For infants, The Wonder Weeks (and the app) were everything for me.  It was so helpful to know when my kiddo was going through a “leap,” when the worst of it would be, and when the clouds would part.  It was also awesome to know what was happening to her brain and how her world was changing...with tips to help her…

Yes, that’s why I mentioned her parents’ other connections. The whole circle the Kardashians ran with was well-connected, but it was her appearances as Paris’s assistant on The Simple Life, as well as appearances in tabloids/gossip blogs accompanying Paris places that sparked Kim’s launch to fame. Then she followed…

She was born both wealthy and fame-adjacent. The Kardashians would not have been famous had Kim not been friends with Paris Hilton and worked as her assistant. I am sure her parents’ other connections helped too.

Because people with delusions of “internet celebrity” use their children as marketing tools and lure for followers. I have unfollowed so many people lately - most of whom I started following as fitness accounts when they were pregnant at the same time as me. The things these people post of their now toddlers are…

Generally, we don’t put our daughter on social media. My husband doesn’t use it and I have a private instagram account with about 30 followers, all friends and family. I posted a few photos during her first year and some stories from our vacation. Since she turned 1, I haven’t posted anything. Other than that, we have…

I give up caffeine while pregnant.  As another poster mentioned, higher amounts have been associated with low birth weight and increased risk of early miscarriage.  Caffeine while pregnant, even in safe amounts, also gives me extreme anxiety.  All the hormonal changes make me anxious enough already, so adding caffeine…

“and haven’t pooped in two days.” Congrats on your pregnancy, lol! 

Blah, I always forget I am gray here! :-(

I know everyone loves to mock everything even remotely Goop-adjacent, but the book The Postnatal Depletion Cure really helped me recover from my first pregnancy. I found it later on in my postpartum experience, but it does have good information about the period immediately postpartum. While most of the book is more…

My beef with this book is that I still don’t get the “why” of Scientology after reading it. Like there is so much horrible shit...why do these people put up with it? In most cults the leader has brainwashed people into believing he is God, or has a direct and only path to God and salvation.  That doesn’t seem to the…

Yes, I think this is what is happening too.  If she was dead, then they could just say she died, make up some cause, and use the sympathy to further elevate Miscavage.  Instead, she is alive and being held somewhere either against her will or through intense mental manipulation and abuse (that’s Scientology 101).  

Also, as to your first scenario, studies have shown that hand expressing after feedings (not pump expressing) is actually more beneficial for increasing both milk supply and the fat content in milk.  I read that a couple of weeks ago and thought it was pretty interesting (and a lot easier than getting the whole pump…

I agree there is no one approach for anyone. I just think most women are not receiving great advice on the supply/demand nature of breastfeeding. For example, many women think (or are told by pediatricians) that they need to supplement with formula when their newborn is cluster feeding, when this is fundamentally bad…

Mine took 12 months and even after that it was hit or miss for a while. I think people are set up to have very unrealistic expectations about infant sleep, particularly if they are breastfeeding. Sleeping “through the night” for a child under 6 months actually means about 5-8 (some sources say 8) hours. If your child…

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the “shift” advice is not good advice for breastfeeding mothers, especially during the first several months when supply is being established. It is important to nurse on demand to allow your body to create the correct amount of breastmilk and establish the right supply for…

Also kinja won’t let me edit so the result is a million unfixable typos.  WTF.  

I feel like this is missing some logical connectors. Maybe the a lot parents who did not plan for childcare did plan for how much they would drink and did not plan to be hungover, thus obviating the need for childcare. This needs a question that “if you planned on how much you would drink, what did you plan? Did you…

Thiiiissssss. I am a generous tipper. I don’t agree with the system that requires tipping, but I do it. However, even I am now getting tip-related fatigue and anxiety.

I was curious about this too. I thought paraffin was problematic, but soy and beeswax were not. They also do not seem to mention the material of the wick. I think it as much as 30% of wicks still contain lead, even though it is banned and they claim to be lead-free. Plus, the continuing pox that is artificial…

I saw a Chip and Joanna Gaines...