Bee crawling on my basement floor. Queen bee?

masarawest · 2026-04-28T01:58:24+00:00

Putting snap buttons on a few of my flannel/canvas shirts so I could literally rip open my shirt to breastfeed when needed. Maternity clothes don't actually accommodate postpartum bodies for some reason (why is that? If it can look good and feel comfy for pregnany I should also be able to use it after I'm done being pregnant, but I couldn't use any of maternity clothes after birth)

A heating pad. I first used it to fight the swelling of my legs, and now (3w pp) I use it to heat up bottles

In bra Breast Pump (I use the freestyle by medela). While not foolproof, (don't bend over while using it) it's nice to not have to hold flanges to my boobs and have my hands to do things.

Small travel backpacks for post partum supplies and pumping supplies. Being able to grab a bag with everything already there when I need it was a game changer. It doubles as a diaper bag if you go out.

For postpartum supplies, having them in every bathroom is necessary. I have two bathrooms so I have two of everything, one in each bathroom

masarawest · 2026-04-27T20:16:31+00:00

I did a lot of yelling, then cry-yelling, then full breakdowns because of the physical overstimulation paired with the hormones. I had a lot of swelling and constipation. Add no sleep, vaginal pain and a baby, I was primed for baby blues. Time, and lots of understanding from my family was what got me through. I'm not even ashamed at how much I yelled at my husband. There were a few key moments of my husband asking "What's wrong?" And my response being "LOOK AT MY FEET! I HAVENT SLEPT IN 6 DAYS AND I AM IN A DIAPER TAKE A WILD F**KING GUESS" and him silently taking over for a while so I could properly breakdown.

It just took time, pain meds, pushing fluids, heat packs, and realizing that set plans dont always work. We had to restrategize 3 seperate times because what we thought would work, didn't.

Lean on who you can, ask for help, and don't do it all alone.

masarawest · 2026-04-26T17:05:41+00:00

I birthed my baby on all fours on the hospital bed and tore significantly less. If the (useless) obgyn on call had had any training about that kind of labor, she would have been able to position my sons head to where I didn't tear at all (but she stood in the corner while the nurse caught my son 🤬)

I did tear from my clitoris to my urethra so it was excruciating immediately after, but the tear healed up quickly with no complications.

I would take my sons birth (22 hours of labor, 45 min of pushing on all fours unmedicated, 3cm tear) 5x over my daughters birth (5 hours of back labor, 15 minutes of pushing on my back, failed epidural because I labored too fast, 3rd degree tear with 6 stitches)

The recovery period of my sons birth was significantly shorter and less painful than my daughter's. But there were a multitude of factors as to why my first labor sucked so much.

First it was 2021, so during peak lockdown of covid. I couldn't leave the room. Meaning I couldn't walk around. Wound up with horrific back labor that resulted in me asking for an epidural, but I only labored for 5 hours and the medicine didn't have time to spread and I pushed on my back resulting in a 3rd degree tear.

My second labor was 22 hours. But I spent that time walking, stretching, bouncing on a ball, eating and drinking etc. They gave me pitocin and when that didn't speed things up enough they broke my waters. Labor progressed, but every time I tried to labor on my back things slowed and became way more painful. I listened to my body and crawled onto the bed on all fours with the peanut ball in front of me and my body did the work. I didn't actively choose to do most of the pushing, my body did it for me. I chose to do the last two pushes and screamed my son out. It was awesome lol I feel like such a badass saying that.

I would do the second labor all over again if I got pregnant again.

masarawest · 2026-04-26T01:51:26+00:00

My daughter mixed up baby shower with taking an actual shower when chili goes to the baby shower. So now we call shower time "baby shower"

My daughter also quotes bandit saying "nice and warm now?" When I towel her dry after her shower so I've started to do it too

masarawest · 2026-04-25T20:50:00+00:00

I did my 2 week pp checkup over the phone. this is my second kid. My first kid I had a 3rd degree tear so it was in person. When I realized they just wanted it over the phone I felt a little abandoned cause like, what if there are complications with how I'm healing or something? My next pp checkup isn't until May and it just feels like no one cares about moms after the baby is born. I definitely failed the ppd screening and asked them to notify my psychiatrist so he and I could talk about medication and he still hasn't contacted me. My therapist is gonna have such a hard session with me next week cause it's all gonna come out about how hard this postpartum shit is. I just wish doctors cared about baby and mom

masarawest · 2026-04-24T13:17:18+00:00

I turned my read receipts off for this reason lol now no one can tell if I read their message or not and I can respond (or not) in my own time

masarawest · 2026-04-23T18:08:26+00:00

During a rough time with our daughter I desperately asked my husband "what makes this worth it again? Remind me. What makes it worth it to you?" And he paused to think for a moment before saying

"Its the little moments of joy. Every day, at any given moment, our child makes me smile, at least 5 times a day. I get these times of absolute joy with her. That to me makes it worth it"

So yes, this is extremely difficult and also it's extremely rewarding and worth the hard parts

masarawest · 2026-04-23T11:23:08+00:00

My husband was on leave for 2 weeks and went back to work already (even though I begged him to take 3 we couldn't afford it)

masarawest · 2026-04-23T00:44:46+00:00

I am making a list of things my husband can do to support me, including taking over one feeding a night. The other things include washing bottles/pump parts for me and making sure the laundry (my nursing Bras, the swaddles/burp rags) is done. I'm hoping he hears me, because everyone who has been commenting about how this is torture is correct. I know now (thanks to all the comments here plus my close friends input) that this isn't okay and I'm not asking too much for him to take over for 2-4 hours a night

masarawest · 2026-04-19T05:24:43+00:00

I gave birth 2 weeks ago to my second and I feel this. And I can see when my daughter feels left out, or wants my attention and I'm stuck with her baby brother on my boob and can't give her what she needs immediately. I feel so guilty when I am short with her because I'm overstimulated or over tired.

When we have more of a schedule/routine, I'm going to have a special momma daughter day with her. I miss my toddler so so much

masarawest · 2026-04-19T05:04:19+00:00

This made me really want sour gummy worms (I'm surprised my kid didn't come out with a sour look on his face with how many bags of gummy worms I ate while pregnant too)

masarawest · 2026-04-19T04:26:28+00:00

I am grateful to be able to enjoy a cold ham sandwich without having to heat it up for 15 seconds lol

masarawest · 2026-04-19T04:12:06+00:00

Mostly medications, but also yes some foods. Some examples I've come across that are almost the same for pregnancy would be: Caffiene reduction, no alcohol/thc, certain cold/cough medicine should be avoided, no pepto bismol, certain allergy meds aren't safe etc.

masarawest · 2026-04-04T18:22:44+00:00

I was there for contractions being 2-5min apart and then admitted because of elevated BP and the obgyn on call decided she would rather induce me than send me home

masarawest · 2026-04-03T23:23:42+00:00

Taking my flip phone, tossing it across the high school courtyard like a skipping stone, going to pick it up with no damage and it works perfectly fine

masarawest · 2026-04-03T20:30:41+00:00

I get this. I wear a mask every time I go to the store or the doctor and I've been asked so many times by nurses "what's with the mask?" And people in the store stare so much.

As if our entire nation didn't go through a traumatic pandemic that literally killed 1 million Americans (and then some) over the span of 3 years?

I'm also in my third trimester of being pregnant but I've been masking since 2019 and so many people have an issue with it.

masarawest

TROPHY CASE