u/manthrk

I'm 32 years old. I have 1 child and we would like to have one more. I just stopped the mini pill a few days ago after being on it for 1.5 years after having my daughter. Prior to having her, I was on a combination pill for about a decade before experimenting with the Natural Cycles app for a bit over a year before ultimately (intentionally) getting pregnant with her our first month trying. Now I'm using that app again to track my cycles and ideally get pregnant with #2 in the Fall, but if it happens a little sooner that's fine too.

I feel absolutely incredible already being off hormonal birth control. I feel like a fog is lifted. I have energy. A libido. Right now we're using condoms as well as tracking my cycles because we don't have enough data so all my days are currently "red" days. But this isn't ideal long term.

I'm trying to figure out what to do long term. I don't want to go back on the pill ever again. I'm getting older and I worry about long term health effects. Plus I just don't want to go back to feeling the way I did on it. Eventually my husband will get a vasectomy, but we're hesitant to do something so permanent so soon. Anything can happen, you know?

So I've narrowed it down to 3 options for the few years after I have this hypothetical future second child, but I don't love any of them. Maybe there's a 4th option? Idk

1. Vasectomy. This is ultimately our plan, but I'm scared one of our children will die tragically and we will end up wanting more. But also I realize the chances of that happening are incredibly unlikely and also with how traumatized we would be, we probably won't want any more children to be honest. But closing that door permanently is terrifying.

2. IUD. Copper IUD sounds fantastic until you read anything about the side effects. I don't want miserable 10 day periods where I lose half my blood volume. Mirena IUD sounds interesting but it's still hormonal and what if I do still feel the effects? Also the horror stories of perforation or migration scare me. I'm not worried about insertion because that's one and done. I can handle that

3. Cycle tracking with Natural Cycles App. It is technically FDA approved birth control, and it did successfully prevent pregnancy for me for a little over a year before we shifted to trying to get pregnant, but I never fully trusted it. Also I don't see how it will be effective at all before my cycles regulate postpartum. I breastfed my first and plan to do the same for my second. I didn't even get a period until 9 months postpartum. But I also know breastfeeding isn't an effective form of birth control which is why I was on the minipill.

So yeah that's my story. Thank you for reading this far along. Would love any input or suggestions or personal experiences!

I'm not even pregnant with baby #2 yet but I like to plan lol. Stretchy wraps were not really for us, but I loved, and still love, my Tula Explore for babywearing my now 18 month old. Thankfully since she was quite large (nearly 10 lbs at birth) I had a good fit by 1 month old. I'd like to babywear my next baby right out of the hospital though and I'm also hoping for a more reasonably sized newborn this time around. So I was thinking a structured newborn carrier could be worth it. Has anyone tried both of these carriers? Which would you recommend?

I used natural cycles to prevent pregnancy for about a year and then to get pregnant. And I then went in the minipill for a year and a half after I had my daughter. I am going off the pill now, hoping to prevent pregnancy for a couple months, and then ideally get pregnant again this fall. I was on the minipill which is just a progesterone pill for 28 days per pack - no sugar pills. I got my period last week and it only ended 2 days ago. I don't anticipate any "withdrawal bleeding" anytime soon. I expect my period to come in probably like 3ish weeks. When it comes, is that still technically withdrawal bleeding? Or should I log it as a period? I didn't get the same questionnaire I did when I first signed up for natural cycles a few years ago.

I used natural cycles to prevent pregnancy for about a year and then to get pregnant. And I then went in the minipill for a year and a half after I had my daughter. I am going off the pill now, hoping to prevent pregnancy for a couple months, and then ideally get pregnant again this fall. I was on the minipill which is just a progesterone pill for 28 days per pack - no sugar pills. I got my period last week and it only ended 2 days ago. I don't anticipate any "withdrawal bleeding" anytime soon. I expect my period to come in probably like 3ish weeks. When it comes, is that still technically withdrawal bleeding? Or should I log it as a period? I didn't get the same questionnaire I did when I first signed up for natural cycles a few years ago.

My daughter is only 18 months old and I wasn't planning to think about potty training until she hit 2. But at her 18 month well visit her discharge instructions mentioned potty training. It said that kids are ready once they show interest in the potty, stay dry for a few hours, tell you when they have to potty, and can pull their pants up. My daughter is very verbal and she often says "I pee pee" before or after she either pees or poos. She has always followed me into the bathroom and watches me go and she does comment on it. Sometimes she is dry for a stretch. And she loves the one book we have about pooping and the potty. She helps a little bit with putting her pants on, but she's still in diapers so idk how she would do with putting on a pull up. I don't want to pressure her before she's ready. And I don't think given her sensitive nature that she would take well to any of those 3 day naked potty training methods - also I feel like she is just WAY too young for that regardless. But I'm curious if I should get her a potty and just let her try when she is in the mood? If I should switch to pull ups the next time I buy her diapers? The only reason I really don't want to do pull ups is because I imagine changing a poopy diaper will be a nightmare in pull ups.

So I know there are a lot of complaints because the toddler seat can only be in the upper position which makes people say that their toddler has to be closer to them while infant in bassinet is down low. But the bassinet can be in either the upper or lower position (as evidenced by the 2 bassinet configuration). So I'm wondering if you could put the bassinet in the upper position and put a <40 pound toddler in the rumble seat in the lower position? I don't see that demonstrated in any of uppababy's visuals so I'm thinking maybe it's not advised? But I don't understand why.

I got a very cheap secondhand Moby ring sling when my daughter was like 13 months old. The material just felt so stiff and it was impossible to tighten it without dragging the rings further in front of my body than they were meant to be. I'm wondering if that's just how ring slings are? Or if one of the fancier ones like maybe from Hope & Plum or something would be nicer. I can afford it, but I don't particularly love wasting money either.

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When my daughter was a newborn I wasn't a huge fan of stretchy wraps. Thankfully she was a massive baby and actually fit (safely) in the Tula explore by the time she was 1 month old so that has been and continues to be our go to carrier. I'm trying to think of what I would like to get for when we do eventually have a baby #2. Ideally I won't have another 10 pound newborn so I'm just curious what are some good options to consider if the next one doesn't fit in the Tula immediately.

When she was a newborn until she was probably about 1, transferring her from my arms to her crib/bassinet was impossible. I would wait specific amounts of time, move in slow motion like I was handling a bomb, pre -warm the sleeping surface with a heating pad, etc. I did all the tricks and I had at best a 50% success rate. Often way lower. Now that she's 18 months old for the past several months it's been quite simple. She falls asleep in my arms, I wait maybe a minute or 2, and then I just kind of gently plop her in her crib. Then I walk away.

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Does it get easier with older kids? Or was I just really bad at it and I've refined the skill? I'm mostly just curious if it'll be easier for baby #2 in a year or so.

I weaned my 18 month old almost 4 weeks ago. I was curious if I had any milk left and I very lightly tried to hand express. Immediately got droplets of milk on both sides. I hand expressed colostrum during the end of my first pregnancy - which actually came in very useful on like day 3 when she needed a tiny bit extra before my milk had come in. I would definitely like to collect colostrum again with my next pregnancy (which I am planning to hopefully be very soon). Collecting colostrum during pregnancy was really hard the first time. Like it would take 20+ minutes to get 1-2 ml. I'm wondering how long I'll keep milk in my boobs during this post weaning time. Like I'm hoping to have a newborn in less than a year if all goes according to plan, so it would be only like 9-10 months from now that I'd be trying to collect colostrum again. Will it be easier than the first time? Or will pregnancy fully dry out any remaining milk and I'll just start from scratch?

I had a colicky newborn and then I guess just a regular average baby as far as sleep goes. She wanted contact naps all day and needed so much help to sleep throughout the night. I nursed her to sleep and she slept with my boob in her mouth more often than not through her first year. I continue to support her to sleep every night and for her occasional night wakings. I support her to sleep for her daily nap. I'm told a sleep cycle is roughly 60-90 minutes at her age (18 months). She usually sleeps 10 hours straight overnight. If the sleep consultants' information was any good, my toddler would be waking up confused and frantic between each sleep cycle, wondering how she got transferred from my arms to her crib or why I'm not next to her holding her hand anymore. That doesn't happen, because it's all a lie and taking cara babies just wants your money.

My daughter is 17 months old. Sometimes I need to get breakfast or lunch on the table in under 5 minutes and she won't let me even put her down. Also I wouldn't mind some kid friendly dinner suggestions that are well received by your toddler!

I'm 17 months in now. Night weaned about a month ago. I just randomly today want to stop. She only nurses 3 times per day unless she requests extra which isn't often. And I don't pump at work despite working long hours so I've gone 24 (and just the other day 36!) hours without nursing her so I don't imagine I make all that much milk anymore. She doesn't seem like she's self weaning necessarily, but she also doesn't seem like she needs the boob in the way she used to. Also I'm hoping to get pregnant again in the fall and it would be nice maybe if my body was 100% mine for a few months. I just wasn't thinking about weaning yesterday and now today suddenly it seems like a great idea. I just nursed her before bed but I could potentially just not nurse her ever again I guess? Was it a gradual planned out thing for you or did you just stop one day?

I'm a 30-something year old mom and I don't read enough. At all. I'm trying to stop scrolling at the end of the day and start reading more. It's so much more enjoyable, but I need good book suggestions.

I've enjoyed several Stephen King books. I definitely like a good thriller. And I've liked some lawyer/legal novels by authors I can't remember. I absolutely loved the Harry Potter series and have re-read it as an adult an embarrassing number of times. Occasionally I enjoy a lighthearted romance book.

I just finished Yesteryear and I absolutely loved it. I figured I'd read everything I could by the author and I was massively disappointed to learn that it's her only novel. I think I loved reading a thriller written by a woman and about a woman. I'm sure I also loved that it tied in the Christian tradwife influencers who somehow clog up my feed that I can't stop myself from scrolling through. But I realize that's a super niche genre so we don't need it to be exactly the same.

But yeah I loved Yesteryear. I'm looking for something good to read next!

My 16 month old has always been much more attached to me than my husband. She always protests when I leave her with him, but as soon as I'm out of sight, I can hear them laughing and having a good time. And she plays with him when we're both together with her. She rarely wants him to hold her or cuddle with her, but occasionally she does. He's a really good dad. He tries hard and is very present. It just definitely hurts his feelings and it can be a lot on me sometimes. Like right now we're on vacation and carrying her around a lot. She won't let anyone but me hold her and she screams and cries when I leave the room to go to the bathroom. But then once I'm in the bathroom or whatever she will calm down.

I'm the primary caretaker because I work very few hours per week. Also I'm still breastfeeding. I feel like these things contribute. I just wish that she and him had as special of a bond. And now that she is so verbal, it just really stings when she refuses to let him care for her and says "No. Want Mama" or whatever.

I'm not talking about healthy whole foods fiber sources like beans or whole grains. I'm talking about processed fiber diet foods. Perhaps it's not the absolute healthiest or most ideal method of weight loss, but it's working and I don't even feel like I'm on a diet. The fiber bread brand I eat is half the calories but tastes just like Italian sandwich bread or an English muffin. The pasta I use is half the calories but tastes like pasta. Tortillas are half the calories, taste like tortillas. Fiber gourmet pasta, carb balance tortillas, and 647 bread were all new discoveries, but I also rediscovered fiber one brownies. 70 calories for a fun little sweet treat. I know I'm not the picture of health eating this way, but I also wasn't the picture of health eating the non-fiber, still processed versions of the same exact foods while weighing 20 pounds more.

Not sure if this is helpful for anyone. Not sure if this is even the right subreddit. But yeah. Fiber. Just make sure you also drink lots of water or scary things might happen.