NBR (Not baby related)

DiFazette · January 2017

I thought I'd make a post that isn't specific to our babes. We all have or will be (looking at you @PensiveCrayon and @maamawaabangi) looking for some self care, workout, eating, life suggestions as life goes on after babies, too. Ask away for advice/suggestions on your NBR questions.

slartybartfast · January 2017

Anyone else having a really hard time controlling their post partum appetite? I know it's to support all the milk production but mine is above and beyond...

zubenescamali · January 2017

@slartybartfast mine took about 3 days to come back after birth but since then I am ravenous. I've been trying to eat a lot of protein but it's not lasting and i find myself reaching for what is there- case in point I've eaten 4 cookies and 2 slices of cake today, on top of second lunch. Carrot cake, so at least it had microscopic vegetables.
I find I have to eat every two to three hours or else I find myself standing in Target dizzy and lightheaded wondering how I'm going to make it out of the store without passing out (yesterday).

fauxpa-2 · January 2017

I too have been starving. I've been trying to get my supply up the last two days and have noticed a marked increase in my appetite. I'm trying to eat as healthy as possible, but like @zubenescamali, it has pretty much just turned into shoving into my mouth whatever is handy.

DiFazette · January 2017

Help a girl find some jeans! I'm 5'2" so I need petite cut or ankle length. I'm down 30+ lbs since before this pregnancy and none of my pants fit. I used to shop a ton at Loft but their pants aren't made for my body... where do you LOVE? I've got a pretty classic hourglass shape... very hard to find well fitting pants when you aren't straight up and down. Not looking to spend too much (no high end designers).

karmba · January 2017

@DiFazette have you tried Levi's? I'm about your height and they work well for me.

+1 to the whole starving thing. And I've been eating junk. I'm hoping once the current stuff we have is gone I won't buy more. But that's very wishful thinking.

DiFazette · January 2017

@karmba not in a long time but they did use to work for me... thanks!

cayaylonglegs · January 2017

I am always hungry now. always.

@DiFazette - The only jeans that work for my 5'0 and hourglass figure are petite jeans from Express. I usually get them on sale/clearance though.

I've been toiling over going back to school in the next year to finish my nursing degree. If you were going back to school how long would you wait after having a baby? We can afford it, I'm mainly concerned about time commitment.

Christinaruth74 · January 2017

The Denizen line by Levi's at Target are my favorite. The pair I love the most has an elastic waistband but are still more of a jean material than a lightweight jegging. They hold their shape really well and are so comfy!

DiFazette · January 2017

Christinaruth74 said:

The Denizen line by Levi's at Target are my favorite. The pair I love the most has an elastic waistband but are still more of a jean material than a lightweight jegging. They hold their shape really well and are so comfy!

Extra credit goes to @Christinaruth74 for jeans with an elastic waistband! My hip 27 year old self is rolling in her grave at my previous sentence. Ohhhh.... mom life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

maamawaabangi · January 2017

@cayaylonglegs I guess it depends what the program is like and how driven you want to be... personally, I'd wait until they are at least 18-24 mon... but that's me. I really like being with my kids and want them to avoid childcare... but I know others arent wired that way.

BabyRobbinsAdventure · January 2017

@cayaylonglegs I'm stuck in a scholarship/cohort so I'm enrolled for spring already. Granted it's two nights a week and have DH lined up to watch her those evenings. I'm concerned about the writing papers/research time commitment more than physically being at class. If I could take time away from the program I would

yellingbanana · January 2017

@DiFazette I'm also shortish (5' 3") and have also lost 30 lbs, with 25 lbs left to go (sigh). I find that Calvin clein jeans work best for my shape, I've got a butt and thighs. I usually try to buy them at Costco when they carry them, they run about $30 at my Costco. But for now, I'm wearing my maternity pants until I can squeeze into my jeans again.

+1 more to the crazy appetite. I have been eating lightly in the morning, and then around noon-2 I feel like I'm about to pass out. There have been a couple of close calls, I start to feel dizzy and ravenous and have to shove food in my mouth as quickly as possible so I don't pass out.

DiFazette · January 2017

@yellingbanana score! We just got a Costco membership since we're using their formula. Do they run true to size? Though I guess I don't know what my size is now.... but ninfitting rooms makes me nervous.

tinattt23 · January 2017

I'm also on the short side (5'0"). I'm loving the newer skinny jeans style that are only supposed to be ankle length. They actually fit like normal jeans. I like Lucky's but only buy them on sale.

slartybartfast · January 2017

@zubenescamali and @Fauxpa sounds like we have the same menu. I told myself 2 weeks before I'd worry about it but my gut will simply not be ignored. Ugh.

@DiFazette I have the opposite figure but gap jeans are always too short and curvy for me so maybe they'd work for you?

i just wore the denizen jeans @Christinaruth74 posted about today. They are all that fit due to their awesome stretch and yet they do somehow maintain structure too...

jennbaylor12 · January 2017

Not me on the appetite, in fact quite the opposite. I now find hours and hours going by with me having not eaten a thing... :-/

@DiFazette - another vote for Target jeans. I also like Express

@cayaylonglegs - DH started grad school when DS was 4wks old, crazy. Buuut, the reason we decided to do that is that he is now finished and DS doesn't remember a thing. We didn't want him to miss out on life when DS would remember him always studying. Just our preference

yellingbanana · January 2017

@cayaylonglegs I went back to school 5 years ago when DD2 was 8 weeks old. We actually managed to time her birth between getting my AA and before starting my BA/teaching cert program. But DD1 was 5 years old. The 5 yr old did better than DD2, DD2 suffered because I was always trying to do homework instead of being a good mommy and interacting with her. DD2 is fine now, the program was almost 3 years long. She is in Kindergarten and at or above grade level, and great social skills. But she had a rough toddlerhood for sure.

DiFazette · January 2017

Anyone have a robotic vacuum (think roomba)? I've got some Christmas cash and I could save myself hours per week with one of those suckers. A dog that sheds like mad, a preschooler that must have a dirt magnet hidden somewhere inside him and a husband who is a sloppy (yet wonderful cook) leaves our floors disgusting if I don't clean them at least 5 times per week. Expensive to see if it will work though. Any opinions?

If no advice on the vacuum.... how do those of you with large families stay on top of housework? Laundry gets done daily and that is not a struggle but more the sweeping/vacuuming that's killing me.

tinattt23 · January 2017

@DiFazette My mom has a roomba knock off. I think it's called iLife or something? It's eh. She still has to vacuum weekly but it keeps the day to day dog hair under control. She has issues with it getting stuck in certain areas, so it depends on your setup, too. I'm on the fence about getting one ourselves. Waiting to see if they go on sale enough to make it worth it.

capps42613 · January 2017

Since having DS & none of my pre-pregnancy jeans fit me now, I've gotten a few pairs at Target too.

Sharkey · January 2017

@cayaylonglegs I went back to school when my kiddo was 18m. It worked out well since he had a predictable schedule and was STTN. I was able to knock out any writing/homework after bedtime.

My appetite isn't insane but I waa grazing all day long. Now that I've cut out dairy, I'm starving.

sourlemon · January 2017

@cayaylonglegs not me but DH started his masters when I was pregnant with dd1. He finished 2 weeks ago. Dd1 is 2.5 and dd2 was 2 weeks old.

Not gonna lie... It was so so hard for the last 3 years. I had to do most of the parenting and housework (and we both work full time). Our marriage kinda became back burner to school and parenting but obviously wasn't horrible (we did make another baby!). HOWEVER....dd1 won't really remember that daddy was busy all the time, she won't realize we didn't go to the zoo often, she won't remember...so for that it was worth it getting done when she was so little.

I'd recommend talking with your DH about division of labor. Have realistic expectations for housework, dinners, kids activities (who gives baths, gets kid to bed, etc), and adult time. A major reason my marriage became frustrating was DH was staying up until midnight every night for homework...I was going to bed at 9. Makes sex hard. But he did that so he could have the after work/dinner/bedtime with the kiddo.

sourlemon · January 2017

I have the opposite appetite problem! After breakfast, I could go all day without feeling hungry. This has led to unintentionally skipping meals.

DH goes back to work and dd1 goes back to daycare tomorrow...I'm hoping I can get myself on a better schedule. I start part time work from home in 2 weeks and return to the office in 6. Ick it's gone so fast.

ea301 · January 2017

Re: appetite, I am with you non-hungry mamas. I actually need to be reminded to eat some days.

@DiFazette i am considered petite too at 5'3" and I get most of my jeans from ebay. I can usually find designer jeans that have already been hemmed for super cheap. To find what would fit, I just went to Nordstrom to try on new jeans to see what brands fit, then scoured ebay for those brands and styles.

slartybartfast · January 2017

Fixed the appetite problem... with the stomach flu. Barf and diarrhea galore

one thing id caution with in deciding how to move forward with school/work is using the idea that LO's won't remember - while that's true these are super formative years that contribute to how LO Responds to things for the rest of their life. DS was super ready to socialize and learn in daycare around 18 months in our case

sourlemon · January 2017

@slartybartfast that's true that these are super important years. My kid was in daycare. So socializing was happening. I'd say the biggest impact it had on dd1 (which may have happened that way anyways) is that she's a super daddy's girl. Maybe because he wasn't around as much for the every day type of stuff...and also because I was/am the discipline person.

slartybartfast · January 2017

Yea it's a complicated decision and depends on the family and the care available- no one size fits all. But whatever feels right, there are windows for development of different things and many of them close by 2- many others by 5- some deal with parent-child dynamic and sense of security- so yea it just depends on how things balance out for a household and how much you trust the care provider.

as we all know now, many of our reactions and mental/emotional dispositions in life are based on chemical responses in the brain and there can be little we can do to change them after those windows close so we are left with developing ways to cope or work with perhaps less helpful patterns in ourselves. A lot of these are set in those first few years - some even influenced in utero. This is why the wailing babies in the infant rooms at the daycares around us make me so unsettled. And why the lack of developmentally critical sleep that comes from overly structured (and short) nap times was such a worry of mine with DS

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jandd2014 · January 2017

@DiFazette DH got me a Roomba for Christmas. He got the 860 model (mid-range model) and we ran it for a few days and then he took it back and got the 980 (I think the fanciest one they make). We run it on the laminate in the kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway and over the rugs in those areas. It does great! We tried it on the carpet in the family room and I think the dog hair overwhelmed it, but we hadn't vacuumed in a week. Maybe if we ran it every day over the carpet it would do better. The reason DH went back for the better one is because its more powerful, it will go back and recharge itself, and it does a much better job of vacuuming in a pattern to get everywhere (the first one we got seemed to move around more randomly).

Kacie209 · January 2017

Since giving birth, my appetite has decreased a lot. I find that I also can't eat as much as i get full much faster. A plus? IDK, but the scale has been stuck at the same number since I dropped a lot in the 2 weeks after birth (which a lot was fluid retention). So, not eating as much obviously doesn't help me lose weight. Go figure. I usually just skip breakfast and TRY to get some sort of healthier snack in between lunch and supper.

Old Navy has some elastic band jeans, their RockStar Jeggings. I bought a jean color one and a pair in black before I found out I was PG, and these worked with the bloat that I was feeling at the time. I have yet to put them back on since my hips grew so much, but were comfy! And, cost is great too.

Christinaruth74 · January 2017

Elastic waistbands are the new Mom Jean. *high fives all around*

dmontgo · January 2017

Had to add Ashton's SS to our old insurance for tax purposes---saw the total bill for *just* his NICU stay: $56,000. With my stay, the birth, the circumcision, my medications and specialists, and then the frequent OB appointments---about $100k just to have my son and eventually bring him home.

Fortunately I had 2 insurances and paid about $3k total, which is completely paid off now.

Just so crazy and sad that it costs that much. Thankful I had insurance or I would be in debt until I die!

DiFazette · January 2017

@dmontgo amen to that!! My bills were INSANE from DS1. I just peeked at a few line items on the twins EOB and they are charging nearly $7k for 'nursery care' for each. What nursery? They stayed with me the whole freaking time! Of course I don't pay that, but no wonder insurance is so inflated. $14k in charges that are completely unjustifiable for the hospital doing NOTHING. The doctors that saw them bill their own hours so it's not even from that!

Sharkey · January 2017

I was charged for "oral hygiene instruction" by my pediatric dentist. Really? I'm an old bat and know how to brush teeth I don't need your instruction or your dumb bill

dmontgo · January 2017

@DiFazette $100k for the hospital to make me OD (fortunately not fatally) on magnesium. I found out recently that the paralysis I experienced and inability to open my eyes and my other symptoms were indeed caused by ODing, which really freaks me out.

Good job, none of you.

brittnic86 · January 2017

@DiFazette on the house work, ha I seriously try to sweep from our room, down the hall, and around the front room daily, but it will sometimes just end up in a pile behind the broom, in a corner, until I get around to actually getting it to the trash. We have two dogs, three cats, and a backyard that is currently mostly mud. Ugh. I want a roomba for sure. I usually really only get a good cleaning in once a week on the weekends.

DiFazette · January 2017

@dmontgo I'm sorry... I thought my lazy eyes for days were bad... they overprescribed you so severely you were paralyzed. That's some scary stuff. We're all happy you're okay now. The emotional scars from your labor/delivery will slowly heal over time, I promise.

PharmDMom · January 2017

My appetite is normal, and I'm eating about the same as I did pre pregnancy, but with 15 lbs to lose, I'm gonna have to cut calories if I'm gonna get the weight off. I hate dieting. After each kid I lose about half the weight I gained then have to work to get the rest off. And with three kiddos now, there is literally no time for exercise. So cutting calories is my only option. Booooooo.

I am 5'4" and typically splurge on jeans bc I cannot seem to find ones that fit unless they're more high end. So my go to brands are Big Star, Buckle, or Silver. They usually cost a pretty penny ($75-$125) but last long and fit well.

dmontgo · January 2017

@DiFazette Thank you. It does get a little easier everyday, though I do have bad days sometimes.

brittnic86 · January 2017

Ohhh I got one that's been bugging me. How long is too long for hair length? My hair is the longest it's been since I was 17. I just turned 30. I kept it fairly short, above my shoulders or even chin length at times, for several years. And I would go through phases of cutting it, then growing it out past my shoulders. But it hasn't been this long since high school. It's gotten fairly curly over the last couple years, and honestly it's pretty low maintenance because all I do is throw some mousse in it after I get out of the shower. Very rarely do I take the time to dry and straighten it. I just can't decide if I should keep it this length, or let it go longer...or is there like a certain age when you shouldn't have really long hair anymore? lol I know that sounds silly, but I swear it's a thing or something.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/b5/o0zkq6qcuiqs.jpg

PensiveCrayon · January 2017

@brittnic86 I think long hair has no age limit and yours is SUPER gorg! I would totally grow it longer if I were you, but that's personal preference.

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