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When you’re a new parent it can be overwhelming trying to pick the best products for your baby. There are many different brands that sell similar products, it can make it hard to choose. I am going to share the products my husband and I used and loved for our son so you can hear honest reviews from a moms point of view.
DockATot:
DockATot® is a leading brand that makes multi-functional lounging, playing, chilling, resting and snuggling docks you can take anywhere. This was extremely helpful for me and my husband! It was somewhere safe I could set our son down to get dressed, make the bed, and a lot of other things (he was always closely supervised and never left completely alone). I have heard from other mamas that they could lay their baby in it in their bathroom while they took a shower, but that way they could still see their baby while getting a shower in.
MomCozy:
Momcozy is committed to supporting new moms on their important motherhood journey. They understand that modern life can be hectic, even more so when a new baby arrives on the scene and breastfeeding begins. They wanted to help, so they set about creating breastfeeding products and accessories that make life much more convenient and less stressful for moms everywhere. My goal was to build up a freezer stash of breast milk for emergencies, but being stuck sitting for thirty minutes at a set time everyday unfortunately did not work for us. I was gifted one of MomCozy’s wearable pumps, and it was a game changer! No wires or tubes, just stick it in your bra and turn it on, I am able to pump any time I need to even on the go!
Moby Wrap:
The brand that knows the importance of keeping babies close, calm, and happy. They’re focused on creating products that encourage bonding over special moments, shared discoveries, and within the day-to-day of being Close Enough to Kiss. My son loved when we used our Moby Wrap it would immediately calm him down if he was upset, and sometimes was the only thing that calmed him down. It held him tight to us and as soon as we got him wrapped up he would stop crying. It was a huge life savor! My husband was even able to get some bonding time in by baby wearing (he loved it too!). Baby wearing is also helpful if you want your hands free and need to get some things done, I would use my Moby Wrap to wear my son while I grocery shopped or cleaned the house.
Evenflo Pivot Tavel System:
Evenflo has many different products, but the product my husband and I love is our travel system stroller. It is so helpful as a busy mom when you are running errands if baby falls asleep in the car you can just pull the car seat out and clip it right onto the stroller without having to wake baby up or wait until baby wakes up to continue with your errands so you can get back home sooner. This stroller is also perfect if you have two kids since it comes with a toddler seat for the stroller as well! You can attach the car seat and toddler seat on at the same time so many different ways to use it.
These are four products my husband and I have recommended to everyone we know that is expecting. They helped us immensely when our son was a newborn, and we plan on saving them to use for our next baby when the time comes or buying the newest models from the same brands!
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Choosing your midwife is a huge part of having a good birth especially if you are having a home birth. Everyone has different needs/views and you do want your midwife to have similar views as you. You do not have to go with the first midwife you talk or meet with, you want to take your time and make sure you are comfortable with who you are choosing to be on your birthing team. Ask as many questions as you need to- This may all be new to you (especially if this is your first baby!). I recommend taking some time before you meet with any midwifes to sit down with your partner, go over, and write down any questions/concerns each of you may have to ask when you meet with a midwife. It will also help you get to know her and her views on certain things. Being comfortable and confident in your birth team to me is one of the biggest factors in having a good birth. Do they share your same views?- Not everyone is going to have the same views on everything, but you want someone that is going to be honest with you and not push their views on you. You want to be in control (a big reason a lot of families are choosing home births), but you also want someone who has the medical standpoint and will take the time to explain the medical side and in the end let you make the final decision and respect your decision. If your midwife has complete opposite views as you then you may not fully trust her when it comes to certain things. You may not trust that she is not just telling you what she wants to do instead of following your plan.
Are you 100% comfortable with them?- It may be hard to know if you are comfortable with someone after only meeting with them once, but you want to be comfortable with your midwife. She is going to see everything, she will also be in your home. I am sure all midwifes are different, but my (amazing) midwife was in our home multiple times, during my labor she was even in my kitchen making me food to eat. She had full access to set up anywhere she needed and was in our bedroom getting our bed ready for after I gave birth. When you are in labor modesty goes out the window. Most women do not want anything touching them including clothing. So your midwife will see everything, she has to be able to look to see babies head while you’re pushing and sometimes has to feel where babies head is. You want to choose someone you will feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable with.
It can be hard to choose a midwife, but it will fall into place once you meet the right one. My husband and I were fortunate to find an amazing midwife on the first try, she was the only one we met with. You may have to meet with a couple before you find the right one, but it is a big decision for your family. Just ask as many questions as you need to so you can get to know her and get comfortable with her.
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Maintaining your breast milk supply is one thing a lot of moms spend time searching for different tricks that will boost it. I have definitely spent a lot of time looking into anything and everything to help boost and maintain my milk supply. I went through a very stressful time and it effected my milk supply drastically (which made me stress even more!). I was ready to try anything to get my supply back up. These eight foods/drinks are what i have had almost everyday to get my supply back, and maintain it. 1. Oatmeal: -There are plant estrogens in oats associated with the stimulation of the milk glands and greater production of breast milk. Super easy to make and there are so many different flavor varieties! Every morning I make Coaches Oats Steel Cut Oatmeal, instead of water I use Oat milk. You can even make a big batch and just heat it up throughout the week! 2. Water: -I know water is always the answer, you have to stay hydrated! You being hydrated also helps your baby stay hydrated. 3. Protein Smoothie: -It is a helpful way to meet high protein body needs during lactation. It is essential to get in all essential nutrients while breastfeeding. Some babies do not tolerate dairy very well through breast milk (unfortunately dairy hurts my sons stomach extremely bad, I have completely cut it out of my diet) This smoothie is completely dairy free and you can always adjust it to your liking! Recipe: -1 Serving frozen fruit (I get mine from Costco it comes with 8 single serve fruit packs for smoothies!) -2 Scoops Chocolate Plant Based Protein Powder (Use your protein powders recommended serving size) -1 Spoonful of peanut butter (This is optional, it just adds extra flavor!) -3/4 Cup Oat Milk (Only do 1/2 Cup if you do not add peanut butter) -1/2 Cup Coconut water (For hydration) Blend together and enjoy!
4. Eggs:
-They make a great breakfast and again there are many varieties to fit your liking! I would add spinach for extra protein! 5. Flaxseed: -They have estrogenic properties that can help nursing moms make more milk. You can add this to your oatmeal, smoothie, anything you like! 6. Brewers Yeast: -It contains iron, protein and vitamin B apart from selenium, chromium and some other trace materials. There are different forms of this, if you get the ground version you can also add this to your oatmeal or smoothie! Many mamas have a beer with brewers yeast ;) Of course do your research and know your body, you typically are okay to breastfeed after a drink just don’t go overboard.
7. Mothers Milk Tea: Drink a cup of this a day, or make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for iced tea!
8. Oat Milk: This is a good substitute for milk if you cannot have dairy. Personally it is the only dairy free milk I prefer, to me it does not have a weird taste like others. It also is beneficial for your milk supply because of the oats.
Share any foods or drinks in the comments that have helped you, or let me know if this helped you!
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You waited nine months for the moment you finally go into labor so now what? Some women can be in labor for days! Fortunately, there are ways to help manage some of the pain from contractions and help you keep your energy up. If you take a birthing class you may learn a few tricks (my husband and I really loved the Bradley Method classes). I am going to share some things that helped me, and even some that did not help me that may help you, every mama is different! 1. Food and Hydration: When I was still in early labor my doula & midwife took turns getting me to eat, and drink a hydration drink (Labor Aide). It is beneficial to eat and stay hydrated during labor, you need the energy it gives you especially for a long labor. Unfortunately, if you are in a hospital they typically do not let you have anything other than ice chips (You can always ask your nurse or doctor I may be wrong). It does not have to be huge meal either. They had me eat some plain toast, eggs, a granola bar, and the labor aide. I was only able to take small bites of the food, eating was the last thing I wanted to do, but I was listening to my doula and midwife because I knew they were right that I needed the energy. I did drink the labor aide through the whole laboring process and even after giving birth. 2. Side Relaxation Pose: My husband and I took the Bradley Method classes, the position we went over the most was the side relaxation. Unfortunately, this position made my pain worse, but it is a huge benefit to so many woman. How to Side Relaxation Pose: Start on your side with both knees slightly bent and the top leg forward. Your pillow should be at an angle under your head and breast. Your bottom arm may be behind you; if that’s uncomfor table, bring it around over the top of your head. 3. Warm Bath: If you are giving birth at home or in a birthing center and have access to a bathtub, sitting in a warm bath does help a tremendous amount. I spent probably about 75% of my time laboring in the bathtub filled with warm water. 4. Toilet Sitting: The other way I spent my time laboring was sitting on the toilet! Sitting on the toilet helps get baby to move down. Towards the end of my birth I went back and forth from sitting on the toilet and being in the birthing pool. Since my water never broke I actually pushed the water sac out while on the toilet 5. Kneeling Down: Kneeling down and resting my head on the couch or my bed helped as well. One way my husband was able to help me with this was he laid down on the couch and I rested my head on his chest and it may seem like such a small thing, but being able to lean on him made me feel a lot better. He was able to rub my back, and be there for me. We laid a towel or “pad” underneath me wherever I would kneel down to catch any blood as well.
6. Breathe!:
Breathe through your contractions! You want to save as much energy as you can for when your body tells you it is time to push baby out. If possible try not to yell during a contraction, but instead do low “moans” or groans. You won’t use as much energy as you would yelling. I only ended up yelling a bit when it came to pushing. At that point I was exhausted and just wanted to meet my baby (especially after 16 hours of labor). These are just a few things we heard of to try during labor! What worked for you?
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You may have enjoyed your whole pregnancy from the beginning or have just been waiting for those long nine months to end to meet your beautiful baby. Either way the end seems to feel like the longest couple weeks of your life, at least it did for me. I know by 40 weeks I was READY for my baby to make his debut to the world. I was tired of spending my nights waking up to pee every twenty minutes, I could barely walk down the hallway without getting winded, and I was at the point that if I dropped something on the ground it was staying there until I could get my husband to pick it up. I just wanted to meet my baby!
We talked to our midwife to see what I could start doing to get this baby out. We had started a couple of things when I was 37 weeks, but she gave us a few more things to start doing especially as I got closer to 41 weeks.
- Walking - Having sex - Bouncing on a birthing (yoga) ball - Eating Pineapple - Eating Dates - Primrose oil - Curb walking Now when I hit my second trimester I kept saying I felt like he was going to come right at 37 weeks, I really thought there was no way I would still be pregnant past maybe 38 weeks. Boy was I wrong! I had my son at exactly 41 weeks, and the reason we were getting a bit uneasy about him coming later is because with a home birth you can't go past 41 weeks without having to go to a hospital. They would have induced me right away, but we knew he would come when he was ready. As much as I was ready for him to come out, like a lot of women, being induced was the last thing I wanted. We started doing all the things recommended, the only thing I could not do was the dates. I just could not get past the texture, but I did eat some granola bars with dates in them (does that count?). Pineapple became my main snack, I spent so much time bouncing on a yoga ball, I took the primrose oil everyday. My mother in law was coming over most days and she would get me out of the house, and walk. We circled the mall one day, and another we spent walking around home decor stores. Walking was the last thing I wanted to be doing, I was extremely tired, and would be ready to sit back down after walking a few steps, but I was also so ready for our little boy to come out. Finally at exactly 41 weeks I woke up at 2 am with very strong contractions, and 16 hours later he was born! It may feel like the longest time of your life at the last couple of weeks of your pregnancy, but your baby will come when they are ready, no one is ever pregnant forever! The things I listed above are said to help speed things up, and are not typically recommended until 37 weeks (I am not a medical professional, everything I have learned is from my midwife or my own research).
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No hospitals No machines monitoring every second No epidural Sounds crazy to most people! I think sometimes everyone forgets women have been giving birth for hundreds of years, and hospitals have not always been around. Woman’s bodies know what to do during labor, and you work with your body when it comes to laboring and pushing. That being said when I found out I was pregnant I did not have the same mindset about pregnancy, labor, and birth that I do now. When I found out I was pregnant with my son the first thing I did the following day was call the hospital closest to us to get an appointment with a doctor. I assumed we would do a pregnancy test for them to have on file and for 100% confirmation that I was pregnant. They told me they want me to wait a week or two longer before they have me come in for a blood test and ultrasound, but they would send me a questionnaire to fill out about mine and my family’s previous medical history as well as mail me some information about pregnancy. I was only about five weeks at the time and had no idea what I was doing so the nurse made the appointment over the phone with me for what I thought (and what I was told) was just a regular blood test to confirm I was pregnant, and an ultrasound to see our baby for the first time. Unfortunately, we later found out the “blood test” was for them to take a sample of the placenta to test for any genetic disorders for us to decide if we wanted to terminate the pregnancy if our baby did has a genetic disorder. The ultrasound was for them to see the needle to be able to take the sample from the placenta, which is not what I was told. My husband and I ultimately decided to cancel the appointment and not do the testing. The side effects would make my miscarriage risk much higher with cramping and spotting. We knew no matter the results of the test we would not be terminating the pregnancy, and the side effects/risks were not worth it to us. I called and cancelled the appointment, but was told I would receive a call to make another appointment for an ultrasound. I never received a call or email even after a couple weeks. At around 10 weeks I started having some cramping, and was concerned so I called the hospital to make an appointment just to have everything checked because since I still had not been called for an appointment I had not seen a doctor. They told me I had to make the appointment on the app so I requested it on the app. It said I will receive a call or email to make an appointment, and again they never called or emailed to make the appointment. At this point my husband and I were both frustrated, I felt like they did not care. I understand they are busy, but I was pregnant and having strong cramping for days. My mother in law is a trained doula (and had given birth to four children) so she was able to give us some guidance and help me figure out my cramping. That is when we started really thinking finding a midwife and doing a home birth or trying a birthing center may be best. We reached out to a family member who had a home birth to ask about her experience and for her midwifes information. Unfortunately, her midwife was retired, but it gave us an idea of where to start looking as she had some resources on her website still. When I was about 20 weeks we finally decided 100% we wanted a home birth or give birth at a birthing center. It was the middle of COVID when we were pregnant, and they had just come up with new mandates for masks and hospitals. I would have to wear a mask while giving birth, and I was not aloud to have anyone in the delivery room with me, not even my husband! The moment I found out I could not have my husband in the room is when I decided there was no way I could give birth on my own with a room full of strangers, and I did not want my husband missing out on the birth of our first child. We started seriously looking and reached out to a couple of birthing centers, but I would still have to wear a mask while giving birth and I did not want to. We ruled out birthing centers, and started looking for a midwife to do a home birth. We found a few from the resources from the retired midwifes website that would come to our area, my husband and I both called a couple and emailed them. Unfortunately, the ones we reached out to never called or emailed back. I decided to just google midwifes in our area to see what we could find. I found one that seemed perfect, I sent her website and information to my husband and I called her. She answered right away and was able to set up an appointment to “interview” her to see if we wanted her as our midwife. She even followed up with an email to confirm everything we talked about on the phone. When we met with her we instantly knew we wanted her to be our midwife. My mother in law came with us since I decided I wanted her to be my doula, and she would know all of the right questions to ask. We all immediately got along laughing and joking it felt like we had known her forever that is exactly what we were hoping for. I emailed her a couple hours later telling her our decision and how excited we were to have her help us bring our baby into the world.
Deciding to do a home birth was still a little scary to me, but once I decided to have my mother in law as my doula, and we found our midwife, I felt a huge weight lifted. I knew I would be comfortable at home, be able to relax and move around to labor, I was comfortable with our birthing team. Home birth is so much more personal, and relaxing in my opinion. I have nothing against a hospital birth, but we realized that was not what we wanted. A lot of the things I did not want that I would have gotten with a hospital birth I learned as time went on and as I was in labor.
-Did not want to be stuck in a hospital bed -Did not want a team of doctors and nurses I did not know -Only wanted cervical checks if absolutely necessary -Did not want to be hooked up to a bunch of machines/monitors -Did not want the vernix wiped off after birth we wanted it to soak into his skin as long as possible -Wanted the benefits of immediate skin to skin The list goes on and of course these are my personal preferences from what we learned throughout my pregnancy about natural ways to do things and other benefits. Every mama is different and has different needs throughout her pregnancy and home birth is what worked best for us.
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Morning sickness is probably one of the most common pregnancy symptoms, but yet no one really warns you that it is not just in the morning! It could be a random smell or even something sounds gross that could have you running to the bathroom any time of the day. Some woman are lucky enough not to have it their whole pregnancy, unfortunately some have it their entire pregnancy. There are a few things you can do to help the nausea and I will link a couple of things that helped me. When I found out I was five weeks pregnant with my son, two days later morning sickness hit me like a truck. I could barely keep anything down it made me cautious to eat a lot of things. I realized I could pretty much only keep fruit (if it was not too sweet), and salad down. I would wake up nauseous and anything that was really sweet immediately had me running to the bathroom. I would say I survived on fruit and salads until about 12-13 weeks, when my morning sickness finally let up. Almost everyone recommended saltines to help with the nausea, some recommended eating at least one saltine cracker before I got out of bed. Unfortunately, those made my morning sickness worse! Of course everyone is different, saltines and gingerale may work for you, I would recommend trying those first. I tried a couple of different things to help settle my nausea like lemon ginger drops, ginger tea, and water.
The lemon ginger drops helped me the most in the car. I rarely got car sick, but when I was pregnant I could not sit in the back seat without feeling the urge to throw up. I kept a pack in my purse at all times because I never knew when I would need them. The ginger tea was good to have in the mornings since I would wake up nauseous and I did cut out coffee until I was halfway through my second trimester. Even though it is okay to have a minimum of 200 mg a day of caffiene while pregnant since I could barely keep anything down I did not want to waste coffee!
Unfortunately morning sickness is a not so fun part of pregnancy. Everyone is different so some things that worked for one mama may not work for you. Saltines, and almost anything ginger are the go-to's to help with nausea, but if those are not working for you, you can always ask your doctor or midwife for recommendations. They may have a trick or two to help with the dreaded morning sickness!
Comment what helped you with morning sickness!
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Whether you have been trying for a while or knew it could eventually happen finally seeing a positive pregnancy test is still a huge shock! My husband and I knew it was only a matter of time until we became pregnant. We weren't exactly preventing it! We had gone to a birthday celebration for a friend of ours, and we were talking about how excited we were to have kids, at the time we had been married for about 2 1/2 years. The next day we were both at work, and the baby topic came up again, that's when I realized my period was a couple weeks late, for me that was sometimes normal. I text my husband, and somehow we both knew this time was different. The only symptom we could recall me having was my boobs being sore (which is still a symptom of a period), but we both agreed it was time to take a test. That night I got home from work and the first thing I did was take the one test I had at home. Waiting for the timer to go off to check the results felt like an eternity! Finally the timer went off and it was a very faint positive, but I knew even though it was faint I was pregnant. My husband on the other hand was very skeptical, he did not want to get his hopes up. I only had the one test at home so we hopped in the car at 8 o'clock at night to get more tests. I made sure to get the digital ones this time so there was no question if the line was there. Sure enough I took two more tests and they were positive! We were hit with so many emotions We were of course so excited, but extremely nervous. We could not wait to tell everyone! We decided to keep it to ourselves just for now, and we did the math and realized I was about 5 weeks along. Of course we could not keep it a secret for long. I know it is typically best to wait until you are about 10-12 weeks along to share the news, but we wanted our closest family and friends to know. We immediately made plans to see/call everyone we wanted to tell. It was a busy week! Everyone was so excited for a new baby in the family. Sometimes it can be scary with the first initial shock of that positive test. It makes you realize it is official you are growing up, and starting a family of your own. It is easy to get overwhelmed and stressed quickly! You have nine months to prepare for a baby that is going to rely on you even before he/she is born. The first things to do are take a deep breathe, and make an appointment with your doctor/midwife. If you have any concerns or do not know anything about pregnancy the appointment with your doctor/midwife will be a chance to ask any questions about any concerns you may have about being pregnant. Remember you have to take care of yourself to take care of your baby, this really counts when they are in the womb since everything you eat/drink your baby also gets. If you feel like you need that nap take it! Your body is working overtime to get ready to bring your little bundle of joy into the world. As your body changes just remind yourself, you are growing a human things may start to look different, but it is your body is just making room for your baby and getting ready to help you deliver your baby. It is such a fun and crazy time take the time to slow down, take those belly pictures, do date nights with your significant other, or do some baby planning with just the two of you! |
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