u/Worried-Fig-7374

Y’all we are getting hit with daycare costs on top of a mortgage on top of having to pay student loans back now with the high cost of just about everything being the cherry on top!

I’ve been steering clear of fragrances and picking more “responsible” choices at our local co-op grocery store throughout my pregnancy to now with our 6 month old. But I realize that what I spend for a month or two of shampoo/conditioner I could easily get a year’s supply of Pantene from Costco.

Editing to add- our daughter has excellent skin while my husband and I were really bad eczema and diaper rash kids. Our moms have commented about how our daughter doesn’t smell like Johnson’s and Johnson’s baby products and how they miss it- but can’t deny that her healthy skin is probably due to avoiding the fragrances and questionable ingredients. So I do believe there are benefits for her to keep on track with more granola choices!

Are conventional products really that dangerous? Does anyone have any thoughts on how to make affordable but responsible choices? I was hoping to keep things as “clean” as possible while breastfeeding but our budget can’t really handle that. Thank you!

Hello everyone,

We took our 5 month old daughter to pediatric neurosurgery today after our pediatrician noticed a deviated (Y shaped, irregular with one side longer) gluteal cleft. The folks today said that it was about a 50/50 chance that she has a spinal tether and she will be getting a sedated MRI to diagnose further.

A family member of mine needed to get a tether released for their baby- which has helped me tremendously with my nerves. One thing I am curious about for folks who had the spinal release as an infant or had the procedure done for their child, how are you now? Did you need a follow up procedure later in life?

They told me she would go on to live a normal life, but I’m hoping she will live with minimal pain and will be able to play sports and whatnot if she wishes.

Thank you in advance!

Question for folks,

Our building is questionable in terms of safety. There’s black mold on the ceiling, doors that won’t shut and cracks in the ceiling/walls as it is falling into a sinkhole, terrible bathrooms, etc. We’ve complained about it for years with the annual survey and it is clear to me that no one actually cares about the results.

A few years ago, one of my retirement age coworkers developed a large abdominal tumor and unfortunately passed from the cancer. A few weeks ago, a very young employee working at the exact same desk was found to have a brain tumor after a medical emergency. I am not sure if this is a terrible coincidence or if there could be something going on.

Before it was easy to joke that our office should be condemned, but now I’m wondering if there’s actually something wrong with the building? What could we even do to ensure its safety? Who do we even talk to? It is clear that our state leadership (USDA) does not care about our building because they did a quality review in the past few years, one lady even joked that the conditions were inhumane, and nothing ever happened.

TIA!

Hi folks!

I am an environmental scientist and I travel to job sites a few times a week to delineate wetlands. I will be going back shortly, and will need to pump!

I am planning on using my pump with a car adapter for power, and have an insulated lunchbox with good ice packs. I’ll start my day with a sanitized pump and containers for the expressed milk, but it will be several hours before I get anywhere with soap and water to wash the parts.

Anyone have any ideas on how I can keep the flanges/cups clean and safe to use? I’ll need to pump more than once throughout the day, and replacement parts are expensive, especially when I would need multiple sets to get me through the day. Is it enough to just rinse them in between use? I should also add that I work in a hot and humid climate so I’m concerned about bacterial growth.

Thanks in advance!

Location: Virginia, USA

In a very strange turn of events, an e-bike rider shot across a highway with 4 lanes of traffic and hit my stopped car (I was sitting in the turning lane). It was very shocking at the time, but thankfully he is totally fine. From what I understand I was not at fault for this incident, based off of the police report.

My car, however, has a large cosmetic dent in it and I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth getting it fixed but am not sure how it would impact things going through insurance and am also partially scared I could get sued out of nowhere if he ended up having physical injuries after the collision.

1- I don’t even know if any of his insurance, either auto or home, would cover this (I have his information from the police report but it does not include insurance info so either myself or my insurance company would need to get it) and 2- if I decide to just pay my deductible to get it repaired out of my own pocket, my rates could go up? I’m not sure why this would be the case as I was not at fault.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to proceed in this scenario? I do not want to ruin this nice old man’s life and make him pay out of pocket for a simple cosmetic repair and am afraid to reach out to my insurance company because I’m sure they will start a case immediately.

Thanks! And be safe out there on the streets! I am surprised they don’t require those bikes to have insurance judging by how large the dent in my car is!