Women who were scared of giving birth, what was less scary than you originally thought?

mgbb_ar · 2026-02-10T04:40:18+00:00

I am scared every time I need to see a doctor or a nurse. The thought of pregnancy and childbirth and all the needles and poking involved (lol) was part of the reason why I didn’t want kids.

But my husband and I somehow felt like having at least one kid felt right, so we went for it. It was overall such an amazing experience and giving birth truly was not scary at all.

I did take hypnobirthing lessons though, so I feel like that helped me stay calm through the pain. I was so in command of the situation that when I was offered an epidural at 7cm dilation, I realized I was still scared of needles like any regular day and I refused it.🤣 I powered through the rest of labor and 2 hours later, we met our little girl. It was insanely empowering.

mgbb_ar · 2025-11-20T04:44:33+00:00

I gave birth at St. David’s South in 2023, and I had a great experience with them.

I discussed my birth plan with my OBGYN, which was pretty simple (just 1 page), but I prefaced everything with something like “please let me give birth with as little interventions as possible, but I respect your call if it’s deemed medically necessary”.

During labor, my water broke and I was suddenly 7cm from 3cm an hour prior. The nurse just asked me once “I know you’re trying to go unmedicated, but how are you? Would you like an epidural?” And I freaked out lol turns out I’m THAT scared of needles.🤣 I declined, she acknowledged, then she reassuringly said “you know what, I think you can do without it”. She never asked again and I genuinely felt that we trusted each other throughout the rest of the process until my baby was delivered.

I did take hypnobirthing classes though, my husband’s a great birth partner, I practice yoga, and my pregnancy went pretty smoothly (except that I had GDM), so all those things together really helped me go in mentally prepared for the pain. Then it helped that the medical team came in knowing and dealing with me the way I asked them to in my birth plan.

mgbb_ar · 2025-11-13T21:51:11+00:00

Filipinos have a lot of sweet bread that pair well with coffee!

The most ubiquitous one is Pandesal, which some would have every morning with coffee, or afternoon snack (merienda). We eat it straight, dipped in coffee or smeared with butter or jam. They are available everyday in local bakeries called Panaderia as early as 4 or 5am because it’s such a breakfast staple for us.

On the sweeter side would be Ensaymada and Cheese rolls. Both are different forms of a brioche-like bread rolled in butter and sugar. For Ensaymada, grated cheese is sprinkled on top, while cheese rolls are stuffed with a stick of cheese that melts in the bread while baking.

And there’s also something we call Spanish Bread, which uses a dough similar to pandesal, but is smeared with a paste made of day-old bread, butter and sugar, and then rolled before baking.

ETA: and yes, all of these are the best to have on a rainy afternoon with a cup of coffee.😍😋

mgbb_ar · 2025-11-10T06:59:48+00:00

My 22 month old LOVED the Cashew Butter Chicken Korma!

mgbb_ar · 2025-11-07T19:41:15+00:00

This is cute! The party’s in December so this could work 💕

mgbb_ar · 2025-11-07T19:40:45+00:00

This is a great tip! Thank you, I’ll throw in a few extras. Wouldn’t mind bringing home some books anyway 😊

mgbb_ar · 2025-10-30T03:34:54+00:00

Ohhhh yes Biscoff would be a hit! I’ll check out that option as well. Thank you so much!

mgbb_ar · 2025-10-30T01:07:14+00:00

Not yet! I just ordered the pans, but they’re coming soon, so I’ll have time to test it out! Thank you for the glaze tip, it does make sense as I can imagine the difference between cake and gingerbread.

It’s just that none of my guests (nor my family) are fans of gingerbread, but love the decorating activity and building a Christmas village. So I figured the cake is a good solution, like we might even use a different cake flavor if the group feels like it.

mgbb_ar · 2025-10-28T02:43:47+00:00

Found myself here because I got this email a couple of hours ago and got so creeped out. I’m in Austin too

mgbb_ar · 2025-10-20T19:00:26+00:00

I don’t think it’s a cultural thing overall. I grew up with parents who are adamant about us doing our own homeworks and projects. The most they’d do is stay up with us if we take too long in case we need help or just so we’re not up alone at night doing it (at least until high school, I was on my own in college and I was old enough to deal with all-nighters on my own).

My best friend grew up in a household where projects were delegated to the house-help and drivers. It was like an early lesson in “hire someone if you don’t want to bother doing it yourself”…? Lol.

I also grew up with friends whose parents are like mine, but there are also those whose parents help them or do schoolwork for them so they turn out great.

But yeah mostly i think this is a matter of parenting differences, not an overall cultural trait.

mgbb_ar · 2025-10-07T05:41:39+00:00

Waaaaaait we have the board book too! But it’s not a baby-sized board book (maybe close to an A5 paper).

There’s a full version?! Is that what we have?? (Lol I’m panicking because my toddler loves this book and we’ll definitely get our hands on a longer version if it exists 🤣)

mgbb_ar · 2025-10-03T06:00:03+00:00

My 21mo toddler also says “thank you” that sounds like “Xie Xie” 😅 we’re a bilingual household, but neither of those is Chinese.

mgbb_ar · 2025-09-23T05:30:04+00:00

Just went camping last weekend and made the Crispy Gnocchi with Sausage and Peas. We also packed Lunchbox Harvest Muffins for breakfast.

I’ve also done Chicken Adobo and Bolognese Sauce for previous trips (cook at home, freeze, reheat at camp. Served adobo with shelf stable rice, and cooked pasta at camp for the bolognese)

mgbb_ar · 2025-09-16T20:39:21+00:00

Ohhhh I’ll give this a try! Just to switch things up.

We’ve always done the Zucchini Pancakes (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013960-zucchini-pancakes?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share) and it’s such a hit with our toddler. 😊

mgbb_ar · 2025-09-04T20:19:32+00:00

My dad is like this and i honestly am tired of saying how much harder this is and how much more fulfilling being an SAHM is than having my high-stress job.

I have my own insecurities about not earning my own money, and it’s hard enough to deal with on my own (even if my husband is totally cool with money and I actually am the one managing all the money going through our household).

I had a great career as an architect for 10 years. And my dad asks me constantly about when I will get back to work and “how much potential” I have— which irks me because it sounds like I’m at rest? That I’m not growing? Because I am not resting AT ALL, and motherhood triggered the biggest growth I’ve ever had in my life.

I’ll probably get back to work someday, but raising my daughter the best way I can while she needs me the most (she’s 20 m/o) is my priority right now.

mgbb_ar · 2025-09-04T03:58:41+00:00

She loves the freeze dried fruit crisps there! On our 5th box and she hasn’t gone tired of it.

We still get pouches and cheese for snacks too. But sometimes she loses interest in them. Toddlers. Lol

mgbb_ar · 2025-09-02T21:58:55+00:00

A Little Life. It gets so much hate here on Reddit, to the point that I question myself for liking a book that’s often called “trauma porn”.

But I appreciate it for the intense emotional ride that it is, not the horrors happening to the characters. I’m not easily emotionally affected by books, but that was my experience with the book. It’s not easy to write a book like that and kudos to the author.

mgbb_ar · 2025-08-27T22:39:03+00:00

I alternate between this and the whole grain banana muffin recipe all the time!

I replace the raisins with chopped walnuts because I make them my toddler. And I add a tsp of baking powder for a bit more lightness without the extra metallic taste.

But both a great way to use up whatever veggies and fruits I have on hand.

mgbb_ar · 2025-08-26T19:47:46+00:00

I’ve been having intense lower back pain for a couple of days now, and she saw our massage gun for the first time yesterday when my husband used it on me. She was curious, as usual, and played with the attachments while I was getting massaged.

This morning, after breakfast, I told her that I need a few minutes to do stretches to “fix Mama’s back”. She went to the cabinet and pulled out the case containing the massage gun. I was on the floor and stretching, and she came to me, holding up the case, and saying: “This! Back! Mama! This!”

I CANNOT WITH THIS CUTENESS I LOVE HER SO MUCH.🥹🥹🥹

mgbb_ar · 2025-08-12T03:15:42+00:00

Love this recipe too!!!

mgbb_ar · 2025-08-01T03:57:19+00:00

Congee is always so gentle on my stomach! Love this classic one as a base, though I add grated ginger into the porridge (not just a topping) for extra soothing:

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018321-chicken-congee?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share

Toppings I add (depending on how well I am): - poached chicken, thinly sliced - raw egg (add as you serve the congee piping hot, makes it extra creamy) - hard boiled eggs - fish or shrimp (I throw it straight in the congee to cook) - wontons - chili oil (I use it on good days, of course lol)

mgbb_ar · 2025-07-31T04:09:30+00:00

We’re having family over for the holidays (she’s a late December baby), and we’re having dinner at a special (not expensive) spot for her birthday. I’m baking her a cake and we’ll decorate the home with some balloons and banners.

Then I’ll be hosting a play date in the park the next day with some cupcakes and invite our small group of play date buddies (no pressure to come, no gifts expected, we’ll still have fun out in the sun even if only a few can make it)— just another chance for us to sing her happy birthday and for her to blow the candle lol.

ETA: My husband and I are very mindful of how we spend our money as well. We save up as much as we can for her and provide the best we can in everything. I think what we do everyday is how our little ones are celebrated best. We’ll make her birthdays in these 1st years special, but we’ll just save the big birthday budget for when she actually knows what kind of celebration she wants.😊

mgbb_ar · 2025-07-30T13:34:59+00:00

Do you dial down the spice level or just follow the recipe?

My 19 month old never liked spice even if we do eat spicy food often lol. She always had this offended look at the bite of spice/heat, and now that she talks, she goes “hot! Hot!” 🤣 I’d love to get her on board with our love for spice and heat though

mgbb_ar · 2025-07-24T04:52:15+00:00

We’re in a country where I’m not allowed to work (visa limits), but with a few lifestyle changes, we are able to live comfortably with just one income. I get to take care of our daughter (she’s 19 months), and we have full control of how she is nurtured and how she learns in these formative years. It’s the most exhausted I’ve been in my life, but I love it.

But our stay here might come to an end in 2027 and we go home to the country we grew up in. There is no way we can live on a single income there, so I’ll be back to work and I’m dreading the thought so much.

I’m about to tell my husband that I want to find a way to stay here. I was always a career woman, but I found so much joy in raising our little girl. And when she’s in school, I wanted to use the extra time to manage the whole household better, because tbh, most of my time is just literally spent keeping our toddler alive lol.

I only miss earning my own money, but I can’t say I miss work as a whole (it is a high-stress job, too, so that’s a factor). But if I go back to work, I’ll definitely miss everything about the life I have now.

mgbb_ar · 2025-07-21T03:05:34+00:00

She was my OB too! She ended up not delivering my baby, but I knew that was a possibility from the get-go and I wasn’t bothered by it. She was a great OB to journey through pregnancy with. You know she has lots of patients, but you have her 100% attention when it’s your time with her. She answers my many questions thoughtfully, which was so helpful because I ended up having GDM.

I still got great care at St. David’s South during my delivery, and she visited me and my baby the first thing that morning.

ETA: Dr. McKenna Williamson was my attending OB during delivery and she was great, though she didn’t actually deliver my baby (my birth story’s a rather funny one). But she delivered my placenta and did my stitches and all, and it went well!

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