30 Weeks Pregnant during our weekend “babymoon” in Key Largo
We found out I was pregnant on March 15, the same day we began to quarantine. The pregnancy was planned (I don’t do unplanned), but the news was overwhelming to say the least. Having suffered from postpartum anxiety, mild depression, and insomnia during my first year of motherhood, I went into this pregnancy with a degree of uncertainty. I knew that given my experience, I would probably never think it was the right time to have another baby, but since we were sure we wanted two children — we went for it anyways. You know the saying, “people plan and God laughs?” Well, it certainly felt like that. Suddenly my fiery toddler was out of school; my husband was working from home, and I was pregnant and two weeks into studying to become a certified pediatric sleep consultant. It was a lot.
Almost immediately, my dear friend anxiety resurfaced, and, as is often the case — he brought insomnia along for the ride too. It was a rough first month of quarantine, but thankfully with the help of family and plenty of therapy, I was able to adjust (more or less) to this new normal. What made it easier was that Levi was happier than ever to be home and spending plenty of time with us — especially his grandma and auntie (they’ve been literal lifelines for me), and after a month of chaos, we found our groove and got into a new routine.
The day after your wedding people begin bombarding you with questions about when you’re going to have a baby. Then, almost immediately after you have said baby, those same folks start asking when you’re going to give him/her a sibling. Basically, people are nosy, or they’re just trying to make conversation. Either way, there’s no avoiding it, and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been pondering the idea of baby number two since Levi was born. Well, you know, give or take a day or two.
Levi’s turning two next month, and for the record: I’m NOT pregnant. Nor are we trying. Yet. If you’ve been following my motherhood journey, you’re aware the first year of my son’s life was very tough for me. I struggled with postpartum anxiety and depression, as well as insomnia. I adored my baby but I wasn’t in a good place physically or mentally. Once I finally recognized what was going on, I sought treatment and started feeling like myself again. Consequently, year two has been all about enjoying the crazy roller coaster that is motherhood. I’m in a really good place, and the idea of dealing with pregnancy, child birth, and those long, sleepless newborn nights scares me. I’m nervous to rock the boat (bassinet?) so to speak.
Little Levi at 7 weeks in his Fisher Price Deluxe Bouncer
There are so many products out there geared towards babies and parents that as a first time mom it can be downright overwhelming to figure out what you actually need. I’m so happy I asked around and got opinions from as many moms as possible regarding what I should buy. That said, every mom and baby will differ and new products are constantly coming out making it hard to keep up. Below are ten items that have worked for our family and that I would highly recommend.
We were fortunate enough to be gifted the SNOO, i.e. the fancy pants smart sleeper bassinet that’s all the rage. While it’s brilliantly designed, we haven’t found Levi sleeps better in it than in the simple Dock-a-Tot ($175). The dock is essentially a super cozy baby lounger with no legs that babies can use to sleep virtually anywhere. We’ve been using it mostly in our bed but Levi has slept in it on the couch and even once on the dining room table during a family dinner. It’s very portable making it ideal for moving around the house or for travel. It was originally designed for co-sleeping and is especially great for moms recovering from a C-section who struggle to get in and out of bed initially.
These last two months Levi has been sleeping in our bedroom because I find it more convenient given his frequent night feedings and because he’s still so little I want to keep him close. However, now that he’s eight weeks I’m going to try to move him to his room so he can get used to sleeping in his crib. I would say get the dock in lieu of a bassinet to keep in your room if you like the idea of sharing a bed, or if you don’t, I suggest getting an inexpensive bassinet to keep in your room as well as the dock for its convenient portability.
Side note: the Dock-a-tot cover is annoying to wash so we just put a blanket over ours and wash that when/if it gets wet/dirty.
I’m breastfeeding, but since Levi turned three weeks he’s been taking one bottle of expressed milk per day. David usually gives it to him so I can get some rest. Or if I need to go out whoever is babysitting can give it to him too. The lactation consultants tell you to wait a couple weeks to offer the bottle so that breast feeding is well established. I was nervous as to how it would go but Levi liked the bottle right away. I’ve been using the pretty Comotomo bottles and their design makes it super easy to feed him. The wide shape of the bottle also makes them a breeze to clean which is another key element. For newborns start with the smaller, slow flow bottles.
Nowadays car seats can clip onto strollers for a complete “travel system”. This means if your baby falls asleep in the car seat (which they often do) you don’t have to take them out of the car seat and put them into a stroller — you just clip the car seat onto the stroller. That being said, you still need to have your stroller in the car with you for this to work. With the Doona, however, it’s a car seat and stroller all in one piece so you don’t even need to pack your stroller in your car! I’ve never put my stroller in my car with this and the only time I will is if I’m taking Levi on a long outing where I know he will be more comfortable in a bigger stroller, or if we’re going somewhere where he will be sleeping for a while in which case I’ll pack the bassinet stroller attachment so he can be flat on his back. The Doona is expensive at $499, but incredible convenience always comes at a price.
Babies love to be carried and held, but for those times when parents need to actually get stuff done (or just need a break) you need places to park your little one. Levi has daily chill sessions in his bouncy chair while I eat breakfast, apply makeup, read him a book, etc. It vibrates and plays music and the best part is I can move it all around the house depending on where I need to be. We also bought the Fisher Price cradle ‘n’ swing which is a great product and Levi has had some good naps in there when he wouldn’t sleep anywhere else. However, I’m not listing it in my top ten because it’s super bulky (read: unattractive) and can’t be moved easily thus making it less convenient than the chair. If you have the space and funds consider getting both (you can sell them later or use for subsequent babies) but if you’re just going to buy one I suggest the bouncer.
Newborns, especially boys pee through their diapers and clothes frequently meaning there are many diaper and outfit changes throughout the day. I love footed pajamas because socks are annoying and they’re the easiest to put on (no need to put anything over baby’s head). I especially like zippered footed pajamas because they’re even faster to put on than ones with snaps and make outfit changes less of a hassle — especially in the middle of the night when you’re half asleep. I stocked up on ones from Old Navy.
I decided to buy a smart changing pad from Hatch Baby because for about $100 more than a regular changing pad you get a product that doubles as a scale. As a first time mom who is breast feeding this helps reassure me the baby is gaining enough weight. For more superficial reasons, I like the sleek look of the Hatch Baby Grow and the fact you can easily clean it with a wipe rather than having to wash countless changing pad covers (anything to do less laundry!). Plus, the accompanying app is amazing and lets me time and keep track of Levi’s feedings, sleep duration, and even pumping sessions.
Babies spit up all the time so it’s wise to have many burp clothes scattered throughout the house. I put them on my shoulder to burp him and give them to anyone who wants to hold him. I also use them to pat his bum dry. I use the Gerber cloth diapers as burp clothes.
If you’re going to be pumping breast milk, a hands free pumping bra or tank top is bound to be your best friend. I pump from both breasts and with my free hands I can blog, shop online, or check my emails. I never would’ve thought my 15 minute daily pumping session would turn out to be one of the most productive parts of my day!
Did I mention that babies pee a lot? Yup, even through their clothes. I have a changing pad in Levi’s room but I bought disposable diaper pads to set up a changing station in our bedroom. I also always put one down in his stroller’s bassinet attachment because washing the bassinet’s mattress cover is a pain. It takes time and it has to air dry, however, when a diaper pad gets wet I can simply toss it. These are also practical to have in your diaper bag.
The Puj compact infant tub was created for traveling but I’ve been using it as our regular bathtub since Levi graduated from sponge bathing to real baths (after his circumcision and belly button healed). It fits perfectly in our under mount sink so we can bathe him without any uncomfortable kneeling. It has good grip and there’s a line that indicates how much you should fill it. The tub also has a convenient hole, so once we’re done I simply hang it to dry in our shower. It’s only good till they’re six months, after which I’ll be using the Boon Soak infant tub in our adult bathtub. I’ll definitely have to get a pad for my knees.
Levi Alden Lease’s second photo (the first is very bloody).
Hiiiii,
I cannot believe my baby is six weeks old today! Time definitely flies when you’re busy with a newborn. For those of you who don’t know, our son, Levi Alden Lease was born on November 6 at 3:09 p.m, weighing six pounds and six ounces. I could’ve sworn we were having a girl but I’m so excited to be raising this delicious little man. He’s named for David’s maternal grandmother, Leatrice, and my paternal grandfather Leonid, while his middle name is in honor of David’s maternal grandfather, Albert.
Levi was born via an unplanned C-section because at the last moment the doctors saw he was breech. I pleaded with them to do a vaginal birth (I’ve heard some really bad C-section recovery stories) but they told me because I was 5cm dilated and had already received an epidural — there was no other option. FYI: once the contractions startedthey were so painful I begged for the epidural even though before I went into labour I thought maybe, just maybe I could do without it (I couldn’t).
I always like to reflect on the year that passed and make resolutions for the year ahead around the time of the Jewish New Year. It’s usually celebrated in September or October and coincides with the start of the scholastic year. It just makes more sense to me to do it around this time rather than in late December/January.
Given I’m 35 weeks pregnant (holy sh*t!) pretty much most of my thoughts are centered around pregnancy, labor/delivery, and motherhood. I’m not sleeping much due to a combination of heartburn, muscle spasms, side pains, and having to pee every hour on the hour (oh how I love being pregnant!) so I’ve had even more time to ruminate. Lucky me. Needless to say, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what kind of woman I want to be as I prepare to add mother to my resume, and below are some of my new year’s “resolutions” if you will.
During baby’s first couple of months, I will NOT, I repeat, I will NOT put pressure on myself to get much done other than keeping baby alive and relatively happy.
I will not let my pride prevent me from asking for help if and when I need it.
Hola from Orlando. I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant and we’re in Orlando with our family in an effort to hide from Hurricane Irma. I’m feeling grateful my due date is two months away and praying for the health and safety of my family and friends.
Week 29 marked a turning point in my pregnancy. My heartburn got more fierce, and I started to experience pain in my pelvic region. I described it to my husband as feeling like someone punched me in the crotch and left me all bruised up. TMI? Consequently, I listened to my body and stopped going to my beloved dance cardio classes because it’s too much jumping and too high intensity for me to handle right now. Last week even prenatal yoga felt like too much, however, this week I was able to handle a barre class and I’ve started swimming which I should’ve done a long time ago because it’s so wonderful while pregnant.
In other news, we attended a birthing/parenting class at our synagogue which included an hour long session entitled: from partners to parents. An amazing clinical social worker by the name of Amy Small talked to us about the inevitable transition we’d be experiencing and I thought one exercise was particularly helpful. She had the spouses sit across from one another and instructed us to take turns telling our significant other the things we expect from them as a parent. Each person got three minutes to speak (no interruptions allowed), and when they were finished the other person had to repeat everything back to them and ask if they’d missed anything.
25 weeks and wearing an old blouse by Cooper & Ella and Maternity Jeans (link below) by Luxe, the in house brand from a Pea in the Pod.
I’m currently 26 weeks preggo and I’m not so pleased to report that everyday activities like getting out of bed, or bending over to put on my shoes are starting to be a bit of a nuisance. They’re not full blown problems by any means, but I can see them on the horizon. Oh the joys of being pregnant!
I finally feel like I’m carrying around a little load and I’m experiencing heartburn after virtually every meal. I’ve also had to purchase a special sciatica knee pillow to make sleeping on my side more comfortable and keep my knees from awkwardly banging against each other. I’m telling you, if my husband doesn’t bow down to me after I give birth to this child I don’t know what I’ll do. Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, not really. Mothers are GODDESSES and men just have to accept it. Got it guys?
Anyways, this is a post about maternity fashion which I must say I’ve realized is a whole other beast. There are SO many products out there it can get overwhelming trying to differentiate between what you actually need and what products just have really good marketing. I feel the same way about baby/kids products (more on this in another post). My goal throughout this pregnancy is to look and feel my best without spending a lot of money on clothes I’ll only be wearing for a few months (even taking into account a second pregnancy).
And we’re off to a Dance Body Class. This is #24weeks
Okay, yes I’m super excited to welcome a baby into our lives, but guess what — I’m also scared and nervous. Our lives are about to change in a major way, and even though I’m 99.99 percent confident it will be for the better, I’m also human, and this human has her fears/worries. It also doesn’t help that I’m generally an anxious person with a fair share of OCD tendencies (perfect storm anyone?).
That being said, I have read personal accounts of peoples’ anxiety improving since becoming parents because the experience helped them gain perspective they were previously lacking. After all, how can you worry about whether you picked the right curtains, or if your last review was poorly written when you have a tiny human life to protect??!! I certainly hope I fall into this category of folks. In my dreams I’m a zen mama, but so far I haven’t been a particularly zen mama-to-be so lets see how that goes. I like to aim high.
This may be oversharing, but if you’re thinking about getting pregnant you may be interested in knowing a bit about my pregnancy journey. It goes something like this: After 14 years of being on the pill I went off it in January and got my first non-pill period six weeks later. I then downloaded the Ovia fertility app and based on when I had my period it told me what days of the month would be optimal for baby making. Five weeks later I’m peeing on a stick and it’s POSITIVE! I’m sharing this story because that’s what this blog is all about, but believe me when I say we both realize how ridiculously lucky we are right now and we don’t take anything for granted.
So how do I feel? Today I’m 22 weeks and fortunately I feel mostly good. The last three weeks I’ve been suffering from daily heartburn and the occasional short-lived shooting pain up and down my side that I’ve learned is called round ligament pain. I have to pee virtually every hour, including most nights, which I tell myself is good practice for the sleepless nights ahead (hey, just trying to put a positive spin on things). Thankfully, I’ve been able to stick to my workout routine which consists of dance cardio and barre a couple times a week. This is not only good for the baby, but mama needs it to help quell the occasional holy SH*T we’re having a baby freak-outs (more on this in the next blog post).
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