Recommended Reading

Here are a few books that I have found very helpful:


1- What To Expect When Expecting - I found this super helpful when I was pregnant but don't read ahead as it can freak you out.


2- The Nursing Mother's Companion - I haven't read it cover to cover and I do find some of it a little pushy on breastfeeding but it has helped me troubleshoot a few issues along the way.


3- Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber - Yes this is referred to as the "cry it out method". What I found helpful is that he describes the sleep cycles and the psychology behind sleeping habits. It was also very eye opening as to how parents can really screw up their babies when it comes to sleeping. Even if you decide not to let your baby "cry it out" you will still learn a lot. I also liked that he is the director of The Center of Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children's Hospital in Boston versus some of the other books are written by moms with years of experience, which I found annoying because they don't explain why and lots of the examples contradicted what they had just told you to do.


I personally did not find it helpful to read the last two ahead of time (meaning before your baby is born). Your pregnant brain will probably not remember much of the info. For me these are books that are good to have around the house so you can refer to them as needed.

Infant Clothes

One of the hardest things to not impulse buy is infant clothes. How can one resist? When you find out you're expecting all you want to do is go to the baby section at Target and look at all the cute stuff. In retrospect I bought Alex clothes that he never wore and I would have done things differently. Here is my two cents on buying infant clothes (not toddler as I don't have much experience in that arena yet):

1) Don't over buy for any stage! For starters you don't know what size your baby is going to be and how fast they will grow. In Alex’s case he was in the NICU for 2 months so he rarely wore much clothing plus they had clothes for him to wear. Second, he grew so fast that he barely wore his 3-month clothes. Some of it he never even got around to wearing.

2) Buy things that are comfortable for the baby, easy to put on and take off, and don't get in the way while you are holding them. For example,  I bought a few jackets with zippers that ended up poking him in the chin since he had no head control.

3) Buy things that are practical. You’ll probably spend 80% of your time at home, so don’t over spend on branded clothes or nice outfits. A couple will be fine for church or a special visit but otherwise save your money.

My favorite things that he wears are:

Onesies: Since it is summer he really doesn't need pants. A pair of socks does the trick. They’re easy to put on and take off and when you hold him they don't ride up. 

Rompers: Similar to onesies but theses look more like outfits. Since they’re one piece you don't have to mess around with pants, shorts etc.  I like the ones that button up and the zipper ones since you don't have to pull anything above the baby's head. Look for the zipper ones that have a flap to keep the zipper down and out of baby’s face. They also have ones you pull above their heads and button between the legs.

Coveralls: I think of these as the winter version of rompers as they have long sleeves and feet. They also come without the feet for older infants or if you want them to last a little longer. They make great PJs as well. Look for these with buttons and zippers with the flap.

A cute onesie with a pair of pants, shorts or a cute skirt can go a long way as well. If we are running out the door and I want him to look a little more put together I throw on a pair of shorts with his onesie. 

Things I didn't like:

Jackets and layered outfits were a pain. They create too many layers to deal with every time you change your baby’s diaper.

T-shirts tend to rise up while you are holding them and later on while they are playing on the floor.

Shoes. There’s really no point until they start walking.  Some cute socks do the trick.

I think the biggest question new parents have on baby clothes is how much do I need? Well that depends on how much laundry you want to do and how messy your baby's diapers are. Alex was and still is not a very messy baby. Most days he only wears one outfit all day, on occasion he has a blow out and goes through 2 changes of clothes; but usually that is because he is wearing a smaller diaper. We do laundry maybe once a week for baby stuff; sometimes we can stretch it to a week and a half. He has just started cereal so we'll see if this changes.

So NET, I would suggest 1-2 outfits/onesies per day for a week's worth of laundry.


Places I like to shop are:
Walmart. I can't say I LIKE to shop there but I have found that they have great everyday, practical and cute clothes for $3 a piece. You really can't beat that. 


We had some luck at a yard sale the other day. We got a lot of good pieces for $5. But you better believe I came home and washed everything in HOT water :) Secondhand stuff can be lightly used since babies don't wear things for long.


Look for those end of session sales, especially if you are a planner.


Burlington Coat Factory tends to have a pretty good price on Carter's stuff. 


I did love shopping at Nordstrom Rack but I wouldn't call it a bargain. But if you want a couple cute things and are willing to spend a little more check them out.

Great Car Seat Link

Today's adventure was dealing with our car seat. The other day while driving around town for a couple hours Alex got very tired of being in his infant car seat (we have the Baby Trend). When we would pull over and take him out he would be happy, but the minute we but him back in he was distraught again. He finally fell asleep, but that got me thinking that we should install the Combi Cocorro convertible car seat we had in the basement to see if it was more comfortable for him.

Jeremy being the good husband and father that he is decided to try it out. While trying to figure out how to get the top of the seat not to jiggle around he found a link to Car Seat Lady. I highly recommend that if you are looking for a car seat, looking on info on how to install a car seat or tips on car seats that you check it out. It also covers the steps and thought process behind the new regulations/recommendations.
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/

To be clear Luisa is the expert in this family on car seats so she will share her experience another time, but just wanted to share this link for those families who are currently dealing with the challenge.

Good luck,

Gabi

PS Some of you may be wondering why we have two different kinds of car seats. We first purchased the Cocorro because we wanted a convertible style seat (which basically means it will convert from rear facing to front facing) that was compact enough to fit in the Subaru WRX. At the time we weren't sure if we were going to buy a new car, which we eventually did...but anyway. Then we saw the  Baby Trend Infant Carrier seat at target for $100 and figured for that price we would give it a try. We liked it and found it very convenient but since Alex was in the hospital for the first 2 months of his life we didn't get as much use out of it. It seems that he is somewhat growing out of it. He technically fits in it but I'm starting to doubt if he is comfortable in it. Therefore we are going to try the Cocorro for a few days. Here is a pic of the two seats:

Hello Everyone and Welcome to our blog!

Ok, a bit about me:

I have two children, a 2 year-old and a 6 month old.

Having kids is a blessing and a challenge. Although I wouldn't change it for the world.

My first was planned and I had lots of things lined up: a doula, the room, the clothes. My second was unplanned from the beginning to the birth! I'll blog more on birthing later... 

I have nursed both my children and do prefer it to bottle-feeding, for their health reasons but also for my health and sanity!

My second baby is now in daycare and I cannot imagine having to clean bottles and mix formula daily for a child. Putting him on the breast is SO much more convenient and in the end less time consuming.

I also nurse in public and find this much easier than bottle-feeding. I don’t have to worry how long the milk has been out, if I packed enough bottles, enough formula, etc. If you are shy about this a “cover-up” is a great tool, like the Bebe-au-lait.

Having said that, I am not a “nipple-nazi” I do feed formula when I need to and I think every mom does, and should do, what she thinks is best and that encompasses what helps her to keep her sanity.

But again, I have found nursing to be very fulfilling; especially in the bond that it creates with your child and that the oxytocin released helps to calm you when times a trying.

I also work fulltime and this can be the biggest challenge, especially with two children. So remember, some things have to give. Not everything will be perfect all the time. Oh, and we’ll talk about maternity leave in another blog.

So that’s enough for now… haha.

I’ll be adding my post to pumping soon and then we’ll go from there.

Hope you enjoy our blog and that it is helpful (that’s really our goal).

Luisa

Starting a mom blog...

In the hopes of helping other moms out there my sister and I have officially started our mom blog!


I've been telling her that she should do this since she had Francesca a couple years ago. She is always trying new products and has tons of knowledge on kids products and more.


Since having Alex a few months ago I look back on when I was pregnant and wish I had known some of the things I know now.


I am a little nervous about putting this out there since I know every mom has her own way of doing things, but this is not intended to be a parenting blog. It is mostly two peoples' opinions on products that may help make your life as a mom easier.


So here it goes....

Pumping

Lets face it, nowadays most women who decide to breastfeed will have to pump. With the reality of most moms holding a full time job and juggling everyday life this can be very challenging. Society has yet to catch up with the flexibility needed for a mom to be able to pump every couple hours at work, which is kinda sad.  If you plan on continuing to breastfeed once you return to work you may want to consider buying a pump that you can easily take with you.

The annoying thing about pumps is you don’t know what works until you try it, but once you try it because they are considered personal health care items you can’t return it. But if you ever try one and don’t like it don’t hesitate to call the manufacturer and complain. 

Breastfeeding is not easy and takes a lot of dedication. I have thought about quitting at least a handful of times, but then I remind myself of all the benefits:

-it is the most natural nutrition

-formula may give your baby the nutrition they need but it can not provide your child with the immunity against bacteria and viruses that breast milk gives

-breastmilk is easier on the digestive system… in Alex’s case this was very important to me.

While I was pregnant I had purchased the Avent Isis iq duo. It worked well at first but after using the hospital pump and because of the amount of pumping I was doing I rented a hospital grade Medela. This worked great when I was home. However I soon found myself needing something portable for those times I was not home and didn’t have Alex with me, so I bought the Avent handheld. After realizing that the handheld just wasn’t going to work for me, especially when I was away for extended periods of time (6+ hours) I decided I needed an electric portable pump.

If I had known what I know now this is how I would have done it:

I would have bought the Medela Freestyle right off the bat. It is a compact yet powerful pump, but is also gentle. The best part is that it has a rechargeable battery which allows you the freedom to move around while pumping. This is great for when you have to do a few minor chores, answer the phone or give your baby the paci. I have even found myself unloading the dishwasher or cleaning bottle parts while pumping.

Here are a few points:

-       It is great for on the go! With this pump you won’t need to purchase a handheld pump because you can take it with you anywhere you go. You can pump in the car, in a mother’s room or in a public restroom. And you have the peace of mind that you will get a good session and you won’t have to run around looking for an outlet or be worried that your handheld won’t express enough milk.

-       The Freestyle comes with a belt so you don’t have to hold it or put it down on a dirty surface.

-       It comes with bra attachments but I haven’t tried them yet as I already had a hands free bra I find to be easier to use. All you need to do is put the flanges through the wholes and attach.

- It is a duo pump so you pump both breasts at the same time.

I have also used the Medela Pump In Style, which I also liked but it doesn’t allow you to walk around while pumping.  I think it is worth paying extra for the Freestyle, especially if you plan on breastfeeding your child for 6 months – 1 year.

This is how small it is.

 

Here is the belt. If you get a hands free bra you wouldn't have to hold it.

Another thought is if you are only going to breastfeed for a shorter period of time…say until you go back to work or 3 months or so, you may want to consider renting a hospital grade pump. I rented mine for $180 for 3 months. You may find it cheaper from a hospital but I rented mine from a store because my local hospital was out of stock. The hospital grade pump is also a good consideration if you feel like your milk production is low or if you are having trouble with your current pump. Your hospital can provide you info on where to rent a pump or you can do a google search for breast pump rentals in your area.

Steps to make pumping more convenient:

1-    Get a hands free bra.

2-    When at home put the pumping pieces in ziploc bag and place them in the fridge. That way you don’t have to wash the parts every time. I wash mine once or twice a day.

3-    Ask the hospital for your FREE Medela pumping starter kit. If you tell them you are breastfeeding they won’t offer this to you so you will have to ask for one. Not sure if all hospitals participate in this but the Tri-health hospitals in Cincy do. If you are going to use the Freestyle these parts are NOT compatible, except for the flanges. They are compatible with the hospital grade pump and the Instyle (except the tubing but if you purchase the Instyle it will come with the tubing you need). The set is also good to have for work if your workplace provides hospital grade pumps that are compatible.

4-    Get yourself a 12 volt car adaptor. I found one at Walmart.

5-    Buy multiple sets of pumping parts. This will save you time, especially at work or on the go.

6-    Have the pumping wipes handy so if you don’t have access to a sink you can clean your parts.

 Pump and Ease Bra

 

http://www.amazon.com/PumpEase-Hands-Free-Pumping-Support/dp/B0034ISZ66/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1308315297&sr=8-6

Car adaptor

 

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-Inverter-Converter-Swivel-120VAC/dp/B004J0L14G

Freestyle Spare parts kit.

Hope this was helpful...Gabi:)

So about pumping (and a bit about breast feeding)…

I do agree that breastfeeding and pumping have their challenges, but I do not think that breastfeeding is hard. Actually on the contrary, breastfeeding is easy, yes a bit time consuming and patience requiring, but not hard.

On the other hand, pumping can be hard and frustrating and just a downright pain-in-the-ass!

However, keep in mind that both my babies started our nursing, so I never had to pump as a starting point.

Some important things to remember though:

1.     The amount of milk that you pump is NOT indicative of how much milk you are making or how much milk your baby gets when he/she nurses. (I have had several lactation consultants tell me this, thank God b/c my yields are not high when I pump)

2.     If you are pumping in between feedings at home, while nursing fulltime, do not expect a lot of milk. It is “extra” milk and getting more than ½ to 1 ounce at these pumpings is really really good. (wish I had known this the first time around)

3.     If you are not going to pump that often, then buy a hand pump, they can be better than electric ones, they are portable and they generally are quiet.

4.     If you work somewhere where they offer a hospital grade pump, then use it (wish I had known this the first time around too). Get a hand pump for at home or a less expensive electric, or rent a hospital-grade one…

5.     If you are going to travel or have meetings in offices that don’t have pumps, then yes, buy one.

6.     Check the size of your flanges. It is my guess, on personal experience and LOTS of research that a lot of women are using the wrong size flanges. I was and I had to purchase a smaller one, or an insert. And small flanges are hard to find. Having the right size flange is imperative for production and comfort.

Hope this helps, I will add my review on pumps soon. Luisa