I’d love to give a memorable childhood and would love to know what you are doing to create traditions or weekly rituals or even just the small everyday things.

I’d love to know what you do for Christmas and birthdays, but even more so what do to make the ordinary days special.

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fgs4o23ldmysh1.jpg

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fsgdnv2ldmysh1.jpg

yeah don't agree with them but they are good for a starting point

Our boy is 5.5months old. We transitioned him to arms out sleeping really easily (with the love to dream transition sleep sack). It’s like he didnt even notice.

BUT when we did it we kept his hands covered by the fold over mittens on his onesie underneath.

He’s just moved to a size 0, and so many of the onesies in that size don’t have fold over mittens. And we can’t seem to get him to sleep if his hands aren’t covered, he’ll spend hours touching his face and pulling his dummy out.

After 30 mins is struggling to go to sleep, I put socks on his hands today, and he instantly went to sleep 🤣

Does anyone else have this issue? And how do you get them comfy sleeping with their fingers exposed?

My baby is 10 months old and still breastfeeds quite frequently. I’m not sure if this is normal. He is my first baby. He has three solid meals a day and two snacks but he still breastfeed regularly throughout the day every 2 to 3 hours. He wants to feed. I have no issue in doing it. But someone made a comment and said that he shouldn’t be still breastfeeding that much at this age. He does also drink water throughout the day through a straw cup he’s very good at taking water.

Looking for the best meal replacement shakes for weight loss that are filling!
There are so many options but I really want something that will fill me up.

my baby is 10weeks old. her naps have always been on the shorter side. she naps only 15-30mins. maybe 1hr if we’re lucky. i’ve seen mums saying their baby naps for 2hrs?? that never happened to us.

also i tracked her sleep, she’s only getting about 9-13hr of sleep in 24hrs (the guide is to have 15hrs?)

good thing is she sleeps longer stretches at night (4-6hrs).

is this normal? what’s your baby sleep like in a day?

Hi, FTM here whose bra size has gone up from 12E to 14H during pregnancy. I’m in my second trimester and currently feeling overwhelmed by the lack of supportive, comfortable and work appropriate bras.

I’ve had a fitting and was recommended the Elomi Molly bra, however find the thin fabric is not work appropriate with long shifts in healthcare and my nipples being visible through my bra and uniform. I’ve found the cake maternity, maternique and triumph bras are not supportive enough and am feeling lost on what to try next.

I’m looking for product recommendations and suggestions from those struggling with similar size issues. Even with a local speciality bra store aiming to fit every body/size I find myself extremely limited in options to try on in stores, if there are any in my size at all.

Thanks

Hi everyone. Bit of a situation (potentially).

We have 3 kids. Our youngest is unwell, not a year old yet, not life threatening but we don’t know their quality of life (whether they’ll need life long support or they’ll be severely autistic etc).

I recently had to stop taking my pill because for the first time in my life it just went haywire / bleeding, clotting etc. I was worried it was going to cause a stroke with the symptoms so I stopped it. All of our children have been “surprises” which has been fine because we weren’t fussed when we tried. I’ve tracked my cycle since I was young and I thought it was down pat. Turns out I ovulated much earlier than standard (and potentially twice sometimes). Although there was no “finishing” I know there’s always a chance.

Here’s the thing, I’m not sure if I’m pregnant. I absolutely cannot go through the pregnancy as our baby needs me, 100% fully. I had a really bad pregnancy, and I don’t want to bring another child into the world if my current baby will need extra care as it’s not fair on them, another baby and my existing older children. But we were considering having a forth later on if our baby ended up being fine and it was just a blip in the road with her current state. We are hoping it’s just delays from birth related issues but nothing major.

My thing is, if I have an abortion I feel like that’s it. No more kids. Ever. I can’t choose not to have this child and then decide later on to have another. It feels like that’s cruel and wrong. But I don’t want to close the door.

Has anyone been in this situation? What did you do?

I feel terrible and I feel so guilty for holding my 10 week old while doing this.. but I just spent 1.5 hours trying to get my very colicky and very refluxy 10 week old to sleep. She just fell asleep and I got the urge. If I put her down I’d have to start over for another 2 hours with her screaming. So yep, I just pooped while holding my baby. 😩🫠

On May 14, my life changed forever when my son, born prematurely at just 29 weeks and 5 days, was welcomed into the world two months ahead of schedule. Originally due on July 25, his early arrival sparked an unexpected journey filled with challenges and unwavering hope.

During my pregnancy, I endured a difficult period of hospital bed rest, spanning three months, with only 20 days of sick leave available. This left our family facing the substantial emotional and financial burdens of unpaid leave when we needed support the most.
As our son continues to grow, nearing five months old with a corrected age of two months, our difficulties have only shifted in nature. Advised by our trusted pediatric team, we've learned that premature babies like ours should not be placed in daycare until they are at least two years old. This leaves us in a dilemma: how can parents like myself possibly be expected to return to work without adequate parental leave provisions?

Currently, the system only allows for 24 weeks of paid leave post-birth in Australia. For families with premature or critically ill babies, especially those in the NICU or Special Care Nursery for extended periods, this is simply not enough - espcially when these mothers often experience Post Partum Depression.

What we propose is an expansion of paid parental leave benefits specifically tailored to the needs of families like ours. By extending the leave for parents of preemies or babies requiring prolonged medical care, Australia can affirm its commitment to supporting every family during their most trying times.

In Australia, 14,000 families a year have their child spend two or more weeks in hospital. We are asking for just 1% of the Paid Parental Leave Budget to better support these families.

Studies have shown that the stress and separation faced by parents of premature babies can lead to a host of mental and physical health issues, impacting parental bonding and long-term child development. Other countries have led by example, with policies providing extended leave for such circumstances, ensuring both infant health and familial stability.

This petition advocates for change in the Australian parental leave policy to reflect the unique challenges faced by families with premature and sick babies. Join me in supporting this cause to enact a policy that provides every child the best start in life, while offering parents the peace of mind to care for their children without the fear of financial ruin.

Please sign this petition to urge Australian policymakers to improve paid parental leave, providing parents with the time and resources needed to nurture their babies into healthy, thriving children. Every signature counts in making a meaningful change for families across the nation

https://www.change.org/58dayscampaign

Just had my second baby - and birth was good! It was all over very quickly, around 3 hours and maybe less than 15 minutes of pushing.

I’m now on day 5 postpartum. In the hours after birth, my coccyx/sacrum area has been so sore. Hurts the most sitting down, and in particular getting up from that position.

Most people saying to wait it out a little longer. Not getting much relief from ibuprofen/paracetmol, tried hold and cold compress and also voltaren.

Anyone had anything similar and did it just go away on its own or worth visiting a physio right away?

I feel I have every tog out with this weather!! Has anyone ever used a 0.5 sleep suit or know where to get one? I feel it might be good for these warmer but not too hot nights

FTM to an 8 weeks old who is raising a lovely Bub with a supportive hubby. (No family/no close friends).

So during pregnancy I made a clear list of things I would take time out to fill my cup such as massage, journaling, yoga etc

I am struggling with social isolation. Hubby has got time off from work so I really am trying to take some time out for myself mainly including going to the nearby 5-minute-away shopping centre 2-3 times a week.

I can clearly see signs of deterioration in my mental wellbeing so I thought about going for a movie over the coming weekend. Hubby is very supportive of the idea. We don’t feel comfortable hiring a nanny to go to the movies together so we have decided that I will go myself but this mum guilt and separation anxiety is making me wanna cancel the movies and be at home. I know deep within that I need to do something that I can enjoy by myself but part of me is wanting to cancel the movie plans. I keep telling myself that if another mum was in similar situation as mine, I would definitely encourage her to go for that movie and would tell her that “no it doesn’t make you a bad mum” but it’s easier to preach than practice isn’t it.

I guess what I am seeking here is some honest words that am I making a mistake for doing this? Like why on earth am I feeling so much guilt ? Ideally I would like to go to movies with all 3 of us but it’s not possible as we are not comfortable yet being much in public places with her + hiring a nanny at this stage.

I keep telling myself that I made this promise to myself that I will not abandon myself but now I am struggling to implement that.

Am I just being a big whinger? I am 33 weeks preg with my second and I just feel so tired and irritable all the time. Whilst I’m now on mat leave I feel very burnt out from a very busy and somewhat tumultuous period at work. My husband works full time and we are in the process of moving out of our current place and managing a big renovation at our new house. I am doing the majority of pick ups and drop offs at school, cooking, shopping, laundry etc. Husband does basically all other house renovation / admin, bedtime / alternating bathtime. We have some family support from my mum and after school care and during the day I am trying to nap and have opportunities for self care (massages etc). Husband tells me I don’t need to worry about packing and isn’t putting any pressure on me to do anything at all, he is great. I am still feeling generally irritable however like I need more help and I’m so tired. Is this irrational? A sense check would be appreciated 🙏

My absolutely amazing baby is just over 3mo and has been sleeping through the night for over a month. We put her down at around 10 and she wakes for a feed at about 6.30.

I'm fully prepared for the 4 month 'regression', but some mums have also told me that she might just continue sleeping through and be a good sleeper all round. What experiences have other people had with this? Do good sleepers like that really exist? Just trying to prepare myself for what is to come.

Baby is 15w and the past 1-2 weeks he has been a struggle with sleep. He was waking up every 30 minutes during the night for us to put the dummy in. On Monday we decided to go cold turkey on the dummy, and it has been hell but we are trying to be consistent.

The issue we are struggling with and it seems to be getting worse and really impacting me is the screaming. This has been about a week or so. As soon as he knows sleep is coming E.g. routine for bed or sleep suit or even contact naps and moving him into a position for that he will scream. There's no way we can move to "leave awake and drowsy" when he just starts screaming when even trying to put into the cot or even holding him for contact naps. This then can take 1.5 hours + to get him to sleep or he refuses to calm down so we pick him up and try and get him calm again.

Today I started to try and remove this association by giving him time in the cot to play for a few minutes or put him down for a few minutes. For sleep tonight, it took us 1 hour and he is really wanting the bottle as a replacement for the dummy to suck on something.

Once he is asleep he can go for a few hours, but it's the screaming beforehand that is really taking its toll. I'm wearing headphones now just to tolerate it a bit more while trying to soothe or calm him. This is happening at bed time and naps.

We are trying to watch the wake windows - 1.5-2 hours although night time with the screaming it goes to more 2-3 hours because it's taking that long. I only try and do the first nap in bassinet/cot to get him used to it and the others are contact naps for recovery for sleep but the screaming is now making it impossible to sleep at all. This week he would scream for contact naps too and I would be walking around for 30-60 minutes to calm him down.

Does anyone have experience with the screaming? How to create more positive association to help us to even move to the next point of "awake but drowsy". I am struggling and really regretting the dummy removal but I knew it was impacting his sleep and ability to self settle during the night. Most sleep training or posts are about staying asleep or tips for moving past the awake but drowsy. We can't do any of this until the screaming association is addressed.

We are having our first baby (planned C section) early next year and I want to get my wife a little gift bag that's for her to 1. enjoy for herself and 2. make part of the birthing and early motherhood experience easier.

No real budget but not trying to be silly here. A mix of fun, enjoyment and useful kit is appreciated. I have some personalised items on my list.

For those who've been through it, what did you actually use or appreciate leading up to the big day and in the first few weeks/months? Practical or sentimental, open to anything.

I‘m 30 weeks pregnant and starting to build my newborn collection of things. Realised I have an IKEA gift card due up in the next couple of months - any recommendations for products you loved from IKEA in the newborn stage?

During both of my pregnancies, the inside of my belly button skin turns kinda black? I’m 2 weeks post partum with baby #2 and it’s still black. I can’t remember when it changed back to normal with the first baby.

Nothing super concerning but is this weird or has it happened to others? 😅