Question about the expectant moms forum

[Anonymous]

I understand the logic behind merging expectant moms with postpartum issues, but it seems like people are increasingly posting stuff in that forum that would be better in general parenting. Questions about what to buy for a 4-month-old baby. To me, postpartum issues would be physical things that the mom is experiencing in the 6-8 weeks after birth that are generally considered the recovery period. Stuff related to shopping for a baby who is well outside the newborn period would not be postpartum issues, nor would be weaning an older baby/toddler. I wasn't pregnant when postpartum got included in this, so I don't know what the criteria was. I know I am being nitpicky, but can you explain?

[jsteele]

The idea of including postpartum issues in Expectant Moms was not my idea, but one suggested by users. As such, I don't actually have a clear idea of where the division between Expectant Moms and General Parenting should be. I have been kind of leaving that to users. When they report threads that are in the wrong place, I move them. There will obviously be a gray area and people will have different opinions, there will always be some disagreement. I agree that weaning doesn't belong there.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for this. I will report stuff that I think is in the wrong place, then. I think that it's possible that people would get more traction for their questions about their 4-month-old if the questions were posted somewhere where people had 4-month-olds, rather than the place where people are 4 months pregnant or 4 months from delivery.

[Anonymous]

I was the (or one of the) poster that campaigned for getting 'postpartum' included in EM because it seemed like there wasn't a natural place to ask those questions. When I was in that period I never knew if I should post in medical or health but when I did I didn't get many responses.

I was thinking of the stuff you mention, physical and mental effects of birth. I don't really think any 'baby' stuff should be in there at all, even newborn stuff. The only stuff that I think kind of crosses into baby stuff is some early breastfeeding issues which can definitely be the result of physical postpartum symptoms but those questions usually have no problem finding answers in GP or EM.

I would just report things you don't think belong. I am no longer a postpartum mom but am once again an expectant mom so I haven't been paying as much attention as I did then! I will try to watch and report too when I'm in there.

[Anonymous]

I'm a new FTM and I'll admit to being confused as to where I should post (for example, is returning to work after maternity leave jobs and careers or postpartum or general parenting?). It's nice to have some guidance where these issues belong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a new FTM and I'll admit to being confused as to where I should post (for example, is returning to work after maternity leave jobs and careers or postpartum or general parenting?). It's nice to have some guidance where these issues belong.

I'm the PP who suggested postpartum moms.

I would think that would belong in careers or general parenting, probably general parenting but it would depend on the issue. I think of postpartum as things like recovering from a c section or an episiotomy, dealing with post partum depression, wondering about when bleeding is supposed to stop. The idea in my mind is that general parenting is mostly about the kid, or how you're dealing with the kid/interacting with the kid. Expectant moms is about the mom, how the mom is experiencing pregnancy, so postpartum follows that and is dealing with the mom's physical and mental wellbeing post birth. I don't think this needs to be confined to the 6-8 weeks though. A woman dealing with prolapse 2 years after a birth might post to speak with other moms dealing with pelvic floor damage. But I do think that things that are just dealing with having a kid, which going to work deals with IMO, those should be in general parenting or another forum.