How crazy did people go for their child’s first birthday?

I know this may get controversial responses, and I completely appreciate and am aware of the fact that others aren’t in a position to go crazy and also that babies don’t need all this just our love attention and to be fed and clothed!
I’m doing a party for my daughter’s 1st birthday and the decorations alone are adding up silly🫣 without factoring in presents. Just want to know I’m not the only one that’s going a little crazy with this😅

in our community

July 27, baby August made his debut!

Coming at you live from the newborn trenches, ladies! Officially into the second week of motherhood, and as difficult as it is, good god was it worth every second of pain (newborn tired is better than pregnancy tired and I will die on that hill)

Excited to connect with other July moms. We got this!! 🩵🫡🫠

C section advise

Im a second time mum and am anxious about the birth.
I am considering a planned C section. I have a (then) just 3 year old and a large dog. I do not have spontaneous childcare nor dogcare and need to plan a lot in advance, thats part of my labour anxiety of not knowing when things start of (ie we do NOT in any way have over night childcare at all as we dont have friends or family where we live right now).

Please can you share your experiences on c section recovery with toddler and dog - the only one to help will be husband, who will be off for 3ish weeks.

I'm UK based and hospital is about 45 mins drive away.

Thanks for easing the mind of one anxious mama!

Am i normal?

I'm 9 months pp. I'm the biggest I've ever been, I am really trying to lose weight but it's not seeming to be shifting. I feel run down, ugly and just like the shell of myself. I love my baby with every part of me but I feel like I'm lost. I don't know my style, I don't know what I enjoy. I don't know what I want to do with what little free time I have.
I'm so burnt out constantly and tired I don't think any amount of sleep will fix me. I feel like I have to rush my way through anything where I'm away from my baby. Constantly comparing my worth to someone else and feeling less because I'm bigger. This is all tied to other people making comments about my weight and almost saying I'm less attractive now.
I feel like I'm failing at everything. I try my best with the housework, cooking nutritious meals and looking after everything and everyone but I'm bored. I feel like its an endless cycle of make food, clean up after making food, laundry, housework, changing nappies, bedtime and then I'm just doomscrolling because i have no capacity, I know my life will never get any easier and I'm living to make sure my baby is well looked after. I want her to have everything I didn't have and more.
I love my husband, my family is ok but we're not close. I don't really have many friends and a lot of the time I feel really alone like I have no one to talk to.
I know my life is good, I have a supportive husband, a nice house (although messy) a beautiful baby so I am grateful but is this normal? Does everyone feel so overwhelmed, burnt out and not sure who they are or what brings them joy? Is this part of motherhood and matrescence or is there something wrong with me?

Cramps and hardening

Morning all. 21 weeks +6 and since last night I've had period-like cramps and more noticeable on/off hardening of my bump. Googling I think it's probably a combination of ligament stretching and Braxton Hicks but I've called midwives just to be safe. They've advised to take paracetamol, rest and see if it eases.
Has anyone else experienced this?

Midwife experience

I had my first booking appointment with a midwife at Whipps Cross last week, and she turned out to be worryingly incompetent. Any views of that hospital?

Sore bump

Does anyone else ever feel like they’ve got a sore belly? Ive woken up this morning and my belly just feels so sore ive felt my son move etc im unsure if i dreamt it or if it was real but i think he couldve been doing a lot of movements in the night. For the first night i actually slept 9:30-2:30 instead of 11:30🤣