Advice to New Moms

New moms know that a great deal of advice comes their way, sometimes useful and sometimes ridiculous and, more often than not, unsolicited. However, occasionally you receive one great piece of advice and are able to look back and realize how beneficial it was. Today, I am passing on a great piece of advice that I received concerning breastfeeding.

When I was pregnant the first time around, I knew that I wanted to nurse my little one until the one year mark and then follow her lead when it came time to wean. I also knew that breastfeeding could be quite a challenge: I had heard many horror stories and I had met many moms who had given it up and switched to formula. I decided to be proactive and sunk my teeth into all things breastfeeding: I went to a class, I read the books, I even went to a La Leche League meeting. Eventually, I felt like I had all the pieces of the puzzle, but how would they come together when I actually tried to feed this squishy little baby for the first time? I realized that I had never seen a woman breastfeed a baby before. At all. Ever in my life. Since we live in a culture that is fairly modest when it comes to breastfeeding (especially breastfeeding in public), like many other first-time moms I wasn't sure what a good latch looked like. At this point, my midwife at the time recommended a simple YouTube search with the keywords: Jack Newman.

It literally never occurred to me to watch videos of complete strangers learning how to breastfeed! I watched and I listened to the cues that Dr. Newman would give his patients. When the big day came, I asked for some help from the nurses to get Niamh latched on for the first time. It was smooth sailing from then on. Ok, maybe not completely smooth sailing; if you're breastfeeding for the first time (or second...or third...) your nipples are going to HURT. Prepare yourself mentally and know that you and your baby are learning how to feed together and that pain will go away as you both learn the ropes. You will probably have a two week period where you might dread the thought of that little succubus latching on because it feels like her mouth has a thousand and one hidden daggers that pierce your skin and allow her to drink your soul straight out of your body along with her milk. But that will pass. Watching videos helped me learn that I needed to be forceful with a newborn to help her get as deep a latch as possible (and trust me, when you realize how much nipple they should have in their little tiny mouths, it is surprising).

Set yourself up for success and never be afraid to ask for help. If you didn't grow up with an older sister, mother, aunt, etc. who openly breastfed her children, how are you honestly expected to know what this part of life looks like? Your baby sure as shit doesn't know what she's doing on day one, so it's up to you to prep and set both of you up for as much success as possible.

Happy breastfeeding, Mommas!

Do you have one piece of advice that really helped you as a first-time Mom? What's one thing that you wished someone had told you when you were pregnant? We'd love to hear!

What's In The Bag?

Once upon a time, I came across a post on the interwebs that suggested using Petunia Pickle Bottom's Powder Room Cases for diaper bag organization. It seemed like a genius idea since I can remember more than one stressful parenting situation made even more stressful by a black hole of a diaper bag. So when I bought my PPB Sashay Satchel, I grabbed a few PRC's and figured I'd see where my OCD would take me.

This is what my set-up looks like for a two year old and a two month old (both in cloth diapers):

PRC #1: Health and Beauty Items (Boogie Wipes, tissues, cough drops, sunscreen, lotion, etc.)

PRC #2: Toddler Entertainment (stickers, coloring book, Play-doh, fake camera and phone, etc.)

PRC #3: Snacks (fruit strips, raisins, Larabars, KIND bars, etc.)

Here's how the whole thing comes together:

In the very bottom of my diaper bag, I put the things that I (God willing) don't need very often. I have two disposable diapers for each kiddo, a sleep n play for Rowan, a change of pants for Niamh.
On top of that bottom layer, I put the three PRC's in vertically so I can easily identify and grab the one I need. This leaves just enough space for a fourth PRC (you could have a diaper PRC if you use disposables), but I use that space for a wet bag and a couple cloth diapers. I know that conventional wisdom says to pack a diaper for every hour that you'll be out, plus a few extras just in case. But let's be real here, if either one of my kids is pooping at that rate, I don't want to be out in public. Plus, I always keep a stocked changing station in my car, so I don't feel the need to pack everything I own in a diaper bag *just in case*.

The Sashay Satchel has a magazine pocket in the front that I use as my "mommy pocket" with wallet, cell phone, etc. The back magazine pocket holds the straps that convert the bag to a backpack along with my nursing cover and a burp cloth. Inside, there are two pockets that hold a changing pad and wipes as well as a zippered pocket that holds some random things that I might want to access easily/quickly like a pack of Wet Ones and some Honest Co. spray hand sanitizer. I'm generally not big on hand sanitizer but no Ebola here, thanks.

That's it, folks. I don't carry much because we usually aren't away from home for more than a few hours since Niamh is still napping everyday. In the future, if we do all-day trips, I will transition to my old Ju Ju Be Be Prepared diaper bag with the same PRC's and just add a small cooler, more diapers, or whatever else we need for the day.

Do you have any diaper bag tips and tricks?? Comment below to share!

Mama Must-Have: Three Random Things I'm Obsessed With

I am literally obsessed with three beauty products at the moment.

This is my favorite lotion of. all. time. Yeah, that's a big statement but I stand by it. This stuff is available at Sephora and it is amazing: smells wonderful, makes my skin super soft, and doesn't feel greasy. I cannot imagine life without this stuff.

I'll admit that I'm kinda lazy when it comes to hair and makeup. I have always neglected my eyebrows when I wear makeup because they're already thick and dark so I just never understood why I would use anything else on them. Enter Benefit's Gimme Brow. This stuff is like a little mini-mascara for your eyebrows and helps them look full, defined, and polished. Even if I'm not wearing a full face of makeup, a little bit of this makes a world of difference. And I've now learned that it is a MUST for a full face of makeup.

Let me get something off my chest: I hate lipstick. I'm like the Goldilocks of lipstick: it's too sticky, it's too creamy, it's too shiny, it's too bright, it's too neutral. You get the picture. I discovered this little drugstore gem a few months ago and loved the subtle purple color (Oh La Lilac) with a nice summer tan. It's a gel pigment so it feels more like a lip balm than a lipstick. I now have six tubes strategically placed in my car, makeup bag, diaper bag, etc.

Round Two and I'm Digging Some Babywearing

Howdy folks and Happy International Babywearing Week! I bet you didn't know that was a thing, did you? Yeah, me either.

In spite of my recent ignorance about an entire week dedicated to wearing one's offspring, I decided to write a post this week on that very subject!

Niamh's 1st Notre Dame Game

I received an Ergo carrier from a very dear friend when I was pregnant with Niamh and used it on a pretty regular basis with her. It was just so handy to tuck her in her carrier next to my body while I was out and about grocery shopping, cooking dinner, or even walking the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5k. She seemed so comfy and cozy and almost always fell asleep when I was wearing her.


Now that we're doing Round Two with Baby Ro, I am digging the hell out of wearing that little nugget! While I do some stereotypically "hippie mom" things like cloth diaper and make my own baby food, I certainly don't consider myself to be a full-blown crunchy granola organic natural mama. Babywearing tends to be one of those things that those hippie moms do, as it is one of the principles included in attachment parenting. For me, babywearing is just SO practical and handy that it makes having a baby so much more enjoyable.

Hiking with Baby Ro

 Let's face it, for all the joys a little on brings there are certainly plenty of inconveniences, especially if your nugget is breastfed...frequently. I only nursed Niamh in her carrier a few times and, since I'm fairly discreet about breastfeeding, I often felt like I was missing out on fun things that were going on because I would need to find a quiet corner to sit down and feed her.

This time around, I have worn Rowan everywhere. And, let me tell you, throwing a nursing cover around my neck and dropping that carrier down has allowed me to nurse on the go and not miss a thing. Just this week I have nursed that kid while cooking, shopping at lululemon, picking out a rug, buying groceries, hiking at George Bush Park, and drinking a glass of wine during National Night Out with my neighbors (don't judge). It has been such a liberating feeling this time around to not worry about waking the baby up to feed her before I go out to run errands - I'll just nurse her while I run errands. Let's face it, any time I can multi-task and save a little time I'm a happy camper.

Aside from the selfish reasons that I would encourage any mom to try out babywearing, some studies have indicated that babies who are worn for three hours a day cried 43% less (54% less in the evening hours) than babies who were not worn.

Have any questions about babywearing? Want to share your favorite carrier or babywearing practice? Leave a comment below! Happy Babywearing!

Mama Must-Have: Curling Wand

Ok, so I can't be the only mom out there who has trouble finding the time in between feedings, diapers, dishes, and laundry to squeeze in a quick shower. I'll admit it, I've been sitting at the play ground mid-afternoon and realized that I haven't even brushed my teeth yet.

As a new mom all over again, I'm looking for easy ways to make my mornings simple and fast so I can get myself put together and ready to leave the house. I have developed a new appreciation for my old curling wand because it creates some curl/wave that sticks around for daaaaaaaaaaayyyyyys without having to spend time styling my hair every morning. This thing puts old school curling irons to shame! If you haven't tried a curling wand yet, OMG, do it.

Waves on day 3!