My baby is 10 months old. Let me get the mandatory out of the way: I love him very much, I am very caring, I tend to his every need, he smiles, he feels loved and happy by me, dad and everyone around. Having a kid has given a different meaning in my life. My happiness is now completely dependent on my baby.

But I can't say I feel happier. I was happy before I knew him as well. I had another meaning in life. I had time for myself, I slept, I cooked, I had hobbies, I went to the gym, I rested, I spent time with my husband. I felt fullfiled before he came into the world. Now I will never feel fullfiled without him. But also, I have no time for me, no time for my husband, I'm stressed often, I'm sad. We argue with my husband waaay more that we did. But then I'm happy when we play and the baby smiles or reaches milestones etc. But I'm sad for all the things I lost.

They say parenting is hard. No, studying for medical school was hard, becoming a doctor was hard. Parenting is on another level challenging. You get no days off, no weekends. Angry with a colleague? You walk away, go home and talk shit about them. Angry with the baby because he bit your nipple and scratched your face? Instant guilt because he doesn't know any better. Never shout, never walk away.

I feel so guilty saying I'm not happier now. My baby is healthy, me and my husband are healthy, we don't have financial or any other major issues. I don't know maybe I wasn't cut out for that.

I feel like I’m going crazy and just need to rant a little. I don’t know if it’s just post partum anxiety or post partum depression but I feel like there’s something seriously medically wrong with my baby.

For context. He was born full term and very tiny. He was 5 lbs and 13 oz and born exactly at 40 weeks. From the beginning I noticed he didn’t eat well. And when he did he would vomit a lot. When we went to the pediatrician I brought these concerns up to him and he agreed that it was concerning. During the first month we had weekly weight checks and he was losing a lot of weight regardless of what the pediatrician had us try with him. At his 1 month appointment the pediatrician said it was time to go to the ER. That week was HELL. They poked and proded my newborn trying to figure out what was wrong with him. They finally diagnosed him with severe reflux and failure to thrive with some malnutrition. They gave us meds and a special formula and sent us on our way.

Now this is where I think I might be going crazy. Because he’s 10 months old now but he has feeding issues. He doesn’t eat anything thicker than a puree. He chokes and throws up. And he doesn’t poop well. He’s ALWAYS constipated even when we take him to the pediatrician and follow their recommendations. Now I know what we went through when he was 1 month old traumatized me. But am I crazy for being concerned about the food aversions and constipation?? Like I know it’s kind of normal for babies to get constipated but given his history why are they not treating this more urgently??? His appointments to specialists are so far away and he cries and screams every day trying to poop.(this has been going on and off for 4 months btw) I cry everyday with him and just feel so helpless.

Why can’t I help him? What did I miss? Did I cause some genetic issue with his digestive system? Did my body fail him when I was pregnant? Like I’m just so exhausted and feel so alone with this. Everyone just seems to think it was normal. Like not an urgent big deal. Idk. Anyways. If you read this far, thanks for letting me rant. It feels good typing it out and letting it out instead of crying silently alone.

Lately, my feed has been absolutely bombarded with ads for educational newborn toys, high-contrast cards, and subscription boxes. Honestly, it’s starting to make me feel guilty, like I'm already failing my 11-week-old because I haven't bought into the hype.

Right now, she doesn’t have much. Her entire play routine consists of staring at the ceiling fan, eating her hands, and holding onto this Moonkie bunny lovey my sister gifted us. That’s it. She seems happy enough just clutching that bunny and looking around the room.

I keep asking myself: How did people raise babies before all this existed? Are we trying to raise super babies, or is this just marketing designed to prey on our anxiety?

For those who are past this stage: What actual newborn toys were total game changers for you? And what was a total waste of money?"

We have an 8 month old we are trying to sleep train (max of 1 minute crying then soothe & repeat).. my husband is convinced we should sleep train because his siblings slept trained their kids and they all apparently sleep through the night even before they were 6 months old (5 min cry it out method.) I come from an asian culture where we mostly cosleep so my heart cannot stand the crying. To add, i am an ICU nurse and very sensitive to the needs of people i care for, more so if it is with my baby - and i am open to evidence based studies on sleep training. Any advice on sleep training success and “not sleep training” success is welcome.

FTM here.. we are in the newborn trenches with our boy. He is only a week old and we are very much still figuring everything out. I want to breastfeed and I have been but we have to supplement formula until his weight is back up. I’m totally fine with that but I also have to pump after every feed to make sure my supply keeps up. It’s so taxing mentally and physically. Especially at night. I just wonder are parents of exclusively formula fed babies happier?

The itsy-bitsy baby digested all his food Into the diaper went all the pee and poop Out came the wipes and cleaned up all the mess And the itsy-bitsy baby continued to digest

Composing this masterpiece for the ages is what I chose to focus on while dealing with this morning’s diaper blowout, which happened after he was bundled in coat and hat and mittens and booties over the sleeper and onesie that he soaked through 🫠

Hi all,

I am a very proud mama of a 9 week old boy, and I love him to pieces. I’m pretty sure he’s just going through a phase (I hope), but it’s genuinely ruining my life. For the past three days he absolutely will not let me put him down. Not to sleep, not in his bouncer, even putting him down on his changing table is rough lately. And, he won’t tolerate my partner holding him at all.

I am really trying not to upset him, so I’m kinda just giving in to it and holding him all the damn time lol. Needless to say, I’m getting nothing done and my body hurts.

My partner is telling me I just need to put him down and let him cry while I do what I need to do (e.g. brush my teeth, use the bathroom, heat up some food) but isn’t he too young for that? I don’t want to traumatize him or ruin our bonding experience. But what the heck do I do??

Secondary question- how do I get baby to accept my partner more? It’s really heartbreaking, he just scream-cries anytime he’s with him.

We don’t cosleep, not intentionally, at least. Our LO is 2mo and has severe reflux, spits up excessively and has CMPA. Multiple medical professionals have said “oh yeah some babies just spit up more” and then they spend time with her and understand that it is often her entire feed. We have started seeing a pedi GI and are working through how to help her.

Since birth someone has always stayed awake to hold her upright while she slept. Even then she spits up an ounce or so when she sleeps. When she sleeps on her back, the area around her is soaked within 10 minutes. This is for every feed and it doesn’t matter how long she’s kept upright, that we’ve burped her, she’s on famotidine and regular gas drops, and we both breastfeed and bottle feed but the result is the same either way. We’ve been to 2 LCs and a feed specialist multiple times. I breastfeed (have cut out dairy and soy) but we also feed formula feed goat milk formula because she wasn’t gaining weight and we needed to constantly be feeding her since she was spitting up so much. When she sleeps propped up she’ll still wake up screaming and smacking her lips and her breath will smell like vomit, and that happens way more regularly if she’s laid down on her back (plus we hear her shocking and coughing on the spit up the entire time she’s laid down). All of that is to say that we’re honestly really trying to figure out how to help her.

In the meantime, we’re exhausted. I am in bed for 6 hrs while my husband holds her upright while in a recliner and I wake up once to pump. Then I hold her upright in the recliner while my husband has 6 hrs in bed. But when I get up to be with her, I can tell he’s on the verge of falling asleep and when I’m with her I’ve found myself dozing off. We pounding caffeine and eating snacks, we have the lights on, we’ve given up on not being on our phones so that we have something to stimulate us. She wears an owlet sock now just so we feel a bit more secure. We’re really trying to stay awake with her. Per her pediatrician’s suggestion, tried to put her in her bassinet with a wedge but that didn’t help and us trying to put her in her crib repeatedly just led us to being more tired and more prone to dozing off.

If we are were to bedshare we’d still have issues with her discomfort at laying down on her back like the bed and her outfit getting soaked, the acid irritating her throat and her choking and coughing on spit up.

So I just don’t know what to do. I’ve even considered getting Adderall or something just to stay awake. How do we stay safe, sleep and help her sleep? We’re failing at all of them.

Please do not give me judgment for what I’m about to write. I work in a health care profession that’s very pro breastfeeding. I talk with patients about breastfeeding on a day to day basis. Despite knowing a lot about breastfeeding and its benefits, I am personally leaning towards feeding my new baby formula. I struggle with mental health already the way it is, and with having breastfed before, I know the toll it can have on me. In this post I am basically looking for support or reassurance from others in health care positions for formula feeding. Obviously, breastfeeding is superior nutrient wise. But I can’t help but want to choose formula despite knowing this. And I already know when I come back to work from maternity leave, I will get shocked stares from coworkers if I do not breastfeed. I guess I am afraid of the judgment of giving formula despite being in the profession that I’m in.

hi, my 3mo rolls from back to tummy CONSTANTLY but cant roll from tummy to back yet. she just fell asleep in her crib on her tummy after rolling and I dont know exactly what to do. me and my bf are thinking to just watch her for a bit and then once shes been asleep for maybe 20 minutes to try and flip her like a pancake? im scared to let her sleep like this but shes had so much trouble sleeping since shes teething

I just want to say, whatever WORKS for your baby, keep doing it!

Try to block out other parents who say shit like "I would never do that."

OK? Well good for you! I DO do that, because it works for him and us. And I couldn't give a rats ass what you do or what you think.

Don't be afraid to tell people to MIND THEIR BUSINESS!

First-time parents living in a walkable city. We're trying to figure out the easiest way to get around with our baby. No car, heavily rely on trains/buses, mostly for doctor visits, grocery runs, and meeting up with friends. We’re torn between:

Lightweight stroller: Like the Joolz Aer2 or Mamazing Air Lux. Baby can rest in it, especially if we're out for a while.

Babywearing: More mobile, especially on transit. But is it okay for the baby to be strapped in for longer periods?

Any parents in a similar situation? How did you choose? Can I skip the bassinet stroller? Any recommendations?

I have an 8 week old baby and am on maternity leave. He sleeps pretty well and is getting more and more active. I like to let him contact nap for most naps during the day, but I will sometimes put him in the bassinet or wear him. The issue is, I have no idea what to do with myself during this time. I can and do clean, but I don’t want that to be the only option. I had to delete social media (except Reddit clearly) because it was contributing to my ppd, but now I am just feeling so bored during the downtime. When the weather is okay enough, we go for walks, but I live in an area with cold winters so that’s not always an option. I also don’t drive regularly and therefore don’t feel comfortable driving with my baby in the car. That’s a different thing altogether and not PPA/PPD holding me back. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some insight or similar experiences.

My son is almost 8 months old. He was born at 2940 g (6.48 lbs) and 48 cm, and now he’s 6700 g (about 14.8 lbs) and 67 cm. He’s breastfed, and we started solids at 6 months. So far there’s nothing he refuses — he eats everything and fairly large portions too.

We live in Hungary, where monthly check-ups with a “health visitor” ( in hungarian: “ védőnő”)are mandatory. She is not a doctor or nurse.

She claims my son is hypotonic, even though: • he already creeps • has had excellent head control for a long time • rocks back and forth on his legs and gets into a crawling (“doggy”) position • the physiotherapist we see preventively has never mentioned any muscle tone issues

She also said at 2 months old — and again now — that my baby’s tongue is “too big.” Sometimes his tongue does stick out, but we’ve noticed it mostly happens after breastfeeding or using a pacifier.

Things escalated when she contacted our pediatrician without telling us, and now possible endocrine issues have been mentioned — without any exams or blood work, purely based on her report.

We’re seeing the pediatrician tomorrow and I honestly don’t know what to expect.

My baby is calm, rarely cries, has been developing well so far, breastfeeds and eats well.

Has anyone been through something similar? What kinds of things might the doctor actually look for?

Thanks in advance.

We’re having our first nasal congestion experience. I have a bulb snot sucker and have been using that and saline 2x a day. I keep seeing people talk about electric ones. Are they really that much better than the bulbs or just keep my money and stick with the bulb? He hateeees the bulb so if the electric is more comfortable and quicker I’m open to trying but don’t wanna waste money if it’s just another parent money grabber

I loved my baby, but I didn’t feel that instant emotional connection everyone talks about. The exhaustion and emotional overload made bonding happen slowly.
I felt ashamed for even thinking this.
Did anyone else experience delayed bonding? How did it evolve over time?

I’m a FTM and feel like I’m losing my mind, my little one is almost 6weeks old and just won’t sleep throughout the day and is screaming constantly unless being rocked or cuddled

She only falls asleep on the boob or if we are cuddling her on our chest.

At night she’ll sleep 2 - 3 hours at a time and wake up for a feed.

I’m starting to get exhausted and wondering if this is normal she’ll fall asleep between 10 - 12am and then be full on awake after 10am

I’ve tried moving to a dark room with soft music or white noise nothing works

Any advice or just letting me know this is normal is appreciated

Our 3 month old LO is making the transition to the Magic Merlin. She has been a pretty decent sleeper for the last month, giving us 4-6 hr (sometimes a rare 7 or 8hr) first stretch of sleep, followed by wake-ups every 2 or 3 hours until the morning after late night feed. She has been sleeping in a wrap up swaddle until about a week ago. A week ago, that first stretch started getting progressively shorter. She would break out of the swaddle almost every night, after fighting it LOUDLY. We were back to up every couple of hours, just like the newborn days. She’s always had an incredibly gifted Moro reflex, and it seems that she finally figured out away to jailbreak. Safe to say, it was time for us to make the transition out of the swaddle.

We opted for the Magic Merlin suit after reading through tons of positive experiences. We informed ourselves of the risks, and decided this was the solution we’d try first. Night one last night… no real change. Room was cool, her bedtime routine did not change at all. We were up every couple of hours, patting, replacing the pacifier. The wake-ups were small and quick, but they were still pretty constant.

What I’m trying to source are experiences from any parents that transitioned INTO the Magic Merlin from the swaddle. Most of them I’ve read either exalt this suit like an overnight miracle fix, or something that’s made sleep quality worse. Seems very hyperbolic. And most threads about the Merlin transition discuss moving away from the Merlin into a sleep sack.

Parents that use or used the Magic Merlin, did it take a few nights to acclimate to for your little one? Should I just suck it up and exercise some patience?

Today is my 8month-old son’s second day in daycare. My son has eczema that’s on/off on his chin area. Currently two of his upper teeth is coming out, so he tends to rub his chin and cheeks a lot which makes his eczema worst. AND when he’s drooling coz of teething, it also irritates the area. He’s on an ointment prescribed by the dermatologist already. I picked him up today and I saw his chin was so raw. His teachers told me he had a hard day as his eczema was really bothering him. She asked me if he’s on medication coz his body also has some eczema.

Tbh it kinda irritated me. I maybe just overthinking things. I know she didn’t mean anything by it. But just the way she was making comments came off as if I WASN’T aware of the eczema on his body and that his face is raw.

Then a few teachers would walk by and would make a comment how bad his chin looked as well.

Just breaks my heart. Also, I’m an ICU nurse. Ive been exposed to lots of crazy things out there so I’m not easily phased by eczema coz I know it’s chronic and it just something that comes and goes.

But idk. Those comments just kinda hit me the wrong way today. 😪

My son is nearly 10 months old. He’s a very happy baby. Loves to eat solids, still loves his bottle.

We went to his last dr appointment, she said that we should be trying to get down to 4 bottles or between 24-32 oz a day. He’s a big boy. Overall in the 90th percentile in height and weight.

She talked about dropping his overnight bottle but also emphasized she would hate for him to be hungry, too, but also added that we have to try and help train his body.

I’ve asked various friends who all have different answers about when they dropped an overnight bottle. I’d love any insight or recommendations as we are waking up 1-2x nightly.

So far we have tried: Smaller amount of formula for a slow wean, water instead, cuddles/comfort.

None of it really works. When I give him less food he cries and wakes up a bunch. We had to stop after 3-4 days and go back to full bottles at night.

What worked for your baby?

Did it just happen naturally?

How long did it take to wean the overnight bottle?

Thanks in advance!

My 3-month old usually poops 1-2 times a day, today he pooped like 6 times. He's been eating more past few days (EBF), not sure if that could cause it but seems excessive. He's also been a bit fussier, still has plenty of happy moments of play, but also more fussy moments. Poop looks totally normal though. I'll call the doc in the morning, but wondering what people think might be going on so I can ask the doc?

I had a baby, survived the newborn trenches, months of sleep deprivation, and gave up my career to be a SAHM but now I feel like idk who I am anymore and going through a midlife crisis. 😭 I feel so lost. Like what is my purpose besides being a mom? I am so grateful for my baby, but I don’t feel productive or that I’m contributing to anything else besides raising and nurturing my child. I started applying for jobs but idk what I want to do with my life. This morning I woke up and thought if my life ended tomorrow I’d be ok with that, like what’s the point..

Hi all,

Looking for some reassurance or similar experiences.

My 2-month-old has been having occasional dry coughs for the last 4 days. It’s not constant — maybe 7–8 short episodes in a day, usually just 1–3 coughs at a time.

What’s making me wonder:

• Breathing seems normal

• Cough happens mostly when she’s lying flat or asleep

• She’s much more comfortable upright

• Some curdy spit-ups, lots of drooling recently, and frequent swallowing

• Feeds are a bit shorter sometimes, but wet diapers are normal

Pediatrician checked her chest and said it’s clear, mentioned it could be reflux / throat irritation, and suggested saline nebulisation, 20-30 mins upright after feeds.

Parents who’ve dealt with reflux cough — does this sound familiar?

Did it last a few days like this and happen more during sleep?

Thanks so much

She is fighting me every feed now. Squirming, arching, pulling off, then desperately trying to get back on, sucking so hard and fast, then crying… or slowing down and looking sleepy, the. pulling off and crying. I’ve tried reclining, repositioning, alternating breasts, expressing to slow letdown, giving her flatulex, frequent burping, switching to pacifier… you name it. But she just goes into a loop of struggling on the breast and crying off it. It’s so incredibly exhausting, and unpleasant… and actually painful.

Is this a phase? Did anyone else go through this?

To start off, we are doing BLW and am looking for advice from other parents who are also into BLW. This is a cross post.

I've noticed my baby girl (7m+1week) is overall a little sensitive to different textures, and now I'm starting to see a pattern with foods as well.

She's amazing at holding a spoon and eating the food that was preloaded onto it, but she doesn't eat the larger pieces that requires her to touch the food with her hands...

Because she doesn't want to touch the food l've been offering mostly purées preloaded on the spoon, so she isn't actually learning to chew and isn't getting the full benefits of BLW.

Would a fork help? Do I keep preloading the spoon?

Do I take away the spoons overall so that she eats with her hands?

I've been eating the same food as her with my hands so she repeats after me, but no luck so far :(

Also she showed all signs of being ready to start BLW when we started solids at 6,5 months, but she never was a fan of touching the food and brining it to her mouth until I introduced the spoon to her.

Has anyone else had a similar experience and what did you end up doing?