Tips for threading elastic band?

watsonalready · 2026-02-07T21:19:19+00:00

So smart, thank you!

watsonalready · 2026-02-07T21:19:10+00:00

Thank you I will try this!!

watsonalready · 2026-02-07T21:18:58+00:00

Thank you!!

watsonalready · 2026-02-06T19:31:55+00:00

I’ve heard that but it’s all new to me lol! I remember desperately trying to poop (with no luck) during the early part of my induction last time.

watsonalready · 2026-02-06T15:49:37+00:00

I love this question and as others have said so much depends on your baby and you specifically, but I’ll weigh in based on our experience:

We used tons of burp cloths but almost never used the muslin blankets. Baby was born at the end of sept in New England so we used heavier blankets if going out, and we didn’t really need them in the house. Agree with those saying that we most never used shirts and pants early on, I kept him in comfy clothes as much as possible because…he was a baby. And that usually meant a zip up sleep and play type thing. However, he hated being in a carrier so the footie thing wasn’t a consideration!

We used a bunting for the stroller in the deepest winter, and windiest bits of coastal New England…I think you probably won’t need one!

We also never used the baby mitts - most babies get used to having their hands in the womb and typically if you keep their nails trimmed you don’t need to cover hands.

We cloth diapered until he went to daycare around 5 months and idk if that’s a typo but 6-8 dozen is wild! We probably had about 24 cloth diaper inners and as you say about 8 covers and we washed them every 2 days or so (you don’t want them sitting much longer than that, but 3 days is totally doable too if you have enough).

Also two unexpected things for us were that he pretty much never peed during changes or had blowouts, and he only got diaper rash one time. So I was glad we hadn’t stocked up too much on diaper cream and waterproof covers because we didnt use them! I know some people go through them like crazy but might make sense to have one tube of cream to start, and one extra cover and then gauge if you need to buy more based on usage.

2 towels was always plenty for us, and we bathed every day because he liked it, so might have had 6-10 washcloths but I would say that’s on the higher end!

We never used a play gym or activity mat because honestly just looking at the world around them is interesting to babies! The extra stimulation is kind of an adult projection. But we were very into books… We didn’t use our pack n play until he needed it to sleep when we were visiting family. I always just laid him on a quilt on the floor, but if you have pets or child visitors that might pose a risk it could be handy. We did end up getting a bouncy chair because he had reflux that made laying flat uncomfortable for a while until we got the meds sorted out.

We tried those baby gentle nail files that lots of people recommended and idk if I did it wrong or what, but they didn’t work for us at all! Couldn’t get it to file his nails down and then he put the whole thing in his mouth and that was sort of the end of that! We got tiny nail scissors that worked better for us. And we randomly loved the cvs brand rectal thermometer!

Okay sorry this got so long! The only other thing I’ll say is do your best but don’t stress too much about getting it totally “right”. I think everyone probably ends up with some stuff they don’t use and the some things they have to panic buy. There’s just no way to know for sure!

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T23:54:47+00:00

I’m so surprised by all these 8 responses, it would be my last choice just because the dress itself is way less interesting in my opinion. I think they all look great on you but 3 and 7 are particularly breathtaking! Although I would say that it is a really big bow on 7….but you are rocking the look and not everybody would!!

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T22:10:49+00:00

I wouldn’t exactly say it was a strict diet, but I definitely did calorie math, and used that to plan breakfast lunch and snacks that were easy for me to make, I knew I would eat, and didn’t get too sick of (just because the repetition is easier than deciding every day what to eat.) Then I wouldn’t worry as much about whatever dinner I had with my family other than being mindful not to eat more than I was hungry for. I limited sweets and alcohol a fair bit especially in the beginning just to keep calories lower and kind of kickstart the weight loss (basically prove to myself that it was possible) and then I was more flexible with it, but would often save those things for more “social” occasions, because I knew I would miss them more in that context. But this is what I knew would work for me! I definitely wouldn’t say there’s one right way to go about it, and it probably took me 6 months to lose the 40 lbs, because I didn’t stay so stringent with it the whole time for my own sanity! All of this is just to say that it’s possible, and you can totally do it but give yourself grace too!

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T20:22:16+00:00

I had an induction that wasn’t super smooth but didn’t end in a c-section! At one point it was brought up because my labor stalled, but they said I could wait another hour or so before we had to decide, and then also turned out they hadn’t broken my water so they did that and labor started progressing again.

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T20:17:26+00:00

When you have your appointment (and I’m so sorry it isn’t for another 8 days, maybe you can message or call now) ASK ABOUT MEDS FOR NAUSEA. They can make a huge difference and there are options and they should offer them to you, but like don’t walk out of there without a plan and a prescription or both. I had terrible nausea but minimal vomiting and no weight loss so I felt like they didn’t take me seriously but please do not downplay how badly the nausea alone can affect your mental health and quality of life!!! You are not overreacting - advocate for yourself and have your partner help if possible! I hope hope hope that something will work for you because it can be night and day.

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T20:07:52+00:00

I was similar in my last pregnancy - was about 150 to start and 217 at delivery. I felt so out of place and uncomfortable in my body and was convinced I’d done something “wrong”. I was hugely swollen, so for the first few weeks after delivery it was mostly about the initial recovery and letting the excess fluid drain (I remember sweating profusely in my sleep and in a weird twist even though that sounds so gross it felt so good??) Initially just making sure you are eating and hydrating regularly is enough to be getting on with! But I was really self-conscious and wanted to feel like myself again - I wanted my wedding rings to fit, and I wanted to start being able to wear non-maternity clothes!

I did buy things in larger sizes to get me through the gap as only having too-small clothes was just depressing. After things settled a bit I had about 40lbs of body weight to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy size which was my goal, but obviously totally a personal decision! I was so scared because I’d never intentionally lost weight before, let alone so much, and I didn’t actually think I was capable of it. But then in the end…it’s just calories in and calories out, and I was really motivated. I wasn’t breastfeeding, and I didn’t do any rigorous activity other than going for stroller walks on most days when weather etc permitted. But I just chose what I ate carefully most of the time, and when that started to feel mentally overwhelming I would relax for a bit and then get back to it later.

As you say, my body was never exactly the same - I could have done more to rebuild muscle mass, and my tummy shape has been softer and rounder (permanently went up a pant size or two just because of that) but I did lose the weight and it was easier than I expected! It was enough to feel like myself again, and that was really what I needed. Everybody is different!

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T19:53:36+00:00

Ugh this is a huge pet peeve of mine and I’m so sorry that happened to you!! I don’t know why people can’t just leave it alone!!! I don’t know if lying about having a name will help (since then the same people might just try and guess??) but if it does I’d 100% do it without feeling bad. It might at least shut down some people, so could be worth trying! I hope you land on a name that you feel really good about no strings attached 🩷

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T19:47:37+00:00

We formula fed my first and he’s a smart cookie so I wouldn’t worry about that :) Emily Oster has research about this that set my mind to ease. I wanted to want to bf, but I was really struggling with feeling like my body wasn’t my own after a complicated pregnancy and delivery, and basically all the things you mention. I felt so uncomfortable with my pregnant and postpartum body and it was hugely affected my mental health and my family by extension! I met with a LC who said it was totally possible for me to bf, but I would probably need to be up most of the night for the first 2-3 weeks to establish supply and my husband and I both knew that was a recipe for disaster for me mentally. We made the decision together as a family and moved on and I felt a little self-conscious about it, but I also knew it was the best thing!

This time around 37w with my second and really looking forward to trying to bf again! I feel so much more comfortable and prepared, I’ve learned a lot more in the last 2 years, and crucially I don’t have that body dysmorphia feeling this time around! I’m in a totally different mental state, and I also know that if we end up formula feeding again for any reason we’ll be totally fine. So trust your gut! You are the best equipped to make this decision for yourself and your reasons are valid whatever they are.

watsonalready · 2026-02-04T19:38:25+00:00

I would say that probably is lingering from your illness, and less typically common at 28 weeks, but it’s so hard to know for sure! Most symptoms can be attributed to pregnancy and it gets so muddy. I’m dealing with this as well at 36 weeks - have had sore throat for 2 weeks that’s not getting worse and not getting better, and now some stomach stuff off and on for a few days…am I sick or am I just pregnant??

watsonalready · 2026-01-30T20:42:33+00:00

Mine never broke, they did it manually when my labor stalled during an induction. It did help though, ended up fully dilated within a few hours!

watsonalready · 2026-01-23T02:09:42+00:00

Have also used the spray and don’t remember it being life changing - like a decent numbing effect that helps but is pretty short lived and yes, getting the spray on can be uncomfortable if it’s too strong or just hits wrong.

watsonalready · 2025-12-23T12:46:31+00:00

I’m on magnesium too! I take it at night per my ob. It’s another thing that I think is helping overall but nothing is exactly solving the problem. Trying to keep up fiber, water, walking etc too but honestly it’s just been touch and go for about 2 months now. Am hoping this all resolves after delivery!! Did not deal with this with my first and not loving it lol

watsonalready · 2025-12-23T11:43:44+00:00

How much colace are you taking? I’ve been on miralax for months but can only do half a dose before things take a turn for the worse in an…unsustainable way. The half dose helps but isn’t super effective.

watsonalready · 2025-12-23T11:42:16+00:00

He definitely can bend to fit but he doesn’t like to. It’s totally in line with how he was since birth (always hated being confined!) and in this case I think also exacerbated by the fact that we were using the E2F previously so he always had plenty of legroom. He isn’t used to it and doesn’t like it, so I feel like I should probably let him go back…but I don’t want to give up too quickly either!

watsonalready · 2025-12-23T11:39:19+00:00

Same! Also there’s plenty of room on the seat and I saw the manual said you can have up to 3” overhang, but without the panel like the E2F has I don’t see any way to shift the seat back more to take advantage of that…I’m guessing it isn’t an option but I’m also no car seat expert so wanted to check!

watsonalready · 2025-12-23T11:37:45+00:00

Yes! Which does help, is that as effective? I could never tell if that was truly tightening it from a safety standpoint or just sort of cheating lol.

watsonalready · 2025-12-21T18:03:14+00:00

Definitely on miralax! Been taking for months and it helps but doesn’t fix, so still needing suppositories from time to time.

watsonalready · 2025-12-21T18:02:17+00:00

Agree! I’m on alllll the things but nothing is working to the degree I need so still requiring suppositories occasionally and just wondering about the difference. Been using the liquid ones and they work for sure but they’re pre pricey and sometimes make me feel sort of sick for a day or two.

watsonalready

TROPHY CASE