My Recommendations--Part One

This was originally written on Saturday, February 21, 2009:

I've been wanting to do a post like this for quite awhile. You can see why it took so long (it took forever to write, but I wanted to get all this info in one place)! For my opinions on what we've used the past year, I'll be posting two blogs.

*This first post will focus on stuff that comes up during PREGNANCY*

My top pick for a book:

The Pregnancy Journal: A Day To Day Guide To A Healthy And Happy Pregnancy

I mentioned this journal/book in my blog post titled My Pregnancy Timeline. The reason why I liked this so much was. . .

1) Along with reading, there were places to write each day what was going on with me. I like having a record of how I was feeling and what I was experiencing every day. Even though I have my blog, there are plenty of things I've already forgotten (plus I didn't blog every day since my posts tend to be a lot longer than the few lines they put on the book pages), so this makes it easy for me to look stuff up now, since each day is numbered & dated according to your pregnancy.

2) It was the only book that actually told me on a DAY TO DAY basis what was going on with my baby. Most books summarize each week all together. They tend to be broken up into chapters divided into sections; all of that info at once can get overwhelming. This was fun because you only read one day at a time (1/2 page length) so it just feels more powerful because you're reading stuff like, "Today the heart is being formed" or "Tomorrow the baby will have hands."

3) Because there is such a short amount to read each day, this was the only book that my husband and I could read together! He is not a reader and so I was not going to get my hopes up that he would sit down with one of my pregnancy books and read it from cover to cover. But, every day we took turns reading this book out loud to each other, which was definitely a great bonding time for us together with our baby! We could learn together :)

4) And finally, of course, it had excellent information. One book I read was just plain scary. It kept talking about all of the things that could go wrong. It's good to be cautious, but not to be paranoid. This book has the perfect balance of helping you to have a healthy pregnancy and to enjoy the process! My only advice would be to also read a more in-depth book at the same time, such as What To Expect When You're Expecting, and if you're wanting to have an organic pregnancy, then check out The Complete Organic Pregnancy.

Favorite magazine:

Mothering -- because they focus on what is healthy for the child, first and foremost. At first I thought the articles wouldn't apply to me until after Logan was born, but I was glad my cousin-in-law, Kim, bought me a subscription when I was pregnant because I found it prepared me for a lot of parenting situations that I'm glad I knew about in advance to having a child.

For morning sickness:

In my post titled, The Truth About Morning Sickness , I gave tips on what helps a lot of people with the nausea. The only one that worked for me was eating something small every hour. Although my nausea never went away completely until my 4th month of pregnancy, I noticed my all-day sickness was much worse the longer I went without a snack. I also took a vitamin b supplement, as that vitamin has been known to lessen nausea. Every pregnant woman should drink a lot of water.

Other people I personally know swear by ginger capsules as well as the wrist bands. I'm also a fan of the Earth Mama Angel Baby products.

For those with a severe case, zofran is safe as far as medications go during pregnancy (according to my friend Chris it gets a B on http://safefetus.com/). Ask your doctor for a prescription -- don't let yourself get dehydrated because that is not good for the baby. I only threw up about a dozen times during pregnancy, which isn't that much considering I felt nauseous 24/7 until my 16th week, so I didn't go on the medication because I thought it was just for those with HG (the most serious case of pregnancy sickness) and I wanted to be as natural as possible while pregnant. However, it's not worth staying in bed for three months and being miserable, either (which is what I did) -- so this will be an option for me next time if I have the same thing.

Best supplement to take along with your pre-natal vitamins:
In my post titled First Pregnancy Signs I mentioned that I took Omega 3 Capsules for healthy brain & eye development. I continued to take fish oil supplements when I was breastfeeding, and now I do for my heart -- but Neuromins or Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA are the brands you should take while pregnant because others act as a blood thinner (which is the same as asprin -- avoid blood thinners while pregnant as they are known to cause miscarriage and pre-term labor). Taking an Omega 3 supplement with your pre-natal vitamin is the absolute best thing you can do for your growing baby's brain and and eyes. It is the only way they will get the very important DHA while you are pregnant and breastfeeding, since we are encouraged to limit fish/seafood due to the levels of toxins in them.

Documentary to rent/buy:

In my post titled Almost Done With Childbirth Classes, I mentioned that I'd watched the National Geographic movie, In The Womb. This was first recommended to me by my cousin-in-law, Kim, and I recommend it as well because it really shows you "behind the scenes" of what is going on while you're pregnant! It's one thing to read about it, but another to "see" it! Kim also recommended Nova-The Miracle of Life which I plan to buy next time I'm pregnant!

Stretch mark prevention:

Cocoa butter is said to prevent and reduce the appearance of stretch marks. This can be found in the Palmer's brand, which I used and mentioned in my post titled, What's That Line?, or if you're looking for a more herbal remedy, there is Earth Mama Angel Baby, which I gave a link to under the morning sickness paragraph. They have stretch oil and body butter.

I was dumb and only put the cocoa butter on my stomach. The good news is that I only got one mark on my abdomen -- so whether that was a coincidence or the cocoa butter truly worked, I don't know. The bad news is that I did get several on my left inner thigh. Stretch marks are genetic so many people will get them no matter what, while others can gain a lot of weight and still won't get them. Some people feel the cocoa butter at least minimizes what they would have gotten otherwise. Since it does seem strange to me that I got them on my thigh and not my tummy (since the latter stretched a lot more!) I will definitely be using it again with my next pregnancy -- only putting it on my entire body. But, as for reducing them once they're there? I continued to use the cocoa butter for several months after I had my son, but the red lines on my inner thigh never changed/lightened.

Best preparation for childbirth:

Once you get into the second trimester it's time to start preparing for labor and to make a birth plan. Most of you know mine from my post titled, HypnoBirthing. I think all pregnant women should read HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method, whether they are interested in a natural labor or not. The knowledge that you gain and the tips that you learn will benefit you no matter what your labor experience. I really don't see why any woman wouldn't want to make her labor as easy and painless as possible. Whether you get the epidural, pain meds, or whatever else -- you're still going to have the most intense day of your life and this can at least ease your mind a little bit.

In two previous paragraphs I've mentioned that I'm a fan of the Earth Mama Angel Baby products. This is because I give them a lot of credit for my relaxing labor experience. My mom bought me their labor companion CD for Christmas, which I listened to several days a week during the second half of my second trimester and all of my third. This was wonderful when I was having pregnancy pain/discomforts and needed to relax and soak in the warm tub. Because I listened to it so frequently, it became etched into my mind so that when I actually did go into labor, I heard the soothing narrator's voice and remained completely calm and serene those 3.5 hrs that it took me to dilate before pushing. The nurses all thought I was sleeping peacefully and never saw me react to a contraction. Yes, I did feel them -- but this, combined with the HypnoBirthing book, helped "peace" to win so that I would dilate quickly and gain energy & strength during those hours for my 4-hr pushing phase. Being in this frame of mind also kept me from freaking out when I learned that my pelvis was small and Logan was face up, as well as during the extreme pain of having my doctor's hand twisting inside me twice. It is not my nature to sit back and not squirm or complain when I'm in pain. I'm not any stronger or tougher than anyone else -- this CD hypnotised me!

You will learn new terms while in the hospital like lochia (uterine discharge after delivery). They give you disposable underwear and huge sanitary napkins to wear, a sitz bottle (plastic bottle that you can use to squirt warm water on you while using the bathroom. Keeps the urine from stinging any sutures you may have), and excellent ice packs to go inside your underwear. They also gave me a donut to sit/lay on which helped the soreness, as well as witch hazel pads. Be sure to take everything home with you -- they put a bunch of extras in a sack for me and I continued to use them for the next few days at home!

If you're going to be breastfeeding:

Another recommendation I first heard from my cousin Kim: Motherwear for the best brand of nursing bras and nursing tops. They have a wide variety to fit whatever is your preference. With Logan, I only bought two nursing bras, one top, and two nightgowns for my entire 9 months of breastfeeding, but I wouldn't recommend doing that (especially if you end up getting DD's like I did -- but I definitely don't have anymore, haha); next time I'm going to stock up because these made the experience a lot easier and more comfortable. Those who like tank tops with built in bras, there is also the GlamourMom brand. My friend Lisa P recommended Motherhood Maternity for all of my maternity clothes -- that's where I bought the stuff I wore during the second half of my second trimester and all of my third. For organic clothes and jewlrey, visit http://www.birthinbinsi.com/index.htm. Here are some more links to organic nursing bras & tops:

http://nestmom.com/

http://www.bebybaby.com/

http://www.birthandbaby.com/

http://www.decentexposures.com/

http://www.milknursingwear.com/

Kim preferred the Brest Friend nursing pillow compared to the Boppy Pillow. I had good luck with the Boppy, thanks to Kendra for getting me one at my shower -- you knew I'd love it and you were right, we were inseperable for six months! :) That was the only way Logan wouldn't cry during tummy time those first 4 months and several times he took a short nap on it -- but NEVER UNATTENDED. I also found it much more comfortable to nurse with it than without it. However, I wasn't able to use it "correctly." I always turned it backwards and used the pillow side for an arm rest, rather than attach it around me and place Logan on top -- we just didn't fit together that way. Many women find them awkward and uncomfortable and prefer the shape and firmness of the Brest Friend and ability to strap it on:

Out of everything I've bought, guess what I've been the most happiest with? My recliner!!!! (I talked about buying it in my post titled, For Moms Who Are Going To Have Boys.) Two of my friends who are due this April liked my idea and followed suit. It really did make breastfeeding sooooo much more comfortable -- especially during the nights when I had to get up to nurse. That was one good thing to come out of my back pain during pregnancy (none of the rockers were comfortable so that's why we didn't get one). The recliner is sooo cozy -- I always just curled up with Logan, layed back and hardly had to open my eyes once I moved from my bedroom to his -- I could stay in the sleeping state. A couple of nights I even fell asleep with him in my arms, sleeping on the recliner as if it was a bed for an hour. We have a rocker/glider downstairs in our family room and I didn't even like using that during the day when I was in that room -- I preferred the couch to it!

When I was downstairs during the day and used the couch, I was glad to have my cousin's nursing stool. Kim gave me her's and that gave me support (since good positioning is super important during breastfeeding), because I'm not exactly a tall person. :/

For nursing pads, I used 60 disposables -- but after the box was empty, I stuck with unbleached organic cotton nursing pads for the other 7 months because those washed well and were reusable. Plus, they didn't bunch up and stick to me (which happened a lot with the paper kind, so that was annoying & uncomfortable). In fact, I'll be able to use the cotton pads again with baby #2. Try and buy some extra thick ones for the night, as it is recommended women sleep in a nursing bra for the first couple of months.

Also, you can never have too many burp towels. We were lucky, Logan didn't have any problems with acid reflux nor did he spit up much -- but the times he did, it was A LOT. You might remember me talking about the night he completely drenched me. Always keep them handy during feedings!

Both Kim and Melanie from my high school recommended cabbage leaves if you decide to stop breastfeeding cold turkey. They dry up your milk fast without bad engorgement pain. If you have pain while you're still nursing, rubbing some breastmilk on your nipples has healing effects. For the highest rated herbal supplement for increasing breastmilk (I can vouge for them) is More Milk Plus -- visit http://www.motherlove.com/ for this, as well as to see their other organic products for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and babies.

When shopping for baby:

Kim had sent me an e-mail when I was pregnant that said, "If possible, look for a changing table that has room for the diapers and wipes, lotion, etc. on top along with the changing pad. I've never understood the ones that just have room for the changing pad on top and then all the other stuff is on shelves below. My kids sometimes like to flip all around when getting their diaper changed--wouldn't have worked well for us to have the stuff down below."

Joe & I didn't get the chance to look at any changing tables because when we bought our crib (which we LOVE LOVE LOVE -- it's Generation Next by Baby's Dream in the honey-chestnut color), the store we bought it from (Kids Stuff) said they'd give us $100 off if we bought a certain changing table, so we did and then only had to pay $100 for it. (For those who prefer to co-sleep, check out the cribs at http://www.armsreach.com/)

Logan's changing table is also his dresser so I like that, plus the diaper changing items are in drawers, so now that he's mobile he can't get to the stuff when he's crawling around his room, if we had shelves.

However, now I see what my cousin meant when she said that once babies get to the age of rolling around while you change their diaper, it's not as easy to reach down and get the products. Having a changing table with a place for the diapers and wipes to the side is what I would recommend.  Kim also told me to buy two changing pad covers, that way when one is dirty you can quickly replace it with another. We ended up needing 4 because of our a pack n play! Lisa P. gave the great suggestion of disposable pads to go on top of the regular changing pad covers, which worked great for us back when Logan was having explosive diapers all of the time. I wasn't able to do the laundry fast enough because each time we changed his diaper, the poop got everywhere! His constant explosions were why I was too chicken and lazy to do cloth diapers.

I also recommend buying THREE waterproof mattress pad covers because if your baby is like Logan then there will be times when one is in the wash and then he'll pee on the one in his crib -- so I've often had to rely on our third one! (Thus why we still don't use cloth diapers.) (The third mattress pad is also good if they're ever sick and they throw up. Kim said: "Keep a roll of paper towels and a complete change of clothes in the car for the same reason! The kids have thrown up in the car (motion sickness) or when we are out more than once.")

Links to buy organic mattress pads and covers are here:

http://www.whitelotus.net/

http://www.danishwool.com/

http://www.organicgrace.com/

http://www.ecobaby.com/

For strollers -- Kim said, "Look for one that is not too heavy for you and collapses easily when you are ready to fold it up and put in the car."

We went ahead and bought the top of the line Chicco carseat/stroller travel system because I felt like the carseat was one of the most important things we could buy since safety in the car was #1 priority. The stroller is definitely stable, easy, and comfortable and I don't have a single complaint with it.

My only complaint with the carseat is that it's not for the weak. Since it is for children up to 30 lbs, I break a sweat when carrying Logan in it! But it is one of the only brands that goes past 20 lbs and since Logan has always been in the 90th percentile, it's been worth it. If we'd bought a typical carseat, we would have had to buy another one when he was five months old! We know several people who had babies Logan's size and wish they would have bought a Chicco because they had to spend extra money on a second carseat -- but the next size carseat isn't as portable so they can't carry their babies around in public anymore, wheareas we still can carry Logan around in his and let him nap, etc.

Some people may not like that it can never be turned around to face front in the backseat - but Logan has never minded facing backwards.

It's also tricky to take it a part (when you want to put it in the washing machine) -- I didn't even realize you could for a month after we took the newborn inserts out -- but you can and it cleans up extremely well. Best of all, Logan has adored his carseat. It was his favorite place of all for his first five months!

For diapers:

For those who want to use cloth, Kim uses cloth diapers and wipes at home and disposable ones when they are out and about (and at night for her son). She says, "Our cloth diapers and wraps have lasted through more than one kid so it has been really economical. You want to make sure you buy diaper service quality diapers which are also known as chinese prefolds. There are lots of sizes and thicknesses. You can get them unbleached and cloth diapers come in different sizes and thicknesses. You can also get something called a "diaper doubler" which I lay on top of the cloth diaper for even more absorbency. We use wraps with velcro or snaps. There are many different kinds of diaper and wrap styles. I put the dirty diapers in a water resistant fabric bag in a trash can by the changing table and when it is full I put the diapers (and the bag) in the laundry. I wash the load twice in hot water (using mild unscented laundry detergent) and do a final extra rinse cycle (I add a cup of vinegar when I put the machine on the extra rinse cycle)."

My friend Chris uses cloth with a throw-away biodegradable insert. Mothering Magazine also recommends Bummis, as well as the following sites (many of these have other organic products, too):

http://www.bumkins.com/

http://www.babyworks.com/

http://www.babybunz.com/

http://www.peaceloveandcloth.com/

http://www.maineclothdiaper.com/

http://www.bumgenius.com/

http://www.mother-ease.com/

http://www.knickernappies.com/

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/

http://www.kellyscloset.com/

http://www.happyheinys.com/

For those using standard diapers (or organic disposables like me), a co-worker of my dad, Anne, recommends getting them from Diapers.com. She said, "I just ordered diapers from here for the first time. I got 180 diapers for $40. Shipped right to my door with free shipping. Check it out. Your order must be $49 to get free shipping. I got diapers and swimmers with $10 off coupon. It's great!"

For leaks, many of you might remember the tip I received from my friend Sara who moved to California in August. If your baby is having a lot of explosive poopies, try using a size bigger. It worked with Logan!

As far as baby carriers go, Kim recommends a hip hammock . Logan has never been much for being carried around (and didn't really like the Baby Bjorn) but every baby is different so we may need one with our next child. Here are some other links:

http://www.angelpack.com/

http://www.poshpapoose.com/

http://www.fireflybaby.com/

http://www.edenbabycarrier.com/

http://www.kanoe.us/

http://birdiesroom.com/

http://www.mammasmilk.com/

http://sleepywrap.com/

http://www.becobabycarrier.com/

http://www.slinglings.com/

http://newnativeinc.com/

http://metrominis.com/

http://napsackbaby.com/

http://momandbabynaturally.com/

http://sproutsoup.com/

http://sweet-pickles.com/


For organic baby clothes:

http://www.nordicwoollens.com/

http://www.babynaturopathics.com/

http://www.ecwear.com/

http://www.naturalearthbaby.com/


And finally, for organic baby toys:

http://www.hazelnutkids.com/

http://www.novanatural.com/

http://www.oompa.com/

http://www.souns.org/

http://www.weelittlesprouts.com/

http://www.thewoodenwagon.com/

http://www.atoygarden.com/

http://www.achildsdream.com/

http://www.walkingsticktoys.com/

http://www.bamboletta.com/

http://tendercargo.com/

I will discuss more "after the baby is here" stuff in my next post!