u/MinnieMouse2292

I’d really like to hear from women in a similar position, particularly those who previously had quite intense careers.

I’m a new mum in London and I absolutely love having my baby. Before having him, I worked in finance/professional services and recruitment-type roles, with very long hours. Work was basically my entire life.

In hindsight, I don’t think that relationship with work was particularly healthy for me. I’m quite an all-or-nothing person, so when work was going well I felt incredible, and when it was going badly it felt devastating. I really don’t want to go back to living like that.

My husband earns enough that, thankfully, I don’t need to go back to full-time work for financial reasons. We’d ideally like three children, body/life permitting, and financially we should be able to manage that on his income.

But I also don’t want to stop working altogether.
I’d like something that gives me:

1. degree of financial independence / my own money
2. adult interaction
3. some time where I’m not “mum”
4. ideally, something mentally stimulating (optional)
   5. very little stress

I’m also happy with remote work (I think?)

Realistically, I’d be perfectly happy earning around £500–£1,000 a month. More would obviously be nice, but maximizing income is no longer the objective. I almost want a hobby that happens to pay me.

I’m not particularly concerned about status or career progression anymore. I care much more about flexibility and being present for my children.
For context, I’m very good with people, good at making first impressions, have recruitment experience, speak languages well, and generally enjoy talking to people. I’m London-based.
So for women who were previously ambitious/high-earning and then deliberately downshifted after children: what did you actually end up doing?

Did you:
- negotiate a 2–3 day week in your old industry?
consult/freelance?
- start something small yourself?
- retrain?
- tutor/teach?
- do something completely unrelated to your previous career?
- decide even part-time corporate work wasn’t worth the mental load?

I’m especially interested in hearing about jobs that genuinely stay contained within their hours. I don’t want a supposedly “three-day-a-week” job that occupies five days of brain space.

Would love to hear what has actually worked in practice, and anything you tried that looked ideal on paper but wasn’t.

FTM of an 8w old baby and I feel like I’m missing some secret everyone else knows.

My baby absolutely hates every carrier we’ve tried. I’ve watched the tutorials, adjusted the fit, tried when he’s calm, sleepy, fed… doesn’t matter. Within a few minutes he’s protesting like I’ve deeply offended him.

On top of that, he’ll only really nap if he’s on me. The second I transfer him, he’s awake and upset. I know it’s a phase and I’m trying to lean into it rather than fight it, but I’m genuinely wondering, like how do you actually get anything done?

Not even deep cleaning or productivity just basic life stuff. Eating lunch. Emptying the dishwasher. Folding laundry. Showering before 3pm. Making a cup of tea that doesn’t go cold.

I see people talking about “babywear and get on with your day,” but if your baby rejects the carrier, what does that look like? Do you just accept that some days nothing gets done? Did your baby eventually tolerate the carrier? Did you find any workarounds?

I’m not looking for sleep training advice or “just put them down, they’ll get used to it.” More interested in hearing from people who had genuinely velcro babies. What actually helped you survive this stage?
Would love any realistic tips, solidarity, or reassurance that I’m not the only one whose daily accomplishment is managing to eat with one hand. 😅

Hi wonderful breastfeeding mamas of the UK!

I came back from A&E recently because my baby had unexplained bruises on his arm. After spending the whole day there we learned it was because he sucks on his wrist and arm vigorously when we’re burping him. I now need pacifier recommendations for babies who really dislike pacifiers. I tried mam night and it was a no go.

Let me know what your babies prefer and have a great weekend :)

Hi everyone I hope you are well! I just wanted to start off by saying I am very lucky and grateful that EBF has worked well for me so far: I have a determined and lusty 3W old baby who made it easy for me and I am beyond grateful for it.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice to share on teaching a baby to sleep independently for at least 5-6h (7-8 would be ideal but aware it comes with risks).

I would like to sleep a lot more than I currently am but not at the deprivation of my baby and of my supply.

In terms of our profile I’d say I’m an over-supplier (his demand is high) with a very forceful letdown and I leak a lot. I’m a FTM. Our baby sleeps in a next to me cot in our room. He nurses to sleep. He’s 3 weeks old, nearly 4. He’s gaining weight very well too. His feeds can go from draining my breast in 8min to sucking for 1h30.

Please let me know what your experience has been, anything positive about your sleep improving over time would really help! Being a FTM, I’m quite nervous about inflicting long lasting emotional damage to my baby due to sleep training, but also I do not want to have a child whose sleep patterns rule ours…

Hello ladies I hope you are well!

I am now 39w pregnant and overall happy and excited for the next days to come.

I realized recently just how much my ribcage expanded during pregnancy when my maternity bras wouldn’t fit anymore. I did some diaphragmatic breathing and it helped me fit into these bras again and I was quietly happy… until I realized that actually I gained 2 band sizes already and was about to gain a third. Like I was a 32C and am now a 36E (was about to be a 36F).

I guess I’m okay with having a flappy belly, having “belly stripes” (forgot the real word) and having low hanging boobs because I already knew it was normal. I just didn’t think the bones from my chest would be wider and I’d have a more matronly look and I feel a bit upset. I also feel silly feeling this way when I’m so close to meeting my baby.

I don’t know, I just wanted to open up somewhere anonymous and wanted to see if other women overcame that and if their ribcage went back to where it was.

Hope all is well with your pregnancies ladies 💕