But you know what? I’m so grateful for all the memories and experiences that my bug has brought into my life. Seeing him grow and learn has been one wild and fun journey. As much as it can be a little bittersweet watching him grow up so quickly, each new stage of growth brings its own set of joys and challenges. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for him. 

Sprouting to One First Birthday Theme

We celebrated Bug’s first birthday last Friday with some friends and family! It was an absolute blast, and he had so much fun. I organized a quick and easy DIY party to celebrate him, “Sprouting to One.” I thought it would be adorable to do a balloon arch on the trellis and dress him up in a veggie outfit. I wanted to go with the garden theme, and it’s super fitting for spring.

To add to the theme, my friend let me borrow her vintage highchair for some adorable photo ops, which turned out precious. I crafted a cute high chair garland out of material and felt veggies, and to top it off, I found this huge wooden carrot on sale for only $7 at Michaels in the Easter section. I flipped it around and painted it to match the theme perfectly. I know he won’t remember much of his first birthday, so I wanted to keep everything inexpensive.

Since we did the balloons early in the morning, they kept popping all day. I think I’ll splurge for a professional next time! But they did the trick and looked cute. 
He woke up from his nap 30 minutes before the party. He is always hungry when he wakes up, so I had a feeling he’d be going straight for the cake.

I put together a table of food for my friends and neighbors.

The SPROUTING TO ONE menu!

Vegetable tray with hummus, garlic hummus, and avocado.
Colorful Bean Chips with Salsa
Crackers
Fruit Platter
Fruit Snacks
Carrot Cake
Baby Smash Cake
Lemon Mint Blackberry Cucumber Water
Turkey Bacon Club Sandwiches on Homemade Sourdough Bread
Iced Carrot Sugar Cookies!
 I did some baking and preparation for the party the night before, including making the cookies, cakes, and sourdough dough. I made a healthier option for the smash cake recipe using bananas, carrots, oats, almond flour, coconut oil, peanut butter, cinnamon, and eggs. I topped it off with a frosting of coconut whipped cream and plain organic cream cheese. If you’re interested, I can even write a recipe blog for it! I will share my carrot cake recipe soon because it was to die for.

I love that Trader Joe’s has colorful veggies! It made the platter so pretty and colorful.

 
The sandwiches were made with my freshly baked sourdough bread, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, white cheddar cheese, bacon, maple turkey, mayonnaise, and guacamole.

I loved that the little smash cake was a replica of the big cake. I used the colorful carrots from Trader Joe’s to decorate the top and added some chopped pecans to the bottom.

The little carrot cookies turned out pretty cute! Those were easy to make the night before. I found that cookie cutter for fifty cents at Michaels in the Eater section.
 
 No one can convince me that Annie’s doesn’t make the BEST fruit snacks. 
I’ll be drinking infused water all summer long!
 

These cuties!
   
He was SO READY for that cake!

We sang happy birthday, and then he went to town on the cake.
 He was so cute. He kept laughing and clapping the entire time. He was a big fan of the frosting.   
He did try to pick it up!
We honestly had the best day, and it was so lovely that our friends and family were there to celebrate!

On my first birthday, my parents surprised me with a delicious carrot cake. I have a photo of me with cake smeared all over my face! I have a feeling my dad might have been the one who picked it out, as carrot cake happens to be his favorite. And you know what? Now it’s my favorite cake flavor too! Not only did it perfectly match the party’s theme, but it’s just hands down the most delicious cake flavor ever! Maybe it will be Buggy’s favorite when he’s older.

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for helping me navigate my first year as a mom! I’ve never felt more supported by any community before, and it’s amazing how a bunch of strangers you’ve never met can come together to offer words of encouragement and help you keep pushing forward. It just goes to show that it really does take a village. Thank you so much, guys!

Questions for you!

1. Do you know which flavor of cake you had on your first birthday?
2. What questions do you have for me about my first year of parenthood?
3. What is a fun first birthday theme idea you have?

The sweet comments on my last recap blog meant so much to me! It’s so lovely to hop on here when I can, and I love that you guys have supported that. So many of my favorite bloggers have quit blogging recently, and started posting only to social media, and it makes me sad. I didn’t want to do the same, so I’m trying to keep up as much as possible.
 It was cold and rainy on St. Patrick’s Day. I picked up my mom early in the morning to grab a coffee and walk around the Bush N’ Vine farm before the weather got bad. Bugs is obsessed with chickens and any animal. He was making the funniest sounds trying to talk to the chickens.  If our HOA allowed it, I would totally get a chicken coop.
 
We also treated ourselves to a delicious green donut to celebrate the day. 
 We decided to stop and have lunch at the Garden Cafe before making it back before nap time. 

Bugs loves food, so it’s fun going places with him. He wants to eat anything and everything. I ordered chicken breast and cut it up for him, and he ate every bite. He also loved the mandarins. The other night, I made him a baby-friendly chicken salad with shredded chicken, chopped spinach, dillweed, lemon, black pepper, garlic, greek yogurt, tomatoes, and chopped onion. He was OBSESSED! I must try the same recipe using hardboiled eggs since he also loves those.
The Garden Cafe has the best coffee and dessert. I said no to the pie since Kyle wasn’t there to help me eat it, but I did not say no to their coffee! It was only my second cup for the day, and I needed it badly. 
 
Bugs decided he wasn’t going to nap that afternoon, so I put him in the skip hop during my 20-minute Peloton ride. He is obsessed with watching the petals and listening to music. He starts clapping and doing the squat baby dance. I usually have about 20 minutes until he’s over it, but it’s still enough time to fit in a great workout.

Later in the afternoon, I did some more seedlings with my leftover egg cartons. 
I made some delicious salads and mocktails on Friday night. I need to get that recipe up asap! There is nothing better than homemade restaurant-style ranch. 

We headed to the St. Patrick’s Day festival in Baxter Village on Saturday afternoon. It is a stunning time of year with all the blooming trees and warm weather! 
 I am just one big jungle gym to him. Does anyone else have a child who is always on the move and never stops wiggling?
I love him so much!
For dinner on Saturday night, I made a giant taco salad platter. It had all the best taco toppings (but I forgot the jalapenos) and a taco ranch. Let me know if you want me to post this recipe, too! I wish I had 1000+ hours in the day or the ability to stay up past 8 pm. 
Sometimes, I feel like making a cake. We enjoyed diving into this peachy pineberry almond buttercream cake. I’ll be sharing this recipe soon! It was so good. Cake is one of my favorite desserts. I’d choose it over anything! It was so pretty with the pineberries and peaches. I want to make it all summer long! 

The pups had their grooming appointment on Sunday, so we decided to walk the trail while they had their haircuts. We treated ourselves to warm soup and fresh pasta from Blend at the Riverwalk afterward. 

Sunday sourdough! Today, I have a whole wheat with nuts and seeds in the works for my dad. If it turns out delicious, I’ll post that recipe soon! But if you missed it, I finally have my sourdough bread recipe up! Seeing photos of your loaves and hearing your feedback made me so happy! 

I headed to a local coffee shop to finish the sourdough bread blog and complete a work project for a few hours. My mom has been so kind to come over a few hours a week to help watch Bugs while I do some work. 

My sweet neighbor gave Bugs this push car since her boys have grown out of it, and he is absolutely obsessed. It’s all he wants to do in the morning, day, and night. I push him around the backyard and down the sidewalk, and he loves it! 
 To make meals more manageable, I’ve been making food for him that we all eat. It’s too much to make separate meals, and it has me eating so much healthier. His favorite is no sodium organic tomato sauce, spaghetti squash, garlic powder, ground beef, zucchini, and a sprinkle of organic parmesan cheese. I made a giant batch for the family to eat for a few days. He gets SO MESSY since I let him eat with his fingers, but at least it’s before bathtime. 
 
One of his favorite breakfast foods is banana egg pancakes with oats, cinnamon, and peanut butter added. 
After a doctor’s appointment, my parents stopped by, and I made yummy steak salads. They had cast iron grilled steak, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, corn, everything but the bagel crackers, and creamy homemade ranch.
Tux is now a couch potato! I can’t believe he will jump up and cuddle so close. I never thought he’d get to this level! He keeps improving and improving!

I’m still on my Peloton kick! I’m entering week fifteen here soon and just as obsessed! I love hitting PRs and taking all the pop-punk classes available. A few mornings ago, I was so hungry after a ride that I had a plate of potatoes, apples, avocado, and a cheesy vegetable omelet. 

In the afternoon, when I get my crazy sweet tooth, I love having homemade healthy hot chocolate and rice cakes with peanut butter and honey. The hot chocolate has almond milk, cocoa powder, and honey.

Oats are another one of my favorite pre-workout or post-workout breakfasts. 

After doing dinner and bathtime with bugs, Kyle took over for bedtime so I could go to sunset yoga at the Greenway, and it was so beautiful and relaxing! 
I took my latest obsession, Hop Water, with me! This stuff is so good!!! The class was so relaxing, especially after being tackled all day by an eleven-month-old. 

After yoga, we did taco Tuesday at Taco Milino! 

Another rainy day called for yummy treats at The Goodlife Organic with my sweet boy! I had a kid’s smoothie and a breakfast bowl to share with him. He was also obsessed with the peanut butter energy ball. 
 
Book time before bed! He is in the opening and closing of the book phase right now. 

Homemade mini pancakes to put in the freezer for easy meals! These have whole wheat flour, eggs, cinnamon, almond milk, peanut butter, and banana. I microwave them for 20 seconds out of the freezer, and they are delicious! I usually serve them with fresh fruit and scrambled eggs. 

After an afternoon park date, we returned for some mommy and me lunch! We had eggs, black bean rice, and peaches! 

My tomatoes are ready for the transfer! 

Garden bug
We converted my office into a closet and changing room for bugs since it was easier to keep it all downstairs. This past weekend, I cleaned out the space and put everything back into his nursery. It feels so good to have my little office back!  Enjoying the final day of my tulips! 
Since the mornings have been nice lately, we’ve been taking early walks! I love catching the sunrise. 
 Of course, we must finish every walk with a cruise around the yard. When I stop, he starts turning the wheel and banging on the horn to get me to push him. It’s so funny.  So many tomato varieties! I cannot wait for the harvest this summer. 
Little beggar! 

I found some eggs in the tree next to my garden! They are so beautiful. We picked up Blend for dinner on Friday night to enjoy out on the patio. I bought a little folding chair for bugs, and it has a food tray. It’s super cute! I did the build-your-own salad with lettuce, chicken, cheese, onion, peppers, banana peppers, pesto, hummus, couscous, cucumber, mozzarella, and jalapeno ranch on the side. I am a dressing gal, but this salad had so much flavor I didn’t even need it. 

On Saturday, we headed to Flower Child for lunch. It was so good! I had the grilled chicken avocado caesar salad, and bugs had the kid’s plate with steak, mac and cheese, quinoa, and corn. He ate every single bite! We split the lemon pound cake muffin, and it was amazing! 

Sunday breakfast was blueberry oatmeal with peanut butter and cinnamon! I did my Peloton before catching up on some housework. 
Sunsets with my favorite A few days ago, we headed to the gardens with my mom to walk around and have lunch by the pond. I am in love with Glencairn this time of year! We picked up the common market chicken salad and turkey sandwich with soup. We also had the oat milk lattes from Two Scoops for a much-needed pick-me-up. By the way, the Pineapple Spindrift was INCREDIBLE! 


My sweet boy! He loved watching the bees in the azalea bushes. He thought their buzzing sound was so funny.
    It’s crazy how fast life goes. I’ve been visiting this park for the past nine years, and now I’m visiting this park with my son. He makes it so much more special. 
 
Yesterday, I spent the afternoon putting my seedlings into the garden, and I cannot wait to see them grow!

I hope you all have the best weekend! I will try my best to sneak away and get some recipe blogs up soon!

Questions for you!

1. Is there a place you have visited a lot in the past ten years?
2. What are you most excited about for April?
3. What is your favorite cake flavor?

It’s a gloomy day, but thankfully we only dealt with a lot of rain and wind from the tropical storm. My heart breaks for Florida  My mother-in-law lives in Venice, and it was hit very hard. Luckily, they’re safe and only have minimal damage. I know hurricanes are natural and expected this year, but they are devastating. If you’re in a spot where Ian hit, my heart goes out to you, and I will continue to pray.

It’s been a month since my last recap blog. I figured I’d pop on today to share some photos from the month. I can’t promise a long detailed blog post, but sharing pictures with little captions is better than nothing, right? I also cannot believe it is already October. My Bugs is already five months old, and time needs to slow down.

We started September with a trip to Spring Farms to grab lemonade and peach ice cream. I bought this apple cobbler mix that I can’t wait to make soon! 

This month, I’ve been trying to do exercises to help with my diastasis recti (ab separation pp) and two baker cysts behind my knees. After dealing with leg pain, and it getting worse, I finally made an appointment with an orthopedic to get an x-ray. It turns out my kneecaps are tilted, causing the patellar tendon to pull, which causes inflammation/fluid, creating tennis ball-sized bakers cysts behind my knees. It’s so painful, so we are working on strengthening my knees and correcting the issues! I have six weeks of P.T. to complete, and then we’ll see if I’m making any progress!

One thing I never miss is my walks with Leo and Bugs. Since the weather has been so nice, we’ve been able to go on multiple walks a day, putting him in such a good mood. It also helps me wake up when I’m exhausted in the afternoon. I always hit that 3 pm wall.
 Every night after we put Bugs to bed, we watch T.V. for an hour with the pups. It’s fantastic to see the progress Tux has made. He went from hiding and hardly looking at us to cuddling and rolling over for belly rubs. It took him a year before he came upstairs, and now he runs all over the house. September must have been the month for chocolate chip cookies in this house. I made these for Kyle to bring into work, but I think I made over ten batches of these chocolate chip cookies these past few weeks.

Meals have been random and all over the place, depending on the day. Sometimes I have the time and energy to make dinner, but other times I whip up some eggs or door dash a salad. 

Leo had a lump on his chest that we had checked out a few weeks ago. They think it’s a noncancerous lipoma, but we will keep monitoring it! Grumples had one the size of a baseball on his hip for six years. 

After Leo’s vet appointment, I took him to Starbucks for a pup cup! 

The following Saturday, we had my parents over to watch the first Iowa game. 
Chilly evenings call for butternut squash soup. I love this recipe because you roast all the ingredients and blend them in the blender. It’s super easy and quick. 
  It’s crazy how we had 90-degree weather and green trees, and then a few weeks later, our weather is in the 70s, and our trees are turning yellow and orange! 
Another day, another batch of chocolate chip cookies…

I try my best to get blogs up while Bugs is napping, but sometimes my brain feels like mush when I get those quiet moments. One of my favorite recipes I made this month is the kale and chickpea pasta salad! I loved having it with my butternut squash soup and washing it down with a pumpkin spice bar. 
Because the weather has been so nice, I take out all the play stations and put them on the back porch. We stay outside almost all day. I let him nap and have his meals out there, and he seems happy with being outside. I think fresh air does wonders for babies. He sleeps through the night whenever we have extra walks or time outdoors. One of our neighbors gave us the Skip Hop activity table, which is his FAVORITE thing on the planet. He will spend all day at that table if I let him. Watching him learn how to play with all the pieces has been so much fun. Morning porch time  
Leo also loves the morning walks! Tux gets his walks with Kyle separately because he’s still afraid of cars and will shut down, and Kyle has to carry him for a few steps. He’s getting better, though, and he gets so excited to go on the walks. He runs to the door and spins in circles until Kyle puts him on the leash. I hope one day we’ll be able to walk together! One of my FAVORITE things to do now takes Bugs to the playground to swing. HE’S OBSESSED! We are in the process of building him one for the backyard, but since he’s so tall, he fits right into the swing. He also has zero issues holding his head up, so it’s safe. We don’t push him very high, but he loves love love love loves it! He makes these little noises and sometimes lets out a big laugh. Not one day goes by when we don’t walk a mile to the park! 
We had a few downtime days after his shots earlier this month. He doesn’t respond too well, so we do a lot of naps and relax together. While he was sleeping, I watched one of my favorite movies, Hope Floats I also made chocolate tofu pudding, which was amazing! It sounds crazy, but it was delicious. I used silken tofu, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. I also topped it with whipped cream.  

We ordered Crumbl Cookies because the breakfast lineup looked so good, but our cookies were hardly cooked and almost all dough. We used to love them, but the cookie quality has been terrible lately! Has this happened to anyone else’s store? I’m hesitant to buy them anymore because the past four orders have been poor. I’m also sad that the pink sugar cookie doesn’t taste the same. I saw a recipe online for it, and I can’t wait to make it! I may even try that today while Kyle watches the Eagles game.    Football Saturday and Cobb salads!   I’m still debating on decorating for Halloween this year. Everyone in our neighborhood goes all out, but I may stick with the fall theme. I always feel stressed when there are too many decorations floating around without order in the yard, and I’m also still picking out cobwebs and fake spiders from two Halloweens ago. 
 
My FAVORITE baby product is the Tubby Todd brand. I ordered a new stash, and I’m just as obsessed. I’ve been using these since he was born, and he’s never had a rash or swing irritation. I also use the all-over ointment for myself now. My favorite scent is the Lavender and Rosemary, but I love the Eric Care collaboration apple scent. 

I made these chocolate chip cookies with heath, Reese’s, and chocolate chips for a going away party. 
We roasted spaghetti squash with black pepper, garlic, and parmesan!  
 
Morning walks  

Can you tell I’m excited about the fall? My roses are making their final debut before hitting the winter sleep. They took a hit with Japanese Beatles and aphids this year, so I’ll cut them down to the stem, clean the ground areas below, and have our lawn service treat for grubs. 


I did a lot of meal prepping with soups, salads, roasted veggies, and grilled chicken this past month. 
 I even made these delicious spiced carrot-baked oatmeal bars! You’ll have to let me know if you want that recipe. 

After our trip to the Wise Acre farm, Kyle and I stopped at a cafe in Matthews for some citrus and tropical tea and a few snacks to have on the way home. 

I love the meal prep kale salads because they last forever! 
 My mom and I took Bugs on a coffee date at Jackass Cafe & Deli. It’s inside the Mercantile in Rock Hill. They have the BEST stuff in there, especially for gifs, and the coffee and food are to die for. 

We ordered the twerky turkey (AMAZING!!!) and the Drivin’ me Caprese. The turkey sandwich was so good that we ordered two more to go! I always get their oat milk cappuccino, and it never disappoints. 
 Bugs also enjoyed himself. 

More morning Fall walks  
 This Lil man has been so playful lately. I LOVE IT! 

Saturday morning walks are my favorite, especially when they are followed by apple cinnamon waffles. 

I played piano every day when I was pregnant because I read that babies could hear and feel the music in the womb. I also played for him when he was a baby, and he LOVES sitting on my lap while babbling (sounds like soft singing) to the piano. Well, recently, he’s been banging on the keys, and it is the CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD! He’s super into the piano!
 Whenever I finish cleaning the house, I always finish it by filling up the cake dish, lighting a candle, and pouring myself a cup of coffee  
  Another perfect park morning. 

I always bring my lemon trees in when the weather drops down, and since we had hurricane winds coming in, I painted the pots cream and now have them in my living room! I love how they turned out. The smaller lemon tree needs to get an upgrade this year, which is perfect because I have an indoor plant that I’ve had for five years that needs a bigger home. 

Fried brussels sprouts and taco stuffed bell peppers!  
 This recipe is coming to the blog soon!

Another recipe coming to my blog soon is this pumpkin pie dessert dip!!!
BEST FRIENDS. 

This is my life lately, and I love it. And as soon as Bugs wakes up, I’m heading out on another one. 

For dinner, we’ve been making these flat-out pizzas and Caesar salads. THEY’RE SOOOOO good, and the flat-out wraps are only 45 calories. I’ve also recently been obsessed with Dewey’s cookies. I’ve had gingerbread and hot cocoa, but now I need to try them all. I don’t get how they can make a cookie taste so good, and it’s even better when dipped in coffee. 
Perfect night sky before the storm  
Butternut squash ravioli (all my favorite baby pajamas are linked in my amazon shop! ). I update it almost daily. 
  We weren’t sure how bad the storm would be, so I made a big batch of chili and cornbread just in case we lost power. I also craved it for the past few weeks, and with hocus locus premiering on Friday night, it sounded like the perfect timing.  Hocus Pocus date night set up    
The new Hocus Pocus could never be as good as the first, but I found it super cute and family-friendly! I will be watching it again this year! 

Thank you for stopping by to catch up   Have a fantastic weekend! & happy October!

Questions for you!

1. Have you seen the new Hocus Pocus?
2. Did you make any recipes on repeat in September?
3. Do you decorate for Halloween?

The first two weeks were a lot of doing what he wanted. His little internal clock wasn’t sure what night and day were yet. His feeding schedule was all over the place (especially with my low milk supply), and we kept purchasing things to help along the way. I think we have his schedule down as best as we can for an almost two-month-old. We try to stick to the routine as much as possible, which has paid off. Not every day is perfect; some days are so challenging that I start to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Creating a schedule has helped Kyle and I navigate our routines and roles. We have a good balance of household chores, dog duty, baby duty, and work-life laid out because of it. It truly helps to have a partner who puts in the same amount of work.

I mentioned that we had put Bugs on a routine in a few recap blogs, and many of you were asking questions about what it looked like, how we did it, and if I’d be willing to share! I figured I’d share what our schedule has looked like over the past two months. I know his schedule will change as he gets older and his needs evolve, but right now, it has been super consistent. Here and there, he’ll fight naps, fuss for no reason, eat more one day and not as much the next, but we just put him back on track the best we can. His little internal clock is starting to get hunger cues, sleeping cues, and play cues all at the same time each day. Putting him on a schedule has made everything in our lives easier, and the routine has proven effective. He slept eight hours straight last night!

One of my friends recommended using the HuckleBerry App. I owe all of our success to this app! Kyle and I both share an account on the phone, allowing us to track everything he does throughout the day. We track naps, feedings, playtime, walks, baths, diaper changes, and more. The app keeps track of his schedule, sends us summaries we can evaluate, and keeps Kyle and me on the same page. I don’t have to shout downstairs asking if he changed the diaper, fed him, or so on. We both keep track of everything in the app! I love that we can go back and see a pattern. If he had a really long sleep stretch, I’ll go back and see how many ounces he drank that day, if we gave him a bath, if we walked him, and compare those stats to a day when he didn’t sleep that well. When we were at the pediatrician, she asked us how many diaper changes we do in a day, how many ounces of formula he’s eating, and what his sleep schedule looked like. Instead of guessing, we could pull up his charts from the app. I can’t recommend this app enough! We’ll probably use this for the first two years of his life. The chart above shows how his sleep schedule changed as he got older. The blue lines are his nighttime sleep stretches, and they get longer each day.

24 Hours With A New Born | How I Established His Schedule 

4:50 am – 5:30 am 
•  Wakes up from nighttime sleep
•  Diaper change
-diaper changes are great before feeding because it wakes him up so he can focus on feeding without falling back asleep
•  Feeding (i am currently breastfeeding as well as using formula)
– I sneak in my first cup of coffee & kyle heads out on a walk with Tux
•  Changes out of pajamas into something cooler for the hot summer day.
•  Diaper Change
•  I put him in his lounger while I get changed and ready for our walk.
– sometimes, he falls asleep during this time; otherwise, he’ll fall asleep on the walk

6:30 am
•  1-2 Mile walk
(we also bring Leo) – there are mornings when our walks don’t happen because we woke up later (too hot in the south after 9 am), so we’ll sit outside on the porch to get outdoor time, and I walk Leo later in the morning.
I play baby classical music on iTunes while we walk to drown out the noise and help him sleep.

7: 30 am
Diaper change (he usually wakes up as soon as we get back)
•  Feeding
•  15-20 minutes of playmat working on tummy time

9:30 am
• Diaper change
• Down for a nap (usually his longest nap of the day)
-this is when I’ll make myself breakfast, go for a walk while he sleeps in Kyle’s office, throw clothes in the laundry, or get some computer work done. It depends on the day, but it’s nice to have a little “me-time” in the late morning. For example, today, I took Leo on a 3-mile walk while he slept. Once Kyle returns to the office, I’ll have to change it to evening walks.

11: 30 AM
• Wakes up
• Diaper change
•  Feeding
•  20-minutes of black & white sensory videos with classical music
– he is in love with these videos and anything black and white. Sometimes, he’ll lie in his bouncer laughing at our kitchen lights for twenty minutes. He’s so mesmerized by these black and white videos, and I love that they make him happy. I am not anti-screen time, but I’d rather him watch these than get hooked on Coco Melon lol I made the mistake of turning it on one morning, and I was SHOCKED at how hooked he was as a two-month-old. I’m sticking to these black and white sensory videos for now. I was reading Raise Wildflowers, and there are many great TV show options when that time comes.

12:50 pm
• Diaper change
•  Feeding
• Walk him around the yard to get some outside time (usually calms any fussiness)
• I’ll usually wear him in a wrap if I need to get things done around the house. He usually falls asleep while I’m walking around.
Sometimes he’ll sit in the bean bag chair while I fold laundry, and we’ll play with his crinkle toys. He’s usually pretty good about hanging out with me if I continue to sing and play with him.

3:00 pm
•  Diaper change
•  Feeding
•  Relax time
-We relax together upstairs in the loft, play on the playmat and do tummy time, or we may venture out to pick up a Starbucks. I try my best to keep him awake around this time. I try not to be on my phone or computer and do one-on-one interactions like singing, smiling, talking, and showing him black and white shape cards.
-Once the weather gets cooler outside, I’ll add another outdoor walk around this time, especially since he’ll cut back on all the naps and feedings.

4:00 pm
•  Diaper Change
•  I’ll usually wear him while making dinner, or Kyle will hold him while working.
•  We eat dinner
•  Play outside with the dogs
-I’ll usually sit with him under the fan on the back patio.

5:30 pm
•  Diaper change
•  Feeding
•  Self-entertainment
-We lay him on his playmat, and he stares at the mirror and the little characters hanging. He’s starting to grab them finally! I usually play music for him while he’s lying down, too. We usually clean up the house, wash bottles, and get everything in place for the next day.

6:30 pm
• 15 minutes of upstairs tummy time
•  Bathtime
-bathtime is every other night, and I wash his hair only once a week. Bathtime is the literal best time! He’s obsessed with baths, and it instantly calms any fussiness. He has the best sleep after a bath as well. I usually put a towel in the dryer while he’s taking a bath, so it’s nice and warm when he gets out. It makes him super sleepy and relaxes him.
•  Diaper Change
•  Lotion massage
•  Pajamas
•  Feeding
-last warm bottle of the night
•   Diaper Change 
•   Breastfeeding until he falls asleep

8:00 pm
•   Sleep – Goes into the Snoo for nighttime sleep
-We don’t use the Snoo during the day, which helps let his body know it’s nighttime. It’ll make transitioning out of the Snoo easier as well.
•   Bedtime for us
-As soon as he goes to bed, I brush my teeth, put on my pajamas, and go to bed. I don’t stay up watching shows or do anything else because sleep is essential for good mental and physical health postpartum. I wouldn’t be able to function during the day if I didn’t sleep at night.

1:45 am – 3:45 am
•   Wakes up for the first feeding of the night.
-I used to wake him every 2 1/2 hours during the night to feed him, but now that he’s at a healthy weight, I don’t wake him up at all. He sleeps 5. to 8 hours during the first stretch.
– I can always tell when he’s about to wake up because he’ll make little groaning sounds. I run downstairs, grab a formula bottle, and then head upstairs to start the routine. I usually find a good show to help me stay up, but since he’s been sleeping for long stretches, I’m hardly tired anymore. During the first few weeks, I was afraid of falling asleep while feeding.
•  Feeding
-sometimes, we don’t even make it to the formula before he falls asleep. As soon as he falls asleep, I put him back in his bed. If it’s one of the eight-hour stretches, I take him downstairs to sleep in my arms while I sneak in a cup of coffee. 

Weekends:

On Saturday and Sunday, we keep to the schedule as much as possible, but we change things by going places with him, taking him to the pool early in the morning, and staying up a bit later to watch a movie together.

I’m definitely not oblivious to the fact that this schedule will only be temporary as he grows, goes through teething, his needs change, and I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to keep a schedule if you threw another kid into the mix. I’m just here to show you what has been working for us and our situation over the past few months! Schedules are not required for newborn babies, so do not get discouraged if your schedule is all over the place because that is NORMAL as well.

If you like this style of post, I can try to update it each month! Let me know!  

Questions for you!

1. Do you/did you have your baby on some sort of schedule?
2. What do you struggle with when it comes to motherhood balance?
3. What is your favorite part of the day with your child? 

Since we didn’t know the gender, we kept the nursery neutral yet fun and went with a puppy theme!  The best part about our choice to wait on finding out is that we can use all of the items we bought for the next child in the future.
A nursery is not only for the baby but for the parents as well. I wanted a cozy room that I didn’t mind hanging out in at night, and I feel like neutral colors are more relaxing. We went with the puppy-themed because we are dog-obsessed in this house, and hopefully, our son will be too. I LOVE how our room turned out, and I’m constantly hanging out there. I usually bring my loads of laundry in there to fold, I do tummy time with bugs with the sun beaming through the windows, and sometimes I type out emails while he’s asleep in the crib. I love being around him, and the nursery is the coziest spot. 

 
We tried many sample colors and fell in love with Filmy Green by Sherwin Williams. Kyle put up a board and batten in the nursery, the loft, and the hallway leading to the nursery. Our loft is also set up as a kid-friendly zone. We did the play mat, play gym, tv area, and a cozy couch, and we currently have his Snoo set up in there. That way, I can watch T.V. while feeding him in the middle of the night. I still need to get some fun artwork up there, but I’ll get to that eventually. 

Batten Color / Filmy Green by Sherwin Williams

I love the light wood and wicker details throughout the nursery. I thought it looked soft with the filmy green accents. 

Wall Mounted Wood Floating Shelves / Wood Round Mirror / Wicker Light Fixture


This is my favorite spot to sit in the morning with my coffee while feeding bugs. The sun rises in the backyard, so we watch it together before starting our day. 

Embroidered Alphabet Pillow / Swivel Glider with Ottoman in Performance Cream

I found this light wood shelf at Hobby Lobby for organizing all of the books, toys, swaddles, and other miscellaneous items. When Bugs gets to the climbing stage, we will have to attach it to the wall since it is lightweight. 

Dog Basket / Wood Shelf / Fern & Avery Swaddles / Metal Mesh Basket with Wooden Handle / Baby Blocks / Musical Bug Toy / Stacking Circle Rings for Play & Teething / Mushi Muslin Blankets


I love our changing table setup! I have a diaper cart next to the changing table with all the extra diapers, wipes, products, and more. This helps me from having to run to the storage closet to grab an item while Bugs is on the changing table. When I’m changing him, he likes to hold on to the musical toy, making everything go super smooth. Putting a rubber changing mat on top of the changing pad has prevented a lot of laundry cycles. It’s easy to wipe off and portable, so you can take it places if you need to. 

Wipes Dispenser / Changing Pad / Peepee Teepees / Ubbi Changing Mat / Baby Support Pillow / Changing Pad Muslin Cover /

His drawers have remained pretty minimal with clothes that are his size. I’ve already had to store his newborn outfits since he’s outgrown them these past few weeks. I’ve learned not to keep things in the nursery you don’t use, or it’ll become too cluttered. I bought clear bins to store all that stuff the next time around.

Organizing Trays / Muslin Cloths / Rolling Organization Diaper Cart

I ordered the shades from Amazon, and they came in a few weeks! They make them custom, and you also have the option to add a blackout lining. They do a great job with the curtains to black out the room during the day completely. I am going to order more for the loft area and our bedroom.

The toy chest was such an incredible $5 Facebook Marketplace find. We painted it the color of the board and batten. I haven’t put anything in it yet, but I just signed up for the Lovevery subscription and planned to store the items there. He’s a little too young for most of the packages now, but I can’t wait to see him play with everything as the months go on. He’s now starting to grab toys and social smile at us. 

Wood Window Roman Shades (Pattern 9) /Parsonburg Area Rug / Goldendoodle Rocker / White Blackout Curtains / Rattan Mini Accent Lamp Stand / Accent Lamp Shade / Bean Bag Chair


I just had to get the doodle rocker! It looks so cute in the puppy-themed nursery. 

Babyletto Hudson Crib / Wicker & Polka Dot Laundry Basket / Babyletto Changing Table With Topper / Fitted Crib Sheet / Crib Mattress 100% Breathable / Hatch Light & Sound Machine /
I went with the breathable newton mattress for the crib and topped it with the Mushie sheet. I also like the Burts Bees fitted mattress sheets. They were super inexpensive, so I bought several of them. We also purchased the Nanit but have not set it up yet. We will set it up this weekend since we plan on trying to get him to start napping in his crib. 

Lil Spot Doggy Blanket Pad (SO SOFT!) / Goldendoodle Muslin Swaddle / Goldendoodle Woobie Baby / Puppy Hug Warmies / Natural Wood Frames / Dog Prints

It took a while for me to pick out prints for the nursery. I found these adorable puppy prints on Etsy and fell in love! I downloaded them digitally, had them printed on Shutterfly, and framed them with super inexpensive frames from Michaels. I love how they turned out.
I am obsessed with this puppy mobile! 

Puppy Mobile
 
The light fixture and area rug are some of my favorite nursery items. I’ll use them in the guest room once we turn the nursery over to a big boy room. 

Doggy Stuffed Animals | Bashful / Toffee / Fuddlewuddle / Squiggle / Fudge / Barnaby / Huggady / Hudson / Dashing / Otto /

Touch & Feel Dog Books / The Scruffy Puppy

The bathroom is next to the nursery, making everything so convenient. We still have to decorate the kid bathroom, but it’s at least functional now. Putting a bath cart next to the bath has made bath time easy!

Bathtub // Turtle Bath Cushion // Bandana Bibs // Turtle Thermometer// Cart // Hair Brush // Bath Toys // Bath Towels 
 I hang out in the loft most of the day, and it is so cozy there! We will eventually get some kid-themed pillows for the couch that match the play mat, some fun, colorful artwork, window shades, and a few bookshelves in there.

Sectional Couch / Shelf Floor Lamp / DockATot / Curtain Rods / Play Mat / Boppy Pillow / Boppy Pillow Cover / Baby Play Gym / Black & White Activity Pages /Arm Table
I hope you enjoyed this nursery blog! Let me know if you need more links that I may have forgotten! 

Questions for you!

1. What nursery theme did you do (or would you like to do in the future?)
2. Are there any nursery items you cannot live without?

Because it’s been a while, I didn’t know where to jump in. I figured I’d give a little recap of what I’ve been up to the past few weeks (in no particular order), and next week I’ll be able to keep everything more organized since I’ll be somewhat caught up. I still have a lot of blogs to catch up on, including the nursery blog that will go live this week! 
I keep adding to the list of blog posts I need to write. I’m working on a post about how I managed to get our family on a consistent schedule. Since we brought Bugs home, I’ve worked on getting him to have the same time feedings, bathtime, naps, tummy time, walks, and more. Sticking to the routine has made everything much easier around here. I’ve had so many questions on Instagram asking about how I can get up early in the morning for walks, and it’s honestly the schedule! He sleeps at the same time each night, from 8 pm to 1 am and 2 am to 5:30 am. Once we finish his morning routine, we head out the door with Leo for our walk. The first few weeks were much more challenging since I was waking up with him every one to two hours, but now it’s smooth sailing, which I know will change as he gets older and sleep regression kicks in. I’ll make a blog soon about our schedule and the apps I’ve been using to help.
We did our first restaurant outing this weekend, and it was a success. It took us a few attempts to leave the house, but we made it out with a sleeping baby. We tried out the new Ilios Crafted Greek restaurant down the road from us, and it was delicious. The owners were so nice and friendly. I had the Ilios salad with chicken, and it was phenomenal. We also split the baklava, one of my favorite desserts, which was incredible. I’m going to pick up ingredients tomorrow to make homemade baklava.

Kyle’s mom visited us a few weeks ago, and it was so fun to have her here with her new grandson! We took a short trip to the local farmers market to grab coffee at Humble cup and walk around since it was gorgeous outside.

I was running out of shows to watch in the middle of the night when I was up with Bugs, so I decided to start watching The Real Housewives of Dallas. I wanted to have it on for background noise, but I got completely hooked. I’ve been watching it all week and cannot get enough. This was the first Real Housewives series I’ve watched, and now I feel like I will have to start another! You’ll have to let me know which RH to watch next.

My mom made homemade banana bread and brought it over for breakfast, which was delicious! I love her joining us on our walks; seeing her with her grandson is so special. She’s so in love with him! Once he gets a little older and the weather cools down, we’ll take him to all the fun spots! Is it crazy that I’ve already been thinking about his Halloween costume? The first Halloween is a big deal, and he’ll be six months.


It has blown my mind how amazing the dogs are with their new brother. Not going to lie; I was a little nervous about Leo. He’s high energy and super clingy to me. However, I should have known better because he changed a lot during my pregnancy. He no longer jumped up on me and was super gentle. Now, he likes to hang out with us, but he keeps his distance and is delicate. If Bugs starts to cry, Leo will try to alert me, or he’ll lay near his Snoo to protect him. Tux does a little bit of that as well. He loves coming up and sniffing him, and he’ll start to cry if Bugs begins to cry. He’s so interested in him and has even made his way into our loft area, which was a first. Kyle still walks Tux every morning to keep him on his routine, and Leo comes with me and the stroller. It’s been a very smooth transition.

We had our very first pool day at my parent’s house! He loves baths and will fall asleep in them but was not so fond of the pool. He didn’t like the cold water, so I held him while hanging out under the umbrella, and he eventually got used to the water on his legs. I purchased baby swim shoes next time to see if they would help him ease into the cold water. It will be so fun once he gets older and loves going to the pool. I feel I’ll have to take him daily, which I’m OK with.

Baby Sunglasses // Sun Hat // Baby Swimsuit // Pool Float // Swim Diapers  // Swim Shoes
Since returning from the hospital, I’ve only been craving my pre-pregnancy diet. I want all the salads, grilled salmon, chicken, roasted vegetables, smoothies, and fruit! When I was pregnant, none of that sounded good, and if you even mentioned those foods in my first trimester, it triggered my sickness. I’m happy to be back on the healthy eating routine again because it makes me feel much better. There’s no way I’d have the energy to take care of a newborn if I ate the way I did while pregnant. I still have about 25-30 pounds to lose (I gained 50 lbs while pregnant!), but I’m giving my body time to heal and letting the weight hopefully come off with a healthy amount of exercise and a good diet this year. There’s no rush to get back to my pre-pregnancy size, but I’m doing a little something each day to get me there slowly. Right now, I only care about taking care of my sweet baby boy! I love my one-on-one time with the pups in the morning!
Leo has loved the 6 am walks. We can’t do it anytime after that because it gets too hot! We got lucky last week because it hovered around 64-degrees in the mornings. We usually do about two miles before the sun comes up. Sometimes I’ll drop them off at home and finish a solo mile. Kyle and I decided to take little Bug Bug to the pool on Sunday morning. It was so nice out, and we had the entire pool to ourselves. I mean, who goes to the pool at 7 am on a Sunday? He was cute in his little swim outfit, but he still hated cold water. I don’t blame him because I didn’t want to get in the chilly water there, either.

He enjoyed taking a nap in the pool chair with me instead. I finally had salmon for the first time in nine months. That was the one food I could not reintroduce into my pregnancy diet after the first trimester. It just made me so sick thinking about it. Now, I love it again! I always cook it in the air fryer, make the roasted vegetables in the oven, and toss a salad together for a side.

Anytime my mom stops over for a walk, I always make us lunch or breakfast, and we sit around playing with Bugs. Surprisingly, he loves tummy time, which most babies do not. He has great head control and can already keep his head up. The pediatrician was amazed at his control. I try to do tummy time with him twice a day, and he prefers to be on his stomach when he’s sleeping on me.

I’ve been making turkey or chicken sandwiches a lot lately. I use the Daves Killer Bread with protein, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, mustard, and avocados.
I’m back and loving my protein oats! I make these with 1/4 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of water, one scoop of protein powder, one cup of blueberries, cinnamon, and a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. The directions for this are on my Tiktok. It’s so filling and delicious. Sometimes, I make this for dinner. 
Some of the ladies on my street got together for dinner on Friday night, and I decided to join them. I figured getting out of the house for a bit was a good idea. Even though I had a blast, I missed my little Bug the entire time.

We had dinner at Tony’s Cantina Mexican Grill in Rock Hill, which was amazing!
I try to spend some time with Leo and Tux since Kyle has taken over their responsibility this past month. Leo loved his pool time, so I set up the chairs and watched him fetch balls in and out of the pool for a few hours. He could do this all day, and it’s an excellent exercise for him. Tux is afraid of the pool, but he constantly surprises us, so maybe one day he’ll join Leo. He used to confine himself to his bed in the living room, but now he’s running and lying all over the house. I love to see it!
 
One of my favorite smoothies lately has a frozen banana, almond milk, ice, unsweetened cocoa powder, and peanut butter! I love having it after my walks.
  
  
  
  
We have been going to the grocery store once a week and cooking at home a lot! We make dinner around 4:45 pm and start the bedtime routine around 6 pm. Little Bug is usually asleep by 8 pm, and then I go to bed as soon as he does to ensure I’m also getting sleep. I thought the schedule would be tough to follow, but now I look forward to the organized routine. The first few weeks when everything was chaotic were tough since I was recovering while getting little sleep. During the first month, Kyle made all the meals, but now that we have an established schedule, I can cook my favorites again. I missed cooking!

Bathtime is his FAVORITE. I bathe him every other day, and he goes into a trance. He is obsessed. I had a postpartum cart (I’ll blog about that later!) that I turned into a bathtime cart. It has all his bath cloths, toys, hair brushes, water thermometer, cleansing products, and towels. It’s nice to have because as soon as I do his laundry, I fold them and put them on the cart. These bibs I bought on Amazon have also been incredible for bottle feeding. They save me from doing multiple loads of laundry and are easy to snap on. I also use face wipes to keep his face clean and rash-free.

Bathtub // Turtle Bath Cushion // Bandana Bibs // Turtle Thermometer// Cart // Hair Brush // Bath Toys // Bath Towels

He LOVES this outdoor lounger. I bought it to hang out with him while watering the flowers. When it’s nice and cool in the mornings, I sit outside with him while drinking my coffee. Leo loves to watch over to make sure he stays safe! The material on this lounger remains nice and cool. I bought a mosquito stroller net to place on top, just in case it’s a buggy day.
  
Every morning, Kyle brings my coffee upstairs with a muffin while I’m feeding Bugs. I wake up around 5 am, so I’m always super hungry and need coffee before heading out on my walk. These blender muffins have been so amazing! I make a weekly batch each Sunday and use my chocolate chip blender bar recipe. I add them to a greased, non-stick muffin pan.
 
I had the clear from the doctor to move forward with light exercise, so I finally started my 3-mile walks again! Of course, it’s during the hottest time of the year. I made sure to keep up with walking while pregnant, but it will take a long time to get back to my original pace and mileage. My joints and muscles feel like they haven’t been used in years, and I’m so stiff after walking. I plan to start hot yoga here soon to help with my flexibility and strength.
I’m excited to get back into blogging, even if it takes a while to write these! I plan to work on editing the nursery photos today and will have that blog up this week. xo xo

Questions for you!

1. What are you most looking forward to this week?
2. Are there any types of blogs you’d like to see from me?
3. I’m looking for some new dinner ideas. What have you been cooking up lately?

39 Weeks 3 Days

Around 9 am, I leashed up Leo and headed out for our morning walk. My walks had officially turned into waddles, but we still hit our goal of one mile. I headed inside to shower and get ready for my 39-week appointment. I knew there would be no progress in labor as I didn’t feel any different from my 38-week appointment. The only symptoms I had been experiencing were lightning crotch (gosh, it’s a real thing), swollen ankles, severe heartburn, and the typical aches and pains of being 39 weeks pregnant. I started to dread appointments once they turned into weekly things. It was a repetitive process of getting your weight, urine, and blood pressure, telling the doctor how you felt, and leaving. I had refused all cervix checks after the 36-week one. First off, no one told me how painful they were, and they are also not that necessary until you’re past 40 weeks or in active labor. This time, the doctor had mentioned “induction” if I hadn’t gone into labor by 40 weeks. I didn’t want to go that route, so I decided to do everything to go into labor. I was still eating a ton of pineapple, drinking raspberry tea, walking, sitting on my exercise ball, and consuming dates. After googling a few things, I read that spicy food could help speed up labor. I know many of these things are bogus, but after I heard the word “induction,” I was willing to give them a shot. On the way home from my appointment, I stopped at Homegoods to pick up a new wreath for the door and grabbed some extra spicy sushi (pregnancy safe) from my favorite spot. Kyle and I ate dinner, put up some blinds in the nursery, sat on the porch, and headed to bed after watching Jeopardy.

4:30 am 39 Weeks 4 Days 

I woke up at 4:30 am, the same time I do every morning. A few minutes later, I felt a little gush, unlike the gush you see in the movies when a woman’s water breaks. When you’re pregnant, peeing a little when you sneeze or cough is expected, so I wasn’t getting too excited. I said Kyle’s name a few times to get him to wake up, and when he didn’t respond, I did the arm punch move and shouted his name a bit louder. He woke up in a panic since I probably kicked him out of a good rem cycle. He was still trying to catch his breath as I whispered, “I think my water broke.” It took him a few seconds to register what I was telling him. I never pranked him about my water breaking during the pregnancy because I didn’t want him to think I was kidding when the actual moment happened. I stood up out of bed and walked into the bathroom. I pulled my shorts down, and there was a big water spot. Again, I wasn’t sure if it was pee or my actual amniotic fluid. Kyle and I were getting so excited, thinking this could be it! I decided to try to pee to see if any more came out, and when I wiped, there was blood on the toilet paper. I knew for sure it had to be my water!

Kyle started getting dressed fast, and I was moving like a snail. He was concerned that I wasn’t that eager to throw on my shoes and head to the hospital. He asked me as I was figuring out what to wear, “shouldn’t we be hurrying?!” I just laughed and said I needed to shower, have my morning coffee, and go to the bathroom. We had all of the hospital bags downstairs in the office ready to go, so while I showered off and had my morning coffee, he packed the bags, took the dogs out, and got everything prepared for us to go. I made him nervous by going about my morning as if I wasn’t in labor.

5:30 am

The car was packed, and we headed to the hospital. It was only a 14-minute drive, and since it was so early, we didn’t face any traffic. We called our moms and told them we were heading to the hospital. My mom planned to stay with our dogs at the house while we were gone, but I told her I’d let her know if we were admitted or if it was a false alarm. Aside from the leaking, I wasn’t experiencing any signs of labor. I had no contractions and hardly felt Braxton Hicks during my pregnancy, and if I didn’t feel the gush, I probably would have gone about my day. We arrived at the front desk, and the hospital was a ghost town. I casually let the nurse know that I thought my water had broken, and she laughed at how relaxed I was. She had Kyle fill out paperwork as she got a triage room ready for us.
 

6:20 am

I was more nervous about this being a false alarm than being in actual labor. I did not want to go back home or feel embarrassed about peeing myself and thinking it was my water breaking. Because I tested positive for GBS, I needed to get there as soon as my water broke or there were strong contractions to ensure I could have a few rounds of antibiotics in my IV before delivering. The triage room felt like a hot yoga studio, so as soon as I put on the hospital gown, we had to leave the door open until the air kicked on. It must have been 90 degrees in there!

The nurse came in to do a quick swab to see if the leaking was urine or my water breaking. By the time I got to the hospital, I was pretty sure it was my water breaking since I had saturated a pad on the way there. It took a bit for the nurse to come back, so I made Kyle go to the station and look at the test. We were both smiling so big when we saw that it was positive. We were going to have a baby! Spicy sushi…just saying.

A few minutes later, I had to do the dreaded cervix check. I don’t know if it’s like this for anyone else, but they are almost more painful than giving birth. I would rather have multiple epidurals than a cervix check. At my 36-week appointment, I wasn’t dilated at all, and even though my water broke, I was only 1 cm dilated.

8:00 am 

Our room was finally ready! Kyle went down to grab all of our bags, and the nurses wasted absolutely no time when it came to getting things rolling. As soon as I settled into the uncomfortable delivery bed, I received my IV filled with fluids, antibiotics, and Pitocin. I planned to get the epidural but wanted to wait until the pain was unbearable. Bringing your fluffy pillows and cozy blankets to the hospital is necessary. I would have been miserable without them!

9:00 am

Kyle hooked up our firestick (I highly recommend bringing it to the hospital!), so we spent the morning watching Netflix. We even had our YouTubeTV hooked up, so more than local channels were available. Having something to watch made the morning and afternoon fly by. As I sat there eating my popsicles and sipping ginger ale, Kyle found the snack bag and started stress-eating all of the trail mix and snack bars. When you can’t eat anything, it’s hard watching someone else eat. I finally get why everyone told me to pack snacks for the husband!

12:00 pm

I cannot tell you where the day was going. Everything felt like a blur, and with so much going on, I lost track of time. I binged the entire season of Selling Sunset by the afternoon. I finally met the doctor who would be delivering our baby, and she let me know that I could ask for an epidural at any time. We did a quick cervix check, and even though I had been on Pitocin all morning, I was still only 1 cm dilated. It was time to up the Pitocin!

3:00 pm

I finally started to feel stronger contractions. These felt like the most intense period cramps and gradually worsened each time. I finally asked for the epidural because I wanted to enjoy the labor experience.

4:00 pm

The anesthesiologist finally came in to give me the epidural around 4 pm. It took him a bit to get into the room, so I recommend asking before you’re in excruciating pain, just in case it takes a while for them to arrive. I was not nervous about getting the epidural, and I know many people see it as their biggest fear with labor. Trust me, if your contractions are terrible, they’ll distract you from everything going on back there. After signing all the paperwork, he put a bunch of tape on my back, numbed the area with a shot, and then proceeded to do the epidural. It was more of a pinching sensation, but it was done quickly. While getting the epidural, I leaned on Kyle and stayed very still. I could hardly remember what it felt like since my contractions were so strong. After fifteen minutes, my epidural kicked in. Unfortunately, it only kicked in on my right side. I was nervous I’d have to go through it again, but they tilted my body, and a few minutes later, I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. I could still wiggle my toes but had no sensation down there. The contractions go away instantly! As soon as the epidural kicked in, my legs felt 1000 pounds each. I remember my feet getting so cold, so my fuzzy socks from my hospital bag post were great to have!

5:00 pm

I was feeling excellent by the time 5 pm rolled around. I was still only dilated at 2 cm, so I decided to put my sleep mask on, plug in my earbuds, and get some sleep. I told Kyle to wake me up when Jeopardy was on. I was nervous about how slow dilation was going, and I hoped sleeping and relaxing would move things along. The Pitocin was the highest you could give someone at this point.

7:00 pm

I felt Kyle poking me, telling me to wake up because Jeopardy was about to start. We were super invested in watching Mattea on her win streak. I wasn’t asleep anyway since it’s impossible to get shut-eye when nurses come in and out. After the episode ended, the doctor checked dilation, and miraculously, I was at 7 cm! I was so excited because that meant we would likely have a baby soon! She said jumping from 7 to 10 could happen fast. She also ended up breaking the rest of my water.

7:45 pm

I met my new nurse since they had a shift switch, and they checked me for dilation again. I was officially 9 1/2 cm dilated, and they called the doctor to come in and start getting all the tables ready for delivery! I was so so so excited. I was still feeling good and took some time to text my family that it was time to push!

Instead of spending time putting together gift baskets for the nurses, I ordered a giant box of Crumbl cookies for their break room. I ordered another separate box for the amazing nurse we had during the day. I was so sad when she left her shift. I loved her!

9:00 pm

I spent about 45 minutes with the nurses pushing through contractions. One of the nurses recommended having my epidural lowered so I could feel more pressure for pushing. The anesthesiologist came in thirty minutes later and lowered my epidural.

10 pm

Things started to go a little south. Suddenly, I felt like my kidney was exploding, and my lower back was being cracked in half. When you have an epidural, you’re not supposed to feel that type of pain. I kept telling the nurse I couldn’t push through the pain because it felt like my bones were dislocating. It was one of the worse pains of my life. She said this was normal, and I kept arguing that I shouldn’t feel this pain with an epidural. I just knew things felt weird. This is why it’s important to advocate for yourself when something doesn’t feel right.

10:30 pm

It’s as if every bit of the epidural wore off. I could have gotten up and walked off the bed. With the Pitocin being so high, the pain was even more excruciating. My ribs felt like they were cracking, my back felt broken, and I could feel each contraction, and they were 100x more painful than the ones before the epidural. I told her that it felt like I had fallen 70 feet, broken every bone, and could not push through this pain. She eventually realized that maybe it wasn’t normal and had the anesthesiologist come back to check if my epidural had gone out of my back. While waiting for the anesthesiologist to return, we kept changing positions to make pushing more comfortable, but nothing worked.

12:00 am

It was two hours of excruciating pain before the anesthesiologist finally made his way back into check. At that point, the pain was so intense that I was projectile vomiting, and nothing is worse than throwing up through intense contractions while your body feels like it was thrown off a building. It turns out my epidural had shut off hours ago. I knew it wasn’t normal! Going from no pain to feeling everything while 10 cm dilated and on Pitocin was brutal. Once he plugged the epidural button back in, my body relaxed, and that pain went away. So if someone tells you it’s “normal” and you know it’s not, advocate for yourself.

1:30 am

Since the pain was so bad and my body was tensed up, labor slowed down a lot. As soon as the epidural started working again, my body cooperated, and it was time to have our baby!

2:30 am

I was so exhausted but determined to have this baby! Usually, after pushing so long, a c-section would be mentioned, but our baby had great vitals, so there was no concern.

3:20 am 

After another hour of pushing, I was SO CLOSE to delivering. His head was right there, and the nurses said I had about five pushes left to go. I was already crying happy tears, but a nurse came rushing to the door to let my doctor know that a baby was seconds away from being born in the hallway. I started laughing, thinking I was in some sort of prank show. The doctor told me to stop pushing, and she left.

3:38 am 

Ten minutes later, she was back. I could not hold back the pushes anymore! Once she sat down, I pushed, and I heard Kyle yell, “We have a baby boy!” and I just lost it. We both started crying, and I could not believe I finally had my son here. I thought it was a boy this entire pregnancy, and most people guessed it was a girl. Kyle was shocked! After birth, it was truly a blur because all I could do was stare at him! He was so perfect and so healthy! He was worth the 7 1/2 hours of pushing. That moment was one of the most incredible experiences, and as soon as my son was in my arms, my entire life changed. I never knew I could love someone so much, and nothing else mattered but our family. All of the things that once used to preoccupy my mind and my time no longer had any importance. He is my whole world. I still find myself just staring at him, crying.

7:00 am

I spent the next few hours holding him and staring at every little feature of his. All of the pain was overshadowed by this moment. A little later, they had our recovery room ready for us. Kyle held our son while the nurses helped me get up for the first time in 24-hours. As soon as I got up, I remember feeling so dizzy, and I felt like I would pass out. After a few minutes, I started to level back out and feel a little more conscious. During this time, Kyle packed up the bags while the nurses helped me use the bathroom and set me up for post-partum recovery. I plan to write a post-partum blog about all the products I’ve been using to help me get through (like puppy pads for leaking!) The hospital does provide everything you need, but there are a few products you can bring from home that are better quality.

8:00 am 

We finally got settled into the recovery room. I had been up for over 24-hours, but getting sleep after giving birth was impossible. Nurses come in every thirty minutes, and all I wanted to do was hold my sweet baby. Plus, I had a few phone calls to make to our family.

11:30 am

The hospital does bring meals, but since you don’t get to pick the meals out, I didn’t want any of the food they brought (not that they weren’t good, just didn’t crave the heavy Thanksgiving style meals.) Of course, I took photos just for those foodies curious about what the hospital served. Kyle went out to one of my favorite local delis and picked up my favorites! Because you can’t eat during labor, I was excited to have a sandwich. While he was out grabbing food and coffee from Starbucks, our son had his first shots, a hearing test, and a vision test, and he passed everything!

The entire day flew by, and I didn’t get any sleep since so much was going on.

1:00 pm 

Kyle headed home for 30-minutes to bring back swaddles with our baby’s scent for the dogs. This helped a ton with introducing the dogs to their new sibling.
 

7:00 pm -4 am

We turned on Jeopardy, got ready for the night, and I was looking forward to some sleep! I had trouble closing my eyes because our boy kept breaking out of his swaddle with his strong arms. No matter how tight, he was breaking free. I couldn’t stop thinking about him getting caught under the swaddle, so I decided to hold him, feed him, and cuddle him all night. I was going on almost 48 hours of no sleep, but my adrenaline kept me awake. Every time the nurse came in, she was shocked to see me awake. I highly recommend bringing a zipper swaddle to the hospital if you are paranoid like me. Around 3 am, I passed him to Kyle so I could shut my eyes for a bit. As soon as I passed out, the nurses came in to grab my blood. I’m telling you, those TikTok joking about the people coming into the recovery room is so spot on! It’s hilarious.

5:00 am

I decided to wake up. We somehow convinced the hospital to let us go home around noon! They wanted us to stay another night, but we didn’t find it necessary. I just wanted to be in the comfort of my home and get a good night’s sleep. I was looking forward to taking a hot shower.
 

8:00 am

I was in the mood for some oatmeal and coffee, so Kyle headed to Starbucks and picked us up for breakfast and some snacks for the morning. 
 

12:00 pm

Kyle packed up the car, brought up the car seat, and we made our way home! I was excited to introduce the dogs to their new brother and see our little man in his nursery!

These past few weeks have been filled with ups and downs. A few days after giving birth, I had a D&C surgery for retained placenta fragments, causing severe bleeding, pain, and delayed milk. It was so scary, and spending the entire day away from my son was the worst part. Navigating motherhood has been a trial and error process. Motherly instincts kicked in, and all the books I had read before went right out the window. It’s almost been a month since bringing him home, and we have finally created a good routine, and things are getting easier around here. We are absolutely in love with him, and it’s been so much fun becoming parents. I plan to catch up on blogs, but it’s been so lovely to spend these moments with him. He’s been sleeping like a little bean on my chest this entire blog, and I feel this is how I’ll be writing blogs for the next few months.

I’ve always loved hearing about other birth stories because they are so different! Some people have it easy, and some have it a million times worse. I love how much it changes you and the empowerment you feel once it’s all over.

I’m excited to be back blogging, and my goodness, we have SO MUCH to catch up on! Xo, I’m sorry if my birth blog was a little all over the place. The entire day was a blur, and piecing it together was challenging. I have my nursery blog, third trimester, postpartum recovery, and many more blogs to work on this month!

Questions for you!

1. Did you have easy labor or tough labor?
2. Do you have any questions for me?
3. What would/was your go-to meal after labor?

*I have edited this post since giving birth!

I have learned a lot from watching “what I packed in my hospital bag” videos on YouTube and reading some of your comments here on the blog. They have been so helpful when it comes to putting my bags together. I know every labor and delivery experience is different, and some people find things more necessary than others. Some people make it to the hospital just in time to have the baby without any bags and still are completely fine! I don’t know why there is so much stress when packing a hospital bag, but the anxiety of not having everything you want with you is real. During our labor and delivery class at the hospital, our instructor gave us a list of items to bring for mom, dad, and baby. She also said that the hospital would provide you with so many essentials. 

What I packed in my hospital bag

Today, I’m sharing everything I’m packing in my hospital bags. I will come back and update this blog after giving birth with things I used and which items I didn’t use. But just because there is something I used or didn’t use doesn’t mean you won’t need or want it. I used the guide my hospital gave me and the help from others. If there is any item you believe I’m missing that you loved, let me know in the comments! 

Hospital Bags

Mama Bag 
When I saw the “Mama Bag” on Amazon, I had to get it! It was under $20, and I thought it would be a perfect-sized bag for the hospital to keep snacks, electronics, and the miscellaneous stuff. If you have to get a gift for an expecting mama, this would be an adorable bag to include.

Diy Baby Bag 
For some crazy reason, I felt like making my baby their little hospital bag. I purchased some iron-on stickers from Hobby Lobby and added them to a purple tote. I used this bag for all of their essentials, and it has room for additional products the hospital provides for them. I felt like they needed an official hospital bag as well.

Belly & Bag Baby Bodly Hospital Bag 
The perfect way to cut all of the packing and shopping in half. I’ll talk more about the Baby Bodly bag towards the end of the blog, but what a time saver this was!

Baby Things & Mommy Things Bag
After purchasing the “Mama Bag,” the baby things and mommy things bags popped up on my recommendations. Of course, I fell in love with them and had to get them. They were under $12, and I figured I could use them for the years to come! I love the quality of them. I put the baby’s little mittens, hat, and socks into theirs. I put my phone charger, earphones, and USB chord in mine.

When to Pack Your Hospital Bag

This is totally up to you! I usually follow what my apps tell me to do regarding my pregnancy timeline. I wanted all of my bags to be packed by 37 weeks. I was born just before 36-weeks, so you never know when the baby will arrive! Once 37 weeks gets here, and you’re in the final stretch, moving around and packing gets harder. I also am ready to go if anything happens before my 40-week mark. You should start getting those bags put together towards the end of your third trimester! You can even put some items on your baby shower registry to help get things rolling. 

Hospital Bag Clothing for Mom:

I am packing clothes for coming home, clothes to change into after giving birth, and an extra pair of pajamas if the stay is more extended than expected. With the weather being warmer in May, I didn’t know what to pack when it came to shorts or pants, so I did a mixture of both. I made sure to pack the softest, breastfeeding-friendly, and non-restrictive clothing I could find. It may seem like a lot to some, but I still feel it’s not enough. I know I’ll be in the hospital gown they provide most of the time, so that can help limit the clothing. Some people prefer to purchase their hospital gowns, but I didn’t want to get too carried away. Let me know if you wore the hospitals or brought your own, and if I should reconsider! 

Super High Waisted Silky Jersey Shorts
I have been living in these shorts my entire third trimester. I purchased them at the Express Outlet store in a few colors, and they are the most amazing shorts I’ve ever worn. I plan to pick out a few smaller sizes for postpartum. Did not use

Maternity Leggings
Over the belly maternity leggings have been my best friend since my second trimester when clothing started to get a little snug. This brand is incredible for the price. They feel like my Lululemon leggings and have managed to last throughout my entire pregnancy. I think they’ll be perfect for holding things in and making me feel comfortable for the ride home. So many were telling me it’s good to have comfortable leggings but ones that help hold everything together after birth. I purchased these in four different colors and have worn them every single day. Wore these on the way home. 

Cozy Ribbed Sweater 
I’m not sure if I’ll need this, but it’s cozy and soft! I figured it might be an excellent cardigan to have to go over a tank top or t-shirt. 

Silky Jersey Tee Shirt 
These Jersey Tee Shirts go with the high wasted silky jersey shorts as a set, and they are just as soft! I plan to wear them forever! Used

Nursing-friendly Nightgown
I’m not sure if I’ll use it, but I brought a comfortable nightgown that is nursing friendly. The material is so soft, and it buttons down in the front for nursing. I read that bringing a nightgown is a must just in case you have to heal from a c-section. Did not use it, but used it as soon as I got home. 

Nursing Bra
I should probably purchase more online, so I have them, but I found a super comfortable bra with great reviews, no back clasp (I can’t stand those!), and a great price on Amazon! Did not use it – I went braless for comfort. 

Soft Robe 
One of my sweet friends bought me the most comfortable robe to bring to the hospital. I’ve heard that the nurses are constantly coming in to check on you, and getting dressed and undressed is not comfortable while recovering after birth. She said she pretty much lived in underwear and the robe postpartum. I feel I’ll probably do the same, and it makes it easier to do skin-to-skin with the baby. Used

Oversized Sweatshirt
I figured an oversized sweatshirt for the ride home would be comfortable! Used

Loose Fitting Pajama Set
Again, I don’t know if I’ll use these, but I am bringing them in case we are there longer than expected. I made sure all the pajamas I purchased were easy for nursing since I’ll use them during my postpartum journey. I will most likely be living in them for the following weeks that we are home. Used

Postpartum Belly Band 
So many people recommended bringing in a postpartum belly band because it feels weird when the baby is out of your uterus. They described it as mushy, and your organs are just hanging around, ready to go back into place. I laughed when someone told me that, but sign me up if a postpartum belly band helps keep everything together! I purchased one in a peach color; I can wear it for the following weeks under my clothing. I didn’t end up using this. I just wanted to be comfortable, and the belly band felt restricted. 

Postpartum Frida Mom Disposable Brief Underwear 
These were highly recommended! I bought a few boxes of the postpartum Frida Mom disposable brief underwear. I read that it feels good to hang around the house in these with padsicles and an oversized t-shirt. I know the hospital provides a lot of postpartum necessities, but I thought it would be nice to have these as a choice. I used these at home for postpartum recovery during week four and wore what the hospital provided. I had a lot of bleeding/fluid that required a huge pad, and it fits better with the hospital’s brief underwear. Once I got home, I switched to the large Always Discreet postpartum disposable underwear. You may want to bring a few of these to the hospital with you as well. The Always Discreet underwear worked so much better for postpartum recovery.

Vionic Sneakers 
I’m bringing the most comfortable shoes that I own to go home in. I have purchased these shoes over three times in multiple colors because they are my absolute favorite. I wear them when I travel and all summer long. They are made with canvas and can be thrown into the washing machine. They slip right on, so you won’t have to do any shoe tying. Wore these to and from the hospital.

Headband 
I am not a headband person, but this is a must for keeping hair out of my face during labor. Used

Socks with Grips –
I am bringing my fuzzy socks with grips to keep warm during labor and keep myself from sliding on the hospital floors. Everyone has said they are so slippery, and socks with grips are on most people’s hospital bag list. I LOVED having my warm fuzzy socks with me. As soon as I got the epidural, my feet were freezing. 

Shower Shoes 
I purchased some unisex shower shoes on Amazon for Kyle and me. They are great for post-birth showers to keep you from falling and to keep your feel clean! Did not use (but only because I didn’t shower at the hospital– read why here)

Memory Foam Slippers 
I am bringing my favorite memory foam slippers for walking the halls during labor or for postpartum comfort. Used

Sleeping Eye Mask –
You can’t control all of the lights in the room, which will make it super hard to sleep. I found the most comfortable sleeping eye mask on Amazon and packed one for both of us! Used

Miscellaneous & Tech Items for Hospital Bag

Portable Fan 
I’ve heard that the hospital rooms can be either super cold or hot! But during birth, you’ll want the fan on you! I bought a fan that can attach to the arms of the hospital bed. The best part about this fan is that it is wireless, and I can use it on the stroller in the summer. Used

Extra Long Cell Phone Chargers
You will want to have a phone charger that can reach your hospital bed. After an epidural, there’s no more getting up. Used

Laptop + USB cord to stream movies.
The hospital may have poor internet service, so pre-download the shows and movies you want to watch on your devices in advance. Did not use it/or bring it, but we brought the firestick to hook up to the T.V. 

Cell Phones / White Noise
Instead of bringing a portable sound machine to the hospital, download a calming sleep app to listen with your headphones or download a sleep machine noise app that you can play on your phone. We use the white noise app every time we travel. Used

Wireless Earphones 
I use my wireless headphones (the AirPods knockoffs) religiously. Make sure they’re charged up, and bring them with you! You may want to watch videos while your spouse is sound asleep, or it may help get you to fall asleep by listening to calming tunes or a podcast. I listen to a podcast to fall asleep every night. Used

Heating Pad –
I’ve been married to my heating pad this entire pregnancy. I put it on my back, and it helps take away my heartburn pain instantly! I hear it’s great to have with you during contractions. Did not bring it, but wish I would have!

Breast Pump for Lactation Consultant Session
I don’t plan to use my breast pump for a few weeks after giving birth, but the hospital provides a lactation consultant that can help navigate me when it comes to using the pumps and measuring for the right sizes! I’m seriously overwhelmed with pumping, so I’m glad they have someone there to help navigate it all. I purchased a pump through my insurance, so I hope it arrives in time! Did not bring it because it did not arrive in time. 

Birth Plan
I don’t plan to have a plan, BUT there are a few things I’d like to happen if I can, and I’ll write those all down on a notecard to keep in my bag just in case. I think it has EPIDURAL in caps and in bold, which is about it.  

Gifts for Nurses
I know that some people make gift baskets for the labor and delivery nurses, but I think I’ll just order Crumbl cookies and pizza for them to share that evening! This was recommended by one of my good NP friends who works in the Nicu. I ordered Crumbl cookies instead of doing any gift baskets and they loved it! 

Snacks For Hospital Bag 

Sugar-Free Hard Candy
Our birthing instructor said that sucking on sugar-free hard candy is super helpful. She told me the sugar-free help you from having a dry mouth, so I went ahead and purchased some Jolly Ranchers! Did not use them, but we did eat the gummy bears postpartum

Muscle Milk –
You can choose any kind of protein drink you want, but Muscle Milk is one of my favorites. I love how much protein it has, and it’s the perfect post-birth or even pre-birth protein source. The birthing instructor also recommended this. She said you’d be surprised that sometimes food is the last thing you want, but a quick protein source like Muscle Milk can help. Used

Trail Mix

Crackers

Lactation Cookies and Bars – Boobie Bars

Hydromom Electrolyte Drink Mix by Boobie

Prenatal Gummies

Trader Joe’s Snacks
Dried Mango
Unsalted Cashews
Figs

Yogurt –
We have a refrigerator in our room, so hopefully, I’ll have some fresh apples, yogurt, and other healthier options to bring with me before I leave! 

You never know what your body may crave so you can bring some change for the vending machines, and your partner can even head down to the hospital cafeteria. 

*packing snacks was a great idea. Kyle ended up eating so many of them during labor, and it was nice to have healthier options postpartum. I didn’t want anything heavy after labor and take the risk of getting sick.

Comfort Essentials for Hospital Bag

Pillow
I’m bringing an older pillow from home that I can just toss out when I’m done. Used! This was such a game-changer. The hospital pillows are like paper. I highly recommend bringing one or two pillows! 

Cozy Blanket
I bought a heavy and cozy blanket at Homegoods to take with me. I read that the hospital blankets and pillows they provide are thin as paper. Used. Just like the pillow, it was so nice to have a warm cozy blanket. The hospital blankets are thin as sheets. 

Nursing Pillow
I’m bringing my Boppy nursing pillow for breastfeeding, and the lactation consultant recommended it. Did not use. 

Towel
They also said that the hospital’s towels are like sheets. I am bringing some older towels that I can toss out when I’m done. Did not use it, but if you plan to shower at the hospital, you’ll definitely want to bring one.

Water Bottle
I have not parted ways with my water bottle since getting pregnant. I drink about 140 fl oz of water each day. I’m even waking up to chug my water bottle in the middle of the night. I used to go days without craving water, but it’s all I have wanted since getting pregnant. I’ve heard it gets even worse when you’re nursing. Used

Exercise Ball
I thought hospitals provided these, but it was on our what to bring list from the hospital, so I purchased one and will just bring it in the box and have Kyle inflate it once we get to the hospital. I’ll leave my other one at home! It’ll be nice to have one for the downstairs and one for the upstairs when I get home. I remember my niece loved being bounced to sleep with the exercise ball. Did not bring and did not use. 

Lavender Essential Oil Roll-On
You don’t want to bring a diffuser because the scents can carry into other rooms, and you’ll want to be sensitive to other patients. I plan to bring my lavender essential oil roll-on to put on my pillows and wrists for breathing. Used

What I packed for baby 

Going Home Outfit 
I wasn’t too picky about what they’d be going home in, especially since I won’t know the weather or the gender. I just bought a cozy white outfit and some zipper onesies for their comfort. It was good to have options because he didn’t fit a lot of the clothing!

Multiple Swaddles 
My sister-in-law told me that the nurses come in to check the baby a lot, so you won’t want to keep dressing and undressing them. Keeping them in a swaddle helps make it easier for them and you. I brought about five swaddles for the baby. We also plan to take home the swaddles and let our dogs sniff them before introducing them to the baby. We will also put a dog toy with the baby as a gift to them from the baby. Highly recommend bringing zipper swaddles! I mentioned this in my labor blog, but you’ll get better sleep at night if they have a safe swaddle instead of being wrapped up. My sweet boy kept breaking out of the hospital swaddle. 

Zipper Onesies 
I bought several comfortable onesies for them to make changing in and out super easy! I also like that they’re soft and lightweight for the May weather. The Old Navy NEWBORN onesies fit the best. 

Mittens –
I know that babies have super long nails, so I purchased some mittens for them to protect their faces from getting scratched. Used

Custom Swaddles With Our Boy/Girl Names!
I had an Etsy shop make some custom muslin swaddles with our boy name and girl name! This is going to be a fun way to announce the gender and name to our friends and family.

Baby Bodly so kindly gifted me with a packed hospital bag with all the carefully-sourced birthing essentials. This eliminated so much time purchasing products and putting shampoos and soaps into travel containers, and it helped me decide what to bring. It contained items I would have never thought of. This would be an incredible gift for someone expecting in your life. The bag is filled with essentials, and I plan to use it after birth as a diaper bag! It’s easy to clean, comes with a changing pad, and it’s so conventional. The bag has so much room for clothing and other essentials. 

What the Baby Bodly Hospital Bag Has in it:

• Weekender Bag + Changing Pad 
• Waterproof Toiletry Bag
• Grippy Socks
• Travel-size Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Moisturizer + Body Wash + Bath Bar
• Aluminum-free Deodorant
• Cotton Balls + Cotton Swabs + Mini Nail File + Shower Cap + Fillable Spray Bottle
• Organic Maxi Pads
• Bamboo Toothbrush + All-natural Toothpaste
• Hairbrush + Hair Ties
• Beeswax Lip Balm
• Facial Towelettes
• Honey Sticks
• Massage Ball
• Thank You Cards + Pen
• Disposable Bamboo Nursing Pads
• Organic Nipple Balm
• Reusable Water Bottle
• Universal Portable Phone Charger
• Flip-flop Shower Sandals

Extra Products I packed for my Hospital Bag

Burt’s Bees Lotion
This is one of the products I mentioned in my second-trimester blog. I cannot live without my nighttime Burt’s Bees facial moisturizer. Used

Hatch Mama Nipple + Lip Butter
I use this day and night! I plan to put this in my bag as well. Used

Burt’s Bees Facial Wipes
The Baby Bodly bag provided the facial cleaning Burt’s Bees wipes, so I also threw in the refreshing Burt’s Bees wipes! I love the coolness of the cucumber. Used

Hair Ties
One thing you never want to leave the house without! You can also donate items you don’t use to the hospital for other mamas. So if I bring an entire pack of hair ties and do not use them, I can donate them if I want! I think that’s a great idea. That’s why I don’t feel bad about overpacking. Used

Postpartum Healing Spray 
The hospital will provide you with healing spray, but just in case, bring some! Used

Mascara 
I haven’t worn makeup during my pregnancy. I can count the number of times I’ve worn makeup, and it’s on one hand! I put it on for my baby shower and some maternity pictures, and that’s about it. I don’t plan to bring my makeup to the hospital aside from my mascara and the foundation I put on my dark circles. Call me crazy, but I don’t want a glam shot after giving birth or feel the pressure of putting on makeup. But if makeup is your thing, bring it! No judgment at all. Used

Tarte Clay Foundation 
I always use the clay foundation from Tarte. It goes on like butter, and I only apply it underneath my eyes to hide my dark circles. Used

The Ultimate Hospital Bag Checklist

The Baby Bodly bag provides the ultimate hospital bag checklist that includes your driver’s license, insurance cards, paperwork, a  birthplace, and more!

Preparing for Postpartum At-Home

Not only should you be prepared for your hospital stay, but being prepared at home is a big one as well! You don’t need any added stress when bringing home the baby. I’ve been making sure our house stays spotless, our home is organized, all baby items are clean and put together, and I’ve created a little station upstairs to keep my postpartum necessities together. My mom will be staying at our house while we are at the hospital to take care of our dogs, and she is going to do some grocery shopping and meal prep while we are gone. 

Disposable Underwear Highly recommend! I went through two packs.

Padsicles
Placed in the freezer!

Nursing Pads

Peri Bottle 
Highly recommend bringing this to the hospital. It was much better than what the hospital provided. 

Frida Mom Wipes

Nursing Nightgowns
Washed and placed at the front of my closet.

Nipple Frozen Gel Packs
I placed it in the freezer! I used these a ton the first few weeks but eventually, the pain goes away!

Water Bottle

Lactation Cookies 
I love the How Sweet Eats recipe and will have a massive bag of them in my freezer ready to eat. I also have other location bars, snacks, and water bottles upstairs for the middle of the night feeding sessions. 

Postpartum Healing Spray 

I hope this hospital bag post helped you! I will come back to update this post in a month or so! If there is anything I’m forgetting, please let me know in the comments!

Questions for you!

1. What was the number one thing you used in your hospital bag?
2. Are you expecting? Have you packed your hospital bag?
3. Is there anything I’m missing?