Today I am going to chat about all the baby tools that we have ended up using and loving! I did find that our top 5 favorites all can be found at Walmart! Also, had to get her first plaid top for the pumpkin patch(from the boys section in Walmart lol) so cute! September at Walmart is Best of Baby Month so you can find amazing savings on baby brands!
Owlet: This thing gives us such piece of mind while she is sleeping! The sock on her foot monitors her heart rate and oxygen levels and send an alert to your phone if anything doesn’t look right. The app is also very easy to use and has the camera so we can watch her sleeping as well. Plus, if you purchase this at Walmart you save $50!
4Moms Pack & Play: I feel like she loves this the most! It’s where she sleeps and also where we change her. Fits so easy in our room right now since were tight on space!
Kiinde: This bottle system is genius! We had so many dirty dishes before and felt like it all stacked up so fast. These are quick and easy especially for on the go and storage!
Halo sleep sack: Rosie loves her sleep sacks and so do we! They are super easy and she stays wrapped up great in these!
Honest Diapers: These were highly recommended by you guys! They are hypoallergenic and made without latex, fragrances/lotions, and chlorine processing. So basically they are great for their sensitive skin. They have been great for Rosie so far and plus the roses are so cute!
I am going to start by saying that every birth story is different and in no way shape or form do I want to scare you or have you compare your story with mine. I remember the week I found out I was pregnant with Rosie, I read a friends birth story and immediately started to get nauseous lol. After that, I decided I wanted to be ignorant about labor during my entire pregnancy (aka not google or take a birthing class) since I just wanted to trust the doctor and not psyche myself out.
ANYWHO after all that, Monday the 19th we went to our usual morning appointment at 39 weeks and 4 days. Once we sat down and the nurse took my blood pressure, Ted started to freak. I looked over, and saw it read 150/100. The doctor came in, said I was 2 cm dilated and because I have protein in my urine and my blood pressure was so high, I was showing signs of Preeclampsia, and she was going to induce me. I had little of no knowledge of what being induced looked like and went in with no expectations!
Thankfully, we already had our bags packed (that blog post is here) and we went on our way to the hospital. I called my sister and mother, cried a lot, then checked in lol! The biggest mistake I made before checking into the hospital was not eating. I was too busy freaking out about being induced, that I forgot to grab something to eat on the way to the hospital room. I knew better! I ended up being SO incredibly hungry! So on your way to the hospital, EAT something!
Anywho, we checked in Monday at around 10:30am and we didn’t have Rosie until 7:38 PM the next day (30+ hours of labor). It was a LONG process, but of course so incredibly worth it. Jesus was in the room, every step of the way. Since I was induced, the entire first day was kinda a wash. At 4am, my water broke (on its own) and I started to get small contractions. Around 6am is when I called for the epidural because I was for ALL the meds I can get. I really should have listened to my body because once I was injected with the epidural, I only felt it on the left side of my lower half. The doctor said that gravity had something to do with it and to lay on my right hand side and it will “kick in”. WELP he was wrong. I could feel pretty much every contraction. I had him come back 4 times and they would just give me extra meds each time. Looking back I should have just re-did the entire epidural. At one point I was 8cm dilated and in TEARS because I could feel it all. Honestly any mamas out there that did this 10000% naturally, I kinda want to cry for you because I got a taste of the pain and you are a super mom!!
Eventually I was stuck at 8cm dilated for about 4 hours and I was told that if I don’t dilate anymore, they would have to do a C section. You should have seen the look on my face. Basically I was like “HELL NO I have been in labor how long already?!” I will give it a couple more hours.
I was determined to get fully dilated so I used the peanut ball and did lots of exercises to get to 10cm. I also ended up begging my angel nurse to stay 1 more hour with me so she can help with delivery since she was the one walking me through everything the entire day (Looking back, I can’t believe I asked, and I can’t believe she stayed!!). I also basically asked her to deliver Rosie because by the time I was ready to push, our doctor hadn’t made it back to the hospital from picking up her kids up from karate lol!! Luckily she stalled and the doctor made it just in time to help deliver Rosie. Once I started to push, I mentally was so exhausted that I didn’t think I could have gone through with it. Luckily 30ish minutes lady, baby girl was ready to make her debut at 7lbs 8oz and 21 inches long!
Our hearts and our lives will never be the same and I thank Jesus for a safe delivery! Thankful that our prayers have been answered and for such a sweet happy, healthy baby. Also a little tip, a worship playlist also helped!
As far as preeclampsia, I have gotten quite a few messages and what I can say is just check with your doctor if you are worried you might have it. I was at risk for it the entire time with how swollen I was! They monitored my blood pressure pretty closely and luckily I did not have a serious case!
As far as post pregnancy – yall helped me a LOT! I had no idea stitches would be a thing, and recovery would be so tough. I tore pretty bad and when I asked my doctor how many stitches I ended up having to get, she said “A LOT”. It took an additional 45 minutes to push out the placenta and stitch it all up. I used lots of adult diapers, tuck tuck, hemorrhoid cream, and ice packs. It took about 2 weeks to fully fully recover and feel like I can stand for long and walk normal again!
Welp this ended up being the longest post to date lol! We really can’t thank y’all enough for your constant love, sweet words, encouragement, and just being there for our little family. Rosie is so blessed to have all the sweetest internet Aunties out there cheering her on!!
Oh & 10/10 would recoomend a birthing photographer! If you have any additional questions, ask away below and I will be sure to answer!
I have been so excited to find a good leather skirt for fall. Ordered this one from Nordstrom for only $35 along with this henley tee! All of the pieces can be worn so many ways. I thought I would share some ideas of how you can style a leather skirt for fall. I know sometimes leather skirts can be a little intimidating and you feel like you can only wear them with heels for a dressed up look but I love wearing them casually! I’ve shared some ways you can wear them both ways below!
Styled this cardigan two ways over on stories to see what you guys liked better and the white cardigan won! A lot of you guys said black would be good for night and a transition into fall/winter. Also, these jeans were yall’s favorite and mine too. I have been wearing them non stop. I got questions on the difference between short and petite sizing so thought I would include it here.
Short: Same proportions as regular jeans but feature an abbreviated leg length.
Petite: Made proportionately to be shorter in length and have a shorter rise and inseam.
They also gave me a discount code that you can use in store and online for $25 off of $100! I included other pieces I ordered and styled below.
