day eight / diapers

baby girl is almost two months old and we still haven't had to purchase diapers yet.
seriously.

we were so blessed at our shower with so many, and then some kept trickling in after. which left us in a really great spot.

the end is near though, and as i write this i'm already putting it on my shopping list.

because here's the thing: you're going to use a lot of diapers.
an obscene amount in the first couple of months.

baby will poop through them, and just when you're changing them will continue to poop (seriously) causing you to do the diaper shuffle as i call it, using anywhere from two to three new diapers just to catch it all.

oh. and the best is when you're about to finish putting on the clean one and they pee on you/the new one. causing a whole new mess.

so diapers. are an obvious must.

we discussed cloth diapers, but the idea of washing out the poop every time wasn't something we were interested in. so for those of you who do cloth diapers. i'm applauding you very loudly.

when it comes to diapers we've only used two so far, the most popular i'd say. but i've already grown to be partial to pampers diapers.

and i actually like huggies wipes better. 

i found that although pampers are a little more sturdy, they're super wet. which leaves my hands and baby girls bottom soaking wet. it's weird. 

and, while we're talking bottoms. 

a must every time we change her diaper. 

desitin. 

it's preventative care but something my sister and my mom have sworn by and i'm swearing by it too. 

day seven / cherish this

if it hasn't been stated already. having a newborn is really hard.
when they say your life will never be the same, they aren't kidding.
sleep is minimual.
babies cry just to cry.
your patientce will be at an all time low.

but then.

you'll give baby a bath and snuggle them so hard after and smell all that wonderful baby smell.
they'll start to focus in on your face and give you a grin like this:

(i mean. really.)

i was sitting on the couch today with a very fussy baby (we're hitting a huge growth spurt right now) and when she finally settled down and shut her eyes, i couldn't help but think that i need to remember these little moments. the one's you don't write down because let's face it. we just want to remember all the good. but even with the fussing, or as we call it the fussin butts, we won't live today again. i won't snuggle her this way forever. these first few months are so special. 

you're literally watching a tiny human come to life all in their own. 

and holy crap is it special. 

cherish the little moments. because i hear they don't last long. 

breastfeeding / day six

(if you couldn't tell. i love her. and this movie)

so breastfeeding. something i think people are super shy and awkward about if it doesn't involve you. 

let's be honest here. it's something i knew i wanted to do, and had no shame in that. however. i had a completely different opinion about it before baby girl came around. 

for instance. 

nursing in public. 

i always figured that it was easier to schedule you're day around your baby and when they needed to eat. because obviously, any good mother could do that. and obviously because it's that easy. 

moms are laughing right now at me, as they should be. 

this was a nice thought, but it's totally wrong. 

because 1) baby could be cluster feeding which means lots of feedings super close together. like every hour. and 2) if baby eats every two hours (or so) you have a very small window to get things done. 

and honestly. cabin fever sets in quick. 

so my thoughts on not breastfeeding in public because it made me feel weird have gone right out the window. 

now. i am not one of those women who are (or ever will be) comfortable pulling out a boob for all to see. in fact, it's quite the set up trying to nurse in public (i've done it a couple times now) because i use about four blankets to cover up.

yes. i know they make nursing covers. they're at target and i keep forgetting them. it's on my list. 

anyways. the point is, that you have to let go of any preconceived notions you had about breastfeeding. 

the good and the bad. 

here are eight things you need to know about breastfeeding. 

#1. it hurts like hell at first. 

seriously. like someone is sticking a thousand needles into your nipple. but it goes away. or at least should. if you've got things all going the way they should. 

#2. the boopy is a life saver. 

your life will just be easier with this pillow. i promise you that. it's really important to make sure baby is coming to you when nursing. you shouldn't be hunched over or trying to strain yourself to get the connection. this pillow helps immensely with that. 

#3. ask for help!

do not, and i repeat. do not leave the hospital without getting a lactation consult. the nurse who gave me mine was such a huge help.

#4. nipple shields are not the devil. 

baby girl and i had some trouble in the latching department right off the bat so they suggested i use a nipple shield. the problem was that she wasn't latching on enough...causing that pain i mentioned to last the entire time i nursed. which was awful, and made me want to give up. but insert this little helper. 

(medela contact nipple shield) 

get the one that's half open. it's supposed to help with milk production because the baby's chin is still touching the breast. 

i'd also like to take this time to debunk the "the baby will get nipple confusion if you use this!" rumor. my child knows where the milk comes from. and i don't think it would matter if i had a funnel on my boob, she'd still eat from it. 

#5. get a good pump.

i don't know what would happen if you got a bad one. but invest. i don't pump a lot yet, but i did get one of the top ones through our insurance. which call them because apparently now they're covered, which is so wonderful! 

(medela breast pump)

#6. start a good netflix show.

sweet baby girl eats now every two to three hours, and nurses about twenty minutes on each side every feeding. that's a good forty minutes i've got...to just sit. so of course i turned to netflix. i'm watching gossip girl for the first time. 

#7. get an app.

this has made my life so much easier, and hello it's 2015. take advantage of technology. i have the BabyNursing app. the app lets you time each side you nurse on, and keeps track of everything for you. there's no guessing when baby ate last (because who has the brain space to remember anything right now), or which side you nursed on last. 

(actual picture of my app) 

#8. it's ok to bottle feed your baby instead. 

there is absolutely nothing wrong with bottle feeding your baby instead of breastfeeding. there so much that surrounds breastfeeding these days, and to be honest, i don't think it's helpful to moms that can't or choose not to breastfeed. because it's ok not to. your baby is going to grow up just as healthy and wonderful as a breastfed baby. and for those of you who think it's terrible to bottle feed and not breastfeed. quit being a bully to new moms. we all need to support each other. 

if you're a mama and have any tips please share! 

sleep / day four

if there's one thing i can be absolutely certain on right now, it's that mothers get magical powers the minute they give birth.

one of these powers is the ability to live life on the smallest number of hours of sleep. 

it's completely true what they say: you'll never sleep the same again. 

life with a newborn is hard but the hardest part is easily the lack of sleep. 

and here's a tip: do not be fooled by these little tricksters in the first few days. all they do is sleep. going through birth is a serious time for them too. but that wears off. so don't think you have the greatest newborn because of how much they sleep the first week you bring them home. 

we thought that. 

week two was toooootally different. 

baby girl eats about every two hours, which means little sleep in between feedings. 

i can't stress the sleep when they sleep enough. there will be plenty of time in the future to clean the house and do the laundry. for now, get someone else to do it.

you can never start a bed time routine early enough. sure its a bit harder when babies sleep so much, but it's important to have some sort of routine.

and again, this benefits mom and dad in the long run.

newborns are hard. and i know what you're thinking, "i just love my sleep."
which i do too.

but i love her more.

write 31 days.

i've done the whole #write31days before and failed at it big time. so it's actually comical that i'm giving it another go but with a newborn.

the thing is, i love to write. always have always will.
majored in english in college...not doing much with that, but who cares.
i love it. and to be honest i miss it a lot.

blogging has always been something special to me because no matter how many people read (or lets be honest, don't read) what i write, i'm fine with it because i'm just writing.

so i'm joining in on the challenge.

my topic: life with a newborn.

i know what you're thinking.
"megan. you've only had a new born for a like 35 days. what could you possibly know about it?"

truthfully. i know nothing. i'm making this all up as i go. but that's being a parent right? there's no manual.

but somehow next to me right now on a notebook are 31 things for me to write about. so there.

i'm actually pretty excited about this.

so here's to writing everyday for the next month.
or skipping some days and giving myself some grace.

also. for the next 31 days please enjoy pictures of my cute baby girl)