Anonymous
Post 02/24/2024 13:49     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Keep your distance.
Do not contradict.

LIFE will impose natural consequences.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2024 13:00     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
I’m laughing so hard at this elimination communication with a 7 week old in my arms. They poop and pee in their sleep…. I mean…
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 12:52     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My little sister (4yrs younger) is my best friend. She is is 38 weeks pregnant and is going absolutely insane. She flipped out because someone bought her polyester socks and those weren't on the registry. Someone gave her some used clothes and she tossed everything that was neutral colors as well as anything with snaps. She thinks she isn't going to use diapers at all because she is going to do elimination communication. She even bought "chaps" for baby so they can begin potty training right after birth. Someone bought her the hatch sound machine and is so worried about the EMFS that she has decided to not use it. She has even started to read anti-vaccine parenting books.

I try so hard to just nod my had and smile but it is getting so bad, it is to the point I don't even know how to support her because everything I do or say is wrong. I offer to door dash a meal and she says no because she is eating certain food for her uterus, and doesn't want take out. I offer to buy some sleepers for baby, but she only wants these $50 organic sleepers, so I can only buy one. She will ask me to come over and help, but I am so scared of saying or suggesting the wrong things, it is like walking on eggshells.


Wait wait what is elimination communication and there are baby chaps?


They’re basically pants with no crotch (you just cut the crotch out of sweatpants). Legwarmers are much easier. They make infant sized training pants.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 12:24     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My little sister (4yrs younger) is my best friend. She is is 38 weeks pregnant and is going absolutely insane. She flipped out because someone bought her polyester socks and those weren't on the registry. Someone gave her some used clothes and she tossed everything that was neutral colors as well as anything with snaps. She thinks she isn't going to use diapers at all because she is going to do elimination communication. She even bought "chaps" for baby so they can begin potty training right after birth. Someone bought her the hatch sound machine and is so worried about the EMFS that she has decided to not use it. She has even started to read anti-vaccine parenting books.

I try so hard to just nod my had and smile but it is getting so bad, it is to the point I don't even know how to support her because everything I do or say is wrong. I offer to door dash a meal and she says no because she is eating certain food for her uterus, and doesn't want take out. I offer to buy some sleepers for baby, but she only wants these $50 organic sleepers, so I can only buy one. She will ask me to come over and help, but I am so scared of saying or suggesting the wrong things, it is like walking on eggshells.


Wait wait what is elimination communication and there are baby chaps?


No idea about the chaps but elimination communication is loosely: figure out what triggers your baby’s poops (and pee sometimes) — like do they make scrunchy face, always poop right after nursing, etc — and hold them over a toilet when they do that so they always associate pooping with going potty. It’s a good way to get really young toddlers potty trained (or at least not in need of diapers) very quickly but requires a LOT of caregiver attention. I can’t imagine it working with a newborn though — they pee every 5 seconds basically. One of my kids had terrible diaper rash so we’d have naked days sometimes and I learn very quickly to drape myself in cloth diapers while she was nursing.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 12:02     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:You just wait OP and watch parenthood show her whose boss lol


This. Some day she'll likely look back and laugh (or have totally forgot) about her choices. I know I do.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 11:39     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
All you can do is support her. I would caution you and her partner that she sounds like a prime candidate for post partum if she's displaying this level of anxiety and control already.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 11:38     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Some of this doesn't matter at all - sorting through hand-me-downs and only keeping what you like is perfectly fine.

Some of it reads a bit like PPA, but you can only keep an eye on it and broach the topic with her partner after the baby comes if it doesn't bet better to make sure that her doctor is aware.

The anti-vax stuff is terrifying but there's a lot of literature that shows that people who believe in conspiracy theory stuff (which this is) are not swayed by facts and instead further retrenched in their views. So I don't know what to tell you about that one.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 11:34     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:My little sister (4yrs younger) is my best friend. She is is 38 weeks pregnant and is going absolutely insane. She flipped out because someone bought her polyester socks and those weren't on the registry. Someone gave her some used clothes and she tossed everything that was neutral colors as well as anything with snaps. She thinks she isn't going to use diapers at all because she is going to do elimination communication. She even bought "chaps" for baby so they can begin potty training right after birth. Someone bought her the hatch sound machine and is so worried about the EMFS that she has decided to not use it. She has even started to read anti-vaccine parenting books.

I try so hard to just nod my had and smile but it is getting so bad, it is to the point I don't even know how to support her because everything I do or say is wrong. I offer to door dash a meal and she says no because she is eating certain food for her uterus, and doesn't want take out. I offer to buy some sleepers for baby, but she only wants these $50 organic sleepers, so I can only buy one. She will ask me to come over and help, but I am so scared of saying or suggesting the wrong things, it is like walking on eggshells.


Wait wait what is elimination communication and there are baby chaps?
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 11:31     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:My little sister (4yrs younger) is my best friend. She is is 38 weeks pregnant and is going absolutely insane. She flipped out because someone bought her polyester socks and those weren't on the registry. Someone gave her some used clothes and she tossed everything that was neutral colors as well as anything with snaps. She thinks she isn't going to use diapers at all because she is going to do elimination communication. She even bought "chaps" for baby so they can begin potty training right after birth. Someone bought her the hatch sound machine and is so worried about the EMFS that she has decided to not use it. She has even started to read anti-vaccine parenting books.

I try so hard to just nod my had and smile but it is getting so bad, it is to the point I don't even know how to support her because everything I do or say is wrong. I offer to door dash a meal and she says no because she is eating certain food for her uterus, and doesn't want take out. I offer to buy some sleepers for baby, but she only wants these $50 organic sleepers, so I can only buy one. She will ask me to come over and help, but I am so scared of saying or suggesting the wrong things, it is like walking on eggshells.

I think all you can do is honor her wishes to the extent it’s manageable for you. If she wants the organic sleepers and that means you buy one instead of four, buy one. I would just want to preserve the relationship. At 38 weeks she is likely not open to any criticism or advice she doesn’t ask for. The thing that would scare me most is the anti-vax stuff, and I’d be hoping that when she’s in the thick of things she’d seek my advice.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 11:14     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Former nanny here--doing EC make potty training MUCH easier later on because they know what the toilet is and aren't afraid of it.


This is also easily accomplished by not always closing the door when you need to pee and little ones are around.
You can also teach your teen to drive by having them stand on a street corner and watch other people drive.


Yeah, not the same thing.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 10:28     Subject: Re:How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
My babies always pooped while I was nursing when they were newborns. That should be fun with the chaps!
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 10:22     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Chaps! Love it.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 10:19     Subject: Re:How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Just let this run its course. Weren't we all a little crazy in pregnancy? I still laugh at myself and the crazy nesting I did at 38 weeks.

Everyone is a great parent and makes all the right choices....before the kid is born.

Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 10:14     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Former nanny here--doing EC make potty training MUCH easier later on because they know what the toilet is and aren't afraid of it.


This is also easily accomplished by not always closing the door when you need to pee and little ones are around.
You can also teach your teen to drive by having them stand on a street corner and watch other people drive.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2024 10:07     Subject: How do I support my crazy pregnant sister?
Where is the father in all this? Is he on board? Because I cannot imagine all this. It sounds like she needs medical intervention for mental health issues. All the “this is normal” posters are wrong. Once you combine ALL of this, it isn’t normal at all.