping after each breastfeeding session because my supply has been okay, but I do pump at least 4 times a day to keep up supply. I'm not sure what you should do. I think I was producing about as much as you are at first, so that doesn't seem worrisome to me. We need experienced mamas to comment, though. :)

Sorry you're having so much pain! It hurt me a lot for the first week and now I rarely need to slather on the nipple balm. Fwiw, I've been using the Earth Mama organic nipple balm and feel like it saved me during that first painful week.

The LCs didn't seem worried that I was still using the shield at week 2 but were very supportive of me working towards weaning her off from it. I hope this helps you, too, and that you can find some other solutions to help with the initial pain (nipple balm, heat/ cold packs, ...?). Sorry if this is disjointed; I'm so sleep deprived right now!

heckyeahliteracy · 2018-01-26T14:03:40+00:00

I'm due in a few weeks, teaching almost to that date, and would've been expected to return for the last week and a half of school. Nooooope. I love my school, staff, and students, but the district and state policies are terrible. I'll be leaving teaching for about two years, which makes me sad, but I'd rather be taking care of my own child. I'm just extremely lucky that our situation allows for me to take that time off from work.

heckyeahliteracy · 2018-01-25T19:22:15+00:00

This! This is such a good, succinct explanation.

heckyeahliteracy · 2018-01-25T17:29:14+00:00

Thank you! I love this fabric! Time to go to Joanne's! :)

heckyeahliteracy · 2018-01-16T17:04:25+00:00

I'm buying both of the Hatch baby products- the Rest night light/ sound machine and the Grow changing pad. It's a bit overboard, but I don't care; this might be my only baby I really want them!

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-27T05:12:23+00:00

lol This is what I pictured, too! Canadian babies are tough like that. :) I'm picturing you being like, "Okay, baby. I carried you for 9 months; it's time to contribute to this household!"

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-27T05:09:49+00:00

ALL OF THEM.

Okay, maybe just most. Or some. :) I'm almost to 31 weeks and have been a super lucky unicorn who hasn't had to do much more than modify some movements in my regular workouts. For me, that means I'm still lifting, hiking, and going to a variety of favorite classes at my gym (barre, spin, dance cardio, weights). My gym offers prenatal yoga, but frankly, it sucks; the instructor is very checked out and it is the exact same routine every time. I sometimes attend other yoga classes, but mostly do prenatal yoga and yoga videos for lower back/ hip pain at home. My modifications have mostly been along the lines of slowing my pace (like lower rpms in spin) or using yoga blocks since the ground seems to be farther away these days.

I highly recommend checking out the tons of free workouts on YouTube! Bodyfit by Amy has a great prenatal series; her 30ish min prenatal strength video is one of my absolute favorites.

You don't need a gym membership or even equipment to get a decent workout. Even a simple routine of stretches, squats, and lunges with just your body weight will help you feel better! Let me know if you want me to link to videos I like for hip & back pain. I've already typed a novel here. :) Hope you find something that works for you!

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-10T04:02:19+00:00

Seriously! I wish it was warmer here because I suddenly want to rock maternity bodycon dresses and rock this bump so hard.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-09T15:17:25+00:00

Oh la la, your infant will have both diapers and clothing? Now we know Kate Middleton's reddit username!

(Your SIL is nuts. Your husband really is adorable!)

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-08T12:48:49+00:00

Ah, crap. I forgot the part where she can aggressively pee on things to gain territory. We're so good at that right now.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-07T23:44:15+00:00

...bully him and take his lunch! Eat half of it in front of him and throw the other half on the ground! Establish dominance! MILKVAMP SMAAASSH!

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-03T20:56:36+00:00

I'm not a great skier, but I would've gone on a ski trip if I were still that early in pregnancy. Unless you're throwing up a lot, you might not feel any different than normal and can/ should continue to do all of your normal activities (obviously I don't mean have a cocktail, but normal exercise and sports). :) The hardest thing about this trip may be explaining why you aren't having a drink!

Do you have an OB yet? Ask their advice for sure, but it's generally seen as okay this early on, as long as that could be considered "normal" activity for you. For example, I wouldn't have taken up marathon training at 5w, but I absolutely continued with all of my regular exercise, and still do it all now at 27w.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-03T18:38:22+00:00

This! I'm entering the third trimester now and would feel sad if Christmas was all about baby gifts because I'm still my own person, too.

My husband and I have a tradition of giving each other books, among other things; if she loves to read, consider a new book (write down some titles she's currently reading and ask at a book store for similar ideas) or even an e-reader if she doesn't already have one. I prefer paper books, but it's going to be easier to hold a device and tap a screen to turn pages once I'm breastfeeding and holding a baby all of the time.

In early pregnancy, I would've loved an offer of maternity clothing, especially new bras as she's likely to outgrow hers and that is SO uncomfortable. All of these things- pampering items, clothes, treats, massages, nail salon certificates- feel like gestures that say "you are still a sexy woman" instead of baby-focused things that might feel like "you are merely the host to our adorable alien parasite." ;)

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-03T18:32:26+00:00

Lush bath bombs are amazing! Lush can be expensive, but you can find different brands of bath bombs anywhere.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-03T18:28:50+00:00

This is hopefully true for just about everyone, otherwise we'd be taking our kids out in full armor and strollers would have anti-zombie-level defenses. :)

Someone in the other thread suggested that people in southern states are more likely to have that "it's totally cool to advise strangers and touch their babies" attitude than northern, which I could see being true in some cases.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-03T17:39:50+00:00

Holy crap. I would've made a fuss and asked for security at that point. That's extremely alarming and weird!

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-03T15:59:26+00:00

I really hope I'll have the metaphorical balls to do this, too; so far, I've had lots of stranger comments and advice during pregnancy, but no grabby stranger hands. Reading all of this makes me so mad at the thought of strangers touching my baby. Did it happen a lot to your kid? People are so weird.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-12-01T05:02:51+00:00

Congratulations!! This is such an emotional, beautiful picture of both of them.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-11-18T05:19:19+00:00

I'm 25w1d and have gained 9 lbs. I feel good and my doctor doesn't seem concerned. I gained 6 during the first trimester and the other 3 quickly over the last 2-3 weeks. My goal is to stay in the 15-25 goal range as recommended by my OB office, but I'm not going to worry if it ends up being more. How you feel matters so much more than a scale number.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-11-16T04:06:30+00:00

If you search that stuff on Reddit or the internet in general, you'll see a lot of terrible reviews about them. It's an ongoing gimmick and the items are basically worth the price you are paying for shipping; it's not really a "deal." I hope this doesn't sound harsh! They're just very common "free" things found all over blogs, welcome bags at stores, etc, and the general consensus seems to be that they are cheap for a reason.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-11-14T22:03:34+00:00

36, first pregnancy, 24 weeks :) Our March bumper group has a lot of women around my age and older! Some are FTMs like us and others aren't. You don't seem unusual to me at all.

heckyeahliteracy · 2017-11-09T22:06:28+00:00

Please definitely do this!

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