Making Room for Baby | Allison @ Nestful of Love

Hi! I'm Allison...new mama to Aiden and blogger over at Nestful of Love. I'm so happy to be posting for Kaity today as she snuggles her little sweetie pie. As a brand new mom myself I thought I would share some tips with you for making room in your house for a new baby!

As you register for baby items you start to see how many things you will need for a new baby and how baby items can slowly infiltrate your home and not just the baby's nursery. You need something for the baby to sleep in, something for them to bounce in, something for them to swing in, something for them to take walks in...the list goes on and on. Babies slowly take over not only your hearts, but your homes as well. My family room is overtaken with our bouncer, swing, activity mat, boppy and burp cloths galore, but that is not the only room in your home that you need to make room for your baby.

Here are a few rooms in the house that I did not consider making room for a new baby and some tips on how you can be proactive in doing so...

YOUR BEDROOM// If your baby is going to sleep in your bedroom I would highly recommend getting some night lights for those late night feedings. The last thing you want when you are zombie walking at night is to bump into something. I would also recommend finding a place for a sound machine and always keeping some extra burp cloths and a pacifier at an arms reach.

KITCHEN//Clean out a drawer for feeding supplies. You will have to store bibs, bottles and eventually plates, cups and silverware for your little one.

If you are going to be breastfeeding clear out another drawer or cabinet to keep these supplies in. You'll be surprised how much room you need for your breast pump, parts, sanitizer, extra parts, milk storage bags, etc. Another part of your kitchen that requires extra room for baby is your refrigerator! As a working mom my I had to start pumping and storing breast milk meaning that I had to clean out my fridge and freezer to make room to store milk. #momproblems

BATHROOM// This is another room I did not think I needed to clear out for baby, but then you quickly realize the baby needs to be bathed and the baby has towels, bath toys, special shampoos and body wash, etc. Think about where you will store your infant tub if you have one, where you will keep your baby's towels, cleaning supplies, etc. I have a large tin bucket that I keep by the tub to store all the toys and cleaning supplies so it's easily accessible.

GARAGE// Before Aiden came along our garage was a hot mess. We did some major cleaning so that we would have a clear path to get the car seat in and out of the car without bumping into walls or random junk. You will also need a place to store your strollers, ours are currently in the garage so we also needed a place for these.

I hope these tips can help you either now or later as you make room for a baby in your life and your home! Thanks for letting me share today Kaity.

Charlie's Birth Story: Part 3

Go here to read Charlie's Birth Story: Part 1 and Charlie's Birth Story: Part 2.

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After the midwife declared I was at 10 cms and ready to push, I pushed for about 15-20 minutes and made zero progress. Once again, my midwife asked me to lay back on Chuck again so she could check me and discovered I had a lip of cervix that was preventing the baby from moving down. She had me roll on my side and hold my right leg in the air and push while she held back the cervical lip. Because we were in the tub, within a dimly lit bathroom it was impossible for her to see what was happening so she asked me to move to the bed. There was literally nothing that sounded less appealing than leaving the prospect of my desired water birth to go labor on my back on the hard bed so like the warrior woman that I am, I whimpered and pleaded for them to let me stay in. Clearly, it was a battle that I did not win.

I was helped out of the tub and someone helped remove my sports bra and wrapped me in towels as I was shivering like crazy. I was laid on my back in the bed and Cat was able to hold back the lip as I pushed with all my might until Charlie finally passed through my cervix. It took about a half hour of pushing, holding the backs of my knees and thrusting my body forward to bring him down and if I'm being 100% honest here, I totally pooped. (I feel like this is the one big concern that all pregnant woman share, and I am here to say that yes, it did happen. There was nothing I could have done to stop it. And it was totally not that big of a deal- Chuck didn't even know until I told him.)

Once Charlie had descended, my midwife asked me if I wanted to finish pushing on the toilet. HALLELUJAH! Yes, anything to get off of my back on that damn bed. I moved to the toilet where I proceeded to push (what felt like a massive poop) until he began to crown. I could feel my lady bits getting stretched as the midwife told me I needed to get off the toilet to deliver my baby. Once again, completely rational laboring Kaity whimpered at the thought of getting off my sacred throne while two nurses grabbed me and guided me to my hands and knees on the bathroom floor. He was nearly there but the pain of pushing him out all the way was completely hampering my ability to do it in a timely manner. I gave one or two more half-hearted pushes through the next contraction while screaming, "IT HURTS!" until I had finally worked up the courage to finish the dang thing. (They don't call it the "ring of fire" for nothing). I knew the only way to get him out was to face the pain head on, so I took a deep breath, pushed as hard as I could and out popped his head...followed by the rest of him.

At 2:22 AM, Charlie was born and I couldn't believe his whole body had shot out so quickly. I didn't even see the midwife catch him until he was already safely in her arms. I heard his first cry and just muttered "Oh my god." I had just delivered a human. My human. From my body. And it was completely surreal. The midwife placed my gooey little newborn son in my arms and I had no idea how to hold him. I pathetically cried out that I didn't know how to hold a baby so they placed him in my arms and I just sat there staring at his wailing, red little face in complete disbelief.

Once my cord has stopped pulsating, the midwife clamped the cord and gave Chuck the responsibility of cutting it. I always thought the cord-cutting would be much more ceremonial, but Chuck was as equally stunned as I was and cut the cord almost apathetically as he tried to absorb what had just happened. I began to feel really shaky and weak, so they handed our little Baby Pep to his Daddy and proceeded to help me up and assist me back to the bed to deliver the placenta. I laid on the bed, shaking like I was having some kind of seizure, as the midwife encouraged me to push out the placenta. It was not a particularly difficult task, but felt much more taxing because I was officially done with this whole pushing nonsense. So after about 5 minutes of pushing, the placenta came out while Chuck stood by holding the wee one. My midwife inspected me and told me I had one small tear that didn't require stitches but she could give me one if I desired. I'm hoping you can guess how I responded to that. I was done with everything down there and passed on the stitch in hopes of lying down and passing out as soon as possible.

Our first picture as a family of 3.

The nurses helped me to sit up in bed and attempt to nurse my son for the first time. Although he latched right on and breastfed like a champ, I was less than excited about the fundal massages my nurses proceeded to give me to ensure my uterus was contracting and returning to its former size. Nor was I at all crazy about the fact that they were making me sit on my bottom- the same bottom I had just pushed a human being out of. So after about an hour of this, the nurses and midwife left us and we invited our parents and my sister in to meet our new addition. It was 3:30 AM and our families had literally been in the waiting room all day. Despite their excitement to see his sweet face, they didn't stick around long as all parties were effectively pooped and ready for bed. After the minor introduction, our loved ones departed and we discovered that in the midst of all the craziness of bonding with our Charlie, the nurses had not yet done all his stats, etc. so we had no idea how much he weighed. We invited them back in where they weighed and measured him at 6 lbs 7 oz and 20 inches long. They showed Chuck how to bathe and diaper him, administered his first shots and by 5:00 AM our little family of three was finally left alone to get some much-needed shut-eye.

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Having a Baby: Expectation

Having a Baby: Reality

Surviving the Last and First Months | Brittany @ G Squared

Hi! I'm Brittany and I blog over at G Squared. Most of my posts center around my baby, my home, the occasional recipe, what me and my husband are up to, and just other random happenings.

When Kaity asked me to write a pregnancy or new momma related guest post, my mind flooded with ideas. There is honestly so much to learn and prepare for when you find out your expecting your first baby. On the flip side, no matter what you do, what they say is true: nothing anyone says can prepare you for bringing that little one home! Believe me when I say I tried to be the most “prepared” mom on Earth. I read everything, took all the classes, and still was completely dazed and confused when we arrived home.

All that being said, I wanted to share some things about the last month of pregnancy and the first month postpartum that helped me make it through. Those are arguably the hardest two months of the whole shebang, so trust me when I say any tips you can remember from other moms are worth a try.

The last month of pregnancy

AKA the longest month known to mankind. I’m not a patient person, so I knew from day one this month would be difficult for me. The uncertainty, the anticipation, the discomfort, the thought that it could actually be LONGER than a month (for me it was… I was 6 days overdue). No matter what end of the spectrum you fall on, from anxious to excited, here are a few things that will help you get through the final weeks of pregnancy.

Do what makes you happy.

This is a little vague, but seriously, just do whatever you want. If you love work, and are physically and mentally able to continue working up until the day you deliver, do that. If your job is the last place you’d like to be and you have the time off saved? Take a week off and watch an entire season of a show you’ve always wanted to see. Eat junk food (within reason of course) all week. Walk miles in your neighborhood. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing, do it.

Firstly, who knows when you’ll be able to do it again. Secondly, you more than likely want the time to go by fast, and time really does fly when you’re having fun. I could not WAIT to be done with work, so I was home for two weeks before my daughter was born. While it was awesome, I was also bored to tears the last few days. I wasn’t in any condition to be working, but I wish I would have planned more to do to keep myself busy. Maybe more visits with friends? Just use your last days wisely instead of fretting and driving yourself mad over when baby will come.

Speaking of when baby will come…

Prepare physically.

Sleep. For the love of good, sleep. If you can’t sleep (I couldn’t), lay down and rest. Do your nails. Walk. Bounce on a ball (not sure if this really preps you for labor, but it felt good on my 40 week pregnant back, so worth a shot). Get a haircut. Drink a ton of water. Prepare like you’re getting ready for the apocalypse. Because you basically are. While I was in labor for only 7 hours, had a dream recovery physically from said delivery, and had a ton of help the first weeks after Norah was born, I still felt like I’d been hit by a bus. I did all of the above and I’m SO glad I did. There is very little time for making yourself feel/look good after the baby comes, and even when there is, if you’re like me you will want to use it sleeping or snuggling your newborn.

Don’t get ahead of yourself.

Save receipts. For clothes and gifts. Don’t wash and remove tags from every single article of clothing. If you live in a climate with seasons, you may have no clue what the weather will be like when your little one is born. No matter where you live you don’t know what clothes will fit, or even what types of clothing you will want to put on your baby.

I thought I was so clever washing and organizing everything Norah wore weeks before she was born. Between seasons changing, her being smaller than I expected, and just my preference on what she wore, we ended up packing away dozens of outfits that were worn just one or even zero times. I wish I’d of held off and saved the receipts for those bad boys instead of having to go drop $100 dollars at Kohls a week postpartum because I wanted a million Carters long sleeved onesies.

You also have no clue if your baby’s skin will show an intolerance to certain bath products or diapers. That stuff isn’t cheap and can easily be exchanged for things you can use.

Pretty sure I gave birth just a few days after this pic!

Write everything down.

That awesome baby advice from the books you read? All the fun things you want to save from the hospital for the baby book? Who you want to thank for this or that from your final days as a pregnant person? Write it all down. If you think “Pregnancy Brain” is a B, wait until you experience “Mom Brain”.

The first month postpartum

This is such a mixed bag. Just like every baby is different, every labor and delivery and postpartum experience is different. What helped me may be completely irrelevant to the next Mom, but these are things that I think most new moms could benefit from knowing.

Think about the little things.

Think about them, but don’t obsess over them. Your baby will kind of lead the way of course, but I was so worried about the big things like what would we eat and who would take care of the dogs, that I forgot to think about the little things. I’m talking about where I’d keep the 75 items required for breastfeeding every 2 hours (pillow, water, burp cloth and/or bib, paper or phone app or tracking device). It was a nightmare piling all this onto my nightstand or dragging it all around the house, or worst of all- running around the house collecting it from various places with a baby screaming for food.

I also put NO thought into how our first nights would go. We spent the first week trying to have my husband or myself  being awake 24/7 in case the baby needed something. We are both people who need a lot of sleep (the good old days), so that was a rough plan. I was terrified to go to sleep in fear that she’d need something and I’d sleep through her cries. I think I was so scared because I never really thought about the logistics of how we’d live. You can only prep so much, but at least put some thought into this stuff so you’re not caught totally by surprise.

Know that you will be physically out of the game for a long time.

I’m young and in pretty good shape. I had dream labor and delivery. My body was still shot.

Our daughter spent a couple of days in the NICU. The third day of her life, I had to get out of that room for fear of losing my mind. I hadn’t seen the sun in 2 days. I walked down to the hospital cafeteria to get lunch, and it almost killed me. Not really killed me, but I did almost pass out multiple times on the walk back up to my room. You may think you feel ok, but you’re more than likely not. And if you DON’T feel ok, don’t even think about trying to do anything besides survive and feed your baby.

I wanted to appear strong after having our girl so people would let me go back to doing normal things instead of treating me like a victim. What a mistake. Because by the time it started to catch up to me, everyone already thought I was fine. Let people pamper you, help you, bring you food, whatever. Appreciate the help while it lasts and rest up as much as you can.

Be ready for breastfeeding to kick your butt.

Unless you are one of the luckiest people in the world, it will. It almost destroyed me honestly. I wrote this post detailing more of my experience if you're interested, and that isn't even the half of it. I am still feeding my daughter mostly breast milk 13 or so weeks in, but I don't think I would have made it this far without a pump, a husband who helps me stick to it, and the luxury of being a stay at home mom, so I can really put time into making it work. If you are dedicated to exclusively breastfeeding your baby, know that it is going to be tough physically and mentally. It's going to be time consuming. But it has proven to be worth the effort for us. I also just want to say that there is NOTHING wrong with formula feeding in my opinion, and if I wasn't so cheap, I might be walking that road myself.

I am more than happy to answer questions on anything related to pregnancy or postpartum, as I'm pretty much an open book, and you can email me at brittanygsquared@gmail.com. In my opinion, there is no better advice than a "real" mom's opinion. To anyone considering a baby, pregnant now, or who has recently had a baby- best of luck to you. It truly is the greatest thing of all time!

And that’s my two sense. Just know that regardless of what friends, family, books, or doctors tell you, there is no miracle answer. Do what feels right, and enjoy the life changing happiness that is becoming a mom! Feel free to visit my blog to read all about my pregnancy, birth story, and what we’ve been up to since little N made her debut.

Newborn Must-Haves | LaNeshe @ Nesheaholic

I am a week away from having a 2-month-old! Time truly flies. At this point, I think I know what items were/are must-haves for us during these first almost two months.

Swaddle Sacks

Neither my husband nor I was ever able to swaddle baby as tight and snuggly as the nurses in the hospital could, and let me tell you, swaddling is essential! Babies don’t have complete control over their limbs yet, so their flailing arms can wake them up, and the last thing you want after you finally get a baby to sleep is for their arms to wake them up. My two favorites brands are the Summer Infant SwaddleMe and the Halo Sleepsacks.

White Noise Machine

Another thing many babies need for adequate sleeping is white noise. It’s actually loud in the womb, so they are used to sleeping in noisy conditions. I have the Munchkin white noise machine and projector and I LOVE it. It not only has a white noise function, but it also has lullabies, rain, heartbeat and ocean sounds. The projector function is just starting to come in handy as baby is just starting to see far enough to be able to see it on the ceiling. We have it over our changing table to try to distract her if she’s fussy during diaper changes. It also doubles as a night light.

Nursing Pillow

If you plan to breastfeed a nursing pillow will definitely come in handy. It was super helpful in the early days as I was trying to figure out what positions worked best for baby and I. I opted for the Brestfriend. Nursing pillows provide a nice support for baby, and help you get comfortable while nursing because you can rest your arms on the pillow.

Breast Pads

Also in the category of breastfeeding, breast pads are essential. You will leak. Almost two months in and I still have to wear pads almost always. I’ve only had one embarrassing public leaking experience in Kmart when I forgot to put on a pair lol. I use the Lansinoh brand and they absorb well and don’t show too much through your clothing.

What were MUST-HAVES for your during your first month with baby?

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Thanks, LaNeshe! Be sure to visit her at Nesheaholic and congratulate her on new baby girl, Sage.

Charlie's Birth Story: Part 2

Go here to read Charlie's Birth Story: Part 1

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After the midwife suggested I lie down for some rest, I was all too eager to try and nap since I had only gotten 2 hours of sleep that night. I laid down for a short while, then promptly gave up when I realized my contractions were getting much too strong to sleep through. I got on the yoga ball and started bouncing to hopefully get things moving. I figured, if I couldn't sleep, I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible (ha!).

As the contractions grew increasingly strong, my nurse watched me labor through them and encouraged me to make "Ooh" and "Ahh" noises as I exhaled after each deep breath. After tiring of the yoga ball, I got back on the bed to lie down and would hop up on my hands and knees through each contraction while Chuck sat beside me and used the tennis balls I had packed to massage my lower back. Because my cervix was still relatively closed, my midwife asked me if I wanted to try and move things along with a foley bulb. The foley bulb was a catheter that they inserted into my cervix and then filled with water. The hope was that the bulb would gently continue opening my cervix and would naturally fall out when it had done it's job. It did it's job but just kind of hung out in my vagina for awhile which was super fun whenever I had to go pee and I had this little tube hanging out of me. The foley bulb probably stayed in for about an hour and when my midwife checked me and saw it had done it's job, she removed it and I went on my merry way laboring along.

After some more laboring, my midwife came back to check my progress around 4:00 pm. Although labor had been getting harder I honestly didn't feel like I was making any type of progress so I was relieved when she told me that I was now measuring around 5 cms. The nurse then administered my second dose of antibiotics while I continued to labor on the bed in various positions. At this point, contractions had gotten painful and so my memory of things is a little hazy.

While I labored on, the woman in the room neighboring our own had transitioned and was making the most godawful noises. Her yells were not moans of pain, but actual bloody murder screaming. This was not exactly an encouraging soundtrack to listen to while I started getting closer to real, active labor and I really began to question whether I could continue to do this if I was already in so much pain at only 5 cms. I told Chuck I was really considering asking for an epidural. He asked me if I thought I would regret it and I told him I didn't think I would. I just didn't feel like I had the physical stamina to continue if my labor was going to get worse to the point of mirroring my neighbor's.

When the nurse came in to administer my 3rd dose of antibiotics I asked her what would need to happen if I wanted to get an epidural. She explained that I would need to be moved from the birthing center to the labor and delivery wing and warned me about the psychological repercussions if I decided not to follow through with my plans for a natural birth. I decided that I would not feel guilty and I was willing to do what it took to successfully get this baby out. She said that if that was the case she was going to go get me started on some fluids for the epidural and talk to my midwife about my change of heart.

She was gone for about a half an hour and when she returned with my midwife I was starting to feel just a hair better after receiving about half the bag of fluid. My midwife, Cat encouraged me to give the birthing tub a try, calling it "our version of an epidural." She also offered to check me again hoping that a progress report would encourage me to keep going. She said I was measuring at "a good 7 cms" and was well on my way to 8. At this point I had started to get a second wind from the fluids they had given me so I decided to give the tub a try, but asked Cat when was the last chance I had to decide on the epidural. She said as long as the baby's head wasn't coming out, I could change my mind at any time. So with my nurse and midwife, it was decided that I would move to the tub and finish getting the remainder of the fluids. Chuck helped me out of the nightgown I had been wearing to labor in and into the nursing sports bra I had brought for the tub. Modesty, was apparently still a concern at this point, but not for long.

Chuck quickly changed into his jersey shorts and entered the tub with me. As I lowered my body into the hot water I began feeling more confident in my decision as the weight of my laboring body was relieved. That was, until my next contraction hit. While the warm water did help to relax me in between contractions, it honestly provided zero relief to the killer back labor pains I was experiencing what felt like every minute. Not soon after I entered the water, I started to feel a bit nauseous. I took a swig of water and it went down the wrong pipe. I just managed to get out "I might puke," before I began throwing up into the container my nurse grabbed for me at lightning speed. After getting sick, I felt a little bit better and my nurse brought over some peppermint essential oil to help with the nausea.

I started out in the tub leaning back against Chuck's chest for awhile, but I quickly found that I HATED being on my back for a contraction. As I began to transition, the pain in my back was excruciating. I got into a squatting position and leaned my head against the rim of the tub. Each time I felt a contraction starting again I would scream at Chuck to "PUSH!" This was my way of asking him to apply counter pressure to my lower back as it was honestly the only way I could cope with the pain of my back labor. After 1-2 hours of being in tub, I was ready to get out and started laboring on the toilet. For some reason, the toilet was my sweet spot. I would sit, rocking back and forth until a contraction would begin where I would then bend forward with my hands on the floor in front of me doing my "Oohs" and "Ahhs" while Chuck continued to rub my back.

As I drew closer and closer to the end I was getting physically depleted so I decided that I would lay down on the cool bathroom floor and then when I sensed a contraction coming on again, I quickly leapt back up on the toilet to get into my weird squatting position again. At one point, a contraction came on without notice and I rushed to the toilet to labor through it. My dear hubby, who was afraid I would stumble on the step in front of the porcelain throne, put his arms out to assist me. It was at this moment, I mistook his sweet gesture for an obstruction on my route to pain relief and actually snapped at him. Like a wild animal, I legitimately tried to bite off a chunk of his arm. 

As midnight approached, it was time for my 4th dose of antibiotics. As they reconnected my IV, I continued to moan and groan through each contraction as they came one on top of another. I could sense that I was getting closer so I decided to get back into the tub in hopes of getting my desired water birth on a roll. I assumed the same squatting position as before and screamed at Chuck to "PUSH!" with each contraction. His forearms were nearly numb at this point and the instant I felt him weaken the force he was applying, I would scream at him to push harder. I wasn't yet feeling the urge to push, but I knew it was coming soon as I could feel the baby descending downward. Because I was so close, my midwife asked me if I wanted her to check me again. The last thing I wanted to do was lay on my back again as it made my contractions feel absolutely excruciating, so I breathed through one or two more contractions until I felt mentally prepared to lean back and have her investigate.

I was officially at 10 cms and it was time to start pushing.

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Go here to read Charlie's Birth Story: Part 3!