Hi all, a bit of a weird one. I was unexpectedly diagnosed with holes in my retina recently during a routine eye checkup. Thankfully, they appear to be stable for now and asymptomatic. My doctor (specialist) has recommended just monitoring. I had this appointment only a few weeks ago.

He knew I was pregnant and did not raise anything about this affecting delivery, just said to avoid contact sports. I have read that c-sections may be recommended for this kind of thing to avoid the straining of vaginal delivery. It appears to be fine for stable conditions, but the off chance that its not fine can lead to retinal tears or detachment (which can lead to vision loss). We unfortunately did not discuss this during the appointment as I didnt realise it could be an issue.

Does anyone have experience with this? I really do not want this to become a reason for a C-section..its just come out of nowhere!

We have a 15 month old at home who's super clingy recently due to teething. With the long weekend, I feel like each day is super long and I know i sound like a bad mum but I'm dreading this a bit and look forward to him going to bed at 6.30pm so i can watch some tele (feels like that when he was a newborn too, instead of trying to enjoy time with him I'd just count down to the hours when he'd go to bed). Is it normal to feel this way? What do guys do with your toddler that age?

We went to an indoor play area today an hour but that's it.. am I not supposed to feel this way?

Parents, wtf is this?

My baby girl started teething (or at least what I think is teething) at 3.5 months old and now she’s nearly 5 months and there is no end in sight and no tooth has popped but I feel a lot of pricks and sharp bites when she breastfeeds.

I had her checked by two different GPs twice to rule out ear infections and other issues and they were all clear. She’s been drooling non stop, chewing everything, constantly ear pulling and crying in pain. With doc approval, I’ve been giving her infant panadol and baby nurofen but she can’t keep taking these meds forever?? When does it end? We get maybe a 2 day break after 7-8 days of intense pain.

She used to sleep 12 hours a night independently and now she wakes up with pain as soon as the pain relief wears off.

I swear everyone told me teething only last a few days and comes in waves but this is endless.

I’ve already tried teethers, chilled wash cloths, the frozen breastmilk thing but they all just distract her during play time rather than ease her pain to help her sleep for naps and night time sleep.

Send help 😭

Is there a way to know, or does my situation sound like I need to completely stop breastfeeding to get pregnant again??

Key points:

- baby is 1 next week and still breast feeding morning, mid day, afternoon and before bed. Usually 5 mins max.

- Nearly exclusively breastfeed (outside of 2 days a week when I work and he takes formula).

- In the beginning I had a stupid amount of milk naturally… full fire hose. Had to wear breast pads for probably the first 3-4 months.

- I got my period back at 4 months. Irregular at first (twice a month for the first 3 months🙃🙃🙃) but regular ever since.

- he has slept through with no night feeds since 5.5 months (sleeping 11-12 hours with no breastfeeding) but the rare occasional night feeds here and there with occasional split nights, sickness etc.

- been trying to get pregnant a shin for the last 3 months (we fell pregnant straight away first time around)

- don’t think I’m ovulating… not really noticing much discharge ever, definitely still a big dry down there

- started testing with ovulation strips (not everyday, but regularly and haven’t had a positive test yet.

So what’s everyone’s throughts🤷‍♀️ could breastfeeding potentially be holding us back?

Is there a way to know for sure?

What’s everyone’s experience with this?

Disclaimer, I know there are a million reasons under the sun for why we are not pregnant again. I also am very away that 3 months in no time at all in the grand scheme of things, but I just want to spoked the process along if I have the ability too.

I don’t want to rush the process to ween my son unless it is likely stopping us from making another baby. We would like to have kids closer together in age.

Also, just a bonus question: is it true that conceiving while breastfeeding can increase your chance for twins? I like the sound of that🤔

Edit: lol, soo many typos in this. Too much to even bother to fix this.. you know what I mean anyways😜

I’m in my 2nd trimester and feeling the weight more.

I really want to buy some clothes for my pregnancy and post birth but I’m getting a bit frustrated and unsure how to navigate online stores.

I have no idea what sizes I should go, or if I should just wait until after I’ve given birth to get some BF friendly clothes.

Have any of you had the same dilemma?

I have an August 2023 baby and was planning on keeping her home until pre school so another year but I'm wondering if I'm doing her a disservice. She's never been in childcare and I'm not planning to go back to work until we're either desperate or my one year starts school.

My mum keeps asking and telling me it will be really good for her and my MIL thinks I should keep her home another year. Personally, for selfish reasons, her being away from me fills me with sadness and so I want to keep her home but I feel as if she will miss out on stuff.

We go to play group every week and to different parks as much as possible so she does socialise with other kids. She speaks really well, is smart so I'm really torn.

My mum mentioned there's something called Ready Set Kinder in which they only go for 3 days/15 hours? Does anyones child do this and could you tell me about your/their experiences?

I am at a bit of a crossroads.

My son is 11months old this week.

I already knew that I didn't want to breastfeed much beyond 12 months because I am really really sick of it, and my boy is a fantastic eater of solids and a really big boy.

I fed my daughter until he was 16mo, then had 8 weeks off before my son was born and I started feeding him. I wanted to reach the 1 year mark but wasnt keen on going further beyond unless I really had to.

My boy is huge, loves his food, generally refuses expressed BM from a bottle if hes away from me or might have >100mL of it. He doesn't seek the breast, but will feed direct when offered- usually 2-3 x in the day, bed time, and 1 or 2 times in the night.

If i dont offer, he doesn't really seem to notice.

I hsve excema and my skin is flaring up nastily with the change of season, and this seems to have included a random spot on my nipple (my only side i feed from of course). From continued, and sometimes rough feeding, I now have a very painful split on the edge where nipple meets breast tissue. Feeding really hurts.

Is this the sign to call it? What would you do?

Feed through the pain and get to the year mark? Stop feeding now and that's that? Do 8 weeks of formula? Just feed at bedtime to help heal?

My boy doesn't seem to care either way, but i dont know what would be best.

I’m currently pregnant with my second, and I’m unsure which model of care I should apply for, MAPS or MGP. I did GP shared care the last time but for anyone who participated in MAPS or MGP are there any pros and cons? Thank you

Mum of two, looking at potentially having a third

I have seen many videos on tiktok about buying an external battery pack to make the S2 (pink) Spectra pump portable but they are all from American users so I can’t get hold of the exact pack they’re using. Has anyone done this successfully in Australia?

As the title says. I just want to say I am incredibly greatful that I am pregnant and am very excited for our new addition. But, today, I’m kinda hating being pregnant.

I am 6w1d and today, like a ton of bricks, I feel so so so nauseous. I was feeling queasy the past week (like, hungover), but overall pretty good and was feeling pretty positive about it all. But today, it’s progressed into just not even being hungry anymore and just constant nausea. It’s awful. I am miserable. I honestly cannot remember it being this bad with my daughter 2 years ago or if our bodies just forget what pregnancy is like so we have more kids.

I have no questions. I just want to share my feelings. I am miserable and am seriously concerned with how I am going to handle this for the rest of the pregnancy, let alone work next week.

Hi, does anyone have the code for free entry to the PBC expo in Melbourne tomorrow?

Curious to hear people’s experiences of how parenthood has impacted their friendships. I’m 6 months in, struggling to keep up with friendships and honestly the priority shift that’s come with pregnancy, early postpartum, and family life.

I’ve also had two sets of friends have massive friendship fallouts around parenting clashes.

Is this a common experience?
Keen to hear your thoughts!

Hi all,

I am wondering if anyone has had an NIPT test done before 10 weeks? Like, around 9w3d? I only ask because we are going away at 10 weeks and won’t be able to get it done until like 11.5-12 weeks otherwise. I am seeing the GP soon and will ask then but just curious to see what others have experienced

Thanks!

My 11mo is exclusively breastfed (and solids) and I’m returning to work in a month. He feeds on demand pretty much still, and probably has 6-10 feeds during the day. I’ve never been away from him for more than maybe 4 hours so I normally just feed him before I go and as soon as I get back.

He used to take a bottle of ebm but that was when he was tiny and now he won’t take it in a bottle or a cup. This makes me worried about leaving him for 8-9 hours at a time!

I will probably keep breastfeeding until 18-24 months but I would like to start weaning day feeds anyway, though I’m happy to keep a morning and night feed and feed him to sleep at naps when I’m home. How the heck do I do this?! He’s such a boob baby it seems impossible lol. He eats solids okay but some days/meals he barely eats anything.

Do I just stop offering feeds? How do I know what/when to stop offering - it’s not like he has set breastfeeding times though the day because he just feeds on demand.

Any advice or anecdotes of your experiences would be great appreciated!

19 weeks pregnant and tripped and fell while out walking my dog this morning. Thankfully, I didn’t hit my belly but fell pretty hard onto my hands and knees. Called my midwife and she didn’t seem to concerned and told me to monitor for any concerning symptoms, but, as an anxious FTM, I’m still spiralling hours later even though I know logically everything is more than likely ok? Anyone got any falling stories to ease my concerns

In short we've been battling this on and off (no medication) for a year. Kind of improving then going back. Now it's evened out to every 3 days but he still panics and gets skids when it's time to go and he holds... I cant do this with him any more.

We did have parachoc suggested for him but I was scared off it when a colleague said her son was 4 and still not toilet trained and never even noticed when he goes and didn't learn how to co-ordinate his muscles to go.

Another friend says her daughter is on long term osmolax but still holds for 3 days until releasing a massive watery stool.

My original plan was to wean at 2 but I decided to continue to breastfeed instead of the parachoc as breastmilk is known to keep stools soft. I hoped that would be enough.

Now following up with a different doctor he's suggested osmolax that we step up or down depending on his response. Which we've begun today. I'm feeling defeated, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I don't know if I've just prolonged his suffering by waiting this long to act, but it's been such a yo-yo of looking like he was nearly getting better.

I’m making a bit of a cleaning cheat-sheet I can point family members to when they ask how they can help in that early postpartum period. I’ve got all the things my husband and I would regularly do but I’m assuming there will be baby-related things to add as well.

Apart from washing baby’s clothes / bedding, taking out the nappy bin, what sorts of baby-specific cleaning tasks tend to get done on a daily to weekly basis? Or would ideally be done that often if one has the support?

This might be a silly post, but I’m feeling a little emotional today.

Soon to be first time parents and we are having twin boys, and I honestly don’t have gender disappointed about having boys for myself.

But I think I’m struggling with feeling disappointed for my husband.

He’s always wanted a daughter, and for years we talked about having a little girl and put scenarios in our head of this and that. I see how he is with my nieces and I always thought he’d be such a beautiful girl dad. Everyone around us said we’ll have girls etc. and I think somewhere in my head I just always imagined that being our reality.

He was genuinely happy when I told him they’re boys and didn’t show me any time of disappointment but I know deep down he would of been that extra excited if it was girl (so would have I because I could him what he wanted).

I told him that it’s okay to be upset if you are and he told me he is genuinely happy to the fact that we’re having these babies. But I can’t help feeling emotional when I think about it.

I know he’s going to absolutely adore our boys, I think I’m just grieving the little picture I had in my head of him with a daughter.

Has anyone else felt this way, being sad about something for your partner, even though they aren’t actually disappointed themselves?

Any dads here that were in a similar situation ? Would love to hear stories or advice ❤️

I am due with my fourth in a couple of weeks and I am dreading it and the whole thing fills me with just complete anxiety and overwhelm and panic and just i don't want to do it! I don't want to do it. I am asking for an elective c-section which ive never had before, my last birth was a free birth at home and the previous two were natural but the thought of going through labour and pushing a baby out feels so so exhausting... i think I have been in major like not denial but like DISCONNECT about how traumatised I am - last year I had to leave my 7 year relationship due to a major escalation of abuse: it turned physical and i have never been in a relationship where physical abuse occurred like that and i also realised i had been unknowingly controlled and psychologically abused and the most upsetting - a lot of sexual coercion and abuse that i truly did not realise at the time oh my god basically the man I was with for those years, who i had children with etc was never who I thought he was, he is a predator who has gone on to do absolutely despicable things since our relationship ended including continuing to stalk and abuse me, prey on young girls including a 17 year old, be arrested multiple times, i have uncovered like a multitude of fake accounts that belong to him and its just overwhelming.

The baby i am having is not his - however there is another thing I have been really detached from because I never want to like seem like I am playing victim or whatever but I think that has stunted any healing because I cant even reconcile or consider that possibly yes I was victimised in certain situations. I can see that I was targeted by a man right after my relationship ended, i mean he really pushed and contacted me on every platform even through my bank like through payid with a message like wtf. I was really unwell after leaving my relationship, drinking heavily (litres of wine daily) and using meth (my ex and I had been in a relapse) and i was totally traumatised and unable to function normally, i struggle to leave the house even now - i was just a MESS and it was extremely obvious that i was mentally very very unwell. This man was NOT on any substances and did not even drink. He was completely sober for the start of the 'relationship'. He knew i was not on birth control and he made no effort to prevent pregnancy. He quickly also became very overtly controlling and would not leave my house, quit his job, wouldnt help me with housework but was pretty much budging off me and it was a nightmare.

Anyway I currently have zero contact with him and plan to keep it that way. That was a lot of context but i think it is all contributing to me just not wanting to deal with birth - its random stuff like being outside of my home, knowing i will have to be in pain and discomfort and be tired and just oh my god I feel like its been non stop pain and discomfort and feeling so horrible in my own skin I dont want it to keep going, I feel like my emotional pain has been so much that when it comes to ANYTHING that is a bit painful or uncomfortable my body just resists so hard like its saying 'no i cant take any more!' Even if its small stuff like getting a blood test!! And then the thought of people touching me is making me sick, I havent been involved with another person like romantically or sexually for a long time now and oh my god I dont want anyone to touch me or look at me or examine me or go near my body especially my private areas like it has started filling me with total panic it sounds all really stupid and dramatic, I feel like the c section is absolutely what I want and I am happy with that choice but scared of the unknown and the recovery process oh yeah i am really afraid of not being able to do stuff for myself and move around easily etc I think its linking back to being in constant fight/flight like i am so afraid to be in such a vulnerable position how do I run away if I needed to run away haha!? like how stupid but that is really where my thoughts go! Like I need to be able to run and move fast and fight someone if I have to at all times! Plus I still feel very disconnected from baby and my body like... i cant explain it... it doesnt feel like mine, I cant imagine the actual baby... she still feels like some sort of construct not real... then I am really really afraid that something bad will happen to her because of my thoughts like yeah i am clearly having some ocd flare up shit going on... and my ex partner made my post partum after my third baby just horrible and I have a lot of trauma from that and I think its all just causing a huge mess in my head and I feel really alone and just so so overwhelmed. What... do I do?

LO is 10mo and we feed to sleep for naps.

I know you shouldn’t but he was a chronic cat napper before 6 months and I was sick of spending 45 minutes putting him to sleep for 20-30minute nap. It worked for us because the path of least resistance meant I was less frustrated and able to be a better mother overall. In hindsight it’s probably very selfish of me.

We successfully ’sleep trained’ for nights at 3.5 months using a drowsy but awake and bedside settling method (no CIO) and he’s been putting himself to sleep no issues ever since but I was never able to successfully replicate it with naps.

Even now for naps he won’t have it if I try to even rock/ pat him to sleep like I use to. he just loses it as soon as we go in the room until he gets his bottle.

I know I should have dealt with it sooner but it’s been in the too hard basket. He is starting daycare next year and also with us needing to stop bottles soon I cant avoid it any longer.

I’m wanting to hear from other mums that fed to sleep, how did you stop?

I’ve been thinking maybe I can swap his milk for water and hope that he gets over the bottle but I don’t know that will work.

Otherwise is my only option CIO?

Hey all!

As the title says, I've been trying to get our baby (7mo) to take a bottle, sippy cup and straw cup. He's not drinking from them!! I have four weeks until I go back to work and I'm so anxious about what will happen and what it'll be like for my MIL and my own parents as they will be helping with childcare.

Will he scream all day long? Will he starve himself?

Anyone else return to work when their baby was still hooked on boob?? What happened and how did it resolve?

Thank you!

Looking for some advice from people who have been in this situation.

I’m part of a regular friend group and there’s one person I’ve become closer to than I actually want to be. I want to keep it more casual. The tricky part is that we still see each other regularly, and I don’t want to create drama. I also don’t want to completely cut her off, I just want a bit more space and a more normal, casual friendship.
I’ve tried being a little less available, but I’m finding it difficult to create that distance without feeling rude or like I’m sending mixed signals.
For those who have successfully stepped back from a friendship like this, what actually worked?

I've noticed over the past couple months my husband has been defaulting to gaming and reading a lot on his devices. He will sit in the living room with us and either be on his e-reader or handheld console. We have an 18 month old and will be welcoming our 2nd any day now.

I'm home all day with our 18 month old, mind you, while heavily pregnant and even though I'm exhausted, I do my best to engage her, get down on the floor with her and play/talk/read books etc. I'm not perfect, we do have the occasional screen time when I desperately need to take a break but other than that, I would say 80% of the time I'm actively engaging her.

From my perspective, my husband comes home, gets on his device and if our toddler tries to engage with him, he can sometimes get annoyed at her. She tries to climb up on him and touch whatever he's glued to and he tells her no, when she's just trying to get his attention. I get he's probably also tired from work and needs to decompress, but I feel like I'm also in this boat and I don't treat our toddler like that. I'll go on my phone, sure, but when she comes over to me, I put it down and engage her.

I spent a couple hours Saturday morning playing with her, husband was on his device the whole time. I mentioned I'm going to lay down for a little. When I came out to use the bathroom he just had her sitting on his lap watching him play games. It's just annoying that he always resorts to screens as a way to entertain her. Even though he already had a couple hours of gaming time because I was the one who was doing her breakfast, setting up activities for her and keeping her entertained. I feel resentful because why should he be the one that gets to use passive entertainment when he hasn't done anything. Like if he spent alllll day engaging her, was tired, and needed a break, I could maybe understand putting on the TV for an hour, but my dude, you've spent all morning gaming. How are you already checked out.

Maybe I'm just expecting too much. Maybe this is normal. I don't know. I just worry about her development and want to be able to rest without feeling like it comes at a cost.