To my gay & queer fam:

What’s your fave media rn? Songs/artists, books, poets, TV shows, podcasts, anything! I don’t live in a very gay-friendly area & I’m really missing my community 💔

in our community

Extending maternity leave beyond a year

I’m due to go back to work in June and my baby to nursery after a year off (I work in the nursery she’ll be attending).I can’t claim funding for her until September so considering now staying off with her until then.

Does anyone know how this works? Am I entitled to just tell them I’m doing this or is it something that can be refused now my maternity leave and 52 weeks leave entitlement is up?

What’s a cheap little gift you could buy for anyone. The only thing I could think of is a scratch off lottery. What else is there?

I’ll take any ideas?

Relationship

Mamas, one of the fights I had with my husband, he told me he never will let me leave e with my baby because he said I don’t responsibility. I’m from another country and he’s American. We are okay now, but his phrase it’s in my head, because if anything happen, he can take my baby away !! That’s isn’t fucked up ? Should I just forgive and see what will happen ?

Contraception mini pill or implant

I’ve got phone call with nurse about discussing different contraception and idk whether to go for the mini pill or the implant. Could anyone give me the pros and cons of each, even better if been on both before

I need friends

I need help. I need someone who I can just hang out with or that can come over so we can do parenting together. My husband works 12+ hours a day 6 days a week and I am so SO lonely!! I just want to cry everyday and I dread waking up every morning. Anyone in the Durham/Raleigh NC area?

Low mood and identity crisis

I'm 12 weeks PP with my second and I'm starting to struggle a bit emotionally.
I have a great husband who is incredibly supportive, but we've been bickering a lot recently amongst managing 2 under 2, and I don't feel very close with him right now. I have no friends, and i rarely see my family due to distance and them working full time, and even when they do visit it's just a polite catch up, I don't really feel close with them anymore. I see other people I know out doing things, going for drinks or going on days out or trips away or spending time with people, and I don't do any of that, literally, nothing. I've tried mum and baby groups but everyone already seems to be friends and I find it uncomfortable inserting myself into preexisting friendships.
I feel completely disconnected from the rest of the world, and very lonely.
I love my children so much and I love being their mother, and I'm functioning day to day just fine. I keep myself presentable, I get outside to exercise, I eat well, I care for my children and maintain the house. But that's all I am. I just seem to exist for this at the moment and nothing else. I feel completely paused or in limbo, idk. Im exhausted so I'm often stressed and overstimulated and frustrated, and I do sometimes question if I'm a good wife or mother, or even a good person if I can't seem to make any friends.
Does anyone else feel this way? I don't think it's depression, it feels very situational, but it's just a struggle right now. I feel quite down and lost about it. While I'm incredibly grateful for my life and my beautiful children and husband, right now, apart from when I see my children happy and smiling, I wouldn't say I'm really enjoying life, I'm just getting through it. At the same time, it doesn't seem serious enough to actually share with anyone else, it would feel too dramatic, certainly not anyone professional. I don't feel close enough to anyone to talk to about this, really. I guess this might help, just sharing some experiences here.