It occurred to me today that it would have been so helpful to know what I was getting myself into with pregnancy, birthing, and then of course the time post-pregnancy (BABY♥). Of course I had a pretty good idea of the generalities, but I will certainly be more prepared the next time around.
A few of my absolute necessities while being pregnant included -
Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion and spray. It's so soothing for stretching, itchy skin and also smells quite lovely.
Tums for the ever frequent heartburn which I had never in my life experienced before being pregnant. It didn't matter if I watched what I ate, stopped eating an hour before bedtime, or drank more water. It was awful! (the good news is, once the baby slipped out, the heartburn disappeared!)
Tylenol PM was very helpful in getting me to sleep at night, and keeping me asleep. My doctor said that I could safely take it every night, however, I decided to be more selective and only took it on Sunday nights. It was helpful in getting my weeks off to a good, rested start. Sleeping is not pleasant, even in the early months, and you take all the help you can get.
Spa days with a good, understanding, willing to listen to your complaining self friend! I tried to get in a pedicure every 6 weeks, especially in the summer. When you are giving your whole self to your baby (gladly, might I add), it's perfectly deserving to take an afternoon for yourself and get your toes prettied up. We usually tried to get in a scrumptious lunch (whatever my craving was), and a shopping trip as well. More to come on spa days...
Now for the days in the hospital...
We were lucky in that we weren't rushing to the hospital to have a baby after my water broke in the cereal isle at the grocery store (my biggest fear in the last few days of pregnancy). Instead, my doctor gave us the option to induce labor, at 6 days past my due date. We were fairly prepared, packed, and calm when we checked in to the hospital the evening before our baby's arrival. So, my one and only absolute MUST HAVE in the hospital.........my husband........who was beyond considerate, attentive, and ready to take out a nurse for sticking me one too many times with a needle while trying to get my IV going. J
I still don't remember certain details about my/our hospital stay, because I kind of had a lot going on, but Kyle was on top of everything and it was super comforting. Although we had the support of family and friends, there was nothing better than the time of day when it was just the 3 of us. Our new little family, trying to feel out this whole parenthood thing and stare at our perfect little girl who has blessed our life beyond our imagination.
Be back later for the rest of the story...it's bedtime!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Sleeping through the night no more. . .
When your baby has been sleeping through the night since she was 8 weeks old, you tend to get a little spoiled by long (anywhere from 7 - 9 hours) restful nights. So when she started waking up 2, sometimes 3 times a night, we were caught off guard. Was she sick, colicky, having bad dreams, what?
It turns out, this growing girl was hungry! Now she gets 2 cereal feedings a day (one mid-day and one at night), and still as much milk as she desires throughout the day and evening.
Hopefully these last 2 weeks of sleepless nights are soon to be over, and we can get back on a sleepFUL schedule!
It turns out, this growing girl was hungry! Now she gets 2 cereal feedings a day (one mid-day and one at night), and still as much milk as she desires throughout the day and evening.
Hopefully these last 2 weeks of sleepless nights are soon to be over, and we can get back on a sleepFUL schedule!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Everyone Gives Advice
Some useful, some not so useful. Some advice works for our family and some absolutely does not. When I was pregnant, everyone had tips for me. "You have to do this....you cannot live without that." I took it all in because what did I know? Well I knew more than I thought once our little bundle of joy came into this world. Many of you can relate to the feeling, the instinct of motherhood. I was born to be a mother plain and simple and I've finally been given the opportunity to just that.
So, back to the advice. Here are some very common suggesties given to soon-to-be and new moms, and my own interpretation of them. (Keep in mind, these are my opinions...and may not agree with yours! J)
1. "You cannot spoil a baby."
true!
2. "You should let a baby cry it out."
false! and contradictory to the above!
3. "Get as much rest as you can before you have a baby, because you're going to need it."
bad news...it doesn't make a difference. You'll never "bank" enough sleep for what you'll need as a new mom. Napping while your newborn sleeps is the best advice!
4. "What worked for me and my baby may not work for you and yours."
so true, and thank you for the understanding!
5. "You should never let your baby sleep with you."
well if we wanted to get any sleep at all, we had to let our little one sleep on our chest for the first month of her life.
6. "Document every moment, because they will go by so fast."
after thousands of pictures and now two blogs, I still didn't capture everything. good luck! ♥
7. "You can't protect your baby from all germs."
no, but you can try! everyone had to use antibacterial foam before they could hold our little pumpkin....and I already told you about the pacifier wipes.
8. "Add a little cereal to a bottle to help the baby sleep through the night."
fail. ruined 1 Playtex nipple trying to make the hole bigger and couldn't figure out the right consistency....
So, back to the advice. Here are some very common suggesties given to soon-to-be and new moms, and my own interpretation of them. (Keep in mind, these are my opinions...and may not agree with yours! J)
1. "You cannot spoil a baby."
true!
2. "You should let a baby cry it out."
false! and contradictory to the above!
3. "Get as much rest as you can before you have a baby, because you're going to need it."
bad news...it doesn't make a difference. You'll never "bank" enough sleep for what you'll need as a new mom. Napping while your newborn sleeps is the best advice!
4. "What worked for me and my baby may not work for you and yours."
so true, and thank you for the understanding!
5. "You should never let your baby sleep with you."
well if we wanted to get any sleep at all, we had to let our little one sleep on our chest for the first month of her life.
6. "Document every moment, because they will go by so fast."
after thousands of pictures and now two blogs, I still didn't capture everything. good luck! ♥
7. "You can't protect your baby from all germs."
no, but you can try! everyone had to use antibacterial foam before they could hold our little pumpkin....and I already told you about the pacifier wipes.
8. "Add a little cereal to a bottle to help the baby sleep through the night."
fail. ruined 1 Playtex nipple trying to make the hole bigger and couldn't figure out the right consistency....
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Personal Favs Part I
Below are must-haves in our house. After trying multiple products, brands, and suggestions from others, we have come up with our own favorites. Everyone has their own opinions on what works for them, and for their babies. This is what works for us!
{Diapers.com - I buy diapers, wipes, feeding supplies, clothes, and anything else that we need at the time of the order. Free shipping over $49, and packages always arrive within 2 days. Diapers and wipes are at least 10-15% cheaper here compared to retail stores. (I'm all about saving money!!)
{Pampers diapers (Gifts to Grow Rewards!) - they are the perfect size for our long and lean little munchkin!
{Pampers sensitive, thick care wipes - I like the thick ones because they are more substantial compared to the regular sensitive wipes.
{Huggies Soft Pack wipes - no measly 12 wipes per pack here....these are perfect diaper bag wipes and have 72 per package (thank you Amy Cline for the tip!)
{Making Miracles bibs - very absorbent and bigger than most bibs
{Children's Place online - far bigger selection than in stores
{Amazon.com - my current obsession for purchasing toys, books, bibs, diapers, wipes, teething toys, and anything else BABY! I love free shipping!
{Pacifier wipes - a necessity for a clean freak like me!
{Pajamas that ZIP - try snapping 10 buttons in the dark with a hungry screaming baby....
{Aveeno baby lotion
{Shaklee baby wash
{Two words....Baby Einstein! (everything)
{Playtex bottles and drop-ins - the best feeding system for our little girl and most convenient for us!
**Feel free to comment on your own list of favs!
{Diapers.com - I buy diapers, wipes, feeding supplies, clothes, and anything else that we need at the time of the order. Free shipping over $49, and packages always arrive within 2 days. Diapers and wipes are at least 10-15% cheaper here compared to retail stores. (I'm all about saving money!!)
{Pampers diapers (Gifts to Grow Rewards!) - they are the perfect size for our long and lean little munchkin!
{Pampers sensitive, thick care wipes - I like the thick ones because they are more substantial compared to the regular sensitive wipes.
{Huggies Soft Pack wipes - no measly 12 wipes per pack here....these are perfect diaper bag wipes and have 72 per package (thank you Amy Cline for the tip!)
{Making Miracles bibs - very absorbent and bigger than most bibs
{Children's Place online - far bigger selection than in stores
{Amazon.com - my current obsession for purchasing toys, books, bibs, diapers, wipes, teething toys, and anything else BABY! I love free shipping!
{Pacifier wipes - a necessity for a clean freak like me!
{Pajamas that ZIP - try snapping 10 buttons in the dark with a hungry screaming baby....
{Aveeno baby lotion
{Shaklee baby wash
{Two words....Baby Einstein! (everything)
{Playtex bottles and drop-ins - the best feeding system for our little girl and most convenient for us!
**Feel free to comment on your own list of favs!
Laundry and an Idea!
It's a cold, gloomy Sunday and I'm sitting at home folding laundry. Over the last two weeks we have unfortunately let our laundry get OUT OF CONTROL. I have the attitude of "I work 40+ hours a week, therefore I have no time for house chores", but that only lasts so long. We eventually need clean clothes, and more importantly, our baby needs a clean bib!
I tend to daydream a bit when I do housework, so this day is no exception. I have 2 loads left and I am done for the day! Kyle (my oh-so-perfect husband) will be impressed, and frankly relieved to have undershirts and socks for this week. Anyway, as I'm folding the last of the towels something occurs to me. I glance over at a half-baked diaper cake (a gift for my sister's baby shower in April) and realize that I need to also make her a list of all the things I've learned over the past 5 months of being a mother. There are a lot of tips and tricks that I've learned from other mommy friends, the Internet, and my own trial & error. I begin to go down a list in my head and it occurs to me that I might just start a blog about it. I currently have two blogs; one for our little girl, and one for my crocheting hobby. Why not start another one? I really enjoy getting my thoughts down and once I get a few readers, I feel like I let them down when I take a few days off. So this will be a good motivation to write down everything related to my experiences in mommy-hood! It may not be interesting to all, but it will be a great way for me to keep track of everything I learn along this new journey. Here goes!
I tend to daydream a bit when I do housework, so this day is no exception. I have 2 loads left and I am done for the day! Kyle (my oh-so-perfect husband) will be impressed, and frankly relieved to have undershirts and socks for this week. Anyway, as I'm folding the last of the towels something occurs to me. I glance over at a half-baked diaper cake (a gift for my sister's baby shower in April) and realize that I need to also make her a list of all the things I've learned over the past 5 months of being a mother. There are a lot of tips and tricks that I've learned from other mommy friends, the Internet, and my own trial & error. I begin to go down a list in my head and it occurs to me that I might just start a blog about it. I currently have two blogs; one for our little girl, and one for my crocheting hobby. Why not start another one? I really enjoy getting my thoughts down and once I get a few readers, I feel like I let them down when I take a few days off. So this will be a good motivation to write down everything related to my experiences in mommy-hood! It may not be interesting to all, but it will be a great way for me to keep track of everything I learn along this new journey. Here goes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)