Entertainment
Let’s Help This Reader Find Postpartum Clothes!
Last week, I read an email from a reader named J. that struck close to home…
“Our baby is in the NICU. He’s doing well, but I wish we could be home recovering in our nest. Instead, my husband and I go to the hospital every day. I want to feel like myself during matrescence, but I don’t know how to dress to be out in the wild while my body is still recovering. It’s not pregnant but it is pregnant-looking. There are only so many days in a row I can wear maternity leggings (which I hate) and big button-up shirts (which I love!). I’m exclusively pumping, too, so I need easy access to my breasts. Any advice?”
———
When I read your email, J., I teared up, because I was in the same situation last December. My son, Emiliano, was born seven weeks early and ended up spending 28 days in the NICU.
Before his arrival, I dreamed about my husband Max, our toddler Ella, and I bringing Emiliano home and adjusting to our new life as a family of four. In the mornings, we’d snuggle up next to the roaring fireplace. In the afternoons, we’d take stroller walks to feed the goats at our neighbor’s farm. At night, we’d sing lullabies in their bedroom. Instead, we spent our first month in the hospital, sitting on cold, plastic chairs, reading chapters from Stuart Little to Emiliano, as he slept in his isolette.
During that very shaky, hectic time, I relied on little things to ground me: sipping caramel lattes from Peet’s Coffee, singing Christmas carols on the drives to the hospital, watching Survivor while pumping in the middle of the night, and wearing clothes that felt good on my freshly postpartum body. Below are a few pieces I really loved, plus a few I wish I’d had…
Long cardigan. This duster cardigan is the only thing I wanted to wrap myself in on the days when I was feeling frazzled and sore. It was long enough to cover my butt when my maternity leggings got saggy and faded after wearing them almost every day.
Button-up dress. This flannel dress is comfy, allows access to breasts, and sings fall. It would make such a sweet “welcome home” outfit.
Denim overalls. After living in stretchy pants for eight months, my body CRAVED the weight and structure of jeans. I wore these baggy overalls religiously until I could fit back into my pre-baby denim.
Soft nursing tank. When I think of nursing tops, I picture boring, practical shirts. This jersey tank gives great support but comes in six colors, including a pretty floral or punchy red.
Sweater pants. Knit pants are as comfortable as leggings, but I actually want to be seen in them.
Roomy shirt. This oversized rugby drapes loosely around your waist and has lots of space to comfortably pump under (even with manual and plug-in pumps.)
Cozy pajamas. You asked for recs that you could wear out and about, but after a long day at the hospital, all I ever wanted to do was take a shower and pull on these postpartum pjs. They fit softly over my engorged breasts and bloated stomach, and they still fit and feel incredible 10 months later.
Thoughts? What postpartum pieces would you recommend? J., we are sending so much love to you and your sweet baby.
P.S. 10 ways to help a new mom and going from one kid to two.
(Storq photos by Nicki Sebastian.)
Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like. Thank you so much.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for May 2, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
-
Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
-
Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
-
Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
-
Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
-
Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.
Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.
Mashable Top Stories
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.
Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 1-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
New rules for the Oscars: AI actors are out of the race
The Academy won’t be handing over the golden statuette to robots anytime soon.
In new rules announced May 1, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled that AI performances are not eligible for an Oscar. Filmmakers can still utilize AI tools in their submitted works, but only human actors and human-authored screenplays will be considered for the body’s highest honors.
The move aligns with AI agreements won during the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes and addresses growing tension over the presence of generative AI tools across artistic industries.
Mashable Top Stories
For example, a recent trailer for the upcoming historical adventure film As Deep as the Grave, featuring an entirely AI-generated recreation of the late Val Kilmer, caused widespread furor among fans who recoiled at the on-screen digital likeness. Prior to his death, Kilmer created an AI version of his speaking voice with UK tech company Sonantic. Other celebrities, like Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine, have worked with AI company ElevenLabs to clone their voices, as well.
But while some celebs are getting ahead of their AI counterparts, others are fighting back against nonconsensual deepfakes writ large. Pop star Taylor Swift recently filed for trademark of her voice and image — including the phrase “Hey, it’s Taylor.” — amid a surge of synthetic AI likenesses of her proliferating across the internet, including ones used in data phishing scams.
The Academy announced additional rule changes for international film and acting categories, generating buzz online after several contentious Oscar campaign races in recent years. For non-English films, a country can now have multiple nominated entries instead of the previous limit of one. Similarly, actors can receive multiple nominations in the same category if their performances rank in the top five.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Oscars
Entertainment
Instagram will stop recommending accounts that dont post original content
Serial Instagram reuploaders are about to be hit hard in the algorithm, as the platform announces new content ranking guidelines intended to boost original content creators.
Accounts that primarily aggregate content or repost others’ content without meaningful alterations or additions won’t be recommended to other users, Instagram explained in a recent Creators blog post. The platform announced the same algorithmic guidelines for Reels uploads in 2024. Now they’ll apply to photos and carousel posts, too.
“Original content” is defined as “work that you wholly created or reflects your unique perspective,” Instagram explains. That includes original photos and designs, as well as third-party content that is materially edited by the user. “Some examples include adding unique text on the content itself that provides more context than just describing what’s happening, adding creative graphics that offer new information, or using our remix feature to transform the original,” the blog post reads.
Mashable Light Speed
The platform recommends that accounts that frequently reshare content share other users’ posts to their stories, use the repost button, or enable collab posts to avoid being marked ineligible.
Aggregator accounts that are marked ineligible for recommendations under the new guidelines can regain their place in the feed by pivoting to original posts. Instagram says “most” of an account’s posts, carousels, and reels need to feature original content over a 30-day period to have the decision reversed. Users can also remove unoriginal content and appeal the decision.
NHL roundup: Sabres win playoff series for first time in 19 years
Cubs stay hot, edge Diamondbacks in series opener
