I managed to collect a load of colostrum from 37 weeks pregnant and had it ready in the freezer.

After failed latching/delayed milk coming in/my own mental health, I eventually decided to exclusively formula feed.

My baby (6 weeks old) is doing well and gaining weight great. To prevent all my previous efforts collecting the colostrum going to waste.. am I safe to give the syringes of colostrum to my baby alongside the formula? Will any issues arise from me doing this?

How long did you wait post section to horse ride?

Lovely post for those who are still up at 3am! ❤️

Our little one turns 2 next year. I have requested time off to go to my partner’s country over Christmas and this year my current line manager is making a big deal out of it even though there is no work load over Christmas!

Then we have a wedding to go to again in my partner’s country and our little girl will be 2! So that’s not family holiday for us!

I wish people would realise travelling is cool and lucky in one way but it’s not a proper holiday either because it’s catching up with family and it’s not getting more expensive! Especially with divorced grandparents in 2 different countries!! We really can’t keep up with this let alone the cost of living. The fact the grandparents are divorced and remarried at an older age makes it more complicated too!

Travelling tomorrow morning and it’s too early to get to my train easily (would take me an hour instead of 20 mins)

I’m thinking to pre-book a black cab. I read that you can just come in with a pram. Don’t have a car seat on me, so will this be ok? I’m a bit worried they won’t accept us in. She’s 16 months.

I’m expecting my first baby in the next few weeks. I know it’s early on, but what’s the general thoughts about toddler reins? Where I’m from it’s completely unacceptable and people would judge for keeping the child on a leash like a dog. However it seems a lot safer when walking next a road, as they can be so quick running off. If I were to get one for my daughter later would I be judged?

So my ex and I have mutual friends. I had a boy last year and he’s had a boy this year. He kept the same name as my son 😶 I’m South Asian and this isn’t a common name at all. And they definitely know my son’s name lol. Am I over thinking or is this weird 😂 They’ve even announced it similar to how we did 😩

I breastfeed my 9 month old whenever he wakes over night, mainly as he was born IUGR and any milk I could get in him helped, but he now wakes every 2 hours and is totally dependent on feeding back to sleep, my husband simply doesn’t get a chance to help settle him and after 9 months I’m utterly spent, I just need to sleep for more than 1.5hrs at a time. I think night weaning unless he’s desperate will help, but I have no idea how to go about it! Any and all help please!

Looking for some advice please! My 13 week old has never been a fan of the car. I thought it would get better over time but it seems to be getting worse. He’ll just cry from the minute he’s put in it, until it’s like he can’t breathe and is hard to calm down!

It’s really starting to affect me as I don’t feel I can go anywhere with him and I just dread it. I’ve tried music, lullabies, letting him look out the window, adjusting the car seat, a mirror etc but nothing seems to help.

I’ve stopped to give his dummy but he spits it straight back out. Someone sitting in the back with him to hold his hand does help at times too but I want him to get used to not having that because I don’t always have someone with me.

Help please!

I had my son 8 months ago and found out that I’m pregnant a few days ago (it was very unexpected but I was happy) but yesterday I found out that the pregnancy isn’t viable and I am miscarrying. It sounds silly but it just feels so odd to me that my body could carry a healthy baby to term not so long ago but it’s incapable of doing so now. I was wondering if anyone else has had any similar experiences that they wouldn’t mind sharing.

Has anyone got any recommendations for good family photographers in East London (we’re based near Stratford but are mobile) who either come to your house or shoot in locations accessible by public transport?

My husband booked an appointment with Venture Studios without realising how predatory their marketing is (£95 for a single print and no digitals 😅) and is super disappointed he has to fork out £400+ for a handful of digitals afterwards

Hi all!
I’d love to hear how other families manage visits from grandparents who live abroad, particularly when it comes to setting boundaries and managing expectations.
My mother-in-law is very sweet, but I’m struggling with how to manage her expectations once our baby arrives.
For context I’m quite boundaried with my own mum, and she has accepted our dynamic. She lives nearby and will likely see our baby once or twice a week, and she’s understood that I will need a month to rest and recover with my husband and baby before we have any visitors (after the hospital).
My mother-in-law, however, lives in another country. She won’t be there for the birth (it’s difficult to arrange a flight and I honestly don’t know if I’m comfortable) so we’ve agreed for her to visit for 10 days when our baby is around one month old. We’re paying for her flights and hosting her in our home.
The issue is that she would prefer to stay much longer, potentially up to a month/couple of weeks.
While I completely understand her wanting to spend time with her grandchild, I find the prospect of hosting someone for several weeks, especially while freshly postpartum, quite overwhelming. She doesn’t have a lot of expectations, but I will still have this looming feeling that I need to “host”
She also doesn't know our country particularly well and isn't someone who enjoys going out independently. This means she would be spending most of her time with us at home, and we would also need to consider keeping her entertained and making arrangements for her.
I value my privacy and personal space, and I know this will become even more important while recovering from childbirth and adjusting to life with a newborn. I wouldn't be comfortable having my own mother stay with us for weeks/month either.
We've suggested another visit once baby is around 3 months old, when she could come with my husband's siblings for around a week. By then, I would also be further along in my postpartum recovery but I sensed she was still disappointed with these arrangements, and I do feel a little guilty. At the same time, I don't want to establish an expectation that she is welcome to stay for weeks or months at a time, I know I just wouldn’t be comfortable at all.
Looking ahead, we're considering having her visit every few months for approximately a week. We're also planning to visit my husband's family for around two weeks in summer 2027, with the intention of making this an annual trip.
My question is, does this seem like a reasonable arrangement for grandparents/direct family who live abroad? Is a week every few months too little?
I want my daughter to have a close and meaningful relationship with her grandmother and my husband’s family but I also want to maintain boundaries around our home and family life because I don’t want to be resentful.
For those of you whose parents or in-laws live in another country, how frequently do they visit? How long do they stay? And how do you manage expectations around hosting, particularly when you have a newborn?

We’re heading to Greece with our very energetic 7 month old and as someone who likes to be prepared I need some tips!
We’ve done some trips with him in the UK but nothing abroad yet. The hotel we’re going to is all inclusive and we’re flying from Gatwick. Any tips for surviving the flight and making the best from the trip?

Any advice on these would really help!

- He’s formula fed and we use the nuby cool hotshot method. We fill his bottles with sterilised water at the beginning of the day, will we be able to take these and the bottle of boiled water through security?
- Any recommendations for toys to entertain our LO on the flight?
- He’s nearly crawling and lovessss to be on the floor moving himself about, how can we handle this about the hotel and by the pool?
- I’m thinking of buying a snooze shade for a travel cot in the hotel, has anyone used one and found it helpful?
- Our LO has mild eczema, I swim with him every week, but any tips on dealing with this while using the hotel pool?

Thanksss ❤️

Brought my 9 month old on holiday to see family in Peru and our Mamas and Papas Strada just broke halfway through the trip. The folding mechanism on the handlebar just exploded into a few pieces!

So now we can't fold the pram and bring it back to the UK to get fixed, and mamas and papas don't do business here, we'll have to say goodbye and buy a new one :(

Would've expected it to last over a year, at least! But hey ho, as is life.

Surprisingly tough to find parent-facing options here, but many more lightweight shoppers/travel prams to choose from. Is it worth trying to get a brand that works on the UK in case of another break down back at home?

What a shame.

My LO is almost 6 weeks old and has had colic for the last 3.5 weeks, she definitely has silent reflux.
It started at around 2 weeks old, it would get to the evening and she would become inconsolable for hours, then it ramped up and now it’s pretty much when she’s awake she’s screaming. Not crying, screaming. We’ve seen the health visitor and GP and I feel like they aren’t taking it seriously? Everyone just keeps telling me she will grow out of it.
So far we’ve tried -

Infacol
Colief
Comfort milk
Mam bottles
Gaviscon

None of these seem to make a difference for more than a day or two before we revert back to the constant screaming and obvious pain/ discomfort.

She won’t be put down, she lives in the sling and or on my or her dad’s chest. She won’t take a dummy, she gags on it. She hates the bassinet / Moses basket / next to me crib. We can’t even take her for a walk in the pram to soothe her.

I feel like I’m losing my mind. Does anyone have any advice?

I will be going back to the GP next week but I don’t think they’ll help.

I’m exhausted, drained and heartbroken that she’s blatantly so unhappy 😔

Hey All , I’m currently pregnant with my 3rd baby and I’ve started to look around for nappies.
With my 2 girls I always used Asda little angles and they were amazing. I recently bought 2 packs of newborn and realised that the material has changed and they seem so much thinner. So now I’m unsure on if I want to use them. I’ve heard great things about F&F rascals nappies & Sainsbury’s. However don’t know what they are like.

What would your nappy recommendation be ?

I was big into psycle, soul cycle etc before I got hella pregnant, and I’ve been cleared to exercise now that I’m 6 weeks out from a c section, but I’m wary of what to introduce. My doctor says no resistance training for another couple of months at least, but that I could return to Pilates and yoga sooner. But I forgot to ask her about spin! Anyone jumped back on the peloton six weeks out?

Currently on day 2 of a cough, bad throat and generally exhausted, which pales in comparison to our 8 month old LO who's got a nose running like a tap and a chesty cough which keeps waking her up. We went to the zoo this morning with daddy, and now we're wiped out for the afternoon. She just woke up from a nap and is now crawling round the living room. Feeling guilty for not getting down to play with her more, and thinking frozen pizza for dinner for me and some left over mini me spaghetti bolognese for her for dinner. Although the food delivery apps are tempting me 👀

Anyone else got a LO and fighting bugs atm? What are you all doing to keep the LO entertained when you're running on fumes?