Four Helpful Items for New Moms

Before Will was born, I scoured Pinterest and talked to lots of other moms in order to get everything together that we would need to take care of him, but the truth is that there is not a whole lot that a newborn baby needs more than his mom, which is why it is important that we take care of ourselves.
Below are four things that I found helped me help him. (Jerry McGuire? Yes!)

1// BB Cream

In those first few weeks, I was trying to increase my milk supply by pumping, so between pumping and nursing, supplementing, soothing, and changing Will, I didn't have much time for myself. When I had to go out or people came over, I still wanted to look presentable...not like I had it all together (which I didn't) but like I had some of it together (which I didn't).

BB Cream helped me look presentable. I could put it on my face with one hand while holding Will, and it just evened everything out, covered my dark circles, and gave me a bit more moisture.  Basically, it made me feel more human and less zombie-like. Anything that you can put on with one hand and makes you feel more like yourself in those first few weeks is priceless in my book.

The first BB Cream I tried was Maybelline, and I love the look and feel of it on my skin. Here's a nice explanation and review of BB creams for different types of skin.

2// Pockets

For around the house, I found that a zip-up hoodie is the ideal piece of clothing for a new mom, especially if you are nursing and especially if you are always cold like me.  You can throw one on over a nursing bra or tank, unzip, and you are good to go...and cozy.  But the most important part for me was that I could keep my phone, some lip balm, and a myriad of other new mom things (mostly related to nipple care) with me in the pockets and have my hands free to take care of Will. I love the fun print of this hoodie. I might even wear it out of the house!

Here are some other great options: 

1 // 2 // 3 

Also, I just bought these pants, and I know they are men's, but just buy a size down and you won't be disappointed by the deep pockets, the length (if you have long legs like me), or the warm and cozy material. You probably won't see me out in these, but you can bet that if I am home, I probably have these pants and a zip up hoodie on.

3// Night Lights

I think I have seen Sixteen and Pregnant twice since having a baby myself.  Both times, there was a montage with the new teen mom changing diapers, nursing, and soothing her new baby throughout the night, and both times, the new teen mom had the overhead light on in the room, and both times, I wanted to shout at the TV, "It's night time! Turn off the lights!"  Why? Well...

...on our second day home, we went to Will's first check up with our wonderful pediatrician and admitted to her that our baby was not sleeping unless we held him and barely sleeping at night. She assured us that was normal, that he just had his days and nights confused, and that we just needed to help him learn that night time was for sleeping.  She suggested low light, little sound, and little stimulation during night time feedings. We took her advice by eliminating light, using a sound machine, and not talking, and within a few days, Will seemed to understand night was for sleeping and eating and going right back to sleep, and after we figured out Will's other issues, he became a great sleeper.

The awesome lamp that I had purchased (and put together myself) for the nursery is way too bright, so we bought a pack of these night lights and put them everywhere we needed to care for Will at night...the hallway outside his room, the dining room (for walking and bouncing in attempts at soothing), the kitchen (for heating up bottles), and the living room where we kept our blue bouncy ball.

So stop turning on lights!  Invest in nightlights.  It will help you and your baby sleep at night. What could be more helpful than that...

4// Wristlet

...Maybe another set of hands. You can't grow another arm, but you can use a wristlet!

I have a purple wristlet from Coach (a gift from my sweet Sis) that I have loved and used for the last few years, but it only fits my phone if I take the case off of it, so I had been looking for another one that I could just throw in the diaper bag or throw over my wrist while toting around Will and his diaper bag (and the stroller and the car seat and the groceries).

I love the look of this one from Coach, and it would hold everything you need.  As a more affordable choice (I am a stay-at-home mom, after all.), I just got this one from Target, and I am happy to report that all of my cards (insurance, credit/debit, id), my phone, my change, and most importantly my lip balm fit in it. Not only does it fit on my wrist, but Will also loves to carry (and chew on) it, and I don't feel bad wiping it down with a Clorox wipe.


So that's it.  Invest in a few items to help you help your baby.

Also, did you know that my next door neighbor has three rabbits?  Just try to compete with that...