Baby

I’ve been guilty of not keeping up with this blog while I was pregnant. To be fair, there are lots of other things I didn’t keep up with either: shaving my legs, doing laundry, eating things other than Kraft Mac & Cheese, and getting around to washing that oily spot off my back seat from a pourable candle that melted last summer. So this blog really isn’t that special in that regard. That spot is still on my back seat and here I am, writing a post. Blog: 1, Oily Spot: 0.

That said, my little bundle of joy is coming up on six weeks (where has the time gone?) and today I’m going to discuss STUFF. We got lots of stuff at our baby shower. We got lots of stuff from other people. We got lots of stuff ourselves at a baby consignment sale inside an old Kmart over the summer. We got stuff. But what stuff have we actually used? In no particular order, here are 5 things that have kept us sane for the past six weeks.

1. Graco Simple Sway Swing – $79.99

I wasn’t 100% sure we needed this swing. We put it on our registry after a friend told us that she wished she’d had one for her little girl. And if we hadn’t received it as a gift, I’m not sure we would have shelled out for it. Friends, this thing is a magic-maker. It is a maker of magic and a calmer of babies. My son would starve slowly in this swing if it meant that the swing kept swaying and the babbling brook noises kept playing. The swing has 6 swing speeds (we’ve only made it up to level 2) and a choice of music or nature sounds. It also has a vibration setting that we have not tried yet because we don’t have any D batteries. Who has D batteries just hanging around? AA? Sure. AAA? Maybe I can take them out of the remote. But I haven’t had D batteries at the ready since I upgraded from a CD boom box to a ‘shelf system’ in the ninth grade. Regardless, I’m sure when we get around to popping those suckers in, it will only make the whole package better. One down side? This thing is enormous. You’ll need some floor space for this bad boy but if you can swing it (get it?), it’s worth the lost space.

2. Snuza Hero – $119.99

The Snuza was not on my baby registry. I hadn’t even considered it. I did have an Angelcare baby monitor on the registry (which we received) but I hadn’t thought about the fact that we would be sharing our room with the little man for several months before moving to a larger crib. The Angelcare monitor is pretty major for a small cradle in our room. But the fear of SIDS is goddamn real and I spent a lot of time watching his chest rise and fall while he slept (and I should have been catching some precious Z’s). The Snuza is a little gadget that clips onto the waist of baby’s diaper and monitors the rise and fall of the tummy. If it doesn’t detect movement for a few seconds, it vibrates and makes a small beep. If there’s still no movement, an alarm goes off. The first night we used the Snuza Hero, I woke up and realized that I’d been having a dream. A dream, y’all! That requires you to actually fall asleep for a certain amount of time. Which I had not been doing. For days and weeks. This ain’t cheap and I know this bug might not save my baby if the worst happens. But it does make me feel a little more secure when I close my eyes at night and that is priceless. As a side note, we used a 20% off coupon at Buy Buy Baby so it was a little more affordable.

3. Dohm White Noise Machine – $49.99

There’s a reason that everyone recommends this and that reason is that it is awesome. This little machine is shaped like a weird food steamer for a reason. You can slide the top and the sides to create any variation on white noise that you like. Then you can take that variation and make it soft or loud. Prior to unpacking this white noise machine, we were streaming a three-hour relaxation music video on YouTube (find it here, it’s amazing and will always remind me of those first few weeks) all night long. Baby Boy loved it but he also really loves this white noise machine and we don’t need to restart it every three hours. It also helps mom and dad sleep. WINNING.

4. Boppy – $29.99

There is a debate out there, friends. A debate I never knew existed before I had a baby. One that has loyal followers and defenders that will go to the mat with their opinion. That debate is between Boppy and My Brest Friend (yes, you can giggle at the name). The Boppy is a kinda firm, horseshoe-shaped pillow that can be housed in a variety of fashionable slip covers. For breastfeeding, the Boppy is meant to go around your waist and support the weight of the baby while you do your thing. The Boppy can also be used for tummy time, lounging, and for me, to sit on after my tailbone took a beating during delivery (seriously ouch). My husband uses the Boppy to keep our little one snuggled in while he reads or plays video games. I used my Boppy in the first week or so after I got home, but kept having a problem with my little guy slipping between the cushion and my belly. I felt like I was constantly pushing him back up. So while the Boppy has its merits, I eventually found myself moving on to the next…

5. My Brest Friend – $44.99

The My Brest Friend was not originally on my registry because I thought I’d be a solid Boppy lady. But after visiting the lactation consultant at the hospital (seriously, if you have problem with BFing after going home, VISIT THEM) and trying one out, I asked my husband to pick one up for me. In realness, the MBF (I can call it that because we’re tight) is kind of an awkward setup that involves strapping a foam pillow to your waist. This made getting up after feeding my newborn a little more difficult because I had to navigate removing the pillow (which goes around your back) and getting the little guy to his final destination in the crib while he slept. My husband would often have to get up and make the move for me as I sat helplessly inside my foam prison. But it was way more supportive than the Boppy. Little Man didn’t fall between me and the pillow and each side of the MBF has a slightly raised bump for extra support. I haven’t used it as often in the last week or so because I’m trying to train myself to hold the baby in my arms while feeding him instead of depending on a pillow. You can’t bring a nursing pillow to the mall with you (well… you could…). But I do still use it sometimes when I’m really tired or having trouble supporting his ever-increasing weight.

It’s tough to suss out what you’ll actually need when baby arrives. Everyone has an opinion and honestly, most of them are kinda right. Sometimes you end up needing things you didn’t think you would (My Brest Friend) or hadn’t even considered (Snuza). All babies are different and all parents have different requirements, worries, and comfort levels. Read reviews. Ask your friends. Figure out what you think you might need and don’t be afraid to return things you realize you don’t. Example: we quickly discovered that our son doesn’t like to be swaddled with arms-in, so any arms-in swaddles we received went back. If you’re a parent, what items did you love? Any that you hated? Feel free to share in the comments!

Time has passed incredibly fast. I’m now nearing my third trimester and things have been… fine. Almost too fine. Almost too easy? I don’t know. I am a worrier by nature. It is what I do best, so this pregnancy has pushed my normal level of anxiety to 11.

It seems like there is always something that I’m not supposed to be doing or that I’m not doing enough of. And seriously? I have 13 weeks left and there’s some crap that I’m just not willing to do anymore.

1. Use different makeup

OK. I read some stuff about switching to “natural” makeup while pregnant because of parabens and chemicals and all sorts of boogeymen inside my foundation. I switched from my trusty MAC Matchmaster to Tarte’s BB foundation because it was the only thing I could find that made me look normal. My skin proceeded to freak out for about 8 weeks. This could have been due to pregnancy hormones, in fact it almost certainly was partly attributable to that. The rest? I can chalk that up to a foundation that made me break out. So I switched back to my old routine. I still get blemishes now and again but not like before. Plus, the color wasn’t a great match. We can do better.

2. Not eat peanut butter or veggie burgers

These two items were a staple of my pre-pregnancy diet. I get not eating peanut butter because you’re afraid of food poisoning (one of my fears), but I read somewhere that eating peanut butter during pregnancy can cause a peanut allergy in your little one. So I kinda panicked and switched to almond butter (sad trombone). When I asked my doctor about it, she had never heard of the concern and said she often recommends women eat peanut butter for energy at the hospital. She’s also a vegetarian and totally poo-poo’d the no veggie burger thing. Moderation is key and almond butter sort of sucks.

3. Worry about my weight

Real talk: I have already gained 20 pounds since I got pregnant. And that’s fine. I started out slightly underweight and it will be fine if I gain a bit more. I bought a used treadmill a couple of weeks ago that I walk on a few times a week in 15 minute increments. If I start getting into the over-35 pounds territory, then I’ll worry about it. Until then, eating healthy most of the time and getting some exercise is fine. I can worry about the weight after I have a healthy baby in my (chubbier) arms.

4. Avoid the salon

I haven’t gotten my highlights touched up since October. I was planning to do it in December and it just never happened, then baby came along. I asked my stylist about getting things touched up in April but she said she thought it was growing out really well and I could probably get away with not updating for a while. I think the time has come. I’m starting to get a more solid line around my head and it’s not a cute look. The medical advice is solidly on my side on this one. Time to make an appointment – Mama needs to look good for the baby shower.

5. Be disappointed when I don’t fit into pre-pregnancy clothes

I know this isn’t a rule but it’s really about body acceptance and I’m still working on this one. I put on a button-up dress yesterday (it used to be big on me) which my husband assured me looked fine but which I was pretty sure I’d hulk out of by the end of the day (baby tends to get a bit larger by suppertime). I put on three more dresses before I found one that worked. I know I shouldn’t expect to still be able to fit into things but it can be tough to accept a new shape, especially when I may never see my old shape again. I’m trying my hardest to brush it off. I’m creating life! It shouldn’t matter if I still fit into my jeans. There’s a whole world of purses and shoes to focus on, right?

To be sure, there’s a host of other paranoia that I’m still adhering to regularly. That post is coming soon. But in the meantime, what pregnancy-related crud are you throwing out the window?

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