Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Motherhood isn't all sunshine and rainbows.
Yes, there are some deliciously sweet and filling moments but there are dark moments as well. Today I want to have a realistic chat about the not so great side of motherhood and some things to ask yourself if you're at that phase of life where you're wondering, am I ready for kids?
Enjoy,
Victoria
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I learned so much from my experience with Theo, and thankfully I can use that knowledge for baby #2 and share it with you! Today I want to share all the little things (I could think of) when it comes to breastfeeding and pumping.
Other FemmeHead videos you might like:
Milk Supply has Dropped | Pumping + Formula
Making the Decision to Stop Pumping
Enjoy,
Victoria
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
I love watching these videos when I'm pregnant so I thought it could be helpful to share the items I got for the postpartum phase with baby #2.
Enjoy,
Victoria
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
While we planned to have baby #2 in our room for the first six months anyway we kind of have to keep them in there until they sleep through the night and can share a room with Theo. So, I wanted to share our nursery set up in our master bedroom for this baby.
Enjoy,
Victoria
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
I'm one of those weirdos that love labor and birth. I just think it's the most incredible thing to witness. And while I wouldn't change a thing about my birth experience with Theo it has influenced how I want to approach this next experience with baby #2. What are my goals for my second labor and delivery and how am I preparing for those?
Enjoy,
Victoria
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So much emphasis when you're pregnant is on labor and birth, but so many don't really give much thought to how they're going to manage once the baby is here. Having one postpartum phase under my belt I wanted to share how I'll be preparing myself for the 4th trimester, both physically and mentally.
Enjoy,
Victoria
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
I’m so grateful to have most of what we need already for baby #2, but I thought it would be fun to share what items we are purchasing and which items I’ll be pulling out of storage.
Enjoy,
Victoria
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Today I wanted to share how I got my 1 year old, Theo to eat more food (amount, and variety). The transition from milk to solids can be confusing but doesn't have to be. Enjoy! Also, let me know if you'd be interested in a "What My 1 Year Old Ate Today" video!
Shout out to Feeding Littles.
Enjoy,
Victoria
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The time has come where my toddler has gone down to just one nap a day but has slept 12 hours through the night since he was 6 months old. Today I wanted to share my experience transitioning to one nap, and what I've done to get him to take a longer nap. Enjoy!
Shoutout to Taking Cara Babies
Enjoy,
Victoria
[No that’s not a photo of my hospital bag. It’s just aesthetically pleasing for our eyes.]
I’m a planner, and I make pack lists before I got on trips, so it was natural for me to want to create a pack list for my hospital bag.
I could throw in a few other things from the time I write this to when I actually put it into use, but this is the plan:
Clothes:
+ loose pants (I’m not going to want anything tight I’m sure)
+ nurse friendly tops (loose with quick boob access)
+ cardigan (easier than trying to put sweater on)
+ warm socks (if my feet get cold)
+ slippers (wear these or sandals to walk around and be mobile)
+ brief undies (well just loose underwear that can hold those big ol’ postpartum pads)
+ sports bras (favorite bras at the moment and they’ll be perfect for breastfeeding)
+ pumping bra (my sister recommended this one, just going to cut some holes in an old bra, Mean Girls style)
+ easy sandals (what I’ll wear there and to go home in)
+ robe (so I can go topless if I want but keep them covered when not in use)
Toiletries:
+ hair ties/scrunchies
+ lotion
+ chapstick
+ toothbrush/toothpaste
+ face wash
+ dry shampoo
+ pads (I’m going to be collabing with a cool company for these)
+ makeup (you never know)
Electronics:
+ phone + charger
+ portable charger
+ camera + charger
+ SD cards
+ laptop + charger (might want to watch netflix as a distraction who knows)
+ headphones (so I can listen to my hypnobirthing tracks, music, etc.)
Comfort:
+ pillow (I don’t like crunchy, hospital pillows)
+ blanket
+ green massage ball (It’s the size of a tennis ball and really firm, great to dig into knots and sore muscles)
+ misting fan (I overheat easily, and I don’t want Michael to have to fan me with a clipboard for hours when I have this nifty handheld fan already.)
+ few essential oils (lemon for sure - it’s my favorite. I’ve also heard lavender and peppermint are good for labor. Just something to sniff if I want.)
Misc:
+ water bottle (and will someone remind me to drink during labor)
+ snacks (my midwives will let me eat small things during labor, yay!)
+ hard candy (heard it’s sometimes nice to have something to suck on during labor)
+ sleep mask (probably frivolous, but I’ve been sleeping with one since the first trimester)
+ nipple cream (Who knows how my nips are going to react and I want a brand I’ll want to use if I need it)
+ breast pump (use it to stimulate labor if needed, and if I needed after labor for some reason, but I’ll probably keep it in the car)
(I’m going to let him back his own bag, just going to recommend a few things for him)
Clothes:
+ clothes
+ pajamas
+ slippers/slip on sandals
Toiletries:
+ toothbrush
+ glasses
+ extra contacts
+ medication
Electronics:
+ phone + charger
+ laptop + charger
+ headphones
+ portable speaker (I might want some music during labor)
Comfort:
+ pillow
+ blanket
+ camping roll (hospital couches aren’t the best but I think if we throw on that camping roll it will be super comfy + I want a well rested birth partner.)
+ ear plugs (he’s a light sleeper, and might want them)
Misc:
+ water bottle
+ snacks
Clothes:
+ 2 short sleeve onesies
+ 2 sleepers
+ 1 swaddle
+ 1 hat
+ pair of baby mittens
Misc:
+ have carseat installed beforehand 😉
Bada-bing bada-boom that’s the plan. And we’re only 7-10 minutes away from the hospital if I need someone to go run and get me something. Plus if all goes well I’m going to scoot boot and boogie out of the hospital as soon as they’ll let me.
What did you bring that you used, and what could you have left at home?
So I thought it would be fun to dissect a registry list from a big baby box store and compare that to what I actually got.
So first let’s take a look at a real baby registry “checklist”. I sent this to my friend who has an 11 month old so we could laugh about how absurd it is together. It has over bullet points of items on it, not including multiples of many items.
Now, let’s compare that with what I actually have for baby at this point?
Nursery:
+ crib (West Elm)
+ crib mattress (Brentwood Home)
+ crib sheets (Burt’s Bees — gift from friends)
+ waterproof mattress cover (Amazon)
+ rug (used one I had)
+ dresser (Ikea DIY)
+ snake plant (already had, but I do want to get a taller plant for beside the crib)
+ wire basket ($5 at dollar store, spray painted gold)
+ rocking/glider chair
Travel:
+ convertible carseat (Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1)
+ stroller (Britax B-Agile hand-me-down from family)
+ structured carrier (Ergobaby borrowed from sister)
+ sling carrier (borrowed from sister)
+ cloth baby wrap (solly baby)
(You don’t need this many carriers, she just sent me with the sling carrier, which I wouldn’t have bought normally, so why not)
+ travel crib (guava lotus travel crib + bassinet for our bedroom/travel. The first link is to just the crib, and the second is for the bassinet + crib bundle that we got so we could use the bassinet in our room.)
Feeding:
+ pump (Spectra S2 — through insurance)
+ manual pump (NatureBond second hand from friend)
+ milk bags (Unimom — gift from friend)
+ pacifiers (Philips — gift from friend)
+ bibs (hand me down from sister)
+ Bottles (Comotomo)
+ Nursing pillow (Boppy borrowed from sister)
+ Bottle sanitizer (I think it’s this one borrowed from sister)
+ Nipple balm (Shea Moisture from friend)
+ bibs (second hand)
+ breast pads (mostly these from my friend)
(I will be getting a high chair of some sorts when babe is ready to start dabbling in solids and can sit upright on their own.)
Bath/Health:
+ 3 baby towels (hand me down from sister)
+ thermometer (Safety 1st)
+ cradle cap brush (Safety 1st)
+ soap (Baby Bum)
+ lotion (Baby Bum)
+ vitamin D drops (Mommy’s Bliss)
+ bath pad (Summer Infant)
Diapering:
+ Newborn cloth diapers (17 hand me down from sister’s friend)
+ Prefolds (Cloth-eez — 24 size newborn, 24 size small, 12 size medium)
+ Diaper covers (Thirsties — 7 size 1, 5 size 2)
+ snappies (3 pack to hold prefolds on)
+ Cloth Wipes (Cloth-eez — 36)
+ Pail Liner (Planet Wise )
+ glass spray bottle (this amber one to put wipe solution in — gift from friend)
+ small travel wet bag (Grovia)
+ diaper pail (Dekor Plus)
(I will be getting 5-10 BumGenius Freetime diapers for Michael and family members that aren’t keen about fussing around with the prefolds. I will also be getting a diaper sprayer when they start eating solids.)
Clothing: (majority of what I have is from my older sister)
+ swaddles (like 4)
+ sleep sacks (2)
+ onesies ( around 7 for each size)
+ sleepers (3: Newborn, 4: 0-3 mo, 7: 3 mo, 5: 3-6 mo)
+ pants (7: newborn, 4: 0-3 mo, 5: 3 mo, 7: 3-6 mo)
+ hats (11 — way too many, but they’re borrowed)
+ socks (so many)
+ mittens (4 pairs)
+ hangers (ikea)
So that’s where we’re sitting before the arrival of little one. And there’s plenty that I’m going to get as they grow, or as I discover things I need. I’ve tried to include a little note here or there of what I know I’m going to get in each category to show you my though process of “I know I’ll need this, but I don’t need it yet.”
[This is my own naive philosophy before my baby has come so take what I say with a grain of salt. If you’re a seasoned mama you’re going to know what worked/didn’t work for you.]
And what I’m getting might not be what you think you need, and I might be skipping something that you think is a necessity.
I don’t know about you but the one time I went to Buy Buy Baby I was overwhelmed by everything in there. And if you look at most registry lists they give you online it’s soooo much stuff.
And the point I want to make today is yes, there are so many baby items that you’re going to end up swearing by, but how do you know what that’s going to be before you even have your baby?
My approach is to get what I know baby is going to need. And I feel like the three important things are:
What is baby going to eat? Are you going to breastfeed, pump and bottle feed, use formula?
What is baby going to wear? I was #blessed to have an older sister who let me borrow as many of my nephew’s clothes as I wanted. I’m set for newborn - 9 months at the moment. I’ve also heard that newborns are just going to chill in onesies or sleepers most of the time so there’s no need to get them cute, complicated outfits.
Where is baby going to sleep? In their crib, a bassinet/pack n play, side car sleeper, with you in a cosleeper? You want a safe, firm place for baby to sleep, free of pillows, blankets, toys, crib bumpers, you name it. And don’t forget the ever so popular rock n play has been recalled.
At the end of the day baby really only needs you when they start their life on this side of the womb.
I’m waiting on a lot of games, toys, swings, other contraptions. It’s not that I don’t want them or think they’ll be useful. I just don’t know if I’ll need them right away.
I’ve also tried to get things that can be reused, grow with baby or are multifunctional. Getting reusable diapers that can grow with them, a convertible carseat that I can use from birth to when they’re a toddler and a dresser to store stuff and throw a changing pad on top (even though I don’t know how often I’ll use it).
I’m going to be writing another blog post closer to the end of the month sharing what I got vs. what they say you need. And I’m also going to be making a few videos about the different things I got for baby but I haven’t gotten that much of it honestly.
What were the things you couldn’t live without from the beginning and what things do you think you could have waited to buy?
