In your defense, I don’t think I’d be down for eating crawfish in that state, even as a crawfish enthusiast.

YESSSSS I was wondering if anyone else collected these. My mom started buying all 4+ Barbie ornaments Hallmark put out each year when I was in my early teens, and I later bought a bunch of the older ones on eBay, so I have more than enough to do a full Barbie tree. I was so excited when Hallmark resigned with Mattel…

I love this. My mom started a collection of the Hallmark Barbie ornaments for me when I was in my early teens, and I later filled out my collection with most of the earlier ones from eBay. Since they release at least four each year, I have enough to have a 100% Barbie Christmas tree. It is both crazy and amazing if I…

Very true. We wound up with a baby who wouldn’t sleep flat for the first three months. Luckily our cat was very appreciative of her new bassinet.

I really can’t say enough good things about it - it has made my life SO much easier over the past six months (and my husband’s, and our nanny’s). Congratulations and good luck with the little one!

We live in a very hilly area and I strongly prefer to use the carrier when I am out and about. We had to get a car seat anyway, so we went for the travel system stroller, and that thing is heavy - pushing it up a hill is a full body workout. But yeah, I think you can totally get by with just a carrier, especially if…

The one “luxury” that I would not trade for anything is my Kiinde Twist set - it allows you to use just about any breast pump to pump directly into storage bags, freeze them flat in the caddy, warm them from frozen in a specially designed warmer, and then pop them right into the bottle casing so all you have to wash…

I totally agree with this. Also, it’s not like getting an IUD removed is some drawn out procedure. The doctor literally pulls it out of you - two seconds and it’s over and your fertility is back immediately (usually). I mean, God forbid women should own their decision to have children (and enter into parenthood…

Ever Friday after my daughter goes to bed, I pop open a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate having made it through another week.. Not saying I never drink on other nights, but knowing that I have that little celebratory ritual to look forward to definitely help me get through the tougher weeks.

I’d have shotgunned it as everyone looked on. #yolo

Thank you for being a voice of reason here. I was one of those women who went from low risk to high risk in the blink of an eye, when my baby’s heartbeat started halving every time I had a contraction (plus meconium, plus the cord around her neck, albeit fairly loosely). It is because I was in the hospital and had a…

I felt the same way, and I think because my expectations were so low I actually had a really wonderful labor and birth experience despite having some complications that nearly necessitated a C-section. Part of it was that my doctors were great and really advocated for me in a way that is more often ascribed to…

Wow, I had no idea that particular set of complications was so common - there are now three of us on this thread not counting OP’s wife.

I had the same thing happen too. I was able to give birth vaginally in an operating room while very closely monitored, but knowing an emergency c-section was moments away if necessary gave me peace of mind. It’s great that his wife was able to deliver naturally, but that is by no means a given in this type of…

I had exactly the same complications as your wife when I had my daughter - cord wrapped around her neck, meconium, and heart rate dropping (halving actually) with every contraction - and all I can say is that if I had only had a midwife to get me through that, I would have lost my damn mind. Those are serious…

I agree. I was one of those magical pregnancy unicorns who felt great and had zero complications for my entire 42(!) week pregnancy - I would have been a prime candidate for a birthing center. But when I went into active labor, my baby’s heartbeat randomly started halving every time I had a contraction, and I wound up…

True. TBH I’d assumed their US offices were in Silicon Valley, but they are in New York, which makes this a bigger deal, since CA has fairly progressive maternity leave benefits that are covered by the state, while New York does not.

Flex work sounds amazing! I shouldn’t complain, I’m also salaried and I have the ability to work remotely for a day or two here and there during the holidays. We live far from both our families, though, so coordinating our travel felt more stressful than usual because of it.

Me too. There will be no extended Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks this year because I don’t have any PTO left!

I’m kind of surprised that’s legal, TBH. How do they enforce it? Do they make pregnant ladies sign a contract or something?