// Our Newborn Essentials

The newborn stage is rough! It's so new and exciting and exhausting and overwhelming, all at the very same time. Most days I wonder how I'm even functioning haha Still, it's a whirlwind of excitement and wonder. But the truth is simple: I don't think I'd be singing the same tune if not for a few handy gadgets.

This "newborn essentials" list is pretty comprehensive, and it includes some things that only worked for us for a little while (like the breast pump). Even still, each and every item on here has been a heaven send at some point or another. I thought it'd be worth sharing in case it helps any other mamas-to-be! What worked for us might not work for you, but then again it could be exactly what you're looking for!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

o1. 4MOMS mamaRoo + rockaRoo swings: We are lucky enough to own both of these, and they each have their benefits. We had the mamaRoo first, and it has been a miracle solution to Linden's reflux. We spent the first 7.5 weeks sleeping in the living room, trying to adjust to a new way of life, and he slept most nights curled up in his swing. It helped keep him elevated so the acid didn't burn his throat. We noticed a huge shift in him after the first night. The rockaRoo is a recent addition and he is in love! The rockaRoo swings back and forth like a traditional swing and Linden is happy to hang out there for a half hour or so after each feed. Again, this helps keep everything down in his belly, and it keeps him happy. I'll do a more thorough comparison of the two models in the future if anyone is interested!

o2. 4MOMS infant tub: Another 4moms magic maker! Linden loves water. He loves baths, he loves showers. The infant tub fits in our kitchen sink perfectly and it allows for a constant flow of water to help keep the baby warm. It also allows clean water to flow in while the dirty water drains on the side. Another handy feature? The built in thermometer! An alarm signals with a flashing light if the water is too hot or too cold. If you're a first time mom and nervous about everything, this is money well spent! (If your kiddo is older or bathes in the bath tub, this faucet cover is the perfect answer! I used this a lot while I was pregnant to ensure I didn't get the water too hot!)

o3. Boon bottle warmer: Whether your baby is breast or formula fed, a lot of parents opt to feed their baby via bottles at least partially. We bought the warmer and first used it to warm up expressed breast milk, but now that Linden is on formula we are able to prepare a full day's worth of bottles ahead of time and heat on demand. The warmer uses steam to evenly disperse the heat and it doesn't hurt that it's super modern looking!

o4. Ergobaby swaddlers: Linden is a little contortionist and can wiggle his way out of almost any swaddling blanket or swaddle wrap. These are another story! The arms slide into little sleeves and velcro across the baby's body, then a sleep sack slides over the bottom half of the baby to allow them to still kick and move around. This was the perfect answer for L. They're like tiny little baby straightjackets, but in the best way haha

o5. Aden + Anais swaddling blankets: These muslin blankets are so lightweight and nice to have around. We have half a dozen of them floating through our house and they're good for so many things. We don't swaddle Linden in them, but we use them as regular blankets, spit up cloths, you name it. They're worth the price in my opinion.

o6. Bottle drying rack: Our friend Merissa passed this along to us after her little guy grew up a bit. I didn't know if we'd really need it since I had planned on breastfeeding, but of course nature has a sense of humor. This contraption is one of the most used things in our house. Linden had a gnarly case of thrush for the first 9 weeks of life (we just beat it!) so we had to boil his bottles and pacifiers every single day. Now that we're in the habit we still do it to make sure they're extra sterilized, but this rack helps keep our counters tidy and dry.

o7. Gas drops + gripe water: Linden is a gassy little dude and if we don't give him gas drops after every feed, he's screaming in pain just a few hours later. Finding the brand that works for your little one is the hard part though. We use the Little Remedies gripe water, but I swear by the Kroger generic brand gas drops. No one around here sells them right now so we've moved on to Comforts for Baby and they work okay. Every baby is different though so you might need to try a few to see. Seriously Linden turned into a completely different baby ten minutes after his first dose of the gas drops. If he's randomly fussy during the day we'll give him a 1/4 dose of gripe water and he's a happy camper. (I think a lot of it has to do with the sweet taste and not so much the natural properties haha)

o8. Baby Feed iOS app: I touched base on this app in my Nights with a Newborn post, and I'll sing it's praises forever! I track every feed, every medicine dose, every dirty diaper, and every pediatric visit. This app gives me his daily, weekly and monthly averages for feeds, time in between feeds, etc. You can track breastfeeding and/or formula feeding, and you can track their sleep, too. You can even sync it across multiple devices so no matter who has the baby, everything gets recorded properly.

o9. Boppy nursing pillow: While I used the Boppy originally as a nursing pillow, now it's a great little prop pillow for Linden when we play together or when he feeds. It helps keep him upright, allows him to control his head, and ensures we can sit across from each other.

1o. Avent bottles: We've tried a ton of different bottles over the course of the past 10 weeks. At first I totally swore by Dr. Brown's, and while I'm still a fan, Linden started having trouble with the long, thin nipple on them. We tried a LATCH bottle and it worked well for a little while, but the nipple kept collapsing in the middle of his feeds and he'd get upset. We finally settled on the Avent bottles with the wide nipples which mimic breastfeeding. They are perfect! Linden can eat with them like a champ and they clean up really easily as well. Every baby will have their own set of preferences, but I definitely recommend you try these! (Target usually gives one in the "new baby" registry gift they give you at sign up! A great way to test the waters without spending the dough!)

11. Breast pump: I used the Ameda Purely Yours Double Electric pump for the first several weeks and I really liked it. I was frustrated that it wasn't hands free, but luckily I found a super easy solution. (More on that in a bit!) The pump itself was compact and easy to carry around, and it was super simple in terms of set up, usage and cleaning.

12. Stroller with bassinet attachment: This was the first major purchase we made for Linden, and the most expensive. I fell in love with the Quinny Moodd stroller when I saw it, and I had a huge Kaelah's Closet clean out in order to fund (and justify) the insane purchase. No baby needs an expensive/luxury stroller, but I really had my heart set on it. But since we wanted to use it from birth, we also needed a bassinet to go along with it. This bassinet was perfect because it collapses down and becomes super economical in terms of space. Linden loves to lay in his bassinet and be pushed around. I can't say enough good stuff about this set up, and I love that the large wheels allow us to cart him around on varied terrain.

13. Ergobaby wrap: I love babywearing! It has been a saving grace not only for my sanity and productivity, but also for my bonding with Linden. I made my own wrap originally, and it served me well for so long. Eventually after loads of washing it wore a bit thin and I opted to use my Ergo wraps. They're soft and lightweight, and they provide the perfect amount of stretch, support, and convenience for babywearing. I wear one from the minute I wake up in the morning until the minute I crawl into bed. And the best part? Wrapping your baby serves as tummy time too since they're constantly supporting/moving/lifting their head and pushing away from your body. Linden has amazing head control already because he's worn so much!

14. Simple Wishes nursing bra: This bra is super super comfortable and it breathes so well. At first I thought it was just a nursing bra, but after investigating it more I realized it also served as a breast pump bra! It allowed me to slip the flanges of my Ameda pump into the bra and have it become both hands free and modest. Two thumbs way up for this because I was able to pump on one side while holding or nursing L on the other.

15. NoseFrida snot sucker: Yes, you read that right... snot sucker! This is by far the grossest and most amazing contraption ever! I refuse to use it (barf!) but Mike is a Nose Frida pro. L caught a cold from me and Toby at 4 weeks and this thing was so so handy at helping him breathe. Don't worry, it has a little filter on it so nothing shoots into your mouth haha It's still disgusting, but SO effective! Best $15 we've spent I think.

16. Bibdanas: Since Linden spits up so much thanks to his reflux, we always have to have bibs handy. Normal bibs are too thin and wispy to actually catch any of the spit up if he's sitting up on his own or in his carseat. These bibdanas are perfect becasue they're adorably stylish while being super effective. Sophie made a couple and sent them to me a few months before Linden was born and I had no idea how handy they'd be. I want every single pattern she has! (She's over in Europe so that's why you see the prices like you do!)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I know this post was outrageously long, but hopefully you've found a thing or two useful for your future little one! These are great options for baby shower gifts, too! If you're a mama or a nanny, let me know what you'd consider your newborn essentials! Maybe there's something out there that I'm totally unaware of that could change our world! haha

// Linden Atlas - The Birth Story

I was pretty positive that I wouldn't share Linden's birth story on the blog... I'm not sure why since I really enjoy reading those types of posts myself. I guess part of me was really heartbroken that his birth didn't go even remotely as planned, and I've sort of been mourning that experience for the past six weeks. The thought of writing about it made me feel guilty and ashamed because I was letting the little details cloud my memory of such an incredible experience. Don't get me wrong, he's here and I'm over the moon! He was born healthy and I got through it (fairly) unscathed... I'll consider that a huge success. I think I was just overwhelmed with everything. But for the sake of memory, and sharing my experience, I figured I'd write up a little something. (And of course a little something turns into a long something haha)

After being admitted to the hospital on five separate occasions in the five weeks that lead up to Linden's birth, I was terrified what the actual labor and delivery process might be like. Starting at around 34 weeks Linden's heart was going a little crazy. At my first hospital admission his heart was racing at lightning speed. Then just a week later when I was having regular contractions, his heart rate would drop considerably. Between his variables and my (mild) pre-eclampsia, my "totally easy" pregnancy turned into quite the adventure. Despite twice weekly non-stress tests, weekly admission to the hospital, and even a Pitocin-induced contraction challenge test, I was still loving being pregnant. I was sore and large, but I loved every minute of it. My doctor had expressed her concerns to me about Linden's heart and after a lot of consideration we agreed to start induction as soon as I hit 39 weeks. I was scheduled to be admitted to the hospital at 10pm on Tuesday, July 22nd and the Pitocin drip would begin at midnight. I was both elated and terrified.

Tuesday the 22nd rolled around and we went about our business as usual. I made sure to eat a delicious "last meal" and I even managed to sneak in a quick cat nap before heading out. At 9pm we left our house with our bags in tow and checked into the hospital. Apparently everyone was having a baby that night because we had to wait for a full half hour for a bed to open up before we could be admitted. After getting settled in I waited for my nurse to make her rounds and I psyched myself up for that awful Pitocin IV (seriously... the IV in the hand is the worst!). Finally at 12:30am my nurse came in to start the drip. She let me get up and move around a bit, go to the restroom, and then settle in bed to begin. As soon as I sat back down in the bed I felt a strange gush of water... like I had peed myself. Y'all, I thought I peed myself! I was so embarrassed haha! I looked around with a strange face and contemplated what just happened, and then I finally mentioned it to her and made sure to say "But I really don't think I peed myself... I mean, I just went to the bathroom"... Lo and behold my water broke on it's own! Seriously thirty seconds before the IV was to be inserted. (If my water had broken on it's own at home, I probably would've just assumed I peed myself. Seriously. That sort of comes with the territory of being 9 months pregnant haha It wasn't some crazy cinematic thing like you see on TV) Anyway, the IV was started and we were left to settle in for a long night of Friends reruns. 

After about 30 minutes my contractions (which I could barely feel in the beginning) were terrible. The pain escalated so quickly and I could barely stand it. Since my water had already broken on it's own, I was free to request an epidural at any point. (Shoutout to all of you moms who do it the natural way, but that was *not* for me! Holy moly!) I buzzed my nurse and told her I was ready knowing it'd be a full half hour before the anesthesiologist could make it up there anyway. At around 2am the anesthesiologist showed up and inserted my epidural. It wasn't the most painful thing in the world, but it sure as heck didn't feel good either. In fact, I cried like a baby. And had snot dripping down my face. Not my finest hour... BUT! Sweet relief was there! Almost instantly my lower body tingled and went numb. So numb that I couldn't even lift my feet to move the cover haha Luckily I was able to catch a little bit of shut eye before the real show began. Or so I thought... 

Not too long after my epidural I heard my "alarm" go off at the nurse's station. For the next couple of hours 2 nurses came in every 5-10 minutes to sort of roll me from one side to the other. Apparently Linden's heart wasn't doing so well. Despite "passing" the contraction challenge test a week prior, his decelerations were worrisome. By 4am my Mom and Nana were at the hospital, sitting in our dark room with us. The nurses came and went each time my alarm would sound, and eventually a midwife came in to talk to me about what was happening, telling me that a c-section might be in order. My doctor came by as soon as she got to the hospital sometime after 6:30am and said a c-section would be the only safe way to bring him into the world. I held it together long enough for the medical staff to leave the room, but as soon as the door shut behind them I broke out into tears. I had known all along that a c-section might happen. I had known for weeks that his heart wasn't really tolerating the contractions so it was a possibility. But I was scared. SO scared. I didn't know what to expect and I was terrified of being cut open on a table. Not only that but I was so scared that the contractions were actually hurting Linden in some way, like cutting off his oxygen supply or worse. It wasn't the birth that I had envisioned. Still, I made sure to write down my wishes on our birth plan should a caesarian take place. Within just a minute or two they had the OR ready, and Mike was suited up in his scrubs. They wheeled me in and started surgery at 7am exactly.

I don't really remember a whole lot about the actual surgery. I was awake the whole time, but the drugs were pretty strong. I had a really really wonderful anesthesiologist that talked me through the entire process. She was so kind and that honestly made a world of difference for me. I felt slight pressure, but nothing was ever uncomfortable or painful. The minutes blurred together, and in no time I heard Linden cry for the very first time. I couldn't see him, but his cries alone sent me into emotional overdrive. I started bawling like a baby right there on the table. They lifted him up and started to clean him off. Mike was able to take his phone and snap some photos, but it was difficult because his glasses were so fogged up from crying! Seeing this made me cry even more haha! After that I can't really recall much of the next half hour. They let Mike take Linden back to our room so our family could see him, but I never even saw them leave. I was in and out of sleep since the pain medication was so heavy. The anesthesiologist kept having to wake me up to remind me to breathe deeply. They pulled me off the table and rolled me out of the OR at 8am on the dot... One hour from start to finish.


I got back to the room and everything was still so hazy. I remember holding him for the first time and being so incredibly awestruck by how precious he was. I wish I could remember more from those first few hours but everything is a blur. (That's really what prompted me to finally write all of this down... I'm so afraid I'll forget!) My parents stayed for a few hours and then left to let us rest for a while. We stayed in our L&D room for most of the day until we could be transferred to the Mother/Baby Unit. Mike's parents and Toby came in to meet Linden and everything felt wonderful.

I had envisioned this certain kind of birth experience and it wasn't anything like that. I was okay with the c-section (though the recovery was excruciating!) and above all I'm just glad he's here, safe and sound. Part of me is still mourning the birth experience we didn't have... like Mike cutting the cord, immediate skin to skin contact, etc. Things that really aren't that huge in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes I'll still catch myself crying that I wasn't the first person to hold my baby... or the second. Or the third. It's silly to stress over because I've certainly made up for the "lost time" since then, but when you're in a heightened emotional state, all rationality goes out the window haha. There wasn't a single thing on our (extremely lax) birth plan that went according plan... but that's sort of how life is I guess. Even with the stress, surprises, and slight speed bumps, I get to be the mom to one of the sweetest little guys around.



Part of me finds it hard to believe it's already been over six weeks since this experience, while the other part of me feels like it was so long ago. Now that I have my first birth experience out of the way, I think I'll feel a lot more calm the next time around. I definitely hope we have more children in the future... no matter how they come into the world. I was never aware of how emotional a c-section could be, but I feel very lucky that we were surrounded by so many wonderful nurses, and my amazing doctor, because they made the whole thing so easy. I'd do his birth ten times over if it meant bringing the same sweet little person into the world. It may not have been my ideal, but it was perfect. I know so many women feel cheated when they have a c-section, and honestly, that's how I felt, too. I felt like my body was failing me, like when I got my preeclampsia diagnosis and when my body couldn't keep Linden stable. But now I see the good that has come from it and I can't really be mad, ya know? I asked a lot of my body during those nine months... I'd say I came out victorious. It was worth absolutely every second.

I know my labor and delivery experience may not be unique from anyone else's, but I'm glad I took the time to sit down and write it out. Even if just for my own sake. I'd like to be able to remember enough of it to tell Linden about it when he's older. That's good enough for me. Thanks for letting me share. xo

// Maternity (+ Family) Photos - v.3 - Him and Honey

The last of the maternity photos Mike shot of me. These were taken in Big Lagoon State Park in Florida on our vacation. They're by far my favorite of the bunch. It's hard to believe this belly is no more, but what an experience! I'm going to cherish these photos forever.

And we really wanted to get a few family snaps, too, so our sweet friend Jenna offered to nab a few of us one (sweaty!) Saturday afternoon. We forgot to take into consideration the lens would be foggy after getting the camera out of a nice air conditioned car, so we only have a few, but they're so so special! My heart! (Toby's dirty little feet are my absolute favorite)... Now to work on getting photos of all four of us!

* You can see more of our film photography at Him + Honey. If you're interested in booking your own shoot, shoot us a message via our contact page! And thank you to Jenna for sharing her afternoon with us!

// Maternity Photos - v.2 - Him and Honey

And here's the second installment of the maternity photos Mike shot of me a couple of weeks ago. I know, I know! I should have pared it down to a less embarrassing amount of photos, but I wasn't even planning on sharing these. Then I realized that the actual second batch of materntiy photos we shot (in Florida) won't be back for a couple of weeks and I remembered I had these of me and Toby. You even get the ones where I'm making derp faces and looking cross-eyed. And check out my weird feet in several of them, too! haha! The one where I'm sitting on the rock and then the last one... what was I even doing?!

The random snaps of me in the grey dress were when Mike and I were taken right after we got finished photographing Sara and her family. We were trying to test out the lighting for the situation and I figured I'd toss those in, too. The photos with the chambray top were from the next day at our small family baby shower in Lawrenceburg. I had planned on shooting a handful of different outfits but I just couldn't hang. I was totally convinced these photos would be a total wash and I'd be out of luck. The ones with Toby are some of my absolute favorites. I definitely plan on getting one of them framed or something. He's just so precious! We planned on snapping a few more in Florida, just to take advantage of the different scenery and the fact we'd have some extra eyes to capture a few of us as a family, but that just didn't happen. We did get some solo ones of me while we were walking around the camp area, but sadly our big family session got bumped due to some very last minute changes in plans. I'm still crossing my fingers there's a slight chance a friend can help us out this weekend if possible, but I might just have to deal with the fact we won't have any film photos of all 3 of us. (I know we could hire someone else to take the photos, but we really dig the look and feel of our film work, and unfortunately the other photographers here in Nashville that shoot a similar look/feel are crazy expensive! I'd rather spend that cash on hiring someone to get photos of all four of us instead. Maybe we'll resort to the timer again... haha) Thanks for letting me spam your interwebs with photos of my huge bump. And yes, this means there will likely be a "round three" from Florida in a few weeks because apparently I don't know any better. :P xo

You can see more of our film photography at Him + Honey. If you're interested in booking your own shoot, shoot us a message via our contact page! I'd *love* to be on the other side of some maternity sessions!

P.S; I'm 37 weeks today! Full term, baby! My mind is blown.

// Labor Beds + Uncertainty

I've been getting comfortable in the Labor + Delivery ward at my hospital the past couple of weeks... and by comfortable I mean seeing far more of them than I'd like. (And being insanely uncomfortable to boot... Those labor beds are awful!)  I did a half-day stint at 34 weeks for fetal monitoring, and then spent another day in there yesterday. Y'all, this last stretch of pregnancy is wearing me out. 

One of the scariest things about pregnancy is that you just never know what to expect. Despite reading countless books, articles, forums, etc, I never really know what's "normal" and not. Last week in Florida I started experiencing some weird symptoms (for me) and just generally felt awful. False labor pains, nausea, etc. After calling my doctor on Monday we decided to play it cool until my appointment today (Wednesday). Unfortunately my body wasn't having it. Monday night I noticed that the baby had stopped moving entirely, and despite my best efforts to move him with orange juice, ice water and good old fashioned poking, he wasn't having it. I woke up to the same thing. Even the bathtub couldn't wrangle him into a wiggle. Then I had a crazy bad headache and nausea, so Mike took my blood pressure. And it was pretty sky high, which was weird. I had done a whole lot of nothing all day aside from tinker with some design work on the computer. My doctor had already closed for the day so we hopped in the car and headed to the hospital. 

I was admitted for several hours of monitoring, fluids and tests, and I was having regular contractions every 5 minutes or so. Oh joy! The baby's heartbeat was quickly picked up (thank goodness!), but it was bounding like crazy. From his general baseline of ~160, he was accelerating to 202 and then crashing down to 97 in seconds. Of course I didn't (don't?) really know what any of that meant, but luckily my blood pressure stabilized (and then got really low?!) and his variables were very short in duration. After hours and hours of being hooked up to continuous fetal monitoring and vitals, my butt and back were killing me! Seriously those beds are the single most uncomfortable piece of furniture I've ever laid on haha Luckily all of my tests came back clear and the doctor thinks maybe the baby's variables are due to him rolling around on the cord or grabbing it. Not to mention I seem to be continuously dehydrated no matter what. I should hopefully know more today. This whole thing is so nerve wracking. Never knowing what is what, or why it is. 

I'm just really grateful I had Mike with me yesterday because he really proved himself to be an advocate for both me and the baby. I always knew it was important to have that support system there, but I didn't realize just how invaluable it was. He knew what questions to ask, when to elaborate on answers that I was short with, and he stayed on top of everything in the time that I was there. It certainly wasn't the most fun way to spend an evening/night, but I know I would have been far more scared had he not been with me (like the first time when it was just me, Toby and my Nana!) And I'm so grateful that we had family we could leave Toby with for the day because that kid likes to tinker with hospital equipment ha.

Being admitted, even if only for a short time, made me realize just how much we have to do before this baby comes. He could be here any minute! And of course that doesn't help when you've been told to take it easy. From here on out, I'm letting my body just do it's thing. If I want to rest, I'll rest. Work will be there when I'm done. If I want to sleep in, I'm going to sleep in. After a solid week and a half or more of pushing my body to perform, I'm starting to pay for it. I have to try and remember that I'm on this baby's schedule... he's not on mine. (But seriously, Baby Flynn, please bake a little while longer! I'm really not ready!) Now that I'm officially 36 weeks, I'm just hoping my doctor won't be all "Okay! You're having a baby next week!" when I go in for my appointment today... Cross your fingers for us! My very best friend is getting married in 2 days and I'm supposed to stand next to her, but I'm so worried that my doctor is going to nix the whole thing. Traveling by car to Chicago at 9+ months probably sounds absolutely insane, but I really hope we're able to be there! Pregnancy is such a crazy, eye opening experience. I think he's making me pay for the smooth sailing in this last little stretch because holy moly I've reached that point of being uncomfortable 24/7 haha! xo

// Maternity Photos - v.1 - Him and Honey

Mike snapped some film maternity photos of me a couple of weeks ago after we wrapped up a client shoot. They actually almost didn't happen at all because goodness gracious you would not believe the amount of heat and humidity we were battling that day! My friend Sara did my makeup before we photographed her family and seriously, not even 5 minutes into the shoot I was drenched in sweat. It was not a good look! haha Luckily she's quite the pro and she worked her magic with my makeup because it surprisingly didn't sweat off! Granted every bit of curl fell out of my hair and I was a walking frizz ball, but I'm so in love with the pictures regardless.

I know it's a bit self-indulgent to post so many photos of myself (I should edit tighter!), but every time I look at these photos I get butterflies. Even with the big ol' belly and the sweat that just won't stop, I am cherishing each and every moment of this pregnancy. I'm turning into one of those people... You know, the ones who wax poetic about everything. I can't help it. 

Someone on Instagram commented that I looked like "Mother Nature" in these photos, and ever since then I've just been so in love with that thought. A huge part of me is so sad that this experience is almost over, but I know what's waiting on the other side is even better... I'll be sharing the second round of photos soon! xo

You can see more of our film photography at Him + Honey. If you're interested in booking your own shoot, shoot us a message via our contact page! -- A huge thank you to my amazing husband for making me feel like a million bucks, even when dripping in sweat.