u/Torrizo

Looking for gift recommendations for a 1-year-old! Budget is around $300 USD, but I can go higher if it’s something really worth it.

The parents are trying to follow a Montessori approach, and they live in a relatively small home/apartment without a yard, so large outdoor items probably wouldn’t work.

Any recommendations for gifts that are practical, long-lasting, or especially loved by Montessori families?

I’m 4.5 weeks postpartum from a 3rd–4th degree tear. My recovery had been going quite well overall. For the first two weeks, I felt general discomfort across the whole area “down there,” but it gradually improved, and by week 3 I didn’t feel much discomfort at all. I could even walk for about an hour without issues.

But starting around week 4, I’ve suddenly begun feeling a pulling/tightness sensation again, more in specific spots or muscles rather than a general soreness. It’s not exactly painful, more like discomfort or tension, but it’s new compared to last week so it’s making me a bit anxious.

Is this normal during healing? Has anyone experienced symptoms changing like this during recovery?

My 4.5-week-old baby falls asleep while nursing, but wakes up as soon as I try to put her down and starts fussing. She only settles if I offer the nipple again. Sometimes over a 3-hour period, I end up nursing her more than 5 times just to keep her asleep.

My husband or mom can sometimes soothe her to sleep without nursing if they persist longer, but I usually end up using breastfeeding because I’m exhausted and it’s the fastest way to calm her. So I also ended up choosing cosleeping combined with side-lying feeding which I had been strongly against.

I know newborns are supposed to feed on demand, but is it really okay to nurse every time she cries like this? Is it normal for babies to wake immediately when transferred like this? Do all newborns go through this, and is this just a phase that improves with time, or should I be trying to make any effort to train her out of it at this stage?

My baby is 4.5 weeks old. After breastfeeding, whenever I transferred her to the bassinet, she would wake up almost immediately. But more than that, I was anxious about her sleeping alone in the bassinet and couldn’t sleep well myself. So we started co-sleeping around week 2.

I definitely see the benefits. Both my baby and I sleep much better, breastfeeding is easier because we both fall back asleep during feeds, and overall it’s much more convenient logistically. I’m also recovering from a 4th degree tear, so minimizing getting up multiple times a night has been a huge factor.

I understand why people talk about the benefits of co-sleeping, but the truth is I still fall asleep every night feeling anxious. It’s still not the officially recommended safest sleep setup, and I’m scared something could happen.

At first I used to wake up at the tiniest sound or movement. But as I’ve gotten used to it, there are now times when I completely black out for 2–3 hours. Thinking about not knowing what position my baby was in that whole time honestly terrifies me.

Usually she falls asleep nursing while lying on her side, and when I notice, I immediately move her onto her back. But if I’m deeply asleep for 2–3 hours, that means she may have stayed sleeping on her side during that time. I’m generally a very still sleeper and don’t move much in my sleep, so maybe that lowers some risk, but when I’m truly exhausted… I don’t know.

For those of you who co-sleep:

• Do you eventually feel completely safe/confident with it?
• Any tips for reducing risk or anxiety?
• If I’m feeling this anxious, is the answer to go back and work on bassinet sleep instead?

I’d really appreciate honest experiences or advice. I feel torn between what’s working for us and what scares me every night.

My baby is 4 weeks old and currently only falls asleep with a lot of physical contact, so we spend a lot of time holding her in our arms. When we briefly go out, she can barely stay in the bassinet stroller for a couple of minutes without crying. And we have a 5-hour international flight coming up in one month.

So considering a baby carrier, I’m looking at the Ergobaby Embrace, but I’ve read it has a pretty short usable window. Would it still be worth it for this stage + the flight, or should I go straight to something more long-term?

We don’t drive much and do a lot of neighborhood walks, so it would get daily use.

Also, I’m in an area where there aren’t many of these available on Facebook Marketplace, so I would likely have to buy it new at full price.

My baby girl often falls asleep while nursing side-lying at night and gets into a very deep sleep. I feel bad waking her just to burp her. Is it okay to let her stay asleep sometimes without burping, or should I always try to burp her after feeds?

I had a 4th-degree tear, and my provider prescribed a 30-day course of Senna. Combined with Miralax, it has worked like a miracle - I haven’t had any pain or issues going to the bathroom every morning.

I’m now 25 days in, and out of curiosity I googled it since 30 days seemed like a long time to be taking a medication. To my anxiety, I found recommendations saying Senna should only be used short term (less than 7 days) because it can cause dependency.

Now I’m scared to stop taking it and potentially interrupt the proper healing of my tear, but I also don’t want to develop a dependency on medication.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

The flight itself is 5 hours, so door to door it will be about 8-9 hours. What carrier would you recommend?

I get pretty strong letdown at night and I’m trying to sleep without a bra because it’s uncomfortable.

I’ve tried nursing pads in a loose shirt, but they don’t stay close enough so I still leak. I also tried the Haakaa Ladybug, but without a bra it falls off when I’m sleeping or nursing.

Anyone found a creative way to deal with night leaking without wearing a bra? Looking for more comfortable solutions.

FTM with a 16-day-old. Breastfeeding is going well - good latch, she’s gaining weight, plenty of wet/dirty diapers.

Sleep is the hard part. The only way she falls asleep is nursing until she passes out, or being held and soothed for a while

If I try to transfer her to the bassinet after she falls asleep (like from the couch), she wakes up almost immediately and fusses. Then I end up nursing again.

We’ve started cosleeping just to get some rest. It feels like nursing is the only way to soothe her to sleep right now.

Is this normal at this age? Any tips for getting her down without her waking right away?

I'm planning to start using the Haakaa Ladybug Milk Collector and I’m a bit confused about storage.

If I only collect small amounts each time (not enough to fill a full bottle), what’s the safest way to store it?

My understanding/plan so far:

• Put the first small amount into a bottle and refrigerate
• Add more milk later in the day to the same bottle
• Safe to keep doing this for up to 48 hours before feeding
• Warm the bottle with Philips bottle warmer before feeding

Is this safe? Or should each collection be stored separately?

I didn’t expect breastfeeding to be this emotional. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and honestly crying while nursing my baby girl. I feel really alone, and I’ve been unfairly taking it out on my husband. I know I need help.

Context: My baby girl is 9 days old. In the hospital, we were told her jaundice levels were in the high-risk range, so we were advised to do combo feeding (breast + formula) to help increase intake and bowel movements. Thankfully, that worked, and she takes both breast and bottle well.

Right now she has 10+ wet diapers a day and about 3 poops, but we are still combo feeding so I know she’s getting a good amount overall.

She was 7.7 lbs at birth (~3.5 kg), and at her day 4 appointment she was 3.2 kg. We haven’t had another weight check yet.

The issue is: even after breastfeeding for close to an hour, she still seems hungry within 30–60 minutes and will take about 60 ml of formula.

She usually unlatches on her own and falls asleep after nursing. My breasts do feel softer after feeds, but if I hand express, I can still see milk droplets.

Now that my milk seems to have come in, I’d really like to transition to exclusive breastfeeding - but I don’t know how to do it without worrying that she isn’t getting enough.

Questions: 1. How can I tell if my baby is getting enough from breastfeeding alone? Would it make sense to try a full day of just breastfeeding (no formula) and track wet/dirty diapers?

2.	I seem to have a strong letdown and decent supply - what’s the best way to start pumping and storing milk? Should I pump after feeds or between feeds?

How do I avoid creating an oversupply while doing this?