Post-Partem Must Haves

Here's a list of things I found helpful for after Baby arrives.


I posted about some things I found really helpful during my pregnancy here.

One thing I did not take into account when it comes to becoming a mom was making sure I had everything I needed for ME after I had Baby. You're so fixated on making sure you have everything you need for the baby but it's important to not forget about yourself. If you can't keep yourself healthy you're not going to be able to adequately keep Baby healthy too.

1. Breast Pads
Whether or not you're going to breastfeed, these are a must. I used the Medela brand breast pads because I got a big box as a shower gift, but I think next time I might try a different brand. Make sure you have enough so you don't have to run to the store that first week; so get a big box!

2. Lanolin Cream (aka Nipple Cream)

If you plan on breastfeeding and/or pumping, you'll need this stuff. Your nipples just aren't going to be used to all that friction and they will get raw. I really liked the Lansinoh Brand Lanolin Cream, personally. And you won't have to use this forever. Eventually your nipples will get used to it and build up some toughness (sorry for the TMI - haha!). I think someone gave me a travel size of these and it was super helpful to have while in the hospital.

3. Pads

Yes, you're going to need them. I heard you'll need them even if you have a c-section too. Again, make sure you have more than enough!

4. Cooling Pads / Gel Pads

These are so nice to have on hand. I really like the Lansinoh TheraPearl Gel Pads. They give you some nice relief.

I also really like Medela's Hydrogel pads. These were soooo soothing and you can wear them in your bra out in public without it being noticeable. They're very discreet.

5. Nursing Sports Bra

As I've said before, I hate wearing bras so sports bras are my BFF's. Zulily was having a maternity sale one day and I spied a nursing sports bra from La Leche League for like $14! So I definitely snatched that up. I didn't even know nursing sports bras existed. They do. And it was nice to sleep in something comfortable yet supportive at night and be able to easily nurse Preslie without it being cumbersome.

6. Tylenol

You're going to have pain after having a baby. For me, it was a lot of pain for a lot of months. For other women the pain goes away after a week or so. It's different for everyone. Just make sure you have pain relievers on hand (and make sure they're compatible with nursing if you're going that route). Also, make sure you take them on time once you get home from the hospital. It's easy to remember to take them when the nurses have you on a schedule while you're in recovery at the hospital, but once you're home it's even easier to forget about taking them on time - especially when you're trying to keep up with feeding a baby.

7. Snacks
If it weren't for my mom and Kevin making sure I continually ate, I probably wouldn't have survived. You're so focused on making sure the baby is getting enough to eat and gaining enough weight that you completely forget to feed yourself. At least that's what it was like for me. So our next go-round I'm going to make sure to have lots of {healthy} snacks on hand so I can quickly grab them and not starve.

8. Freezer Meals
I think I'll do a separate post on this. The came in so very handy!

9. Comfy, stretchy PJ's
I wanted nothing to do with jeans or anything tight on my lower half after I gave birth. Stretchy PJ's and sweat pants were the best things for me. I also got myself some cute PJ's to wear in the hospital. It felt so good to put those on and get out of the hospital gown after giving birth and recovering.

10. GRACE!
Make sure to give yourself and your baby some grace. The first week was tough for me. I wanted everything to be perfect - and that just wasn't realistic. I finally had to have a little pep-talk with myself and give myself some grace. I'm not perfect and I will never be a perfect mom. Each day I learn something new; what works and what doesn't for my baby and our family. I also had to give Preslie some grace. She is a good sleeper and she has been pretty much since we brought her home from the hospital. Pretty sure we just got lucky. But we still had nights where she'd wake up a lot and I'd get frustrated and I had to tell myself "Give the kid a break, Kaysie. She's a newborn. This is what they're supposed to do. Relax." I still have to tell myself that almost daily. You do the best you know how, and what you don't know now you'll eventually learn. Baby will adore you no matter what.

The End.

Maternity Must Haves

The other night I spent over an hour writing this post and I accidentally erased it! Grrr!!!

I've been meaning to write this post for the - oh....past EIGHT months but just haven't found the time.

That time is now!

I wanted to list the things I found super helpful during my pregnancy with Preslie. Mostly for my own memory if we're lucky enough to have a second pregnancy, and I also thought it might be helpful for any moms-to-be.

These items were just what worked for me. I know everyone is different. I also wasn't sponsored for any of this stuff.

1. Burt's Bees Mamma Bee Body Butter



Love this stuff! I tried a few different kinds of body butter and some either smelled awful or were way too greasy. This stuff had no odor and did a great job moisturizing the baby belly. I also didn't have any stretch marks, but that could have more to do with the fact that I had a lot of belly skin to spare. Ha!

2. Be Maternity Seamless Cami from Target



I'm not a huge fan of seeing the belly panel from maternity pants through your top. It just looks odd to me. I wore these camis all. the. time under my tops while pregnant. As a matter of fact, I still wear them! They are very comfy and stretchy. They make things smooth and hold all your parts in place (which is always a plus in my book). I've only seen them in black, white and nude in store at Target, but it looks like they also have them in gray on their website. Seriously, get yourself some of these! You can thank me later. ;)

3. Panty Liners

Enough said.

4. Body Pillow / Sleeping

I personally didn't use a body pillow. I suffered from night sweats throughout my pregnancy and anything more than a sheet made me feet like I was on fire. A body pillow would just add more fuel to the flame. But I've heard good things from others who've used them!

5. Exercise Ball

Before I discovered the true beauty of an exercise ball, I just thought it was something "excessive" that pregnant women used just because. Oh how naiive I was...
I used this so much going into the last five to six weeks of my pregnancy. It really helped to relieve pressure in my hips and on my back. I also spent a good chunk of hours on this ball while I was laboring at home. LIFE-SAVER!!! If you don't have one, it really wouldn't hurt to get one - or even borrow one - and try it out.

6. Baths
I know...I know. Lots of people have opinions about taking baths while pregnant. I took them; so there! Again, being in the water helped relieve pressure in my hips and back. I took one almost every day. Towards the end I could only take one if Kevin was home because I couldn't get out by myself! HA! Also, I plopped my big self in the tub while I was in labor at home and it got things moving real quick!

7. Water Bottle

Since you have to make sure you stay really hydrated while pregnant I'd highly recommend getting a reusable water bottle. This is the one I have and I like it because I could put ice in it. I was all about having REALLY cold water while pregnant. This was also good while in labor. You have to really remember to drink water and it was easy to drink from it quickly and often.

8. Maternity Pants
Maternity clothes aren't cheap, and it's hard to justify spending the money on them when you're going to wear them for only a short while. But it's worth the splurge, in my opinion. I got a few really nice dress pants and a pair of cute jeans from Destination Maternity (DM). They were A Pea in the Pod brand and DM was having a "buy one, get one half off" sale. I also ended up getting a couple pair of skinny colored jeans from DM as well.

Target's maternity section is kind of small, but they usually have some really cute items as well. So does Old Navy.

9. Maternity Undies
For me, I needed them. I didn't get the kind that were full belly coverage or anything like that. I got the kind that sat low, under your belly.

10. Nursing Bra
Highly recommend getting fitted for a nursing bra while you're pregnant. You're probably not going to find the time to go get fitted for one right after baby arrives (and you certainly aren't feeling your best). I got fitted for mine at DM when I was about six or seven months pregnant. I also got one of those extenders that you can clip on the back so it would expand as the "girls" expanded.

11. Sports Bras



These were my saving grace! I hate wearing a bra as it is and I wanted something comfy but needed the support. So I got some sports bras at Target. They sell them for pretty cheap and in a lot of different colors.



That's what I can think of for now. If you have any other suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments so I can make note of them and other readers can too!

Preslie Kay at Five Months

I don't even know how it's possible that FIVE months have already flown by. Hold me.

Preslie turned five months old on Monday, September 2nd.

Measurements
Weight: I'm going to guess she's around 16 pounds.
She will have her six month checkup on October 7th.

Appearance
~ Her eyes are still very light.

~ Her hair is getting thicker. It's still just in the beginning stages of growing but it sticks straight up right now, all over her head. Kevin calls it her "Baby 'Fro."
~ To me it looks like she's starting to thin out. Mostly due to being a lot more active. Her face isn't looking as chubby anymore either. My baby is growing up!
~ She has the tiniest little feet!

Sizes
~ She's wearing 6-9 month and 6 month clothes, and 9 month pants.
~ Newborn shoes are getting a bit snug so we'll probably head into Size 1 soon. She doesn't really wear shoes right now because it's so hot here, but once Fall comes I'll be putting her in some cute ones she has.
~ Size 2 diapers.

Personality
~ It seems like after she turned four months her personality just starting growing! She likes to give out lots of smiles now.

 

~ She's still a very easy-going and happy baby.

~ She will fuss if you take something away from her that she really wants. I was hoping that stage would've held off a little longer, but no such luck. ;)

 It's tough being little.

~ She makes you work for a laugh! She's not one to laugh so easily. It has to be really funny to her. You should see the crazy things Kevin and I try to do to get a giggle out of her. Her Grampy can get her going though and so does Stella.
~ She "talks" all the time and it's getting louder. No screaming-talking yet.

Likes

~ She is obsessed with Stella. She watches her wherever she goes and she will laugh and laugh if Stella goes up to her to give her a kiss. And kiss she does - we have a video where Stella is giving her kisses that make it into Preslie's mouth! HA!

~ She is a major thumb-sucker. That's one sure-fire way to tell she's tired and ready to go to sleep.
~ Food!
~ Her exersaucer.
~ Milkies
~ Tummy time!

~ Papa

Eating
~ She takes five, six-ounce bottles a day and gets baby food in the evening. She's starting to not drink her whole nighttime bottle so I'm thinking of cutting it back to four bottles a day so she's hungry enough for her nighttime bottle.
~ I started trying out rice cereal with her at about 4 1/2 months. We took it very slow. Then one day she just got the hang of the whole spoon-in-mouth thing and discovered how tasty it is!
~ So far she's had rice cereal, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans and peas.
~ I mix rice cereal in with her baby food.
~ She's also sucked on an orange slice, watermelon and a Popsicle and she's tasted a little avocado.

Sleeping
~ Still sleeping through the night. She goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00 the next morning. There have been times when she tries to get up at 5am but I leave her in her crib to fall back to sleep because I know she's not ready to get up yet - and neither is Mama!
~ She takes two naps a day during the week when she's at the sitters. At the sitters her naps aren't exactly consistent. I can definitely tell when I pick her up at the end of the day if she's had good naps or not. Girlfriend likes her own bed!
~ On weekends when we're home she takes three naps a day and boy does she sleep long and hard during those naps! Sweet P is catching up on all the lost sleep from the week.
~ Preslie rolls all over her crib now. She no longer stays in one spot.
~ She likes to sleep on her tummy. This makes me nervous but there's not much I can do about it at this point since she's rolling over and lifting her head and pushing up.
~ When she wakes up and I hear her talking over the monitor, I'll look at the video monitor and she'll be staring right at it! It's pretty creepy. Ha!

New Experiences
~ Preslie can hold her own bottle now. It makes it a little easier when we need to get something done real quick during a feeding.

~ She rolls from back to front and is still getting the hang of realizing she can also roll from front to back. She can do it but I think she forgets. ;)
~ She likes to bang on her toys and bang her toys on things.
~ She is a big fan of crossing her feet. She crosses them all the time! Miss Priss.

~ Preslie's started sucking her bottom lip.
~ She has yet to grab her feet and put them in her mouth. I have a feeling that's coming soon.
~ She sits great in her Bumbo, high chair and exersaucer. She's not sitting on her own yet and I think it'll be another month or two before she does. She's not quite there yet.

 

~ Preslie full-on looks for Stella when we take her into a room.
~ She will look at us when we say her name (Preslie or Squirt).
~ She's following objects with her head.

~ She's starting to pull her headbands/bows off her head. This makes Mama sad. Ha!

~ Preslie started at Miss Kara's this month and she loves it there. It makes my Mama heart happy when I pick her up and she's smiling and in a great mood.
~ She's been able to sport her 49er gear since football has now officially started! This makes her Papa very proud.

~ She took her first trip to the family cabin in Donner. She had a lot of fun meeting family members who haven't seen her, and being outside and looking up into the trees. She was on her best behavior that weekend!

 Our little family

 Four generations!

~ Grammy and Grampy visited and Preslie loved getting to spend lots of time with them.

~ She did some more swimmin' at Grandma's house.

~ She got to play with her cousin Carter and had a good time stealing his toys!

~ She is drooling non-stop! We have to change her bibs like four times a day.


This child is so much fun. We had no idea how much fun a baby could actually be. Both Kevin and I adore this Little Squirt!

 

Three Month Photo Session

Here are some photos from Preslie's three month photo session. They were actually taken when Preslie was four months but they're still just as cute!

(These are scans of the printed photos I chose, so they're not the best quality.)

This is our favorite one! It captures her personality perfectly!

Baby in a Basket :)

 

*...sigh...* These eyes slay me.

Four Days In

Well, we are four days in to me being back at work and Preslie going to Ms. Kara's and so far we have survived. ;)

Sunday night before my first day back to work I kept praying and praying that God would give me Peace and Comfort for the next day. I was so nervous about work (starting in a new department) and really anxious about how Preslie would do at the sitters. The good Lord delivered!

It has actually been a super smooth transition. I enjoy work and honestly I'm surprised I don't sit here all day worrying about the Babe. I know she has a ton of fun at the sitters and she's a big hit there.

Our first day. She was a bit tired from waking up earlier than usual.

When I dropped her off on Monday (the first day) I did kind of choke up a bit as I was driving away, but no tears.

One of the best parts of my day is by far when 4pm comes and I can leave work and go pick her up. She's always happy when I see her and that makes me feel good that she's just fine being watched by someone else other than me during the day.

As soon as we get into the car to go home she falls right to sleep. It's tough work playing all day!

For memories sake, I want to outline what our week days look like right now...

5am: I get up and take a quick rinse-shower to wake myself up. Then get ready for work (put my contacts in, then pump as I'm putting my makeup on - multitasking at it's finest!, then do my hair). Pack my lunch and P's bottles.

6:20am: Get P up, change her and get her dressed and lay her on her play mat as I finish getting ready and packing the car.

6:35am: Kisses from Papa and we're out the door and on our way to Ms. Kara's.

6:50am: I give kisses and drop P off and head to work.

7am-4pm: Work, work, work.

4:15pm: Pick P up and head home.

4:30pm: Unload the car and pump while P plays.

5pm: P gets her "dinner." I love this time with her because she's sitting up in her high chair really well and she's so funny while she eats. Then she'll play until it's time to get ready for bed.

Seriously, this child and her tongue are something else. Longest tongue ever!

Girlfriend loves her some squash!

Playing hard.

6-ish pm: Kevin or I will make dinner and eat.

7pm: Bath time and nighttime bottle for P. She goes down for the night at about 7:30pm.

The rest of the night I get everything ready for the next day: re-pack her diaper bag, make sure her bottles are filled, make my lunch, pick out my outfit, pump and then take a shower.

10pm: Bedtime for Mama!

Thank you for all of your well wishes this week!

Preslie Kay at Four Months

Preslie turned four months old on Friday, August 2nd. By the time I get this posted she'll be closer to five months than four, but oh well!

Measurements (from her four month checkup on August 5th)
Weight: 15lbs 6oz (70%)
Height: 25 1/4" (78%)
Head circumference: 16.73" (90%)

Appearance
~ She's starting to get some hair growing back in from the baby hair she lost. It's just fuzz right now that you notice if you're up close.
~ Her eyes seem to be slowly turning from blue to green.

~ She has the cutest, deepest dimple on her right cheek when she smiles.

~ She has a freckle on the inside of her left ankle.
~ When I have my contacts in, I swear I can see really light freckles on her cheeks. I have freckles and so does my mom so that would explain them.

Sizes
~ She's wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes. I think I underestimated how fast babies grow because I can barely keep her in clothes before they become too small!
~ Newborn shoes still fit. She has tiny little feet.

~ She's in size 2 diapers.

Nicknames
Still the same as before, but I've also started calling her "Missy Me." No clue why, it just comes out. Ha!

Personality
~ She is a happy baby. When we're around a group of people she tends to be pretty quiet and likes to take things in. She likes to give you a good once-over before she decides to give you a smile.
~ Her Papa and Grampy seem to be the main ones that can really get her going and make her laugh.
~ She's very easy going and is up for pretty much anything.
~ Her "talking" seems to be getting louder each day. She likes to hear herself, that's for sure!
~ Don't worry...she still has some fussy times. HA!

 Pitiful, isn't she?

Likes
Her thumb
Sophie the Giraffe
Papa

The dogs
Milkies

Dislikes
~ Still tummy time. She's close to rolling over, and when we do tummy time she does a lot of grunting (and farting). She has yet to enjoy tummy time.
~ Getting dressed.

Eating
~ She gets 6 ounces of breast milk five times a day. I usually nurse her in the morning when we're both still trying to wake up.
~ We tried rice cereal once and she was not a fan that time (since then she's come to love it).

~ We let her gnaw on celery and she thinks she's big stuff!

~ We'll be starting solids next month.

Sleeping
~ She takes three naps a day at 10:30am, 12pm and 3pm. Her morning nap is usually a good two hours, and the other two are about an hour each. She's starting to skip her evening cat-nap altogether, which is fine by me because she's super sleepy by the time bedtime rolls around.
~ Still sleeping through the night: 8pm-7am. She'll wake up at random times sometimes but we just leave her in her crib and she puts herself back to sleep.
~ She doesn't cry anymore when we put her down.

New Experiences
 ~ She has discovered her legs and loves to lift them up and look at them.

~ When we hold a toy up she will reach for it, grab it and always bring it to her mouth.
~ She reaches up to our face when we're close to hers. It melts my heart.
~ She went on her first big road trip to Los Angeles. She was such a trooper on the six and eight hour car rides.

~ She also stayed in a hotel for the first time. Sleep was a little rough the first two nights, but she got the hang of it and being somewhere different, eventually.
~ She attended her first wedding and was so good!

Double Chin Status

 

~ She celebrated her first 4th of July!

~ We went to a friend's birthday party and Mommy forgot the bottle, and she wouldn't nurse, so she drank Milkies from a sippy cup for the first time!

~ She helped celebrate her Papa's 30th birthday!
~ Preslie also helped throw her Papa's birthday party. She was a rock star and did great with so many people in the house.

~ We visited Grammy in the hospital to help make her feel better.
~ She sits in her high chair at the table while Mommy and Papa eat dinner.
~ Preslie is so close to rolling over from back to front!

~ She met her Great Grandma Pino!

~ She also met her Aunt Luci and Aunt Robyn.

~ She's sitting in her Bumbo and holding her head up really well.

 

I return to work on Monday after having 5 1/2 months off; 4 1/2 of those months have been with my sweet girl. I feel very lucky to have had this much quality time with her and have loved every single second of it. Being able to watch her learn something new each day is the greatest gift. Ever.

Mommy and Papa are your BIGGEST fans, Preslie!