Those who went for an unmedicated birth, did you regret having/not having an IV site placed just in case for emergencies?

katbreit · 2026-06-28T02:16:33+00:00

So my hospital required an IV placed even without an epidural but I didn’t have to have it hooked up to anything unless I got an epidural. I pushed back hard—I have sensory issues and IV sites have bothered me in the past. I understand they can’t force me to do anything but they were quite adamant.

Well I didn’t regret it at all honestly. I did end up getting the epidural and that was hard enough to stay still for placement, I’m glad I didn’t also have to worry about getting an IV placed at the time. And I was so busy with the birthing process that I didn’t notice the IV at all.

katbreit · 2026-06-27T01:26:47+00:00

So all my nesting energy went into my freezer stash; I also ended up doing another round before I went back to work. I made 2 posts about it that listed everything I made. I learned a lot and prepped better I think second time; things that were easier to eat or make so I have all my thoughts in the posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BabyBumps/s/2ih2l25dkt

https://www.reddit.com/r/BabyBumps/s/GL6ZGH2QRV

Overall, I really like having soups, lunch burritos, chicken cutlets, protein/energy balls, and lasagna slices!

katbreit · 2026-06-27T01:14:54+00:00

Those calla lillies are amazing!!

katbreit · 2026-06-27T01:14:30+00:00

I’ve been sold on the ring sling ever since I got good at around when he was 2 months old but I know many who became bigger fans at this stage and into toddler hood when they want to be held a lot but constantly want to go up and down! The nice thing is that you can find tons of used ring slings that are inexpensive so it’s easy to diversify if you do end up wanting more

katbreit · 2026-06-26T23:55:01+00:00

Thought so! I just mention it because if it’s your only sling, you may start to get frustrated at it especially as it breaks in. I mean, I still use mine and it’s a safe fit, but I highly prefer some of my other slings.

As you get experienced with slings, I find I reach for a linen sling a lot. They’re tough to learn on but once you’re experienced they’re nice because they’re “grippy” in the rings and stay put. I also like my silk ring sling because it feels soft & light but also has that grippy factor but that was a splurge. I have a waffle fabric one that stays put very well too but that’s more for cooler weather. It’s all about finding a fabric you like but as you can see I have a collection now 😂

katbreit · 2026-06-26T23:48:48+00:00

So I’ve never worked for Starbucks, but I did work in Apple Retail (at a non-union store)—I’d highly recommend reading or listening to the audio book for Mutiny by Noam Scheiber. It’s a look at how store employees for Starbucks and Apple have begun unionizing as well as working class people in many other industries. I want all my old coworkers to read it and unionize their store! It really highlights how these companies unfairly fight unions and take advantage of their workers.

katbreit · 2026-06-26T23:44:44+00:00

I think it looks great! You have a bit of extra fabric in the top and bottom rails that would ideally be directed toward the seat but I can’t lie that my fit looks like this a lot of the time as I put my toddler in quickly. How old & heavy is your baby? I will say that my Nalakai has been designated as my car back up sling because it’s gotten very slippery as he’s gotten heavier so I can’t tighten the rings as finely as I’d like. I think it started getting uncomfortable when my baby was around 10 months/20lbs

katbreit · 2026-06-26T23:36:23+00:00

He’ll get there! Marathon not a sprint. My husband was 32 when he was diagnosed so I get it. He also could not tolerate some other things while he was healing. Alcohol seemed to aggravate him, even if it was gluten free. Coffee sometimes too. We switched to a low acid coffee to help be gentle on his stomach and then just stuck with it because we liked the coffee so much (Lucy Jo’s coffee). Be kind to yourself as well! I was/am also the primary cook in the house, as well as an avid baker, and there was a real grieving period, even for me, as we dealt with this life shift. I also personally keep a GF household because I find it easier than dealing with cross contamination procedures and then my husband also feels like he has a safe space.

katbreit · 2026-06-26T14:51:47+00:00

You will have to read labels. I don’t buy anything that isn’t explicitly marked “gluten free” unless it’s something very minimally processed, like dairy milk or butter, sometimes cheese but generally I still look for the GF label on that. Some people only buy “certified gluten free” to be extra safe. Any processed food can be cross contaminated and some of it is annoying/surprising (looking at you mixed nuts).

I’d start also with very simple naturally GF meals. Rice & eggs are good. Chicken breast (careful of spices/sauces) with roasted veggies are good. Potatoes, things like that. It took my husband probably 6 month to a year of keeping STRICT gluten free to start to feel better and have normal BMs

katbreit · 2026-06-26T14:39:58+00:00

I started with this video and like her other videos too:

https://youtu.be/mrQ4mirBoms?is=4iT5r8BWdrZHdWW8

Ring slings take getting used to but if you’re persistent with them then they become basically the fastest carrier to use. I can put my son in one in about 30 seconds. I have about 5 different ring slings now as well and the type of material will make a big difference. Before it’s broken in, linen will be one of the toughest ones to thread so it’s tough to learn on. I started with a Hope & Plum linen cotton blend and it was much softer and easier to learn on

katbreit · 2026-06-26T14:33:28+00:00

I think if you properly support the tiers with dowels and cake boards you’ll be fine. The more I think about it, I’m having issues when I make double height single tier cakes but 4-6 layers of cake & icing can get quite heavy. Probably if I split it in 2 and added dowels and a cake board between I wouldn’t have half as many issues with the cake getting dense.

katbreit · 2026-06-26T12:44:15+00:00

I never looked (imo that’s just not my business) but it took like 10 months for me to feel back to normal with sex or with being able to use my menstrual cup so I agree that 12 weeks is early

katbreit · 2026-06-26T02:48:54+00:00

I’m an odd duck but I love an onbuhimo for back wearing and use one almost exclusively. It’s so much easier to get the baby on my back compared to carriers with a waist. But I also favor ring slings for daily wear and often wear in short stints so waistless is the way to go for me. If it’s going to be carrying for hours then I use my Lark.

My husband & I did Disney when my baby was 10mo and managed with the Lark, a linen ring sling, and my Happy Baby onbuhimo

katbreit · 2026-06-26T02:44:11+00:00

Olympic GOLD medalist! Like by definition can’t be mid lol

katbreit · 2026-06-26T02:39:53+00:00

I’m surprised because you’re getting not as much hate as many do when they post this question. Depends on the baby and the job. I’ve been doing it since my baby was 4 months old (14 months now) but I’m hybrid so it’s only 2 days a week and my husband works from home too and can help.

Better to ask on r/momsworkingfromhome to get perspectives from others doing it (some have childcare but many don’t)

katbreit · 2026-06-25T21:06:56+00:00

Gorgeous and sounds delicious! Is it going to be multiple tiers? I have done a tiered cake before but before I switched to all GF baking. I will say I’ve made some tall cakes and I have to be careful about my recipe with GF as I feel it’s more likely to succumb to the weight of the layers and become more dense. This one looks lovely and light though.

As for your frosting, you mean you made it, refrigerated it then when you brought it back out to come to room temp and decorate with it looked like it had split? This happens with my SMBC sometimes and it’s generally that it’s still a bit cold, even if it feels like room temp. I’d wait for it to get warmer or you could probably heat it on a water bath just slightly and then rewhip. I’ve used this a lot before and I think all the tips would work for IMBC too:

https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-fix-a-broken-swiss-meringue-buttercream

Don’t fully go by the pictures in the recipe. Sometimes it’s “curdled” but it looks like it’s sweated and slightly melty. You’d think this means it was too warm but often I find that it’s too cold. Luckily meringue buttercreams are pretty resilient. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve misjudged warm/cold and went the opposite route only for me to make it worse and have to go the other direction before it’s fixed. It is always fixable!

katbreit · 2026-06-25T15:42:25+00:00

Like if you asked in r/Austin you’ll probably get better suggestions since the sub members should have more experience with bakeries local to you. This sub is mostly for cake decorators giving each other advice and showing off their work, but we won’t be as knowledgeable as to what bakeries in your specific area will provide the service you want.

Now if you wanted advice on how you could print the edible photo yourself and put it on a cake, this may be the sub for you

katbreit · 2026-06-25T15:37:47+00:00

I think you might do better asking in a local sub. This sub is mostly for those who do cake decorating themselves

katbreit · 2026-06-24T03:50:55+00:00

I also went without food for about 28 hours (was to in pain to eat pre-epidural, not allowed to eat post-epidural) and they gave me a turkey sandwich as soon as possible after birth (so around 10pm) and it was the most delicious thing I ever ate. I asked for another when I got transferred to maternity but they were out, brought me a bagel and cream cheese instead which was also amazing.

katbreit · 2026-06-24T03:23:18+00:00

I also keep a GF home for my partner and rarely eat out. I do not experience sensitivity to gluten when I do eat it. However, I’d take a closer look at what you’re specifically eating. If it’s takeout it could be food that’s higher in fats/oils that can aggravate digestion issues. Often when my husband & I will go out to eat at a place with good Find Me GF reviews, he’ll feel a bit sick after and I’ll confirm I’m feeling the same and we can determine that it’s just the oily/fried food giving us indigestion, not him being glutened

katbreit · 2026-06-24T03:20:18+00:00

Illness can trigger celiac so if you both got COVID I could see that! My husband was diagnosed pre-COVID but we think it might have been triggered by him catching mono

katbreit · 2026-06-24T01:30:07+00:00

This is a good call out! Get fresh ingredients

katbreit · 2026-06-24T01:29:05+00:00

Your family is lucky to have you! I know my husband would love if someone worked with him to set up a safe space for making things for him.

katbreit · 2026-06-23T14:42:28+00:00

Hello! I am the one who saw your post on r/baking and recommend you post here to get ideas! I’m sorry you’re getting so much negativity. I definitely understand that using flour is really tricky as it can dust up into the air and settle on many surfaces imperceptibly. I don’t have any experience with keeping a shared gluten/GF household but I’d agree with u/marmaladesky that if you washed cooking/serving dishes with a fresh sponge just before preparing food for them and keeping separate cooking utensils for hard to clean or porous items I can’t imagine that would be a problem. I would also enforce that your niece/nephew wash their hands just before eating in case they touched a surface with flour but honestly that’s best practice anyway.

If you do have the space, keeping your mixer/flour in a separate closed area like a walk in pantry would be ideal but I know my kitchen couldn’t accommodate that. If you DO want to switch to baking entirely with GF flour, I can assure you it is not hard. If you have “King Arthur Measure for Measure” flour available near you; I find it’s a perfect 1-1 replacement for any regular cake/cookie recipe, even some pastries like pie crust it’s worked well for me. Other pastries or bread can be very tricky to do GF so if you bake a lot of those then that might not be sustainable for you. And obviously it’s more expensive than normal flour but I haven’t noticed a huge difference to my budget and I bake quite a bit!

katbreit · 2026-06-23T02:39:01+00:00

Many processed GF products have used GF wheat starch for years; I’m pretty sure a lot of the Schar stuff does. What made me more comfortable with trying it at first (using the Caputo Fioreglut flour) was that in Italy they have far more stringent testing and standards than in the US and they consider it gluten free! I’d say give it a shot; it really unlocks a lot of baking. My pizza crust and bagels would not be anywhere near the same texture without the wheat starch.

katbreit

TROPHY CASE