The Brave Little Mama

Confessions of a Former Judgmental Mama

When I got pregnant, everyone told me about all the “unwanted” advice I would be getting and how I would definitely hate it.  The advice started rolling in and I realized that I really didn’t hate it.  I was so hungry to know all the things about babies.  And not just the things, but the best things.  What car seat was best.  What brand of diapers were the best. Sleep training? Crib vs. Bassinet? Breastfeeding vs. formula feeding?  I wanted to know all the factual information that was out there so that I could make the best choices for my baby.

I found out pretty quickly that there are exactly 3.8 million different decisions that you will make in just the first six months.  And to make this whole motherhood thing even easier, there are so many judgmental people out there that will make you feel like crap about your decision. It turned out that I would be one of those judgmental people.

When my precious baby boy was being born I had an epidural.  Gasp.  So I already had a strike against my “perfect mommy” standing right out of the gate.  Did it matter that I was not progressing after 34 hours of labor?  Did it not count for something that, I dilated the rest of the way immediately following my epidural being placed?  Nope and Nope. I had failed the first challenge of being the perfect mom.

When Riley was born, I was dismayed to find that he couldn’t latch on his own. Our breastfeeding relationship was saved by nipple shields, my extreme oversupply and my overactive let down that essentially drowned him in milk with little effort on his part.  But we survived the countless nights where breastfeeding wasn’t working. He couldn’t latch and I couldn’t handle my inability to properly latch him. We survived him having an undiagnosed tongue and lip tie. We pushed past countless clogged milk ducts and two rounds of mastitis. Breastfeeding with a nipple shield made me feel like a failure.  I didn’t tell most people about my struggles.  Everyone else just saw a happy mom that was still breastfeeding her baby. Just like a good mom should.

As Riley got older, I continued to make decisions that to me were based in factual data.  Children are 500% safer rear facing, so by gosh, Riley will be rear facing until he is a teenager.  Eating sugar can drastically disrupt a child’s sleep patterns.  Message received, no added sugar for him.  Ever.  Many children suffer from constipation and dehydration.  Looks like Riley will be eating fruit and other fibrous foods all day, everyday.  My husband and I made these decisions for Riley and for the most part, he didn’t give us any push back.

I never planned on being a judgmental mom, I don’t think any of us do. But the first time I saw a friend with their forward facing 13 month old child, I totally judged her.  When another friend quit breastfeeding a few months in because pumping at work was “too annoying”, I judged her too.  I hated myself for judging them but I just couldn’t see how they had made decisions that were so completely opposite of what I wanted for my own child. I had fought so hard for breastfeeding, why couldn’t they? My baby would be the safest he possibly could be in the car. Didn’t they want that for their own child?

They never actually knew I was judging them, at least I hope they couldn’t tell.  But still, I hated that I WAS judging them. It took a little while for me to get better prospective and to curb my judgmental ways.

Breastfeeding my baby never became so impossible that my baby was suffering.  It never became so impossible that my overall happiness and mental health were suffering.  I had an ample milk supply and was able to resolve clogged ducts and mastitis fairly easily. Rather than judging my friend for her choice, I realized how hard it must have been for her to make that decision.  She may have said that pumping was too annoying because that reason was easier than admitting her truth.

My son sits quietly in his car seat most days.  When he is upset, a quick switch to listen to “The Wheels on the Bus” or “Row Row Row, Your Boat” generally do the trick and we are right back to having a happy toddler.  I can imagine that if my child cried each and every time we drove anywhere, I would consider trying him forward facing sooner to keep the peace. This mama wasn’t there in the moments that lead up to my friend’s decision to forward face, so I cannot judge it. Nor should I judge.

My son thinks he is the luckiest boy alive whenever he gets strawberries, apples or bananas.  Not giving him sugar wasn’t exactly a difficult thing to do in our household. He chugs water and milk so dehydration has never been a concern we have spent any time thinking about.  For my friend that regularly gives her picky daughter juice to drink, I’m sorry.  I wish I had not judged you the first time I saw you hand over that apple juice.  If my son refused to drink water or milk, you better believe that I would throw my no-sugar stance out the window in an attempt to get him to drink anything.  Want apple juice?  Here you go.  Want grape juice?  Just don’t spill it on my couch.

What really solidified my change in perspective was when I started looking at other decisions I made for my son.  Decisions that I know other moms would judge.  My son watches more TV than I care to admit.  I allow my child to watch TV while he is eating in his high chair.  My now 2.5 year old, still uses his pacifier all day, everyday.  I don’t think of myself as a bad mom for these choices.  I made the changed my plans and made these decisions along the way. For us, these things make life better and for us, they were okay.

Physically I couldn’t keep up with my son while I was pregnant.  My options became, him screaming and crying for me to play with him, or turning on the TV occasionally where he could learn about shapes, colors, counting and more.  I chose his happiness over my thoughts on what other would think was best. Watching TV while eating was the only way that I could get him to eat more than a couple of bites of food.  It also kept him parked in his high chair so that I could safely (and sanely) make dinner for my husband and I.  Cook dinner for a week with a toddler demanding to be held and I guarantee you would change your stance on TV and eating.

Judgmental Mama

 

His pacifier keeps him happy.  It gives him comfort.  It keeps the peace in our house.  There have been thousands and thousands of little moments and big emotions that have existed in our world that have led to our decision to allow him to still have his pacifier. Heck, he loves his Wubbanubs so much that I created a tutorial on how to fix them when the pacifier breaks off! Just like each and every mommy out there has their own moments, their own big emotions that lead them down the path of making decisions of not just what is best for their child, but also what is best for the overall well-being of their family.

Motherhood is the hardest road that we will ever travel.  None of us need another sancti-mommy making us feel like we are somehow letting our own children down. If you ever find yourself in the seat of the mommy sending judgement to another mommy, just remember all those moments in their lives that you were not there for.  That mom is already judging herself. You don’t know their truth, you don’t know their pain. If we can all stop jumping to judge one another and instead jump to support the difficult choice other mamas are making, maybe, just maybe, being a mama wouldn’t be so damn difficult.

 

 

Pet Vaccines and Your Baby

Note, I am not a veterinarian.  This blog post is for information purposes only and shouldn’t be seen as medical advice. All information provided in this blog about is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but that there may be omissions, errors or mistakes.  

Besides being a mom to my two sweet human babies, I am also a dog and cat mom.  I have worked in the veterinary field for the past 7 years.  Keeping your pets healthy so that you can in turn keep yourself and your kids healthy is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.  Oftentimes the medical care for a pet that gets cut when babies start to enter the picture. Unfortunately, vaccines are one of those items that can easily become overlooked and overdue.

pet vaccines
Riley and his “Commie”

Vaccines exist that protect your pet against diseases that are only transmitted between dogs or between cats.  Other vaccines protect against zoonotic diseases, meaning diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.  These are the vaccines we will talk about. Children under the age of 5 are at a greater risk of contracting zoonotic diseases.  I am not here to sway you into reconsidering pet ownership. In fact, owning pets can have a huge positive impact on your children’s health. A 2012 Finnish study found that kids raised in homes with pets have fewer colds, fewer ear infections, and need fewer antibiotics in their first year of life than babies raised in pet-free homes. Pets have a great effect on kids, both on their immune systems and on their emotional development. However, as a pet owner, you need to take the necessary steps to keep your children safe.

You can easily keep you and your child safe by properly vaccinating your pets with the vaccines listed below.

Leptospirosis: (dog only vaccine)

pet vaccines
Camden getting a treat while getting his Rabies vaccine
  • According to the CDC, “The bacteria that cause leptospirosis are spread through the urine of infected animals, which can get into water or soil and can survive there for weeks to months. Many different kinds of wild and domestic animals carry the bacterium.”
  • Symptoms can include, headache, fever, vomiting, jaundice and diarrhea.
  • Treated with antibiotics but may require IV fluids and hospitalization.

Rabies: (dog and cat vaccine)

  • The most common mode of rabies virus transmission is through the bite and virus-containing saliva of an infected host.
  • Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive.
  • It is a legal requirement that you keep all of your pets up to date on this vaccine.

Low-cost vaccine clinics or your local animal control are good options if you are unable to afford routine care with your regular veterinarian. Keeping your pet up to date on all other vaccines recommended by your local vet, will help avoid your pet becoming sick with one of those diseases (Parvovirus, Distemper, Feline Leukemia, etc.). This in turn keep your child from the heartbreak of losing a pet to a preventable disease.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment.

Stay posted for my upcoming blog post on “Pet Flea Prevention and your Child’s Health”.

High Amniotic Fluid?? Hello, Urgent Induction

Like many other mamas out there, I take the less is more approach to pregnancy.  I don’t take any medications, I drink lots of water and I eat healthy foods regularly. At 36 weeks, my doctor asked me if I wanted to go ahead and schedule an induction for week 38. Heck, no! NO induction for this mama! I mean, doesn’t that greatly increase your chances of having a c-section? C-sections are fantastic and have saved a lot of moms and babies, but I would prefer to not have one.

induction
First round of Pitocin. All smiles = no contractions

Week 38 rolled around and just for the heck of it (literally) my doctor decided that we would do an ultrasound at 39 weeks. We did our “just because” ultrasound and it turned out, the amount of amniotic fluid I had was extremely high.  This condition is called Polyhydramnios and it creates a few risks for the baby.  A higher chance of the cord wrapping around the baby’s neck and a higher chance that the baby could land on the umbilical cord if my water were to break. Those risks were concerning enough that my doctor decided that we needed to induce immediately.  Welp! This was not how I thought that ultrasound would go.

We casually walked out of the doctor’s office and went home.  Going to the hospital this time around was drastically different from my first birth experience.  I took a relaxing shower, shaved my legs and ate a light lunch.  We loaded up the car and headed to the hospital.  Really, it almost felt like we were heading out on a vacation rather than heading to the hospital. Once we arrived, I was admitted and immediately given a room.

The first round of Pitocin did nothing.  My doctor’s plan was to place a foley catheter filled with saline (think, tiny balloon) in my cervix to ripen it internally. In case you were wondering, I despise the term, “ripen” in reference to my cervix.  My water ended up breaking while the doctor was getting the foley catheter in place, so we had to forego the catheter. After my waters broke, we decided to see how my body would respond on its own before restarting Pitocin. At this point it was mid-night, so I was happy to get a chance to sleep a bit without being constantly interrupted.

An hour later, I was feeling light contractions, so we restarted Pitocin. This time around, I responded.  I wish I could be one of those mamas that can brave labor without pain medication, but I am not.  My epidural was placed around 6am and I’ve got to say, those epidurals are good stuff.  After the epidural was in place, my nurse got me set up with a peanut (peanut shaped yoga ball). I then napped for a few wonderful hours. My nurse checked my cervix around 10:45am after I started feeling pressure in my rib cage. Her eyes got rather large as she informed me that she  was going to call the doctor immediately because my baby was ready to be born. Our doctor got there just in time and two (seriously, TWO!!) pushes later my sweet baby girl was born.  8 pounds 13 ounces of pure perfection.

A new baby is like the beginning of all things – wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. – By Eda J. Le Shan

This birth experience was so much better than my first experience.  I labored in a private room without the worry of when was the right time to go to the hospital. Having my team of amazing nurses with me from the beginning to the end was such a supportive and calming experience.  Not going to lie, when/if baby #3 comes along, I am way more likely to take my doctor up on that pre-scheduled induction offer.

 

Adalyn’s Blush Nursery

Is there anything sweeter than picking out the details of your new baby’s nursery. Every detail we chose was so personal to me- what sheets would she lay her little head on? What glider would I nurse and rock her to sleep in? What artwork would grace the walls of her room? I always said that I didn’t want a pink nursery for a little girl, but with all the gorgeous florals that are in style right now, I couldn’t resist. Going towards blush instead of a typical pink is my last protest against pink! Like all good things, finding everything for her blush nursery took a lot more time and effort that I originally thought it would. The end result makes me so happy and her blush nursery is now my favorite room in our house!

This post contains affiliate links. See affiliate disclosure here.

Blush Nursery

Blush Nursery

Blush Nursery

Photo Cred: Vanessa Allen Photography

Shop the Look!

Furniture and Lighting:

Crib: DaVinci Meadow 4-in-1 Convertible Crib in White

Glider/Ottoman: Soho Comfort Upholstered Swivel Glider and Ottoman

Dresser: Ikea Hemnes 8 Drawer Dresser

Light Fixture: Crystorama 4850-WW

Diaper Pail: Ubbi Amazon

Wall Art:

Name Sign: 24″ 3D Personalized Round Name Sign- ModWoodCo

Bookshelves: Made by my father in law- tutorial found here

Corner shelves: SHELVING SOLUTION Amazon

Bedding and Other Decor:

Crib Skirt: American Baby Company, Blush Pink Amazon

Crib Sheet: Sweet Jojo Designs Amazon

Changing pad cover: Sweet Jojo Designs Amazon

Curtains: Best Home Fashion Amazon

Throw Pillow: Vintage Glamour Banded Lace Pink Pillow At Home

Dog Bed: ROSE SMOKE DELLA CUDDLER At Home

Unicorn Stuffed Animal: Manhattan Toy Amazon

Blush Bear: Mary Meyer Amazon

Hot Air Balloon: Authentic Models Amazon

Want to see more pictures of our nursery? It is featured in our newborn photos, here!

Newborn Photos – Adalyn Elizabeth

Here are some of our favorite newborn photos from Adalyn’s photo shoot.  We are so thankful to have been blessed with such a beautiful and healthy little baby girl.  One day when we are old and gray, we will look back at these photos and remember this moment of our lives.

Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos

A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give. – By Laurel Atherton

Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos    Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos

A new baby is like the beginning of all things – wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. – By Eda J. Le Shan

Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos    Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos     Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos   Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos  Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos

I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always,as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be. – By Robert Munsch

Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos   Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos Adalyn Elizabeth- Newborn Photos

 

Photography: Vanessa Allen Photography

Mama Dress: KOH KOH $42.50 on Amazon

Toddler Outfit:

Shirt- French Toast $9.80 on Amazon

Pants- Cat and Jack from Target

Baby Outfits and Props:

Flower headband- $7.99 for a four pack on Amazon

Blush Leather Bow: California Tot Rabbit Ears Faux Leather Bow–Stretch Headbands for Baby Toddler Girls, Set of 4 $9.95 on Amazon

Blush Newborn Wrap: Tinksky Long Ripple Wrap $8.30 on Amazon

 

Want to know more about our nursery? 

Details can be found, here!

 

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Blush Baby Sprinkle

My mom and a few of my close friends threw a sweet blush Baby Sprinkle for us!! It turned out to be the cutest little pinterest-inspired baby sprinkle ever- complete with a tutu skirt for the dessert table!

The Invitation:

How cute is this invitation?? My mom found the pdf on Etsy and was able to download it, edit it and print it to Staples all on the same day!

The Decor:

Our nursery color scheme is centered around Blush and Dusty Rose colors, so my awesome friends decided to let those colors be the theme for this sprinkle!

Blush Baby Sprinkle

 

Blush Baby Sprinkle

 

 

 

 

The Food:

It may be because I am pregnant, but the food was my favorite part of the sprinkle!  Not only was it all food that I didn’t have to cook (is there anything better?) but a lot of the food was PINK!!

 

Blush Baby Sprinkle

Creamy Beet Hummus: Recipe courtesy of Jessica In the Kitchen

This hummus is amazing!!! Such a crowd pleaser!

Chicken Salad with Croissants from Sam’s Club

Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs: Recipe can be found here!

If you are a fan of traditional deviled eggs, these will not disappoint!

This is a staple of my mom’s for parties.  You can swap out the type of fruit and flavor of sherbet ice cream depending on the theme of your party!

 Mom’s Party Punch:

2 Liter Bottle Sprite, chilled or slightly frozen
2 Liter Bottle Club Soda, chilled or slightly frozen
1 12oz can pink lemonade concentrate, thawed in the fridge
1 pineapple juice can (12oz), thawed in the fridge
6-8 scoops sherbet ice cream (mom used Raspberry for the sprinkle)

Garnish with fresh cut pineapple and raspberries

 

Blush Baby Sprinkle

Vanilla Cupcakes (made by my sister and ah-mazing!)

Strawberries with the option to sprinkle powdered sugar on them.

Blush Baby Sprinkle

4 Ingredient Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies: Recipe courtesy of Easy Peasy Pleasy

Blush Baby Sprinkle

Heart shaped rice crispy treats dipped in pink colored white chocolate

The Parrrrty!

The hosts of my party!  My mom and my two friends, Rochelle and Bridget!

Blush Baby Sprinkle

Blush Baby Sprinkle

I was so preoccupied with enjoying the shower, that I didn’t think to take photos with guests until the sprinkle was mostly over!

Blush Baby Sprinkle

Blush Baby Sprinkle

Dress: Pink Blush $49 (you can also find it on Amazon)- I’m 5’8″ and this was one of the few maxi dresses

Lace Kimono: $15.99 on Amazon

Baby Sprinkle

My husband Rob, aka Baby-Daddy decided to hang out for the Sprinkle, which was VERY helpful in getting to enjoy our guests instead of keeping up with my son!

Baby Sprinkle

Riley (my 2 year old son) was such a happy camper during the party!  I was so worried that he would be jealous and feel left out of all the gifts that Adalyn was being given! The guest list included the children (<8) of all the women attending, so having other little kids to play with was a wonderful distraction (along with all the balloons he got to chase around our house)!

 

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

How to Fix a Wubbanub

Is your child OBSESSED with their Wubbanub pacifiers?  My now 2-year-old son is extremely attached to his and has specific names for each character.  He isn’t very creative with those names, but when “COW” broke apart he was devastated.  He carried Cow’s sad little stuffed body around and just repeated the word “broken” over and over again.  Cow wasn’t our first Wubbanub to break, in fact it was our fourth.  The devastation of losing Cow motivated this mama to get with it and figure out a way to fix them all.  Turns out, it was extremely easy to fix a Wubbanub.

After fixing my son’s beloved Cow, I decided that I would fix the other 3 that had broken.  Two had broken over a year ago, so I decided to use pink and purple Soothie pacifiers to turn them girlie for my new daughter due this month.  Below is the transformation of our brown dog and giraffe Wubbanubs into pink and purple, girlie Wubs.

Materials Needed:

Replacement Soothie Pacifiers

Sad Wubbanub Body

Thread that matches the tip of the Wubbanub’s mouth

Heavy Duty Hand Needle

Seam Ripper

Optional: Needle Puller and Thimble (highly recommended to save time and your fingers)

Time:

About 5 minutes per Wubbanub!

Here’s what I did to fix a Wubbanub:

  1. Using your seam ripper, cut the seams of the Wubbanub’s mouth.  Make sure that you get all of the stiches on the ends so that your replacement Soothie will be able to fit in the space.
  2. Remove the left over piece from the original pacifier
  3. Put the replacement Soothie into the newly created hole to make sure that it fits.  Place the Soothie so that the holder portion (the tab hanging off the back) that you will be attaching it by is on the bottom.  This will allow the Wubbanub to properly hang downward while your kiddo is using it.  The mouth hole will also curve with in the same direction that the Soothie base is curving in.
  4. Cut 8″ of matching thread (this will be more than enough) and thread your needle.
  5. In order to hide the original knot, take out the Soothie and put in the first stitch so that the knot is left inside the mouth.
  6. Replace the Soothie and begin stitching at the end where you placed your first knot.  I found it easiest to use the Thimble to push the needle through all of the layers.  I then used the Needle Puller part of the tool to pull the needle the rest of the way, once it was through all the other layers.
  7. If you do not have either tool, you can use a counter top in place of the thimble to help you push the needle through all of those layers.  
  8. Then continue to stitch the entire length of the Soothie base.  Once you have reached the other end, reverse directions and stitch back to the side that you originally started on.
  9. In order to hide the end knot, I again threaded the needle, just through one side of the fabric mouth.  My favorite method of tying knots in hard to reach areas like this is to thread the needle through, but to not pull the thread all the way.  This will leave you with thread on either side of your material.  I remove the needle and then tie these two tails together a few times and cut off the excess length.
  10. Next step: Do a happy dance because you just fixed a Wubbanub and became a hero to your child!!

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Turning 30 Without You

Turning 30 without you My older brother, Kirk passed away in a freak accident at the age of 29, three days after my own birthday. I was 8 weeks postpartum with my first child and emotionally I crumbled.  As tragic as it was and as much as I missed him I felt sorrier for my parents than I ever did for myself. I am just the sibling. Feeling this way was and is made easier by the fact that others, our friends and family, also focus on the sadness and grief that my mom and dad must be feeling. While I logically know that I was so wrong with this thinking, I still get caught in it almost two years later.

“The loss of a loved one is one of the most tragic and devastating things a person could endure”.

turning 30
My brother rarely smiled for the camera as an adult, so this photo is one of my favorites. It is from our cousin’s wedding in September 2014.

I still wake in the middle of the night, replaying random conversations with my brother.  Replaying the day my father called to tell me what had happened.  Replaying the moment I walked into my parent’s house on the day he died.  Replaying our private visitation at the funeral house.  Replaying the days and weeks that followed his funeral.  Each time, it is as if I have just lost him all over again. It has been 2 years and yet I struggle to find the right words that properly encompass all of my thoughts and emotions.

Turning 30
Kirk and I at my baby shower in November 2015, 3 months before his death.

As I sit here typing, I am a week away from turning 30.  A week away from reaching an age that my brother never got the chance to reach.  Unlike many who feel like their 30th birthday is the end of their youth and the beginning of being “old”, I in contrast feel like I am still so very, very young. At the age of thirty, I still have so much life ahead of me to be lived. So much life that my brother will never get to have.

“When a parent dies, you lose the past. When a child dies, you lose the future. When a sibling dies, you lose the past and the future”.

I am currently 37 weeks pregnant with my second child.  A child that my brother will never hold. Never see smile or hear laugh. After turning 30, I will get to raise my children, perhaps even have a few more.  I will get to travel the world and to celebrate the different milestones of life.  I will be here as our parent’s grow old and I will one day become a grandparent myself.  The countless possibilities of what else I will experience over the rest of my life seem endless and without limit.  I am still angry that all of those things were robbed from Kirk.  I am still so angry that my children will never really get to know their Uncle Kirk. Pictures and stories will be all that they have. I am still so angry. Still so sad.

My grieving process is still very much a process.  I would be lying if I said that I was anywhere close to being “over it”. Every new step in my life- having another child, celebrating birthdays, buying new homes is another part of my life that he will be absent from. So while I celebrate turning 30, I also grieve that I will be older than my older brother ever got to be.

 

What’s In My Hospital Bag- The Second Time Around

When packing your hospital bag, it is important to remember that some things are a MUST HAVE while other things are a NICE TO HAVE! There are dozens of different lists out there that make it seem like your entire hospital experience will be ruined if you forget something. Do not worry!! Even if you forget your entire hospital bag at home, the hospital provides a version of pretty much everything that you will need. I used a Weekender bag from Target for my hospital bag, my exact bag is not still available 2 years later, but this bag from Amazon is pretty similar.

I have had a lot of friends that are pregnant with their first ask me what I recommend they actually pack in their bags. Most of the items that I am bringing this time around are centered around my comfort and around convenience. Here is a list of what I am packing:

This post contains affiliate links. See affiliate disclosure here.

What's in my hospital bag

For Mom

1. My own pillow in a colorful pillowcase

While the hospital does have plenty of pillows on hand, I would prefer to have my own pillow. My own pillow is much more comfortable (not that you really get the chance to sleep). Also a colorful pillowcase will look less sterile in photos. Technically, my pillow will probably not go inside of my hospital bag. If you forget your own pillow, you will be okay!

2. A Nursing Pillow

With my first baby, I didn’t bring a nursing pillow and instead used a few pillows to prop him up. For the most part, this worked fine. I will be bringing the My Breastfriend nursing pillow with me. It clips into place and I won’t have to deal with the pillows sliding out-of-place. Again, if you do not bring a nursing pillow, you will be fine.

3. A large drinking cup with a straw

Hospital Bag Guide

Congratulations, you just had a baby. For the most part, you will spend your time at the hospital laying in bed with others waiting on you. In an effort to stay hydrated and allow my milk supply to come in, I was constantly drinking water. The hospital I delivered at provides small Styrofoam drinking cups which required my husband to refill it constantly. To save him the annoyance and to myself having to go a single second with an empty cup, I am bringing a large cup. This cup is my favorite! Again, we survived the first time without this and you will too if you forget to pack your own. I will probably save space in my hospital bag by stuffing random items inside of the empty cup.

4. Toiletries

The hospital does provide some of the basics, just like a hotel does. I prefer to have my products. I have a pre-packed a bag of my toiletries that includes duplicates of my everyday items. This eliminates the chance I will have to raid my bathroom to grab anything when I am in labor. I have also added products that come with added convenience face cleansing wipes that don’t require that you get to a sink, dry shampoo in case you are not up for a shower and mouthwash to name a few.

5. Make Up

I wish I was one of those women that gives birth and then looks like a glowing goddesses after. However, I am not. I do not plan on putting on a full face of make up while I am laying in a hospital bed. But, I do want to be able to freshen up my appearance before photos are taken and visitors arive. My hospital bag will contain just a few staple items: mascara, concealer, bronzer and blush.

6. A phone charger with an extra long cord

Chances are that you are going to need to charge your phone a few times during your hospital stay. Between taking photos of your new baby, making contact with friends and family or googling everything that you are embarrassed to ask the nurse or doctor, you are going to drain your cell phone battery quickly. We didn’t bring a long phone charger the first time around and my husband had to constantly bring my phone to me while it was charging. I found a 10 foot charger on Amazon and plan to use it this time around. If you may be alone at the hospital during your stay at any point, I would bump this item up from nice to have to must have for your hospital bag.

7. A pretty hospital gown (with matching swaddle for baby)

Without a doubt, this is not a necessary item that you MUST have. I love how lively and happy all of the floral robes look in comparison to the basic hospital robes that are provided (see photo above). I was freezing in the provided hospital robe and ended up wearing a fluffy plush robe that my husband went home to get for me. For this delivery, I found an awesome robe on Etsy that

Hospital Bag Guide has built-in opening for more incognito nursing. I struggled A LOT with my first baby and balancing having so many visitors with attempting to nurse him. This robe will make it easier to nurse without having to kick out my visitors and without having to feel overexposed while feeding her. You can read about that struggle, here.

8. Clothes to go home in

There are a few things to take into consideration when picking out clothes to pack for you to wear home. 1. You will still have a belly that is around the size of your 6 month pregnant belly. 2. You should be wearing the hospital mesh underwear + a huge pad or your own granny panties + a huge pad. 3. If you have a c-section, you will not want the waist of pants anywhere near your incision site. I am packing two outfits: Postpartum leggings and a long tunic top (comes way below my butt) assuming that I give birth vaginally and a long flowy maxi dress in case I end up having a c-section. I have heard of lots of mamas just wearing home the same clothes they came to the hospital in, so if you forget a change of clothes, you can always do that!

For Baby

1. Personalized hat

The hospital provides everything that your baby will need during your stay. Diapers, a shirt, a swaddle blanket and a plain white hat. I think the plain white hats are very generic and boring. Colorful/personalized hats make for much cuter photos! Etsy has a great selection of personalized hats! Chances are you will still know your baby’s name even if he/she isn’t wearing a special personalized hat.

2. Clothes to go home in

The hospital does provide a shirt, but not pants. You baby’s legs will need to be covered when going home. I will be bringing two sleep and play outfits. One sized Newborn and one sized 0-3 months. I will be prepared regardless of how big she is (fingers crossed she isn’t TOO big!!). Also, remember that a car seat strap will have to go between your baby’s legs. An outfit with actual pants vs. a gown will be much more comfortable for your baby. I will be delivering in March, which has very unpredictable weather here in Charlotte. So I will also have a fluffy blanket on hand to put on her, in the event that it is really cold out.

For Dad

1. Whatever he packs for himself.

Maybe I am a jerk here, but I am already responsible for myself and our new baby. My husband is a fully functioning adult and he can darn well pack for himself. Sure, I will help to remind him to get his bag packed, but I am not packing it for him.

2. Breath Mints

This item will be ALL the bags that come to the hospital. Pregnancy gives me a super strong sense of smell and zero tolerance for anyone with bad (if I can smell anything, it is bad) breath. While technically this item will be for anyone that may be come contact with me, it is listed as an item for dad since he will be with me the entire time. I want to focus on bringing a baby into the world instead of ducking someone’s exhales when they are talking to me. Breath mints are pretty cheap, so I have already added them to my purse so that I limit the chances that we will not have them if somehow I make it to the hospital without my hospital bag.

3. Snacks

This is also for your comfort, but the hospital will only provide food for you, the patient and not for him. Having snacks on hand will avoid anyone becoming hangry at any point in time. We had so many visitors that brought food, that we really didn’t end up eating the snacks. With that in mind, I still think it is always smart to have your own food available.

Commonly Recommended Items that I am not bringing in my hospital bag (and why):

A Nursing Bra

My robe will provide all the cover that I need and I want to be able to reap all the benefits of skin to skin without having the fabric of a nursing bra in the way.

Socks-

The hospital I deliver at provides socks with non-slip bottoms that are thick and warm. I see this as one less thing to pack, plus I don’t own non-slip socks as an adult so it is also one less thing to buy.

PJs-

Giving birth is a messy, messy process and I have no desire for any of the wonderful P.J. pants to be anywhere near that mess for the first few days. During my two-day stay, I constantly had nurses coming in to check the pee-pad I was laying on (think of those pads you use to train puppies) for bleeding. Wearing P.J. pants would have made that process way more inconvenient and likely more awkward.

Towels-

The hospital provides towels for you to use and I have zero desire to risk getting blood on my own personal towels. Yes, their towels are not as large or as fluffy, but the two minutes I will be using them is not worth bringing my own.

Hair Dryer-

The hospital will provide a hair dryer. Again, it is not as nice as my own personal hair dryer is, but hair dryers are large and bulky. I don’t want to make room in my bag for my own and I survived just fine without my own the first time around.

A Diaper Bag-

Given that the hospital provides everything that your baby needs during your stay, the few items that I am bringing for baby will fit just fine in my own bag. I brought a diaper bag the first time. Aside from my husband carrying it in and then back out of the hospital, we did not use it.

Check out my 8 Must-Haves to Make Pregnancy Suck Less!

Maternity Photos- The Brave Little Mama

Last week we got all dolled up to take maternity photos to commemorate this wonderful time in our lives.  Here are some of our favorites!

maternity photos

maternity photos

maternity photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos- baby girl

Maternity Photos- toddler

Maternity Photos- toddler
When your toddler won’t cooperate for photos, just toss him in the air. Instantly happy toddler!!

Maternity Photos- toddler

Maternity Photos- toddler
Riley was so happy to be free from the posed photos to get to swing and drag his feet in the MUD!

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

Maternity Photos

 

 

and my FAVORITE photo of them all…..

 

 

Maternity Photos- toddler

 

Photography: Vanessa Allen Photography

Mama Outfits:

Rose gold dress- Kate Kasin

Green Gown- Saslax

Flower Crown- found on Amazon

Toddler Outfit with Bowtie-Kimocat

 

 

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.