Postpartum survival.

I thought I would throw together a list of things that are extremely useful for surviving the first six weeks after having a baby! I always make sure these are all stocked up in our home prior to going into labor so I have them and do not have to make any last minute trips (often late at night) to the store!

• Post natal vitamins: It is helpful to continue to take your vitamins after having your baby. It will help with your hair (to not fall out) and with your milk supply
• A big water bottle: You will be SO thirsty!
• Lansinoh nursing cooler/warmer: this will help with engorgement or soreness
• Lansinoh soothing pads: You can put these in the refrigerator and they are so so amazing!
• Gas drops: These are for babe, they get gassy and it hurts them
• Chamomile tea: It is calming for moms and we even gave Luke a tiny bit to calm him down when he was fussy (ask your doctor first though, I am not a doctor!)
• Boppy: When the babies are so tiny, this helps prop them up for nursing!
• Pads and Tucks: this will help mom heal faster
• Olive oil: I SWEAR by this stuff for nursing moms, it is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and you can put it on before and after nursing sessions to help with the pain and avoid mastitis
• A breast pump: invest in a good one, I promise it is worth it
• Lavender essential oil: diffuse in your house for help with sleep and calmness

Everything else I think the hospital will give you! Anything else I am forgetting? What did you all use that were considered your "life - savers?"

35 weeks.

I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has FLOWN by. I feel like it was just September yesterday. I don't know if I ever shared this story, but I kind of thought I was pregnant before saying anything to my husband. My best friend was in town from California so we went and bought literally ten tests. All of the digital tests came back negative, but the good ol' fashioned tests showed the FAINTEST line ever. Like ever. We were just hanging out with her mom and dad and her mom was all "congratulations!" and her dad thought we were all lunatics. Literally, he thought we were crazy and he saw absolutely nothing on the stick.

Once we sort of determined that it probably was positive, Heather and I headed to Walmart to find some gender neutral baby shoes (which are extremely difficult to find)…. But ended up picking up some little red shoes and a gift bag. I came home (so excited) and told Berto I had a present for him. And, I secretly video taped the whole thing. It was adorable. Then I told him I was pretty sure, but not yet 100% sure!

The "barely" positive

And here we are, 30 ish weeks later! Shout out to Doug, the women were right… again! :) I had my weekly NST and ultrasound and everything was perfect… which makes me SO happy to hear. She is measuring two weeks ahead again. The ultrasound tech literally said "So much for PAPP-A!" That was really relieving to hear. She also asked how big the boys were, if the boys had big heads (yes - 13.5cm each), and said that this baby may be the biggest one yet! 

35 weeks

How far along: 35 weeks 

Total weight gain: 21 pounds (ish)

Baby is the size of a: A canary melon (what is this?!)

Maternity clothes: Yes

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: A little bit better. I eliminated a few more things from my diet which has helped my gallbladder pain a little bit more. I am still sleeping with a heating pad rolled up to help with the pain (I miss you, ibuprofen). 

Best moment of this week: I was always somewhat hesitant to believe hat babies truly knew their own mothers voice. While I was getting my NST I was proven wrong. Her heartbeat is usually around 130s-140s while I am just laying down in the chair. As soon as the lady came in to ask if I was comfortable, and I responded, her heart rate jumped up to 158 and stayed high while I spoke. It was really cute! 

Movement: So so much!

Food cravings: Powdered doughnuts, still. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Aches or pains: A little bit of everything. 

Have you started to show yet: Yes 

Gender: GIRL!! 

Labor signs: Nightly STRONG braxton hicks. Some contractions in the early morning. 

Belly button in or out: out.

Wedding rings on or off: On

What are you dreaming about: I cannot really remember anything crazy from this week.  

I did not check off anything on my to-do list this week. I did, however, measure for the room-darkening shades. I need another yard to finish her little window in her room. I also received my free Medela pump through my insurance company (thanks ACA - or some of you may call it "Obamacare")! I never had the option to get a free pump with the other boys, so I certainly took advantage of this while I could. So now I have two Medela pumps, just in case one breaks. I ordered it through www.edgepark.com, and it was SUPER easy. I am also overwhelmed looking at all of the incredible bow options on Etsy. I love all of them and wish I could order every single one! I did buy one for the fourth of July, just not off of an Etsy website… 

I also started working on a little project for the family room this week…. I still need to get some things, but I found some pictures from our family vacations that are going to be a part of this little project. I used Photoshop to lighten them, and you will see why once I get the wheels rolling on this project!

San Jose Del Cabo

Long Beach, California

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

Well, I think that is all for next week. I am SO SO SO happy to be done with the semester after this week, ah! 

34 weeks.

I am officially required to be at the doctors every week from here until I deliver. It is kind of a confusing concept to grasp. During my 12 week ultra screen, I came back with abnormal levels of PAPP-A. This usually means one of two things: higher chances of having a baby with down syndrome, or that the placenta may not function properly as the pregnancy progresses. I had a genetic test to see if she had an extra chromosome, and that test came back negative, meaning it is the placenta. I was put on a low dose aspirin which helps increase blood flow to the placenta to help avoid the deterioration of the placenta.

Now that we are into the thick of the third trimester, I need to monitor her as closely as possible. This means weekly NSTs and ultrasounds. The ultrasound measures the belly, head size, and femur size. All of these measurements will let us know that she is growing on track and not decreasing in size, which will indicate an issue with the placenta. The difficult concept to grasp is that if the placenta were to start dying, there would be NO signs, other than a decrease in size. No bleeding, no cramping, nothing. As of now I will be induced early, but could potentially be earlier based on measurements.

My doctor explained to me that if he were to starve myself, the first symptom would be that I would stop urinating. If the placenta starts to die, baby LC will stop urinating, but will be taking in amniotic fluid, which has urine, therefore shutting her kidneys down. And as many of us know, kidneys are like the control center for the other organs. So…. that is all I really understand about this low PAPP-A.

34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks 

Total weight gain: 21 pounds

Baby is the size of a: Pineapple

Maternity clothes: Yes

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: I literally use the bathroom ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Plus my back and gallbladder ache. 

Best moment of this week: Checking more things off of my to-do list. I also bought some cute clothes!

Movement: So so much!

Food cravings: Powdered doughnuts. What is wrong with me?!?! They are so delicious!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Aches or pains: Back, gallbladder, pelvis. 

Have you started to show yet: Yes 

Gender: GIRL!! 

Labor signs: Not yet

Belly button in or out: full on out!

Wedding rings on or off: On

What are you dreaming about: School, professors, snakes, weird, weird stuff. 

NST at 34 weeks

Checklist: 

• Pre-register at the hospital 
• Pack my bag and buy a few more comfy clothes
• Wash the bouncy seat cover, the Rock-N-Play cover, and the swing cover
• Make sure my Medela pump still works 
• Buy everything on my registry 
• Stock up on after baby supplies
• Buy a lamp for the nursery 
• Do a project with my late grandmother's broaches for the nursery  This came out so cute, and I cannot wait to share! 
• Make nurses "thank-you" bags
• Make room darkening panels for the nursery

I am getting so close on the things that are needed to be done! I have three things left to do for my two classes this semester, as well as get organized for my summer class. I can't believe we will be meeting our peanut in less than 5 weeks! 

33 weeks.

I cannot believe I only have maximum of 7 weeks left! This pregnancy has FLOWN by, especially since my pregnancy with Luke was hell, to put it lightly. It has been easy thus far, and I really, really hope she is an easy baby.

33 weeks

How far along: 33 weeks 

Total weight gain: 19 lbs.(ish)

Baby is the size of a: a honeydew melon

Maternity clothes: Yes

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: Not very good. My aches and pains have been keeping me up! Wah! 

Best moment of this week: Finishing more things on my checklist. Finishing a very daunting paper. Posting the nursery on the blog.

Movement: Lots!This is one strong girl!

Food cravings: Chocolate, ice cream, pretty much anything not good for you. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really. 

Aches or pains: My gallbladder is full on "hate" mode… it is starting to KILL me, just like it did the last two pregnancies. Something is up with my back and I need to schedule a massage, and maybe that will help me!

Have you started to show yet: Yes 

Gender: GIRL!! 

Labor signs: Not yet

Belly button in or out: The top half is out

Wedding rings on or off: On

What are you dreaming about: I don't think I sleep enough to dream… whether it being up to use the bathroom or dealing with back and gallbladder pain, I am just not sleeping as well! 

I also made some improvements on my checklist this week!

• Pre-register at the hospital 
• Pack my bag and buy a few more comfy clothes
• Wash the bouncy seat cover, the Rock-N-Play cover, and the swing cover
• Make sure my Medela pump still works (Do not waste your money on any other pump… trust me) I also was able to order a new Medela pump through my insurance from www.edgepark.com! Although this pump does not come with the bag, cooler, etc., it will be nice to have an extra one in case my old one doesn't last long! 
• Buy everything on my registry 
• Stock up on after baby supplies
• Buy a lamp for the nursery 
• Do a project with my late grandmother's broaches for the nursery  This came out so cute, and I cannot wait to share! 
• Make nurses "thank-you" bags

I only have three more weeks of class and then I am DONE for the semester. I also have one class left (for my WHOLE master's) this summer, conveniently the weekend after I am due. Ugh. June is going to be TOUGH.

Well, sorry for this boring post, if you got through it, go you!

Pretty in Pink Nursery

So I finally got around to taking some pictures of my sweet girl's nursery. There are a few things that still need to be done - and once I get her newborn photos, I will put one above her baskets!

Here was my inspiration board:

But alas….

This was such an incredibly fun project for me after decorating boys rooms for the past five years! I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed decorating it! 

Sources

Paint Color: BM Wild Aster matched to Valspar in eggshell

Crib: Garage Sale find and I painted it Ultra White by Valspar

Rocking Chair: Hand-me-down from Luke, garage sale find originally

Dresser: Garage Sale Painted in Annie Sloan Pure White, three coats

Dresser Hardware: Hobby Lobby

Blinds: Overstock

Gold pillow and striped pillow: Target

Pouf: Target

Crib Skirt: Target

Bumper: Restoration Hardware Child and Baby Outlet

Crib sheet: Pottery Barn Kids

Alpaca: Gifted from my mom

Bunny slippers and bunny: Pottery Barn Kids

Pink pom-pom blanket: Pottery Barn Kids

Bird blanket: Dwell Studio

Floral prints: Rifle Paper Co. 

Gold frames: IKEA

White Pillow: IKEA

Gold end table: Target

White curtains: Target and IKEA with sewn on poms from Joann's

Lighting: IKEA

Sunburst Mirror: Home Depot

Gold dots: Etsy

Bow holder: hand crafted by me from supplied from Joann's and broaches from my grandmother

Baskets: World Market

Labor and Delivery Nurses Gift

While browsing through Pinterest I have come across some very cute gift ideas for neighbors, garbage men, and nurses - and of course labor and delivery nurses deserve something extra special after all they do for you and your baby!

For these bags I included:

• Chocolate (snickers)
• A granola bar
• Candy
• Sweet Pea hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works

I used some crinkle paper on the bottom to add a little more color, printed out the labels from some font I threw together quickly in photo shop, and used a puncher to punch out scrapbook paper. I also used cheap twine from the Target dollar section to tie them together! 

After this, I realize I need a 1 inch circle punch… 

If you want to use the same .jpeg I used and print it off in word… here it is!

What gifts did you give your nurses? 

32 weeks.

Sadly I missed taking a photo last week. Our master bathroom was under construction and we had no electricity in there besides a plugged in lamp and we also were lacking a mirror. It is still a work in progress, but at least we were able to get the mirror back up for the time being.

32 weeks

How far along: 30 weeks 

Total weight gain: 19 lbs. 

Baby is the size of a: a head of lettuce

Maternity clothes: Yes

Stretch marks: Not yet but I feel like I am at the brink of not being able to stretch anymore!

Sleep: Better. We have not had to put our heat on most days anymore and I have been sleeping with our bathroom window open so I am not overheating! We also just bought some brand new sheets today and I am so excited! 

Best moment of this week: Today I was able to go to my doctors appointment, get my nails done, get some hospital bag stuff bought (travel size shampoo/body wash/face wash etc.), shop for my sweet neighbor's little girls 2nd birthday, and buy a few things for baby LC! It was so nice to have a kid free afternoon after a stressful week! 

Movement: Lots!

Food cravings: Candy and water. Today I ate Junior Mints for lunch. I know, healthy right. #momoftheyear

Anything making you queasy or sick: More and more this week I have not felt good. But my iron was extremely low so I got some rX iron supplements so hopefully not being exhausted helps! 

Aches or pains: Just typical pregnancy stuff. I did fall down the stairs at the movies last week, and Wednesday I pulled about 2/3 of my toe nail off… so those things hurt more...

Have you started to show yet: Yes 

Gender: GIRL!! 

Labor signs: A little at night when I am dehydrated… if I drink enough water then I am good!

Belly button in or out: More and more out by the day

Wedding rings on or off: On

What are you dreaming about: My town having serious issues (flooding, mudslides, tornadoes)… and I also had a dream something happened to an important piece of jewelry that I own. Weird stuff, folks! 

My to-do list is looking only slightly improved these days… I have been consumed with school work, mom work, and working on our bathroom. I think I take nesting to a whole new level - like, paint and re-do the entire master bathroom and water closet at 8 months pregnant. I have issues…

Things I still need to get done….

• Pre-register at the hospital 
• Pack my bag and buy a few more comfy clothes
• Wash the bouncy seat cover, the Rock-N-Play cover, and the swing cover
• Make sure my Medela pump still works (Do not waste your money on any other pump… trust me)
• Buy everything on my registry 
• Stock up on after baby supplies
• Buy a lamp for the nursery (I decided to go another route and stick with the original lamp)
• Do a project with my late grandmother's broaches for the nursery  This came out so cute, and I cannot wait to share! 
• Make nurses "thank-you" bags

These are some of the cute ideas I have come across on Pinterest for "thank you" bags….

source

source

source

source

I bought clear bags so I think mine will be similar to the last ones but I have slightly different contents! Hopefully I will be done with them this week! :)