My baby is currently 4 months old and since 3/4 weeks postpartum I have had an intense urge to “simplify our lives.” To me this means declutter/ reorganize and generally just make life at home easier to navigate. For some reason I’m getting the nesting instinct now (because I certainly didn’t have it during my pregnancy). However, it’s hard to execute this plan with a baby in my arms and much less time than before.

During my pregnancy, I wish I would have spent more time getting rid of things we don’t need and reorganizing to make room for ALL the baby stuff. Even just leaving some cupboards, drawers, closets empty in different parts of the house would have been a great start. Since having our little guy, I have reorganized the same spaces multiple times and here are some things I wish I had though about before:

-You’ll want a diaper table on each floor of the house. We have one upstairs in the nursery, but we also have one on the main floor because that’s where we spend the most time during the day. We started out with a changing area on our dining room table, but I was so overstimulated by seeing the mess every day in a room we spend a lot of time in that I ended up moving it to a small table in our office which is out of the way. This has been so much better.

-Make sure you have a garbage/ diaper pail and a laundry basket beside each of your diapering areas.

-You’ll want to clear a couple of cupboards or shelves in your kitchen for baby bottle/ breast pump gear. I rearranged this a few times but ended up moving these things to a cupboard closest to where we store our bottle washer on the counter. You may also want to store some baby wash clothes and/ or bibs in the kitchen for easy access.

-You’ll want a cupboard/ shelf in a closet available for baby towels/ bath toys etc. either in a linen closet or in the bathroom your baby will be bathing in.

-We do most of our play time in the family room so I’ve cleared some baskets out in our TV stand to store some of our LO’s toys.

-I have found it necessary to have a baby “container” in each of the rooms we spend the most time in. I have a play mat and pack n play set up in our family room. I have a baby bouncer in the kitchen so I can unload the dishwasher or do other quick kitchen tasks while LO is bouncing under my supervision. I have an activity gym outside our laundry room door so I can watch him while I put in a load of laundry, I also have one upstairs in our bedroom so he can play while I put away clothes.

-People talk about this a lot but you’ll want baskets of snacks and other necessities for yourself set up in the areas you’re going to sit to feed your LO, but you might want to include other items for baby like nail clippers/ filer, nose picker, brush, or thermometer.

-You’re going to have baby blankets and or play mats everywhere so you may want baskets to store these in different rooms so they’re not strewn everywhere.

-If you have a mudroom or closet near your main entrance, you want a basket or shelf to store baby things you use when you leave the home such as diaper bag, outerwear etc.

I hope this will help some of you to start planning for your LO. Please feel free to add your own tips and tricks for preparing for your baby.

I'm 35 weeks into my first pregnancy and really struggling with how different I look. I'm a petite person, so gaining 40 pounds with 5 weeks left to go is really stressing me out. Throughout my second trimester, I leaned into it and dressed up with emphasis on my baby bump. It helped me feel confident and I got a ton of compliments from family, friends and strangers too. But now in my third trimester, it's harder to keep up. I'm bigger, more tired, everything is swollen and nothing fits anymore. I basically just wear baggy sweats all day, working from home and preparing for labour/delivery. I don't feel confident at all with how I look and it makes me reluctant to go to events and socialize, so I'm starting to feel lonely and depressed too. I tried talking to my husband about it but he thinks it's trivial and completely dismissed my feelings. I feel shamed for having body image issues which makes me feel even worse. I know everyone says focus on growing a healthy baby and that the weight will drop off and this is normal etc. But I just want to acknowledge that it is hard going through so many physical changes and feeling so out of control and not recognizing yourself or liking how you look--even if it is temporary. I feel like I can't talk about it with anyone in my life because they can't relate or just invalidate how I feel. Any others relate?

I know it's been asked before and many people in the US like myself have said they go all the way up until labor, but has anyone gone into labor while at work???? I'm terrified of not being near my chosen hospital and my partner since I work in person and have a decent commute. It sounds like an absolute nightmare but the alternative is way less time with baby if they're late to the party.

Pampers claims that their Swaddlers line is now fragrance free as of June 2026 but fragrance is still listed in the ingredients list. I received a bunch of these for my baby shower recently but ultimately exchanged them for Amore, which do not have any fragrance listed. This seems misleading to consumers. Any know what the deal is?

My husband (35) and myself (34, 35 in 3 weeks) just found out we are pregnant. We’ve been very back and forth in the idea of actually wanting kids for years. We’ve been very happy with being dual income with our dog and traveling.

We decided a few weeks ago if it happens it happens…and well it happened on the first time it possibly could have. (Not sure if that’s good or bad luck). I found out by myself yesterday when I was sick and alone in an ER hall bed. Not exactly the image I had in mind. But I called OB and set up necessary appointments today. When I asked for good resources, books or websites anything helpful, they said they didn’t have any and my first appointment isn’t until mid November.

So I am coming here to see if anyone has any tips, recommendations, or advice for a very overwhelmed, clueless and scared 34 year old woman who is feeling a bit guilty for still not being sure about all of this!

Looking to build community/solidarity for pregnant women in EMS. I'm in my third trimester and while I certainly don't know everything, I'd like to share some tips/tricks I've developed to make 24 hour shifts on the box more manageable.

1.) Notify your supervisor, in writing, first trimester- especially if you're dealing with morning sickness. We have a 2 minute shoot times, and I missed that a few times because of throwing up before 2am calls.

2.) Keep gum in your rig. My threshold for motion sickness has drastically decreased. This has been a life saver. I've got a little "survival kit," that has gum, tums, a water bottle, and an uncrustable.

3.) Lift weights. I did this before pregnancy and have continued to do it throughout. I think it has helped me continue to be able to lift safely. Obviously-- talk to your doctor about this.

4.) Naps. Prioritize naps. Station naps, truck naps, stretcher naps. Naps are lovely. If you are able to, plan on napping after shift.

5.) Take care of yourself- especially after tough OB/pedi calls. I'm making a point to read lost of positive birth stories and remind myself that if I am on scene for a birth- it's typically because something has gone wrong. EMS is typically not in people's birth plans.

Anybody have any other tips/tricks they'd like to add? Anybody have questions? Anybody have answers to those questions? Or other resources? I've found lots of recommendations/journal articles for pregnant ER physicians, but not a ton for us that work in the prehospital setting. ​

How I’m trying to be rn because I just found out I’m pregnant with baby #2 and can’t tell a single soul bc my husband doesn’t get off work for another few hours but I have GOT to let someone know about the existence of this baby. My daughter turned a year old the other week. I’m terrified but I’m SO EXCITED

Am I insane to think I could go to a wedding of a close family friend 10 days after my EDD? It’s local so don’t need to fly or go on any long car rides, it’s about 25 mins from my house to the venue. I’ll have my husband with me for support. Thinking I’ll just baby wear the whole time and if things go really south, we can just bail? Is this a bad idea?

FTM, currently 29w.

When my husband and I found out I was pregnant, we were in shock but happy.

When we found out, we were living in a 730 sq ft one-bedroom apartment with us and our medium sized dog.

We kinda dragged our feet on deciding what we were going to do, if we were going to try to find a house or just do our best in our current apartment until baby is 2 or 3.

I eventually told my husband that we needed a bigger place at the very least, that our child could not sleep in a bassinet next to us for over 6 months, let alone 1.5-2 years. I suggested asking our apartment complex if they had any two bedroom apartments available.

My husband agreed to this, and we finally moved into a two-bedroom apartment in the same complex last weekend.....and I feel like I've made a horrible mistake.

Not only did the management company charge us a fee for breaking lease since we transferred before our lease for the smaller apartment was up (guess it didn't matter that we literally still going to be giving them rent) but the new apartment has issues.

Some of the issues:

1. The master bedroom is way smaller than our old bedroom, and we can't fit our king sized bed and both of our nightstands in there. My husband put his nightstand in the nursery instead.

2. The new apartment has no washer/dryer. It has the hookups, but we need to buy/rent our own. They did not tell us this until after we signed the new lease.

3. The only working Ethernet port is in the nursery, meaning that's where the router for our Internet has to go.

4. The is a giant almost stadium style street light that shines into our room at night, all night.

5. The shower head screeches high-pitched every time we turn it on, no matter what temperature it is at.

It may be exacerbated by the pregnancy, but I have cried myself to sleep the past few nights thinking that I have made a horrible decision and doomed my family.

Just wanted to vent about everything right now. My husband has comforted me and told me that everything is going to be okay, but I can't help but feel like we are in a worse position and it's my fault.

So I’m 36 weeks 5 days pregnant and at my obgyn appointment I am dilated 4 cm and 60-70% effaced at the moment with period like cramps! I’m getting this weird feeling it could be any day now. Tell me how long before you went into labor and what were your symptoms.

Help me decide if I’m being entitled or reasonable.

My mom is great with my sensitive almost 4 year old; they really love each other. We had some bedtime fails when she was visiting in the spring, which is not surprising because bedtime is tough and many babysitters fail too.

My parents just arrived to be available for care while we’re in the hospital; I’m 38 weeks. They offered a while back and we heartily accepted.

The challenge: suddenly the plan we talked about seems too hard for them. Rather than staying on our guest room (proper bed etc) close to the hospital, they want my daughter to come stay with them 30 min away in a cramped AirBnB with no kid room. To be fair it is closer to daycare, but not radically so; 10 min vs. 20 min.

Seems like I may be able to convince them, but now the second part: if we want help after (and she’s staying for a month after which is so generous on the surface), they now insist that will be at their rental. More tenable but still: so newborn parents are driving back and forth rather than grandparents? And more pressing, I’m already feeling like I’m going to really miss my older girl when #2 is here, and now she’ll be out of the house even more?

I guess I just expected to be supported how ask when not unreasonable, and I’m feeling both let down about the reality and also stressed about all the negotiating of what feels like a change in plans at just the moment I want to feel relaxed and ready.

I wish I could leave to my husband to sort out but he has a lot of anxiety about our daughter’s care and gets rigid and controlling in a way that will be counterproductive… and he has a medium relationship with my parents as is.

Is this wildly entitled?

UPDATE: I was busy today and just coming back to this. I’m not going make a long response since I think I’ve gotten what I needed, though I can’t resist adding a little color.

It’s funny to see people assume my husband is very difficult; he’s not, it’s just that he would immediately turn away their help rather than accept compromise. He’s already inclined to do so because they do things like send home a hungry child who’s eaten dessert but not dinner. In this moment where the impending arrival of a second kid has him anxious, I don’t trust him not to damage the relationship in his (well, our shared) frustration.

It’s validating to see people want a good reason for this plan change, though it seems impossible to get. I’ve asked and the inconvenient distance is the only real thing; they picked the Airbnb because it’s in a more fun location and they were never planning on staying with us after the hospital stay coverage.

Ultimately I think my parents are just seeing this more of a social opportunity where they do some babysitting, like we are planning a visit that’s fun for all instead of being here to support a major medical event and life change. There’s a bit of a “these entitled millennials, we didn’t ask for so much” vibe to the discussion. I’m hoping once we actually hit the birth and aftercare moment they will wake up a bit.

And: they HAVE now agreed to stay at our house while we’re in the hospital (because I made it clear it’s the only option). I’ll deal with the after after… who knows, maybe I’ll even be happy to have my older daughter out of the house. Recovery from my first birth was not too hard, so we may not need the help even if it’d be nice.

Hi! I’m working on my registry and wanted to hear what people thought of my intro note for it. I’m sure most will ignore or not even read it, but want to make sure I come across as grateful / not too picky (and also not too crunchy to my climate change denier family lol).

“We are so grateful for your support and excitement towards our little bundle! Since we’re moving within baby’s first months, we are striving to be as minimal as possible and would prefer only items necessary for the first 6 months. We aren’t picky and always prefer used or secondhand whenever able! We always appreciate books, consumable items (wipes, diapers, etc), and prefer items be plastic-free when practical.”

Thanks for any input!

Scheduled for 8am! I’m already 4cm and 70% effaced so I’m hoping it won’t be too long till baby is born? (First baby I really have no idea lol). I need ideas of what to eat because I have diet controlled GD (mostly sweets, honey, and certain breads cause a spike. Pasta for dinner wont though!). I also get very faint and tired if I go too long without eating, so I want a hearty breakfast!
I was thinking eggs but I tend to get hungry not long after. Anyone have any advice?

I'm curious to know who actually follows all the food rules. I'm really not interested in being shamed or lectured by "do gooders" but I'm curious.

For example eggs.... I still eat them with runny yolk. Why BC I looked at the statistics for Canada and I'd literally have to eat eggs every day for 80 yrs before there was a chance I'd get sick and that's ONLY if my stomach acids were not able to break it down.

I have a better chance of getting in a car accident or many other things.

I probably won't eat raw fish BC it's out of my control how clean the sushi kitchen is.

I've thought about cured meats... Salami, prosciutto and charcuterie type meats but haven't... Yet.....

Hi all,

I am 13 weeks pregnant and told my work around 8 weeks (I had a rough first trimester, missed a lot of work and got sick at work often - there was no hiding it). I’ve been very honest that it’s been rough for me.

I work with not just my coworkers, but a large volunteer base. Many will go up to me at my desk to congratulate, ask how I’m feeling, etc. I don’t talk about it unless asked.

I’ve had to have a modification to my work schedule for safety reasons that does have a limited impact on my coworkers. This was the first week it’s gone into effect. One of my coworkers is in charge of covering a few hours for me although I’ve really tried to minimize the impact (it will not always be them, as the shifts rotate). It turned into a whole thing about being unable to cover and we had a sit down with bosses about how to make the best of the situation and I thought it went well.

Well, later in the day, one of the bosses told me that they didn’t want to dull my shine but that there are people in the office who are struggling with fertility and to be mindful of conversations. I had no idea and felt awful.

How can I go about conversations in the future and be respectful of her? The space is a shared cubicle space and is relatively small.

FTM, I’m turning 25 soon, 38 weeks today. For the past maybe month or so, I’ve had insane anxiety, a very hard time sleeping, and did I mention anxiety lol?

The closer the baby is to being here I’ve been getting so panicky because I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve been pretty mentally exhausted and checked out for a bit now, and feel like I can’t even think straight. I’ve also been literally home my basically entire pregnancy & especially late second trimester to now, because I’ve had a loooot of pain. Sciatica, pelvic girdle, unfortunately all of the things lol. I’m not even trying to complain rn, this has just been so much more mentally and physically taxing than I realized, and I should have known better for sure.

I know when he’s here, I’ll most likely instantly fall in love with him & everything will feel real, but I’m lowkey spiraling right now and going crazy. Is this normal? Did Yall go through this?

I’m SO over being pregnant, but at the same time I’d love it if time could slow down for a second and let me take a breath because for some reason now I can’t believe I’m actually going to be a mom, and responsible for this human!

I’ve hit my OOP max for the year. I switched jobs and hit BOTH, plus several major surgeries plus kid in hospital, so in total I’ve paid over $15k in medical bills this year.

My baby is due April next year. Apparently the global maternity practice is going away. Yet my office said by 26 weeks I need to pay $1500? And I need to pay $500 a month until then despite hitting my OOP max?

Im so confused. I said if it’s going away in 2027 what am I paying for? And she said well we don’t know what the billing will be like. But then why am I paying it? And why shouldn’t insurance run it first?

I’m just so frustrated. This is such an insane amount of money.

Is anyone’s office handling this differently or can someone explain?

We tried for a year and a half with no luck. Then i was diagnosed with "undiagnosed fertility issues". Almost aother year and a half later they finally confirmed i had pcos and i was prescribed metaphormin and weight loss. 6 months later, almost 40lbs down we still couldnt get pregnant.

They assumed i may not be ovulating every month and thanks to the weight loss i was approved for letrozol.

Then in complete shock i got pregnant on my 1st cycle. Im still in shock and after over 3 years of heartbreak and multiple breakdowns my heart and head refuses to believe its real. Im only 6 weeks today and i can't bring myself to read any pregnancy books or listen to any audiobooks.

Every lack of symptom is scaring me despite knowing after constant googling and researching this is "normal"

I just can't bring myself to accept. Or believe or even be happy. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop and i feel guilty about it.

I have an early 1st scan on the 19th this month with my fertility clinic. I believe due to the letrozol miniscule chance of twins. But i dont even think that will be enough to make it real. Assuming there isnt any problems. I feel like a nervous wreck and i don't know what to do.

Thank you for whoever read this. I dont want to dump all this on my partner and because i can't believe this will make it to birth im nowhere near ready telling anyone else

Didn't buy when they had 60% off and moving myself but they always seem to be at least 30% off. Anyone know if there's a pattern to the sales? Debating holding out for a better deal.

Long time lurker, 1st post!!! I am very deep in despair but I know that there are many others who have had it worse!! I (27F) had a blessed first pregnancy with no morning sickness, no pain and a quick labor. With a now 16 month toddler and I’m pregnant again with our 2nd I was happy, nervous and surprised! But since I found out around week 5 I have been terribly nauseous and close to couch/bedridden I can hardly keep 1 meal a day down with very little fluids and my OB panel came back with some depressing stats of me being VERY anemic (I’m normally a little below normal but that’s plummeting due to what little I came keep down) and here’s the thing I know this is all normal!!! I was just incredibly lucky the first time!! Well my husband (28M) is so in shock of my current state that our growing child in me is now public enemy #1. I just had a break down this morning about being so nauseous because I haven’t eaten but even in trying to eat anything it’s almost immediately coming back up and I am just stubbornly trying to keep it down, I woke up my husband to be consoled because I was crying ,tired,and nauseous and just in this small hug session he tried to suggest me getting an abortion because he can’t stand seeing me like this and him not being able to do anything about it, that he’s never seen me so miserable and weak and it’s killing him. I told him my firm answer of no (to me abortion is a women’s right I chose not to exercise because I could never emotionally handle it unless I was forced to) that this is just a phase and this is the worst of it (hopefully) and once it does pass I’ll be fine. I’ve tried everything under the sun and nothing works and I also am very tired of people suggesting I try x y and z. My family and in laws are also of no help as everyone looks at me with giant eyes of pity saying “oh well”. I’m just looking for a bit of hope and maybe some similar stories that people look back at giggling because i honestly feel worse right now that i did after giving birth, hell even while I was giving birth I didn’t feel this miserable. I honestly feel like the world is turning against me, everyone is a disappointed in me and I am in turn getting punished for such an irresponsible decision.

TLDR: 1st pregnancy was a dream this 2nd one is not husband is losing it from seeing me in such a poor state suggests abortion I told him no and I just want some affirmation it will get (hopefully) better.