First off, I thought I would share a couple fun facts about my pregnancies...
Labor stats:
first pregnancy - Woke up in labor at 4am and it lasted about 16 hours from start to finish.
second pregnancy - I didn't know I was in labor -- and it was only about 4 hours from the time I realized it until he was born.
third pregnancy - I was induced. Once they started pitocin it was only about 6 hours until she was born.
Funny stories:
first pregnancy -
I was a big advocate for laboring at home! My husband and I went to Costco and to Target while I was in labor stocking up on last minute essentials and getting me out walking to keep labor going! I checked into the hospital around 4:30pm. Around 7 I was in excruciating pain {as we all know labor is} and decided to turn on my all-time favorite show at the time to try and distract me -- Jeopardy! While I cried and my sweet hubby fed me ice chips, I told the nurses how much pain I was in. Their response "Well, you can't be in that much pain if you are watching tv!" Ummm... okay, an hour later my little girl was born. So... take that nurses! She was born completely naturally... not epidural at all! OUCH!
second pregnancy -
I had been having contractions on and off for weeks so it wasn't alarming at all to me that I was having them again. By 11:30 pm as I was getting ready to go to bed I realized that these were more than the simple braxton hicks contractions. I woke up my husband and said, "I think we need to go to the hospital." His response, "You're fine, just go to bed and they will go away!" I repeated again... that we needed to go... NOW! The hospital was about 30 minutes away and we had to drop my daughter off at my parents house... Thankfully our bags were packed. We got to the hospital around 12:30am and begged for the epidural. It was in place a little less than an hour before my little guy was ready to be born. At least it took the edge off the pain a little. The midwife told me to start pushing ... but my husband had gone out to the lobby to talk to him mom. As I start pushing a ask a nurse "politely" to please go find my husband!!!! He walked in just as our little guy was being born. Yah... he will never live that one down! Talking to his mom instead of being with me... :/
third pregnancy -
I had major sciatic pain with this one because I carried her so low! At times I thought she would pop out when I sneezed or coughed! Seriously. I was past my due date and so uncomfortable that I was induced. The flabotomists (sp?) had a tough time with IV's and I came out like a pin cushion. They even got me in a nerve in my hand ... that was fun...
My husband working on his computer for all but the last hour of my labor. I got an epidural with this one but it wasn't in full effect when she was born. She was crowning and the Dr. wasn't even at the hospital yet. As much as I wanted to freak out I couldn't.. and the nurses kept reassuring me that they could deliver the baby if they needed to. At that point I didn't really care, because baby was coming no matter what! The Dr. showed up just in time to catch our little girl. While being stitched up I said, "ouch!" The Dr. looked at me, puzzled, and said, "I thought you had an epidural?" The nurses told her that it was hardly in effect... so she numbed me up. Thanks doc!
So.... I wonder what adventures lay ahead with this little guy... only 9 weeks or so and I will find out!! Anyone else have fun labor and delivery stories!?!
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Okay... now for the fun part... getting ready for baby! As an experienced mom of 3.5 ♥ I have had lots of time to experiment with baby products out there. In my 7 years of having babies in the home I have seen a lot of products come and go.. some good, some not so good... but I have compiled a list of my BABY MUST HAVES. It doesn't include everything but these are some of the goodies I have that I LOVE!!!
1. Ergo Carrier - I used a Baby Bjorn with my first two... and it never really felt comfortable. With my third I did some more research and wised up to Ergo. I took the plunge and bought one at Target and I never regretted the money spent! My little one was so snug and comfy in there and it has so much back support that you almost don't know you are wearing it! It has a hood that tucks into the front pocket so that you can keep the sun off baby's face. It also lets you nurse while wearing it -- though I never really got the hang of that. I bought the newborn insert and ended up not using it very much. I have big babies so it didn't take long for her to be able to use the carrier as is. In short... LOVE IT!!
2. Solly Baby Wrap - This is new to me this pregnancy... but I'm already in love! Once baby is here I will keep you updated on baby wearing. I wish these had been around as much when my second was born because I think he would have LIVED in it! This wrap is super soft, all organic, very lightweight, holds up to 25 lbs. of baby, and comes in super cute colors!! It is designed to work for you and baby all year round -- because it is light weight -- so that you don't sweat in the summer wearing it!
3. Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover - After attempting to make some of my own, I bought one of these with a coupon at Babies R Us. The ones I would make covered me up just fine, but I couldn't get the size of the neck opening just the right size so that I could still see baby. This one is PERFECT! I love that it folds up nice and small in my diaper bag so that I can take it everywhere with me. It is also machine washable.... BIG PLUS for this mama!! It is plenty big to cover everything too! Love, LOVE, LOVE!!!
4. Boppy Nursing Pillow - I know there are lots of different pillows out there... and really any good nursing pillow is a must have.. I just happen to have this one. It is small enough to not take up tons of space in the house/bedroom and you can make or buy slipcovers to make it easier if you have a particularly spitty-uppy baby (as one of mine was). I have bought a waterproof cover for mine that I keep on the pillow all the time. Then the cute slipcover goes on top of that. It protects the pillow from any spit up so that it only gets on the cover and doesn't soak into the pillow itself! MUST HAVE!!!
5. KdBuggie Chenille Burp Cloths - Yes, I know I'm a little biased here because I make and sell these... but I have tried just about every kind of burp cloth out there: cloth diapers, flannel, terry cloth, cotton, muslin, my shirt.... anyways, these are the VERY BEST when it comes to burp cloths. They are 100% cotton, preshrunk so they don't get any smaller, and come in so many cute prints. They can even be customized with the fabric of your choice or personalized with baby's name on them. They are machine washable and can go in the dryer. They get softer with each washing but stay super absorbent!!! You can message me on Etsy or send me an email {kdbuggieboutique@yahoo.com} if you have any questions about them or want to get your hands on a few. ♥
6. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - I make my own flannel receiving blankets for the winter, but my last baby was born in July in 100ºF plus weather... so flannel wasn't really an option. A friend of mine turned me on to these and I was sad I didn't find out about them until then! They are made from the softest cotton muslin and are HUGE! Even now at 18 months, my little one still snuggles with hers. We also use one to drape over the stroller while out at Disneyland to keep the sun off of her ... especially when she naps. I used them as nursing blankets when I forgot my cover and they are lightweight enough to let baby breath easy and not get to warm. They are also a little stretchy which makes it perfect for swaddling! If you have a large baby or one that wants to stay swaddled for many months... these swaddle blankets are perfect because they are so large! They can be a little pricey, but you can get good deals with coupons at Babies R Us or online through various retailers.
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Like I said... it's not a list of everything but these are my top 6 items that I have to have! What is on your MUST HAVE for baby list!?!? Did I miss anything major!?! Leave me a comment and share what you LOVE so that us moms can pick up some good ideas!!
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