Breastfeeding: Months 1-3

It's a sore, painful, rewarding, and sweet process all rolled into one.

Just like being a mom, I've enjoyed breastfeeding so much more than I thought I would. 

At the beginning, I nursed through the pain and soreness but wondered if I could keep going. I used Angel Baby Nipple Butter after every feed, and it helped so much with the initial healing. J has been an incredible support during our hospital stay and afterwards. I'm glad he went to the breastfeeding class and was there when the lactation consultant showed us different hold positions.

Pumping: At week 3, I started pumping because our pediatrician suggested we introduce a bottle between 2-4 weeks. (Everyone seems to have a different opinion about when to introduce a bottle because the lactation consultants told us not until 4-6 weeks. We chose to follow our pediatrician because I didn't want her to refuse a bottle later on). Initially, I pumped after feedings and would only get 0.5-1oz. I didn't want to take milk away from her or alter my supply too much.

After a few weeks, I stopped pumping after feeds and added a "feed" by pumping once during the day, every day.

Once CHP started sleeping longer, I started pumping in the morning before she got up. Occasionally at night, I pump depending on if I feel full and need relief before her long stretch of sleeping.

Storage: I have been using the Ameda storage bags and lay them flat in the freezer until frozen before transferring them into gallon size ziplocks for easy freezer storage. I've organized them by date and ounces, so it's easy to grab the oldest ones first.

Products I love: My SIL gave me her Medela Pump in Style Advanced, and I bought all new parts for it. I've really liked this pump and don't have any complaints about it.

My covered goods cover has been a life saver. I cannot recommend it enough. I used it for the first time traveling to NYC; I nursed in the airport, plane, and the whole weekend around family. Before using it, I never nursed in public. It felt too awkward trying to get CHP organized without flashing someone. It also doubles as a car seat cover, which is nice when she naps on errands.

Bottles: My cousin gave me all of her Avent and Tomee Tippee bottles. I've really liked both. CHP seems more gassy with both, but I think that is a general problem with bottles instead of the breast.

Our breastfeeding journey always seems to be changing. I'm curious to see how things change when I head back to work, and CHP has to take bottles for 14 hours. I'll also have to figure out the most efficient way to pump and store milk at work.

To be continued...

Motherhood Monday: Baby Favorites

CHP and I have been loving these items this month...

Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter: I think I found this item through another blog, and I have to say it is definitely a must-have for new breastfeeding mamas. I used it after every feed in the hospital, and it helped so much with soreness and healing.

Boppy Lounger: One of my friends bought this for me, and it is amazing. CHP was too small for her swing when we first brought her home, so we started using her lounger. It's perfect to have her sit in while I'm doing things around the house, cooking, or just hanging out together. She loves it!

Boppy Pillow: This has been so helpful with my back pain from breastfeeding. Since I'm still new to breastfeeding, it's hard to get CHP situated and in a position that I'm not straining my arms and back for feedings. 

Wubbanub: We didn't introduce CHP to a pacifier until her second week because we were afraid of nipple confusion. But it's only been within the past week that CHP has started liking her wubbanub. It does help to soothe her during the fussy hours in the afternoon/early evening.

Swaddle Blankets: I love these Aden & Anais swaddle blankets. They are so soft and cute. I used them in the hospital and every day since being home. They are great for burp cloths, an additional prop for nursing, and to swaddle her in her lounger. At night, we've been using the Halo swaddles. I was also given a SwaddleMe, and it is my favorite. It fits her better than the Halo ones and is easier since it's all velcro.

Maternity: weeks 39 & 40

Here is a little catch up from a couple of weeks ago. Time is flying around here...

Week 39:  

This week was filled with ice, snow, and a surprise! 

Monday, I got out after having cabin fever from last week's snow fall. I took my friend, Emily's Pure Barre class, and her classes are always my favorites. Tuesday, we had more snow and ice, so I didn't leave the house again. No one wanted a falling preggo. 

Wednesday, my mom came into town. We were supposed to go to an afternoon tea but with the icy weather and being 39 weeks pregnant we decided to grab lattes closer to home. 

That night, we went out to our favorite Mexican place. Little did we know this would be our last photo as two! 

That night, we got a huge (for Raleigh) snow storm that brought trees and power lines down, and we lost power for 17 hours. On Thursday, J worked from home. Since it was freezing in our house, we huddled together around our fireplace trying to stay warm. Mom and I read and tried to stay distracted from contractions that started that morning. They lightened up throughout the day, and we finally got power back in the evening. 

J & I decided to go to bed early after such a cold, snowy day. I started watching a Parenthood in bed, and my contractions started coming more frequently and consistently. I timed them for almost two hours, and they became more intense until I woke J up around 11pm. I couldn't lay down anymore and was walking around our bedroom. I kept thinking it couldn't be the real thing and didn't want to go to the hospital and be sent home. Since they were more intense than any I'd had before and more frequent, J convinced me to call my OB. When she heard my contractions were more intense and five minutes apart for the past two hours, she said to head into the hospital. We packed the last few items in our bags and headed in around 12:30am. 

Little did I know how fast Miss CHP would come...birth story to follow! 

Week 40:
Welcome to the world CHP!

My sweet CHP was born one day before her due date. She was a tiny peanut at birth. Labor & delivery was an incredible experience, and I still cannot believe she's here. I absolutely love being CHP's mom and have fallen even more in love with my husband seeing him as a dad. I can't put into words what an amazing time this is for us.

Gender Reveal Party

Our gender reveal party was months ago, but I never got around to blogging about it until now. (I'm catching up on things thanks to maternity leave). We decided not to find out the gender until the day of the party with our family and friends. It was such an exciting moment, and I'm so glad we decided to find out this way.

At our 18 week ultrasound, we had our ultrasound lady write the gender on an index card and place it into an envelope that I dropped off at the bakers. I cannot say enough great things about The Cupcake Shoppe. They created a gorgeous, delicious cake, and even placed the mini banner that I made on top, so I wouldn't mess it up and find out the gender early. If you need a cake, cupcakes, or cookies, I highly recommend them. Plus, if you follow them on IG, you'll drool over their creations.

The Cupcake Shoppe

On the invitation, I wrote that everyone should wear pink or blue to cast their vote. It was fun to see everyone's picks, and surprisingly, it was completely even on boy or girl. Once everyone arrived, we both cut into the cake and couldn't believe it was a GIRL!

I was so excited I apparently almost threw the cake over my head while I was dancing around. I've always wanted a little girl. I want a boy too, but I'm so excited that our first will be a girl. I just couldn't believe it because I thought the whole time that our baby was a boy. We had picked a girl name at the very beginning of pregnancy but were stuck about a boy's until the week of the party. I thought that might be a sign that it was a boy since we finally found one we both liked. But it's a sweet little girl who we get to meet soon!

The details...

Honestly, I'm not a very creative person, so I turned to pinterest for all of my party inspiration. Almost everything that I made is on this board. 

We kept the food easy for this party, so we could enjoy time with our family and friends instead of stressing about timing or keeping things hot. Everything was made either the day before or the morning of the party. 

You can see from the spread, it was pretty simple. We did ham & cheese sandwiches, chicken salad croissants, veggies & dip, fruit bow ties, meatballs, drinks, and cake. 

The above mantel banner, behind me and my sister, was made out of blue and pink polka dot tissue paper. I saw straws on pinterest that were mustaches, so I copied them and cut out bow ties from felt. And I made bows out of the napkins to hold the silverware.

We had so much fun hosting this party, and I would definitely do a gender reveal party again. I loved the anticipation and excitement of finding out our baby's gender with so many loved ones.

What's in my hospital bag

At 39 weeks, my bag is packed and ready for CHP's arrival. I love to gather tips from other people, so if I'm forgetting any essentials, please tell me. We also don't live far from the hospital, so if I forget something the grandparents can always bring it. 

1. Clothing Essentials

My cousin gave me a few nursing tanks for at the hospital and home. I purchased these Target pants in black and gray. They are extremely comfortable and soft, and I also read that dark clothes are key post-partum. I'm also going to throw in my robe for during labor and post-partum in case I want/can walk the halls. I thought about adding a button down shirt for nursing and that might look cute in photos. I also packed the non-glamous items: granny panties, pads, and nursing pads, just in case I need them. 

2. Toiletries & Make-up 

I have a travel kit ready to go and just need to toss in my favorite make-up essentials. I know, I probably won't wear much but after labor and a shower, I think that it'll make me feel better to freshen up. 

3. Slippers & Flip-flops

I put in my slippers for walking the halls and room. The flip-flops are for the shower. No matter how "clean" a hospital looks, they really aren't so these will definitely be used.

4. A bag of hard candy

I've read it's great to have hard candy for during labor when you're not allowed to eat. A bag of mints and ginger chews sounded good to me. I also packed a few protein bars, cheez-its, and gummy candy for J in case he gets hungry during the labor process. 

5. Candy for the nurses

I bought a few bags of assorted candy to have in a basket in my hospital room to give as a thank-you for anyone who takes care of me and CHP. I always like it when families bring us food at work, so I wanted to do the same. I also plan on having family bring bagels or donuts and coffee for the staff while we're there. Believe me, no nurse will say yes if you offer to buy them coffee, but they won't turn down free coffee and breakfast given to them at the nurses' station. 

6. Camera & computer

I need to keep the battery charged for both of these. I think having our nice camera there for CHP's first photos will be great. I also think having the computer will be nice entertainment if we're waiting for a while for CHP.

7. Paperwork, insurance, & ID

8. Hair products

I've already put dry shampoo in my bag and will be bringing my hair dryer too. I think I'll want both of these depending on what my hair is looking/feeling like after delivery. 

Kate Spade diaper bag

CHP's diaper bag

I decided not to pack too many things for her because the hospital will have diapers, wipes, bulb syringe, etc for her. There are just a few personal items I wanted for her. 

1. Boppy pillow 

I'm planning on breastfeeding and would like the lactation consultants to help me figure out how to hold her with the pillow, so I'm prepared when we get home. 

2. Swaddle blankets

I know they have plenty of swaddle blankets but lots of babies have used them, and I want her soft blankets from home. We're also packing an extra one to get her scent on it and send it home with family for Aida to smell before we come home. 

3. Bows, clothes, & hats

I'm so excited to put her in her coming home outfit! It has her name on it and a matching "C" hat. I also packed a few bows that hopefully she can wear if she doesn't have too big of a cone head.

That pretty much covers everything. Mamas, am I missing anything essential to our hospital stay? 

Maternity Monday: week 38

Week 38: 

This is my first week of maternity leave, and I loved it! I'm very thankful I started this week because we got snow, and I would have been nervous being this pregnant braving the snow. Thanks PICU nurses who were there taking care of the kids! 

This week, was the most relaxing week I've had in a long time. It was so nice to stay in pjs, watch the snow, work on some small projects at the house, take naps (since I'm hardly sleeping at night), and watch Parenthood. I did start having cramps/Braxton Hicks but nothing too crazy yet. I had a great appointment on Friday, and I'm hoping we don't make it to our next one. 

Thursday and Friday were packed seeing PICU friends for breakfast at Joule, lunch at Fosters, and coffee at Jubala and Sola. It was so much fun catching up with friends. I've only been gone a week, but it feels a lot longer. On Sunday, we were invited to brunch at our friends with three other couples. We had a great time, and I hope it becomes a new tradition. 

J is the sweetest and keeps doing so much around the house and telling me to relax. It's still crazy to think that in the next week or so we'll be parents. We cannot wait to meet our little girl! 

Maternity Monday: week 37

Week 37, you were a little bit of a crazy one. I worked my last shift this week! After discussing it for a while, J and I decided it would be best if I stopped after this week and had a week or two to relax and prep for CHP's arrival. I worked Monday, and then came down with a horrible stomach bug that night. I ended up missing my last shift on Tuesday and laying in bed watching Parenthood and napping all day trying to keep crackers down. 

I finally started feeling better on Thursday and went out to do some errands and started having contractions! I thought for sure we would meet CHP that night but by the time I got home they had slowed down and stopped that night. 

We got to see CHP at our appointment on Friday. I'm so glad that my OBs have continued to check her growth since I'm continuing to measure behind, and she said that CHP is full term, so she can come any time. CHP is already 6lbs 10oz!

J and I are soaking up the weekends and time together; we're always anticipating that it might be our last days without CHP. It's such a crazy feeling that she could be here today or in three weeks.

We aren't huge Valentine's Day people, but for our last one, we went to my favorite brunch place: Joule. We spent the afternoon grabbing cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe Bakery (they made our gender reveal cake), driving around looking at houses, and checking out a furniture store before J made a delicious steak, mashed potatoes, and asparagus dinner. It was a great weekend and might be one of our last. I'm so excited and nervous to meet our sweet girl.