postpartum periods

ok kinda embarrassing but has anyone had an issue with their periods after having babies where tampons just don’t work anymore? like it’s not falling out but it’s also not doing anything, blood just leaks right past it. i hate pads but it’s like i have no other choice right now??

in our community

Nursery help please!!!!

I’m due to return to work from maternity leave in January 2027 and I’m DREADING IT, he’ll be 1. I just feel so bad for him, I have such a clingy baby and I think he’s going to think I’ve abandoned him 😭 we co-sleep, is exclusively breastfed (won’t take a bottle / dummy but will sometimes have small amounts of pumped milk in a cup with straw) and I’m the only one who can put him down for naps (fed to sleep) and then I roll away. Not even his dad can put him to sleep (he falls asleep with rocking but wakes the moment he touched the mattress when transferred).

I’ve never spent more than 2 hours away from him (2-3 times). We don’t have any family or friends who can look after the baby to even practice him being away from us.

In an ideal world I would wait for him to go to nursery when he is able to talk and understand that I’m not leaving him forever and I’ll be coming back, the thought of it breaks me!

I’m already struggling with mental health (post natal depression and anxiety). I’m considering taking a career break (if my work will let me), or staying off sick for a few months or paying back my enhanced maternity pay (£9000) and leaving the company! Money will be very tight but this could work for around 6 months.

I don’t know what to do, any suggestions or experience would be appreciated!

Thanks xxx

Co-Sleeping

Anybody been co-sleeping at night? I’ve started letting my little one sleep in the bed with us after the early morning feed around 4/5am till 8when she wakes up for the day.

Any tips or experiences?

Keeping Baby Entertained

How are we all keeping our baby’s entertained? My girlie’s wake windows are sometimes up to 2 hours now, and I’m out of things to do😭😂

We practice tummy time, stretches to encourage rolling, reading, singing nursery rhymes, etc. But she only ever lasts a few minutes before getting frustrated, she must think I’m boring😂😂

Ps she also hates her pram so walks aren’t really an option unless she’s in her carrier, but if she’s not tired she gets mad in there too😂

NAPS (again)

I asked the other day how many of you have dropped to 1 nap already, everywhere is saying 11 months is too young but my god daytime sleep is a battle at the minute. How did you know it was time to drop one?

For the last week and a bit she has refused every single morning nap, then passes out about mid day for an hour. Because of this I have been doing bedtime around 5:30/6 instead of 7 and for the most part she will sleep until 6:30am.

The thing is she seems exhausted all day doing this, but I cannot get her to sleep any earlier and by the time she wakes up it's too late to fit in another nap before bedtime because she's not got enough sleep pressure at her normal bed time.

I know there's a sleep regression around this age, she also seems to be getting some more teeth, and is trying so hard to walk so is this her needing to change her wake windows and drop to a single nap or is it just temporary because of one of the above reasons - and how do you know which it is?

My mom died, feels like my kids mom did

My mom died a month ago. She was a huge part of my life, and was there for me every time I needed her without question. She died unexpectedly from a stroke, and since then I feel like I'm in a life I don't recognize.

I see no light at the end of the tunnel. I see a life without the person who loved me most. And now my kids get this shell of a person as their mom. I feel no joy, i cry and I'm angry. The kind of mom no one really cries over. Nothing like my own.

If you've been through this please tell me it gets easier. That one day you wake up not wanting to just go back to sleep.

HOW are we waking our newborns?!

I'm trying to not go longer than 3 hours inbetween breastfeeds as my baby is not back to birthweight and my boobs are feeling quite engorged.

I'm having such a hard time waking my baby up for feeds and everything I'm reading online is about newborns feeding constantly, mine feels like the opposite?

I've tried changing, stripping down, cold water on belly, ticking feet, blowing, placing on a cold changing mat, talking, moving. It's taking me around 20 minutes to wake.

Surely this isn't normal. I'm worried I won't even make it to 8 feeds today.