MY Truth About C-Sections

The thought of a Cesarean is pretty scary, right?  I mean, your stomach is being cut wide open, and a baby is being pulled out of it, all while you're awake, aware of what's happening and strapped down to an operating table. There's catheters (gross), blood loss, the inability to move, hardcore medicines, uncontrollable shaking, the possibility of complications requiring your supporter to have to leave the room (doesn't sound so bad now, but when you're strapped to a table and the doctor tells your husband that they're having some complications and he will have to leave- WORST FEELING EVER), no control over anything that's happening... seriously frightening.

Now let's add in to the mix the fact that you will most likely not be able to be the first one to hold your baby, in fact, your first interaction with your baby will not happen until after he or she has been cleaned and had the initial stats measured and recorded, and someone else has spent an hour or so with him or her. After you leave the hospital, you're going to be recovering from major abdominal surgery while learning to be a new mom.

Let's face it, Cesareans are NOT easy. Not physically. Not mentally. Not during. Not after. They are not easy. Period.

Oh and speaking of period, you thought you wouldn't bleed as much as someone who delivers naturally since there's no "action" down south? Guess again. You'll probably bleed way more because you didn't lose all the blood during delivery. YAY!

Ok, ok... you get the picture. It can down right suck. And yet, I LOVED it! Sure, there were moments of complete and utter terror. There was uncertainty. There was a serious struggle with not being in control of anything happening to or around me. But IT. WAS. AWESOME.  Let's talk about why...

1. PAIN MEDS. After 40 hours of labor, that epidural they gave me 22 hours into the gig was just not cutting it. As soon as they decided they needed to do an emergency C, in came my good friend Mr. Anesthesiologist and it was like a breath of fresh air. I went from writhing in pain to straight chillin'.  Let's put it this way.. mid way through the c-section, I asked my husband if he was going to be late for his high school reunion... He won't be having one of them again for 3 years... I was feeling seriously good.

2. Catheter. Now I know, you're thinking I'm either some kind of freak or I'm completely insane. There's no way a catheter can be a good thing, right? Well... let's think back to the last month. I was super pregnant, and I naturally have a teeny tiny bladder. Add a baby into my belly, pressing against my bladder all the time.. I was making at least 12-15 trips to the bathroom PER NIGHT. Not an exaggeration.. There were some nights I was up every half hour. Once they put the catheter in (which I didn't feel, thanks to pain meds discussed in love point #1), I didn't have to pee! For the first time in over a month, I felt no urge to run to the bathroom. After delivery, I got to sleep for 5 hours straight WITHOUT getting up to run to the bathroom! It was glorious. And for those of you who have heard how horribly painful they are to be removed- I barely felt it at all (probably thanks to the meds, and the distracting massive incision across my stomach preventing me from sitting up without double arm assistance).

3. It feels like the ocean in your stomach. I'm totally serious. It felt like there were just waves running across my stomach while they were doing the procedure. I have no idea why I was feeling what I was feeling, but it felt awesome. It's like a stomach massage delivered by water Gods. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but it felt really cool. Side note, I was super freaked out about being able to feel things prior to the operation, so it's not something I was anticipating enjoying.

4. Warm Towels. The medicines they give are known to cause some shaking in some patients. Add to that the pretty decent amount of blood loss I experienced and I was like a full body bobble head. It was pretty scary, especially after they told my husband he had to leave. Luckily, that wonderful Mr. Anesthesiologist I'm so fond of, was there by my side, holding my hands and wrapping warm towels over my shoulders. Seriously, there's not a whole lot that beats wrapping up in a soft towel fresh out of the dryer.

5. My husband got to be the first to hold our daughter. It's a tough thing to miss out on that fundamental "mom moment", but it was so beautiful to see him holding our little girl. It was an amazing experience to be able to sit back and just see them taking each other in and saying hi to her for the first time. It was a heart melter.

6. You have a perfectly legitimate excuse to not wear pants for at least 2 weeks after delivery. Seriously, who wants pants rubbing up on a fresh incision? Not this girl. Boycott your bottoms and live it up in your bathrobe!

7. You're like a superhero. You made a baby, you survived major surgery and now you're a mom! Your baby is not going to care how they came into this world, just as long as you are right there beside them, snuggling, loving and showing them the way through the crazy thing called life. You had a baby. You are awesome.

We all know the stigmas associated with Cesareans, but I'm here today to tell you to throw that out the window. You are a mom. You brought life into this world. You are a bad@$$.

For anyone reading this that is preparing to deliver- get ready. It's about to be the best experience of your life. I hope this eases some of your anxieties and gets you excited to meet your new little bundle of joy. And remember, regardless of how you bring your little one into the world, you are about to be a mom... and moms are just the best. Go you!!!

5 Things that Helped me Survive the "Newborn Stage"

Being a new parent is hard. There's no instructions. No rule book. No guarantees. You're guaranteed to be nervous, excited, overwhelmed, scared and excited all at once. So how does one deal with this?

Everyone has their own methods. In the end, we all do whatever we need to do for our babies. That's just what parenting is. There were a few little things that I found really helped me when dealing with the newborn stage.

1. ASK FOR/ACCEPT HELP. This is so important. We all want to be supermom. We want to believe that we are strong/patient/smart/whatever enough to handle everything on our own. In reality, the strongest, most patient, smartest parents I've met are the ones that weren't afraid to ask for and accept help. You are going to be exhausted. Add to that the potential for baby blues/PPD and attach a completely helpless baby to yourself that knows how to do nothing but eat, sleep, poop and cry. It's a lot to take on, and you don't have to do it alone. When Grandma or Aunt Sally offer to watch the baby so you can nap, prepare a meal, assist with laundry, vacuum the house, etc. ACCEPT THE HELP! If no one is offering and you just need a break, don't be afraid to ask. You won't be judged. By addressing your body and mind's cues that you need to take a moment for yourself, you're being a responsible new parent.

2. Pack n' Play with removable bassinet/napper. Our little girl had a hard time keeping food down and she was frequently choking in her sleep because she was spitting up. We ended up putting the pack n' play in our room right next to the bed and she slept in the bassinet attachment in the pack n' play until she was 6 weeks old. The bassinet attachment is slightly inclined so it helped her to not have as much spit-up through the night. The benefit of the removable attachment, is that we could bring the bassinet downstairs and put it next to the couch so I could try to nap while she was sleeping. When we were ready to move her to her crib, we had a SUPER smooth transition, because we just took the bassinet attachment and put it in her crib for the first week to get her used to the new space, new noises and not having us right beside her. When we removed the bassinet and put her right on the crib mattress, she only fussed for part of one night and then went right to sleep. (We also started letting her nap in the crib on the mattress at 4 weeks to get her used to it.)

3. Swaddlers. Lord knows a new mom (and dad) need sleep. With swaddlers, our baby slept so much better through the night. She felt safe and secure and we didn't have to worry about her startling and waking herself up frequently.

4. Bouncer/Vibrating chair.  Our couch was big enough that we could just set the chair on the couch with us and bounce her while we watched tv or ate dinner. Not all babies will like this particular thing, but the main take-away is to find something that will hold and calm your little one, a swing, rock-n-play, bumbo pillow, play mat, anything so you can take a break.

5. Bath Robes. I seriously lived in bathrobes the first 2 weeks. It seemed like Charlotte was eating every hour, I was sore from my C-Section, and I just had no extra energy to pick out an outfit to wear for the day. I bought a few comfy bathrobes, and they were my happy place.

6. If you're reading this before your baby arrives, this is for you: Freezer Meals. This was a life saver. Before Charlotte was born, I made 45 dinners and froze them so I could just pull them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven or dump them in the crockpot and eat them. This way, I was able to eat a variety of delicious meals without having to spend hours preparing and cooking. I'll be sharing recipes for my frozen meals in a later post!

My Child, the Vampire Monkey

When Charlotte was a completely helpless infant, I remember thinking on many occasions "I just can't wait until she can move around and do some things for herself". It felt warranted at the time. She couldn't play with any toys on her own, couldn't roll over, couldn't move anywhere, couldn't do anything that she wanted besides cry, sleep and poop.

Well... turns out my kiddo is one of  those "fast track developers".. and has now, at 6 months, perfected crawling (I'm talking crawling up on all 4, not just the army crawl- that lasted about a week before the real deal set in) and she has learned to pull herself up on EVERYTHING. If she can reach it, she will use it to stand.

This is what I asked for right? I thought it would be wonderful. Until she developed these skills prior to developing any fear or "graceful falling" skills... So while I used to have to occasionally roll her over, replace her pacifier or move her from the rock & play to the floor, I had NO reason to EVER wish for her independence.

Yesterday was MADNESS. She was all over. I put a baby gate at the entrance to the living room, closed the bathroom door and put a gate at the bottom of the stairs... Much to my chagrin, she decided that the baby gates are PERFECT for climbing up... We have a fireplace in our living room, she learned to pull herself up on that. She learned to climb the couches, and she learned to climb my legs, back and arms. She pulls herself up using the curtains and piles of pillows... I swear, nothing is safe. So since she can stand using basically anything and has no sense of fear of falling or ability to fall on her bum instead of her head, I spent all day chasing her and putting her back on the ground, in her jumper, on my lap or in her swing all while trying to get her to be interested in her toys instead of climbing back up. Surprise, surprise.. It didn't work.

So to add to the climbing spree she is on, she also is in a teething phase. We already have the two front bottom ones, and they are like little razor blades. Now, it certainly doesn't sound appealing to me, but to her, she is willing to sink her teeth into anything. Today, the new favorites are my legs, arms, feet and cheeks. This wouldn't have been as big of an issue a month ago, or even a week ago, as I could have just sat on the couch and given her teethers to fill her need to chew.. Now that she can climb, there's no safe zone.

Needless to say, I went shopping today for new teethers for her and extra thick socks and sweaters for me. As with all things, we will just weather the vampire monkey storm and do our best to divert her interest to chewing on her teethers and toys, but OYE does this girl have some fangs!

How have you dealt with a biting baby??

Baby Does No Wrong

Must be it's a part of the package that comes with being a Mom.. There's no other way I can think of to legitimize it.

The things that drive me CRAZY when someone does them (especially my hubby, sorry dear) seem to have the total opposite effect when my daughter does them. What the?  Let's review.

1. Feet. Oh my Lord, I HATE feet. Now don't get me wrong, I will totally go to a nail salon, get a nice foot massage and a pedicure and have nothing bad to say about it.. but when it comes to me touching someone else's feet, someone touching me with their feet, sometimes even just seeing someone's gross feet, it is about enough to make me gag. But with Charlotte, I seriously think her feet are adorable. She gets a foot rub every night before bed. I play the "little piggies" game with her toes, I've even kissed her foot.. What the heck comes over me?!? I guess the whole "her genes are half mine" thing makes her feet acceptable. So weird.

2. Breathing. Yep, I'm one of those. If I hear you breathe, I'm probably secretly wishing you'd stop. The notorious "fat person breathing" makes me insane. You can be a mouth breather, that's fine, but if I hear your breathing, that's when a problem develops. Some things are intended for only you to know that you're doing. Breathing is one of those. Now with Charlotte, I could sit and listen to her breathe for hours. There's something so calming to me about hearing her breathe, especially when she gets a little vocal sigh going with every exhale.. Ah, I melt. Anyone else tries that around me, that audible breath may be their last. 

3. Burping/Farting.  So gross. Yes, I know "everybody does it" but as I said in #2, some things just should NOT be shared with those around you. With my baby girl, you'd swear she just scored the game winning point in the final seconds of the match based on the way I cheer when she burps after a bottle. 

4, Lip Smacking/Slurping. I'm pretty sure this is a fairly common annoyance, so there's no need to elaborate. I will say that Charlotte is 100% a lip smacker- especially now that we are introducing solid foods and for some reason it is so cute to me. The second my husband tried to imitate her I seriously contemplate returning to my MMA days and going for the 6 second knock-out, but for Char, so so cute.

5. Staring. If someone is filling their time by giving me or anyone else an intense stare, it gets awkward. I am not even into the romantic stares. It's weird. I don't want you eyes taking in every single slight movement I make. If you are watching hard enough that you can see me swallow, we've got issues. Now when Charlotte stares at me, it is just the sweetest thing ever and I never want anything to interrupt it. Those pretty little eyes can stare at me as awkwardly as she wants and I will soak in every single second of it.

Why do we do this? I guess it's all just part of the ever-strong "motherly love" that takes over us all when our little ones enter the world. So for now, I'm going to cherish every time Charlotte does these little things, as I'm sure once she gets older, it won't be quite so cute when she belches loud enough for the neighbors to hear after a meal.   

Shots, Shots, Shots!!

SHOTS DAY IS THE WORST!!!!

I'm sure all parents who have ever taken their baby to a vaccination appointment can agree.. They stink!

Our little girl had her third round of shots today... Perhaps a bit of background is needed..

When she was 2 months old, my hubby couldn't get time off of work to come with me to her first shots appointment. My mother-in-law took his place and bravely stood by my side as we held our little girls' arms down. I swear the nurse no more than cleaned Charlotte's leg with the alcohol swab and I was in tears... Yep I was that mom. After the shots were over, my baby started crying in a way I had never heard her do before AND her tear ducts decided to start producing tears for the first time, so there's me.. Bawling in the corner, attempting to console my poor little girl.. In an effort to pull myself together, I asked Grandma to hold her so I could get a Kleenex... She turned around to grab her and low and behold she was a blubbery mess too!!!

Finally, we got a grip of ourselves and made our grand exit with mascara streaks all the way to our chins. Two days later my cousin took her baby for her first shots and when she started to get teary-eyed the nurse told her "don't worry. You can't be any worse than the mom AND grandma that were in here bawling a couple days ago"!.. Not quite what I had imagined my legacy as a mom would be..

At 4 months we went back for round 2. I made darn certain that my husband could be there this time, thinking for sure he would see how hard it is to not sob. Nope- it was all me. Again.
I think the anticipation is what got me. I'm not even sure if the nurse was in the room before I started to get upset. Argh... Tis little girl had better not get any injuries ever because there's no way I'm making it through that one with my makeup still in tact!

So then there's today. The great big here and now. I had been prepping. I told myself I wouldn't cry. I swore I would be tough as nails. Well... One thing led to another, a night of 45 minutes of sleep plus the stress of approaching deadlines to meet for work. Add to that the lack of preparations that I've done for Christmas and I stood no chance.

I didn't even make it into the parking lot! "Mary Did You Know" came on the radio and I was done. I have heard that song 8 million times, but today, hearing it while my little angel was asleep in her car seat, knowing what lied ahead of her.. I didn't stand a chance.

I met Nick and warned him that it was going to be a tough one. He squeezed my hand and flashed that nick-smile at me and I DID IT!

I didn't cry. Not one tear. I calmed my girl down, treated myself to a peppermint mocha latte and carried on... Of course by "carried on" I came home and put a shot of peppemint schnapps in my latte!

The way I see it, if she gets shots, mommy should get to have one too!

Dry Your Breast Milk ALMOST Painlessly

Breast milk is awesome, right?! It's super healthy for your baby, all natural, provides tons of health benefits. Not to mention the huge money savings you'll experience if you use breast milk instead of formula!

Breastfeeding, like all good things, must at some point come to an end. For some, your milk supply will just gradually run out and you'll just transition into the next phase of feeding. For others, you'll decide to quit breastfeeding while your supply is still being produced at full force.

For me, I had to quit way sooner than I wanted because of an incompatibility between my milk and by little one. After reading loads of articles about different methods of how to dry up supply, I finally decided to try a combination that I thought would be best for me.

Some articles tell you to just quit cold turkey, some give you a strict gradual reduction schedule for pumping, but all of them warn of the intense pain you'll likely experience and how uncomfortable you'll be.

I was really not game for pain, so I decided to combine the methods I had read about. It took me about 2 months to completely stop pumping, but I never had the throbbing, leaking, uncomfortable experience that so many women talk about. For those of you wondering, yes, I had a huge supply.. I was pumping 10-12oz every 3-4 hours.. So this isn't one of those "miracle stories" from someone who was only producing an ounce a day.

Here's what I did:
The first two weeks, I tried to reduce how often I was pumping. I had been pumping every 3-4 hours, so I limited my pumping to every 4-5 hours.

(This was the pump I used and loved it! Many hospitals will offer a "rental" service for breast pumps so you can try one different kinds and find the one that works best for you! )

The third week, I continued reducing pumping frequency and pumped only every 5-6 hours. The fourth week, I limited to every 6-8 hours.  By the end of the first month, I had myself down to pumping only 3 times/day. At any point if I felt I could go longer between pumping, I would do so! On the flip side, If I started to experience pain or discomfort sooner than my "goal" pump time was here, I'd pump. The main idea, is that the first step is to reduce how often you're pumping.

In the second month, I reduced how long I was pumping for. It had been taking me anywhere from 10-15 minutes to pump. In week 5, I started timing my pump sessions and cut them off at 10 minutes. Starting week 6 I cut off my sessions at 8 minutes, and by the second half of the week I was ending all sessions at 6 minutes and I eliminated my third pump session each day. I found it easiest to eliminate the middle of the night session so I was only pumping in the morning and before bed. Again, throughout this whole time, if I felt I could quit pumping sooner, I did and if I needed to go longer, I did so.

In week 7, I reduced pump sessions to 5 minutes each and eliminated my evening pump session. The second half of week 7, I limited my sessions to 3 minutes (basically just enough to take the edge off).

In week 8, I pumped only every other day for 2-3 minutes. By week 9, I was done!

I did wear pads in my bra for about 2 weeks after I quit pumping. My supply was not completely eliminated, as there would still be production if there was pressure on my breasts. However, there was no longer any swelling my in breasts and I was not feeling any need to pump.

Every woman is going to be different, but I hope that this will help you to find a method that works for you!

Playtex Vent-Aire (and water, and formula, and everything else)...

So as you can probably guess from the title of this, I'm less than thrilled with Playtex Vent-Aire bottles.

We bought them for our little girl who suffers with gas troubles and has started collapsing the nipples on her other bottles.. Our local stores didn't have any of the "medium flow" nipples for the bottles we already had, so we decided to try the Playtex bottles..

I have to say, they are absolutely the LOWEST quality excuse for a bottle I have ever seen.

No matter how I try, the bottom of the bottle leaks CONSTANTLY. There's a little blue rubber piece that is supposed to secure over the vent holes in the bottom of the bottle, but for whatever reason it NEVER actually seals.

Our new issue, now the nipples aren't sealing either. I'm not sure if we "over sterilized" them or what, but now, once we get the bottom of the bottle sealed, the liquid starts leaking out the nipple as soon as we turn the bottle upside down so our girl gets a facefull of formula.

New moms, be warned.. These were definitely not the bottles I expected them to be.

Poison Tits

Motherhood is a rollercoaster.. there are ups, there are down. There's good, there's bad. There's successes... but are there failures?  Really?

Well, I've got to tell you, for a while, I thought I was one. Before my baby was born, I was gung-ho about breastfeeding. I was going to breastfeed my baby, it was going to be totally perfect, we were going to save tons of money and she was going to have tons of health benefits from it.

At the hospital, we had trouble getting her to latch. Luckily, I had an amazing nursing staff and they introduced me to the nipple shield. Crisis #1 averted! With that handy dandy little piece of silicone we were able to exclusively breast feed for 3 weeks- that's when the screaming started.

It was like the flip of a switch- one night, she let loose. She screamed, and screamed... and then screamed a little more... We tried everything: rocking, pacifier, bouncer, walking, car rides, singing, you name it.

I started pumping and bottle feeding so I could track her consumption. We started giving her 2oz every 2 hours. When that didn't seem to satisfy her, we increased to 3 oz. The screaming continued and we saw a doctor who told us it was colic. Great... The notorious, inconsolable, inevitable episodes of crying for hours on end were ours to enjoy.. The good news- they say it usually resolves itself around 12-16 weeks.. only 8-12 weeks to go!

Luckily, my persistent, overly worried, new mom instincts told me to keep digging.

I decided to try supplementing- thinking maybe she just wasn't getting what she needed from my milk. We tried Similac Sensitive, Enfamil Gentlease and Gerber Good Start.. to no avail..

Finally, following the advice of my aunt (who experienced the same situation with her daughter) we decided to try a lactose free, cows milk allergy blend. The little miracle called Nutramigen.

It was amazing. We started giving her exclusive formula and it was like a miracle had happened. The crying stopped. She was a whole new baby!

After 3 weeks of wiping my diet clean of all dairy and soy, I tried breast milk one more time. The screaming started again..

I felt like a total failure. My breast milk was actually HURTING my baby. She was screaming in agony and discomfort from the belly pains caused by my breast milk..

It was time to quit trying and stop putting my little one through the struggle...

Things had again taken a turn from the way I planned them, but accepting the defeat has led to a much happier household overall. My baby has not had tummy pains and (although our wallets are aching) our sanity has been somewhat restored.

Sometimes, you're dealt a batch of poison tits. It doesn't mean you're a bad mom (though the crazy hormonal changes you'll experience from "drying up" will likely make you feel like one!). Things happen, good bad and ugly. It's called parenting.  Slap some leak guards in your bra, buy yourself some ice cream and a giant glass of wine, and get pumped to quit pumping!

Mommy's Simple Sanity Savers

• This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small incentive if you make a purchase using these links. This will not change your cost of items, item return/exchange policies or item quality. 

As an expecting mommy, there's hundreds of lists, blogs, registry guides and even full books about what you MUST HAVE to welcome your new baby into the world and into your home. For first time moms especially, this can be super overwhelming.

In a later post, I'll talk about what I have found the most helpful from my registry but today I'm talking about the "not so typical" things that have been keeping my sanity. Check it out!

1. Gamer Chair. I bought one off Amazon and it has been a lifesaver! Since Charlotte was born, I spend about 8 hours per day sitting or laying on the floor next to her play mat or bouncer, talking to her and playing. After about a month of doing this everyday, my back and bum was definitely paying the price! With a gamer chair, I'm only about 6" off the ground so I can still be right next to her without having to sit on the hard ground.

2. Roll-away Bed. Another weird one, right? If you are like me and have a significant other who works full time and a small house.. you'll especially appreciate this. Once that little bundle of joy falls asleep, you will want to take advantage of it! I spent quite a few nights on our roll away bed in our living room next to her pack & play, or her bouncer, or her swing, or her play mat.. or whatever she fell asleep on! This made it so much easier because I didn't have to worry about waking her up by moving her to our bedroom and I didn't have to worry about her waking my husband up multiple times through the night when she was crying or fussing. The best part? I could just fold it up and roll it back into the closet during the day (super helpful with all the company that a new baby brings!)  This is the one we have- it's not exactly sleeping on a cloud, but it's not bad either! 

3. Bathrobes. I LIVED in bathrobes for the first 5 weeks that our little one was home with me. Particularly for C-Section deliveries and breastfeeding, bathrobes are amazing. I could wear a bathrobe without any pressure on my incision and I could easily open the top for feeding my little one. It was also convenient for when company was over, as I could stay pretty well covered during feedings without having to bury my newborn and I under blankets in the middle of summer. Here's my tips in choosing a bathrobe: make sure it has pockets... you'll want to carry a burp cloth, pacifier and cell phone with you and your hands will be full with your baby! I preferred thicket cotton robes, as they kept me feeling adequately covered without being too hot. And hoods... forget about it! You're going to spend a lot of time leaning back on the couch, rocker or glider with your baby on your chest... you don't want an uncomfortable hood bunched up on your spine! 

4. DVR. Let's admit it.. we all have a guilty pleasure TV show.. and once that baby is in your home, it's going to be very difficult to consistently be able to watch your shows without missing parts while your little one is voicing their needs. DVR not only helps you be able to watch shows as you are available, it'll also help you to be able to stash up a decent supply of entertainment for the countless hours you'll spend feeding and rocking your little one day and night. 

5. Mommy Time. Don't be afraid to ask/accept offers for help. I thought I'd be the kind of mom that never wanted to let go of my little one.. but after 3 weeks straight of crying, feeding, pooping and rocking... I was nearly too willing to let others help. Granted, I'm not saying to go pull someone off the street and hand them your child, I was still pretty picky about who I left her with. Every once in a while, taking an hour to sit in a hot bubble bath with some Pandora radio playing and my Pinterest app in full force was exactly what I needed to pull myself together. 

6. Online Shopping. I was way behind the times with online shopping. I had never used the internet for everyday purchases, until I had a baby. The thought of taking her into a store and trying desperately to calm her as she screams her way through the aisles still gives me chills. Luckily, nearly everything is available online these days. I place orders nearly weekly through Walmart, Amazon and occasionally even some clothing retailers. Having toilet paper and diapers delivered right to my door weekly has been a life saver! 

These 6 things pretty well sums up my first 6 weeks as a mommy. Beyond these, just take the time to relax and enjoy your little blessing. Hold her tight and cuddle her as much as you can. Know that the hard times will pass, and the good times will become the things you'll cherish. 

Most importantly, find what works for you. Every baby and every mommy are different. If it works for you, do it! You know your baby best, if you're being the best mommy you can be, then you're doing it perfectly. 

Let's be HONEST

I have never been one to be all into organic/natural/chemical free products, until I got pregnant.

Thanks to the ever creepy stalk capabilities of social media tracking your recently visited webpages and recently searched items, I was bombarded with articles about how baby foods are loaded with chemical preservatives that lead to defects and clothes detergents (even baby ones) are loaded with chemicals that cause asthma and hives and diapers.. oh the diapers.. I think the images of the chemical burns on those poor babies are forever burned into my brain...

So you can imagine my thrill when I learned about the Honest Company.

Honest is Jessica Alba's company that guarantees not to use any harsh or toxic chemicals in their products. They offer a huge range of products from sunscreen to diapers. They also offer free trials of many of their products so you can try before you buy! Another huge perk: their diapers are seriously adorable!

I jumped right on board and signed up for the monthly diapers and wipes subscription through Honest. Here's what I found I liked and didn't like about having a subscription of honest diapers and wipes.

The Pros:

• Super Cute Diapers- you get to choose what designs you want in each shipment and they change them periodically
• "Month's Supply" of diapers and wipes delivered to your doorstep- shopping with a baby, especially a newborn is HARD. With Honest, you don't have to leave your couch! 
• Good, sturdy, thoroughly moist wipes- I hate companies that make wipes that feel practically dry or rip right apart as you try to pull them out of the container... No body has time to fight with flimsy wipes during changing time! 
• Worry Free! No need to fret about your baby winding up with a nasty burn or rash from chemical laden diapers and wipes.
• Easy shipment date adjustment online- if you need diapers sooner (or later) you can easily log into your Honest account and set your shipment date.
• Great price! In Newborn size, you get about 320 diapers PLUS 4-72 packs of wipes for $79.95. At Walmart, a case of 128 Pampers Swaddlers in Newborn size costs $34.94 (316 Diapers costs $69.88 PLUS a 56-count pack of wipes costs $1.97 so add an additional $10. For both you end up at $79.88.. THEN you have to incorporate the cost of gas (for people who live in the boonies like me, it's a 60 mile round trip) and THEN think about the hassle of packing up your baby, the diaper bag, your purse, making the trip, unloading the baby into the car, praying she doesn't have a blowout while you're in the store (or in her carseat- YUCK), struggling to keep her from screaming through the store, packing her back in the car... on and on and on. Honest is DEFINITELY a great deal! 
• Target carries honest products! If you get in a pinch and have quick, easy access to target, you can replenish your supply in store.

The Cons:

• As much as I wanted them to be perfect for my little one, the just didn't quite fit her right. All babies are made differently, so if you question whether they'll fit yours appropriately, definitely take advantage of a free trial! 
• They're pretty stiff. This is a double edged sword- they are free of all the chemicals that major diaper companies use that make their product so soft which is AWESOME, but they can leave some pretty sore looking red spots from being so stiff. (We just try to give her about an hour a day of time with no diaper on to relax her skin and air out). She loves it because she can straighten out her legs without a big bulky diaper between her thighs and it gives us piece of mind to see her skin without red marks from constant pressure of diapers. 
• If the amount of diapers sent to you isn't enough or is too many, it can be a real pain. The website currently doesn't have any options for "mix and match" bundles. Personally I think it would be handy to be able to get multiple sizes in a delivery if needed (they send 6 packs of diapers, so I'd love to be able to order 4 in size 1 and 2 in size 2, our little one has been growing like a weed so she blew right through the size 1 phase). 
• Inquiries/cancelling is a pain. They only offer most account modifications via phone and, like many customer service businesses, it can take FOREVER t oget through to a representative.
• The "deals" run out once they have your credit card on file... Before I signed up for a subscription, I always was getting e-mails for 50% off a bundle or buy one bundle, get a second for a percentage off, etc. After I signed up, those deals all stopped. I hate when companies only reward NEW customers... It wouldn't hurt to dish out a little love to loyal customers once in a while too! 

So all in all, I think Honest is a great company and they have an awesome mission. I love the chemical free products and the piece of mind that their products gives to parents. The products are adorable and the price point was spot on. I ended my diaper subscription simply because they didn't fit over her bum correctly, but they may be perfect for your baby! I'll still continue using honest for their wipes and other products. 

My recommendation: Give the free trial a shot and see what you think! It's worth it!

*I am in no way affiliated with The Honest Company. The images provided are samples available at www.honest.com used to give my readers a better understanding of the company. 

Oh, you're pregnant?!

Ok ladies, if you've ever been or currently are pregnant, I'm sure you'll know right where I'm coming from here.

There are some things that you just DON'T say to a pregnant woman.

During my pregnancy, I had the joy of working in a local restaurant, so I was constantly interacting with people which allowed me lots and LOTS of time to compile a list of things that drove me absolutely nuts when people would say them to me...

For those of you who haven't been pregnant or had one of those freakishly easy "I only gained a half a pound and never got sick" pregnancies, take note!

10. "You're carrying high, it's definitely a boy!" I'm pretty sure I heard this at least once a day, usually after someone asked me if I knew the gender yet (to which I would reply "it's a girl"!). Low and behold, half the population has a 6th sense about them that has turned them into walking, breathing ultrasound machines. I had one woman actually tell me that if I had a girl, she was going to be a tomboy because she doesn't want to be a girl based on the way I was carrying... Backoff ultrasounders!

9. "Why are you tired? You should be sleeping all the time now!"... I especially loved hearing this one from men. Let's go through the list of things preventing my peaceful slumber... A. There's a 20 pound beach ball growing off my front side, not the most ideal situation for comfort! B. I pee LITERALLY at least once every hour... Sleep soundly though that? I think not. C. The child in my stomach is working on developing her tap dancing skills on my ribcage. D. Once the tap dancing stops, she starts boxing training on my organs. E. I am about to have a BABY! I'm bringing a HUMAN into this world! There's a million things to be done before she gets here, there's no time for sleeping!!!

8. "Should you really be eating that?" If I had followed all the dietary suggestions I received, I would have been living on spinach and multivitamins. I'm not saying that you shouldn't watch what you're putting into your body. I was very cautious and cut various things out of my diet per my doc's suggestions, but don't deprive yourself. You're growing a human... you need some nutrients!

7. "Don't you have anything cute you can wear?" Please take not of the massive growth I'm carrying on my front side. Find me a place that carries clothing that'll fit over my bump without breaking the bank and I'll gladly buy some. Have you seen the prices on maternity clothes? Outrageous! I'll stick with my leggings and XL Sweaters, thanks!

6. "Let me guess your due date!" For your own safety, you probably just better not.

5. "How much have you gained??" Are you asking that because you think it's 5 pounds or 50? Why are you asking that at all?? Why is a bulge in my gut suddenly an acceptable reason to discuss my weight publicly? I vote no.

4. "Do you need ice cream?" If I'm already in a foul mood, offering me cliché pregnancy foods is probably not the best route to take. If I want to eat something, I'll let you know. Once I let you know, get your behind moving and get it to me STAT.

3. "You're HOW FAR past your due date???" Yeah, 2 weeks, trust me, I'm well aware. Stop telling me to walk, drink pineapple juice and ride on railroad tracks.. If there's a theory, I've tried it! This child will make her arrival when she's ready.

2. "You have no idea".... This didn't get me as bad in the beginning, but as time went on this seemed to be the response I'd get from people every time they'd ask how I was doing. "Do you have morning sickness?" "Yeah, I haven't been able to eat much of anything for weeks" "You have no idea..." ...ummmm yeah, after 2 months of constant nausea and vomiting, I think I've got a pretty good idea. "Is she moving a lot?" "Yeah, I think my bladder is her punching bag" "You have no idea"... There's a 7 pound child beating on my bladder constantly, I think I have a pretty good idea. Just trust her when she tells you how she's feeling, she knows exactly what she's dealing with!

1. "Oh, you're pregnant?!" ....nope, this is a watermelon I put in my shirt for special occasions. Seriously, if someone tells you they're pregnant, just send your congratulations. If they're past 4 months, chances are she's feeling pretty huge and your surprise at her announcement is NOT going to help her feel any better. You might as well just look her right in the eyes and tell her you think she's a whale. Not cool. So, so not cool.

Now remember, every woman is going to be completely different in how they feel during this miraculous time in their life, so it's your job as a person who interacts with them to NOT push an unnecessary buttons. Follow my list, use some common sense and well.. just don't be dumb and the world will be a much happier place. Or at least hers will!

Cue Motherhood

"The Miracle of Childbirth"... We have all heard it. When you're pregnant, you're showered with words of encouragement ranging from "you won't even remember any of the pain" to "I delivered all 6 kids the natural way, no drugs needed"..

Well, while that's really awesome for those moms, that is NOT necessarily always the case.. 

When my little one was brought into the world, it was far from the fairytale delivery you see on the big screen.

I spent my entire pregnancy determined that I was going to give birth before my due date arrived. I had my hospital bag packed and in my car a month ahead, all the baby gear was put together and placed throughout the house, and I was fully prepared to use my stroller everyday to work off that baby belly!

Well... my due date came and went and I still was not dilated AT ALL. Finally at 42 weeks, my doctor scheduled to induce me on Tuesday at 6pm. I was thrilled! I wanted that baby OUT! Conveniently, I started labor 16 hours prior to my scheduled induction. I thought for sure I'd get to the hospital and they'd say I was at least 6cm dilated and would have a baby by midnight... WRONG.

After 16 hours of contractions, I had made it to a whopping 1cm! I was devastated, but feeling hopeful that once the induction medicine was placed I would make great progress. The nurses told me they had a medicine available that would help with the pain and most likely knock me out so I'd get a good nights sleep and probably not even know I was having contractions. I was pumped! It sounded like a dream come true. Get the medicine placed, get a shot, sleep for 12 hours and wake up ready to push- perfect... WRONG AGAIN.

The nurses did mention briefly that a very small percentage of people are not affected by the shot... Lucky me for being one of them! The good news, the induction medicine was SUPER effective- crazy strong contractions hit me for 12 hours straight and left me exhausted from the previous 16 hours of contractions and incapable of sleep.. The bright side, after I survived the night and the medicine was removed, I was 6cm dilated! Again, I was hit with a pang of hopefulness. The doctors decided not to begin Pitocin right away because I was making such great progress. So we waited until 11am.. Contractions continued, but no further dilation was achieved.

About this time, I decided to throw my hopes of a natural, epidural free delivery right out the window. I have never been so eager to be stuck with a needle in my life! Luckily, I had a WONDERFUL anesthesiologist and felt virtually no pain while they were placing the epidural. It took about 10 minutes but the relief was amazing! At the same time that they started the epidural, they started Pitocin in hopes to get me dilated the rest of the way. Contractions continued and became stronger and stronger (making the relief from the epidural less and less effective).

At 3:00 I was almost managing to catch a snooze when a team of nurses came rushing into the room and began rolling me over and moving heart monitors and contraction sensors around. I was terrified, what in the world were they doing?!?

Once the panic passed, one of the nurses explained that the baby's heart rate had dropped from 145 to 60bpm. I spent 2 hours laying on my left side having contractions, when I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore and asked a nurse to help me roll over. She reluctantly agreed and helped me get situated. Sure enough, within 10 minutes my room was being flooded with nurses again and the babys heart beat had dropped again. I rolled back onto my left side, despite the pain and prayed for a miracle.

An hour later, my doctor came back to check for any further dilation. No progress had been made, and in the time I was on my back for him to check, the baby's heart rate dipped 3 times, back to back. It wasn't 15 minutes later, the doctor came back in and told me they would have to take me in for an emergency Cesarean.

It was not the ideal method of delivery, but I was so scared that I would lose the baby that I didn't even consider objecting. Meds were administered and I was transferred to the OR. Things felt a bit panicky in the room, but I knew there was no other option and the best I could do was stay calm. My husband, who had been by my side since labor had begun almost 2 full days ago, sat by my head holding my hands and talking to me about silly nonsense, just to keep my mind off of what was occurring. The anesthesiologist that had given me my epidural sat with my husband and kept us posted on progress.

The umbilical cord had wrapped around the baby's neck and was causing her heart rate to drop when I had strong contractions. The doctor credited this with my trouble dilating and the baby not dropping.

It felt like only a matter of minutes went by and he was telling us to listen for a minute- we both silenced immediately, unsure of what we would hear and then there it was.. this tiny, squeaky cry. That was our baby! Our baby was here! She was alive and here and crying! It was amazing. The nurse cleaned her up slightly and clamped the cord, then gave her to my husband so we could see her.

Everything felt perfect. I was there with my husband and my baby and we were all ok- I thought.

It felt like only seconds we sat there together, before the nurses told Nick he would have to leave, he could go with the baby, but I was having some excessive bleeding and my uterus wouldn't contract and would need to stay in the OR. I have no idea what happened the rest of the time I was in there. That same wonderful anesthesiologist sat where Nick had been sitting and brought me warm blankets for my shoulders and held my hands (in between giving me shots of who knows what!). My world went blank. All I wanted was to hold my baby girl.

Finally- the curtain came down. I was glued back together and moved to a fresh bed to be transferred back to my room. It felt like an eternity going through the halls of that hospital, but when I got into that room and the nurse put my baby on my chest, it was all worth it.

I'd be lying to tell you that getting her here was a journey I'd like to take again, but in the end, having her here and becoming a Mom has been the best adventure of my life, and it has only just begun.

Now, 6 weeks later, we are both doing great and getting to know each other more everyday. I can't imagine my life without her. I had my doctor follow up and all is healing well! The doctor even said he sees no reason that I won't be able to attempt a VBAC delivery with our next child (he then promptly wrote me a prescription for birth control)!

Here's to the future, and enjoying today with my little miracle.