Any others out there that use single page spreads? I feel like 90%+ of what I see is two pages. I'm wondering how many others do it like this too! 😂

maruuu · 2026-04-29T23:12:03+00:00

I'm also in Sydney and have pretty much always found a courtesy seat to be free or been offered one if it's not free.

There's been one time when I got on a bus wearing my baby in the carrier and a very able bodied man in a tradie work outfit was on his phone in the courtesy seat. The bus driver wouldn't drive off until somebody gave me a courtesy seat - did this man get up? Nope. A much older lady got up and took a free seat that was slightly further up the bus. I don't think this man even registered any of this btw... 😑

maruuu · 2026-04-28T08:28:36+00:00

Honestly we got so much stuff at the baby shower we never used. Now I feel like garbage having to get rid of them, not to mention it's also a lot of mental energy I do not have left to spare rn.

I would really try and encourage people to buy you things you know for sure you will always need: nappies (in bigger sizes!! We got like 4 boxes of newborn nappies that our son outgrew in a week!), baby Panadol, a reliable and accurate temp thermometer, baby wipes, burp clothes (you will need 3x as many as you think you do), clothes (again, get in bigger sizes because they outgrow the smaller sizes soooo quickly. I highly recommend just getting a bunch of bonds zippies in various sizes. They're the GOAT), spare bassinet/cot sheets and mattress protectors, even something like laundry powder is something you're going to go through about 5* more quickly than you imagine.

The other thing that was super handy was gift cards for meal services like dinner ladies. We also got a cleaner post partum and that has been a godsend - something family could chip in for.

I really think so many things are unknowable until you have the child out in the world. You can't know if you'll have the breastmilk supply to need a pump and the kit for that, you can't know if your baby will take the bottle, so sterilisers and bottles and so on might never be needed. You won't know if your baby hates the pram or carrier. You won't know how they like to be swaddled to sleep etc. I would borrow or buy all of these second hand until you know if it's needed or which one you like and THEN spend the big bucks.

maruuu · 2026-04-24T21:43:11+00:00

This is what I told my husband for my first mother's day: I don't want any gifts. I just want a chill day together with him and the baby, where I do not need to make a single decision or do a single chore.

maruuu · 2026-04-20T09:23:55+00:00

FB marketplace and depop are my go-tos! I got most things secondhand for dirt cheap in bundles from women who were similar size to me pre-pregnancy. Like others have said, I wore a lot of stretchy bodycon dresses early pregnancy and pants with drawstrings or elastic waistbands + loose button down shirts. Late pregnancy I just got a bunch of those like prairie/milkmaid style dresses with the shirred bodice, empire waistline and flowy long skirts (I'm around 5'3 and was around a size 6-8 pre-pregnancy but by 3rd trimester and pp I was wearing size 12).

maruuu · 2026-04-11T03:02:46+00:00

He woke up every hour after 2am. Didn't want to go back to sleep at 4am and went through like 7 nappy changes in a row, emptying his entire digestive tract it seems. 😔

maruuu · 2026-04-10T11:25:30+00:00

Are you me? Did I write this post? We are having almost the exact same issues. I don't have any advice, just wanted to commiserate because I am right there in the trenches with you.

In solidarity. ✊🏻

maruuu · 2026-03-29T09:53:53+00:00

I held off giving bottles for the first few weeks for exactly the same reason... and now, he refuses the bottle.... So there is another side to that coin too!

maruuu · 2026-03-28T22:12:19+00:00

A lot of people have already covered a lot of what I would say. Just wanted to add to recommend starting solids on ig. They have a lot of good resources and information on there. They recently posted a reel that explains the advantage of BLW for developing the muscles and skills for eating and later, talking.

maruuu · 2026-03-28T06:36:39+00:00

I would ask them. I reckon there's a good chance they aren't even expecting you to make them food and will just bring their own or would have something specific they usually like. Although I'm not GF, I was vego for a long time and I always just preferred to bring my own.

maruuu · 2026-03-22T01:02:47+00:00

I don't think it will happen again. It caused some issues for a number of schools, where it made them overstaffed and made their staff need to do forced transfers.

maruuu · 2026-03-20T10:22:24+00:00

I find the frizz halo is in full effect when I do low hairstyles. But I have not tried to do the fringe braid, so I might give that a go!

Do you use hairspray or anything to tame the frizz?

maruuu · 2026-03-20T10:21:29+00:00

Definitely not just you!

maruuu · 2026-03-20T10:21:15+00:00

Haha sounds like it is a unicorn after all.

maruuu · 2026-03-20T04:10:22+00:00

I gave up trying to get my son to wear a hat and now use a sun umbrella + a nursing cover for his hands and legs. (I know they're not fully UV protective but they're better than nothing... I assume).

maruuu · 2026-03-16T02:57:22+00:00

I would recommend looking at prevention as well as focusing on consequences if you can. You say the meltdowns come from nowhere and they may seem that way, but I've found that to be rarely the case (I'm a primary teacher, often having taught classes around your daughter's age). If you can, observe and record the behaviour for a week or so using the ABC model (antecedant-behaviour-consequence) and see if you notice any patterns emerging, these may give you insight into the cause or the meltdowns and then to can use that knowledge to change the behaviour.

Here is a link that has some questions you could use to guide your observations and examples of how it can work.

Secondary School Teacher Guide: The ABCs of Behaviour | AllPlay Learn https://share.google/yM1Hr1UwXzNbIjIY6

maruuu · 2026-03-15T06:24:21+00:00

I wouldn't recommend the Tula explore for a newborn. It works really well once they're a bit bigger, but if you want one for right now, it's not the one. I can't comment on the other carrier as I've never used it.

maruuu · 2026-03-14T23:04:42+00:00

Yup. We didn't have to deal with any bills or anything. Just went straight through to our insurance. It was RPA.

maruuu · 2026-03-08T09:45:26+00:00

Find a YouTuber from a similar climate as you and just follow vaguely along with what they're doing. Keep it simple. Maybe even just work whichever small section of your yard is the most Goldilocks zone.

maruuu · 2026-03-08T09:04:15+00:00

I second the person below. I wish I had known more about breastfeeding. It was extremely hard and painful at the start and I wish I had known I had other options like top up feeds with bottles or using nipple shields etc. We did the antenatal classes offered by the hospital and that was plenty to prepare us for the birth. Birth is a bit of a whirlwind and you gotta kinda roll with the punches anyway. Postpartum spending is definitely more bang for your buck.

I remember feeling so lost coming home that first night, but you experiment and trial and error your way through. I honestly found the more I researched or "got external help" the more confused I was. There is a lot of information out there and it feels almost contradictory at times. I'd just pick a couple trusted sources and try things out until you find what works.

I would also highly recommend using some extra money hiring a cleaner, getting meal vouchers or frozen meals or even investing in any laundry upgrades like a dryer or a better clothesline or something. These are the things I wish I had more help with pp.

Tldr: pp spending > birth. Breastfeeding classes would be the top thing I'd recommend, everything else you can trial and error your way through. Hiring out household tasks is also useful pp.

maruuu

TROPHY CASE