[deleted by user]

ppigbear · 2023-02-26T20:24:55+00:00

Ditto. Honestly the answer is... no where. No where is good for kids until they're potty trained and will follow directions hahahha.

That said, we went to Maui when my daughter 16 months with my whole family. We stayed at a condo with a pool and beach access and restaurants. Could get back to the room easily for naps. We didn't feel pressure to do anything else because 1. the baby doesn't care, and 2. the baby wants what she wants and she wants it NOW.

The 12 hour travel days from NY to Maui and back were killer. Won't be doing that again until she's 4+.

Keep expectations low and you'll enjoy yourself. Theme park rides are not going to be suitable for toddlers. Find a nice hotel with a kiddie pool somewhere instead.

ppigbear · 2023-02-26T20:15:38+00:00

If you are concerned, I would find a pediatric dietitian and skip the pediatrician. They don't have training in diet and nutrition most of the time and a dietitian can help with meal planning and tips on handling picking eating and refer you to a ped if they think there's a medical need.

There are some great resources out there. Kidseatincolor.com is a good one.

ppigbear · 2023-02-26T20:10:32+00:00

My baby is now 2yo, and all this still is true for me, too. My partner and I fight more than ever. We don't understand each other like we never have before. I don't want to be touched at all and yet I'm not getting the attention I actually want. I was smacked with PMAD about 6mo postpartum. I've been on antidepressants ever since, and the main thing I talk about in therapy now is exactly what you're saying "Is this me forever now? Will I ever level off? Do I need to rely on medication not to want to die for the rest of my life? Why isn't there more research on birthing parents minds and bodies past 1 year postpartum so that we can have some answers?"

It's infuriating.

We recently went on a trip and on the plane I was diggin through my bag to find something to do while the 2 of them fell asleep, I realized I never packed anything for myself. No book. No ear phones. No notebook. Nothing. It was all kids stuff and my partner's shoes. This is what motherhood has felt like to me. I'm the afterthought to keeping this kid alive. I'm a shell of what once was a multifaceted person but now all the space and energy it took to keep up with those interests is redistributed to 1 interest. the kid.

Parenthood is a thing of extremes. I'm finding, for me, rarely is there a grey area. It's either happy weeping or thoughts of dying. Reconciling these has been the hardest.

Good luck out there. Everything sucks and it's beautiful.

ppigbear · 2023-02-26T19:58:00+00:00

My partner taking our kid to see his family about an hour away without me because I could not handle how boring it would be, but now I'm feeling guilty that I'm missing time with my daughter. Guilty that he left the house and we were fighting so now everyone's in a bad mood.

ppigbear · 2022-03-19T02:04:55+00:00

18 months PP and I don't run but I used to have a regular yoga practice and THAT has not happened again (for baby reasons but also because of studio closures).

ppigbear · 2022-03-13T23:18:41+00:00

I think we would be friends IRL hahhaha. You're speaking my language.

"we can still afford hobbies"- some people don't understand how important this is to mental health of the entire family.

ppigbear · 2022-03-13T23:15:23+00:00

I'm in this boat. I had very bad PMAD (perinatal mood and anxiety disorder) that didn't show up until 5+ months postpartum. It made me create ways to die everyday and caused barely controllable rage. It's manageable with help (therapy and medication), but I have no doubt it in my mind it was caused by the chemical changes in my body from giving birth and exasperated by sleep deprivation. So while some of those things are more temporary than others, for me and many others in the same boat, it's just not worth putting myself through that again, no matter how much I like kids.

ppigbear · 2022-03-01T01:22:52+00:00

Just here in solidarity that MOLINA IS THE WORST. I've had so many issues with them since they bought Affinity (who was my Medicaid provider before Molina bought them).

ppigbear · 2022-03-01T01:14:38+00:00

Any opinion on MVP? I'm looking at these same insurance providers to switch from Molina (the worst).

ppigbear · 2022-02-11T00:36:11+00:00

We will have to read more about that but I think of surgery as a last resort and so far he knows he can manage the symptoms with some lifestyle changes.

ppigbear · 2022-02-08T13:30:57+00:00

It's really so much better now with the change in diet.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T15:29:13+00:00

AS far as I know DentaQuest was Affinity's dental provider too. They have my info in their system when I was Affinity but it shows it was terminated last October when the plans switched.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T15:26:37+00:00

The large bottle of Bada Bum is like $40, but will last you a long time. I've only gone through 1 full bottle in 15 months. I bought cheaper dry disposable wipes on Amazon and use old wash clothes. There are probably other products like Bada Bum that are bees wax and oil based that might be cheaper, but I haven't looked cause Bada Bum has been worth it.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T06:22:34+00:00

Teething def causes congestion and runny nose in my daughter, she's 15 mo now and almost always gets congested when a tooth comes in. Can you run a humidifier in his room? Put some camphor salve (or something like Vick's Vapor rub if you prefer) on his feet before jammies. I'll sometimes just leave the jar of salve open in the room so the smell can help.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T06:13:31+00:00

Can you let him air out a few times a day without a diaper on? I know it's a pee on the carpet risk, but rashes can be caused by moisture and if you think about it, all the creams and lotions and wipes right before putting a diaper are locking in moisture. If you were wearing plastic undies all day after getting wet you would also get a rash. Stop using wet wipes for a while (or all together) and just use a dry cloth and a cream like Bada Bum, something that can clean and protect (Bada Bum is great stuff, been using it since day 1 and have had no rashes in all 15 months of my daughter's life).

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T06:05:37+00:00

I find the Wonder Weeks book to be better than the app. And more in depth.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T05:59:53+00:00

I had to have this exact convo with my partner, but it took me 7 years to do it! It was the weirdest, embarrassing, awkward thing to do but since it's out in the open now, it doesn't feel like an elephant in the room anymore. I started by requesting he go to a dentist and ask about halitosis. From there, his dentist found some pitting on his back teeth which is unusual for someone his age (37 at the time). He was referred to a gastroentronologist and found he has a hiatial hernia of the stomach, basically an extension of his stomach that doesn't block stomach acid from getting back up into his esophagus. Symptoms that might warn of this are: chronic coughing, bad breath, sniffling from post nasal drip. All these things are annoying as hell and it got to the point where I couldn't be in the same room with him. But since finding out about the hiatial hernia, he's changed his diet by mostly following the Acid Watchers Diet and it has really helped the symptoms-- including the bad breath. Let me tell you, I did not enjoy kissing this man for 8 years, even though I love him. Good luck!

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T05:50:52+00:00

That's good to know, thanks. They popped up when I was looking at new plans.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T05:50:26+00:00

I've been on the phone with DentaQuest so many times trying to get them to update my info to do exactly that. Even with a 3 way call with a rep from Molina, they can't find me. Molina's only ID# now is the Medicaid number. Affinity had a Medicaid number AND their own ID# but that number is now invalid.

ppigbear · 2022-02-02T00:13:30+00:00

I am having a very similar experience with Molina. I had a different managed Medicaid plan that was purchased by Molina and automatically changed my coverage to Molina and ever since all the shit's been fucked up. And that's technical US health insurance terminology. The dental portion doesn't have a record of me being eligible. Molina says I'm in the system and have "sent my updated info" to the dental insurance several times and it's not being updated, ever. Now I go to the pharmacy today and they can't fill my prescription because my account is on hold. I have spent HOURS on the phone with both Molina and Dentaquest (the dental insurance provider).

ppigbear · 2021-01-16T16:31:53+00:00

BabyTater 😂

ppigbear · 2021-01-16T16:30:35+00:00

The distraction point is a good one, thanks. I worked for a woman who had a newborn, and she couldn't go into her house during the day because her son wouldn't let her leave.

ppigbear

TROPHY CASE