For My Homies :)

So I just found out that one of my good friends is expecting and I was thinking about making this list for myself for the next go-round.

Pregnancy Must-Do's and Have's:

1. Start early. Baby stuff is pricey and you need alot so make a list and start buying one big nursery item a month so that you're not overwhelmed at what you need in the end.

2. Take a good birthing class that covers birthing naturally - even if you want an epidural, I'm walking proof that they don't always work, so you better have the skills to cope with the pain just in case.

3. Read a few different birthing books.

4. If you have a specific idea of how you want your birth to go, or you feel like you and your partner might need the extra support, look into hiring a doula and do it early.

5. Start buying diapers now. You can go through three in as many minutes on some days - so just get in the habit of picking some up when you go to the store. Ditto on wipes - and make sure you get the gentle skin ones.

6. Buy a few adult diapers - this sounds funny (and looks funnier) but when you first come home after the baby, bleeding is super heavy and I wore these and a pad which I changed frequently for the first few days. Plus, the ones I got had a stretchy stomach which gave me extra support those first few days and also kept hidden the part of me I didn't want to see :)

7. Transitional clothes. When we went to Europe I was already starting to outgrow my clothes (around 10 weeks!) and so I bought a few pairs of pants that were just a size bigger. They were SO great to have in the first month when my old pants were still tight and wearing maternity clothes would have been way too depressing.

8. Morning sickness. I had it. Bad. The only stuff that helped at all was Mother's wellness from Saje (http://www.sajeusa.com/). It's an oil that you rub on your tum a few times a day and man did it help!

9. Must Haves:
A good boucy seat
A swing
Diaper Champ
At least 10 receiving blankets
At least 10 burp cloths
Soothies (for sore boobs if you're breastfeeding)
Little Remedies stuff (you can get this as a whole package and you'll be so glad you have it!)
Tea Tree Oil (great for diaper rash and also keeps meconium from sticking)
Resinol (the diaper rash eradicator, you'll likely have to order this at the parmacy but it's OTC)

Truth Time

Now that I've only got 6 lbs or so to go, I feel I can be honest about the pregnancy weight gain...by delivery day, I had gained over 50 lbs. Ouch. I got yelled at in just about every Dr.'s appt for it, but our Doula maintaned that as long as you eat healthy and focus on protein and don't overload with carbs, you'll gain what your body needs to gain. And other than breastfeeding, I have done nothing to get rid of the weight so far (I'm going to start getting rid of those last lbs this week with some good walking time with Fin). All of the nurses in the hospital were in awe of my swollen legs and feet and a the time I knew it was bad, but not THAT bad...I was wishing I had a picture to do a before and after with and then I realized that I had sent a pic to Brandon with the camera phone! So check out the before and after of my feet! (note the tattoo so you know I'm not photoshopping or using the feet of a 300 lb woman :)!