Mama Must-Have: Initial Jewelry

MomentusNY on Etsy

Every Mama nowadays knows that you just HAVE to have a beautiful piece of jewelry with your little one's name or initials. You can find popular items at Restoration Hardware Baby & Child, Pottery Barn Kids, or various Etsy shops. I am in love with my double charm necklace from MomentusNY's shop on Etsy! If you're looking for chic, simple designs, definitely check out this shop!

My VBAC Experience

Wow. Where do I even begin? I began thinking about a VBAC the day Niamh was born. Literally. I knew there would be at least one more baby in our future and I hated the thought of enduring another major surgery in the process.

Quick recap on my first birth experience: I wanted to do anything I could to avoid a cesarean. I switched from my OB to a midwife at 28 weeks and enthusiastically embraced home birth. I trusted that my baby and my body knew how to get the job done with little intervention. Just over a week past my due date, I went into labor on a Tuesday evening. By Thursday afternoon, I had only made it to 3 cm and I had come to the realization the my midwives really didn't have a grasp on what was going on. After a botched IV that resulted in me pouring blood all over my bathroom floor, I headed to the hospital, where I labored until Friday morning when I eventually wound up with a c-section. My recovery was terrible and there was no way that I could imagine doing that again with a toddler (a.k.a. the Texas Tornado) living in my house.

After Niamh was born, I chose a new OB in a very VBAC-friendly practice. She was totally on board when I initially expressed interest and even encouraged me to give it a go in order to avoid some of the complications that could potentially arise with 3 or 4 cesareans. Of course, there are risks associated with every birth and, as any mom knows, babies tend to have their own plans and don't want to be influenced by our attempts to formulate "birth plans." Damn kids.

Throughout my pregnancy with Rowan, I tried to take things as they came; I was going to shoot for a VBAC, but if it didn't work out, it was ok. Looking back, I think that decision to simply try again gave me a feeling of power and control that I had lost the first time around.

I woke up on my due date with some crampiness and contractions around 6:00 am. By 8:00 I was in the tub relaxing and getting cleaned up (anticipating that I would probably be heading to the hospital in the next 24 hours and should probably shave my legs!) and Jeff and Niamh ran off to pick up some breakfast tacos. My contractions were about 9 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds to a minute. No big deal, eh?

All of a sudden, it was like someone flipped a switch: my contractions were one minute on and one minute off. Frantic, I called Jeff and told him to get home so we could get to the hospital. I was concerned that I get there with plenty of time to monitor my scar for any signs of rupture and also to get an epidural so that I could be awake for the birth in the event that I wound up with another c-section. 

By 10:15 we arrived at Texas Children's and my water broke immediately. With only one minute of rest in between contractions, I was begging for an epidural...although they could probably figure out that I wanted one based on my choice language. Lots of f-bombs. Whoops.

By 5:30 that evening, I was fully dilated and ready to have a baby! She was being VERY cooperative and working her way down on her own so I firmly believed she and I were on the same page and this was going to happen. The L&D team (who was amazing, by the way) coached me on how to push and within 30 minutes, BAM! All my doubts about my ability to birth a baby went right out the window.

The experience was unbelievably surreal; still to this day, I almost don't even believe it worked out the way it did. My recovery has been so drastically different this time, both physically and emotionally. I went through a tough period after Niamh was born because I felt as though I had done everything I could to avoid a c-section but failed. Yes, let's dwell on that insidious little thought for a moment: I. had. failed. It took me quite some time to realize that I hadn't actually failed myself or my baby; the way a woman brings a child into the world is not a reflection on how hard she worked, how badly she wanted it, or how beautifully she decorated her well-researched birth plan for the hospital staff. Sometimes things happen. Sometimes things unfold in a way that we wish they hadn't despite our best efforts. And that sucks. But life is funny and babies are funny; there's no telling what's around the corner.

Mama Must-Have: Hands-Free Nursing

For those of you breastfeeding moms out there who have never nursed you little one in a baby carrier, oh my goodness. Drop what you are doing and try it. You will be amazed at the whole world of opportunity and productivity that opens for you.

I bought two baby carriers when Niamh was born: a Baby K'Tan for the first couple months and then an ERGObaby for later on. Over her first year of life, I really enjoyed wearing Niamh. Not in a super crunchy, granola hippie momma way, but for the sheer practicality of it. I was able to put her in the wrap at a few weeks old and do things like get myself ready to leave the house if I needed to. There were certainly other benefits: she was always likely to take a stellar nap when in her carrier and she seemed to maintain a very laid-back personality with little fussiness.

I nursed Niamh a few times in the ERGObaby carrier and it was a breeze. Just loosen up your backpack straps to drop the baby down to milker level and have at it. However, it was a truly a game changer for having two under the age of two. I can keep Baby Ro content and nursing while fixing Niamh lunch or playing. It has really helped our transition to a family of four because I'm able to give Niamh the time and attention that she needs without continuous breaks to nurse Rowan.

I have only attempted nursing in soft-structured carriers, so I can't give any recommendations for slings. For those of you in Houston, Nurtured Family offers free Saturday classes and has a baby-wearing expert that could give you all the basics on nursing in a sling. (Check out their class schedule here).

If you're in the market for a soft-structured carrier, I was a HUGE fan of our ERGObaby. I once borrowed someone's Baby Bjorn carrier when Niamh was about a year old and could only carry her for about 15 minutes before my back was screaming; with the Ergo I could carry her for hours and stay comfortable. My only complaint about the Ergo was that the forward-facing front carry position wasn't an option, but the new Ergo 360 has solved that problem and still offers a great ergonomic position for baby's hips. Keep in mind that you need to use an infant insert with the ERGObaby 360 and, if you live in a hot climate like I do, you might want to find something that won't be as hot for you and baby. I recently purchased the Beco Gemini carrier and LOVE it! I have used it every day since I bought it and couldn't be happier! I even discreetly nursed Ro in it during a family walk around the neighborhood the other night!

Of course I had to buy this in camo. Duh.

Mama Must-Have: The Windi

When I was in labor with Baby Ro, I developed a pretty high fever and she was given antibiotics during her first 48 hours of life to treat any potential infection she may have been exposed to. The down side of these antibiotics is that they have the potential to upset the balance of "good" bacteria in the gut.

Sure enough, Rowan had some serious crying marathons every evening and her poor little tummy would get as full and hard as a little basketball! She was so gassy and just seemed to constantly struggle to get the excess air out. Our pediatrician taught us the "toes to nose" technique, where you lay the baby on her back and grab both legs, rolling her toes up to touch her nose. Similarly, you can also "bicycle" her legs to force some gas out. These two techniques worked fine for Niamh but they didn't even come close to soothing Rowan.

Jeff and I thought we were going to lose our mind...until we found a miracle: the Windi. This little tube is a bizarre and disgusting little godsend. It's basically a one-time use catheter that is inserted into the rectum and helps release gas (and whatever else happens to be there - it can get messy). You literally hear the "pssssssssssst" of gas when that thing is inserted and Rowan instantly calms down and is ready to nurse and fall asleep for the night.

They are pricey at about $15 for a package of 10, but they are worth every penny!

Manifesting Good Sleep!

Holy crap. I woke up an hour ago and realized that it was 7:00am...and then I realized that Baby Rowan hadn't woken up all night! That's right, this little nugget slept through the night for the first time!

Lucky for us, Niamh was a great sleeper and started sleeping twelve hours a night at 7 weeks old. When I got pregnant with Ro, everyone gave me a knowing look and insisted that I was going to have a much more challenging baby this time around.

Maybe it's me being naive, or maybe it's my years working at lululemon athletica where the company culture emphasizes creating a vision for your life and setting goals:

Your vision:

• provides focus
• helps you discover your personal path

Your goals:

• inspire you to do the work
• excite and even scare you
• are specific, measurable and written in the present tense

When you're a new mom, your mind is muddled with questions, worries, appointments, lack of sleep, etc. Creating a vision and goal for yourself and your little one keeps you moving forward in a positive way rather than just focusing on keeping your head above water. I really believe that manifesting positive thoughts of a good sleeper and refusing to believe that my baby's sleep depended on the arbitrary whims of the Universe helped me keep my sanity through those first few rough weeks with each babe.  

Good luck to you!

There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby!