Sweet Orange Fox

If you are like me, you can't get on Facebook these days without seeing another pregnancy or birth announcement...there must be something in the air! When I was pregnant, I remember researching all of the baby must-have lists and hospital bag packing lists, but even with all that preparation I was still sending Matt out to the store a few times a day in those first couple of weeks after having Trent. It turned out that while we had everything under the sun baby-wise, I was majorly lacking in the mommy-care department! I started putting together a list of items I wish I had had on hand (and things I hadn't seen on other lists) upon returning home to share with friends who were approaching their own deliveries. And with all of the mommies-to-be out there now, I hope this will make your lives *slightly* easier after delivery. 

• Nursing Bras - After much trial and error, these nursing bras ended up being the best.things.ever. I still wear them now, even after weaning. I bought several of the kinds with clips, the cute ones, the wired ones similar to normal bras, etc before actually delivering, and all of them were complete garbage and totally not practical for me. The shape of the wired ones is not made for engorged, sore boobs..and who really wants to wear a wired bra when you don't have to? The clip ones were not actually as easy or convenient as they seemed in theory, and the cute ones...well..there is nothing cute about those first few weeks of trying to breast feed. These nursing "sports bras" were seriously a lifesaver. They come in a 2-pack, and I think I ended up with four 2-packs (p.s. they also come in zebra..so you can have a LITTLE bit of sex appeal...ha!). Anyway, I always put these forth as my number one "must purchase" recommendation for mom-to-be friends. They are SO comfortable, SO easy and SO convenient. Buy them, seriously.  

•  Fiber Wafers - TMI alert: There is no such thing as TMI post-delivery. After having an epidural, tons of medicine and little sleep, your body just gets totally out of whack on so many levels. I won't go into detail, but save yourself some suffering and put some extra fiber in your diet right away! I ate a packet of these wafers with every meal and even as a snack in between. They are actually really tasty and make it much easier and more pleasant to get your fiber than choking down any more prune juice than you absolutely have to. The cinnamon spice flavor was my favorite. They are a little tricky to find sometimes, but I could tell you exactly where to look in Target (shock). Check in the pharmacy/medicine section with the other fiber and dietary supplements/vitamins/etc. 

•  Prune Juice - Pretty much the same idea as above, but the prune juice is much stronger (more effective) and packed with fiber. Directions: Mix 3 parts prune juice with 1 part ginger ale (as cold as possible, ice cubes recommended), hold nose, chug as fast as you can. Repeat if you can stand it!

•   TUCKS Pads - Okay...so this whole post is starting to get a little TMI, but like I said...there is no such thing once you reach this point! Anyway, almost every hospital will start you using Tucks pads (or something similar) and usually send you home with some. I ended up needing two full extra jars of them over the next couple of weeks, and I felt terrible sending Matt out for yet another semi-embarrassing/hard to find/even harder to ask for item. I wish I had stocked up beforehand! They worked wonders for soothing painful stitches.

•  Dermoplast - Mark my words, you NEED this! My hospital had me start using it immediately and sent me home with the rest of the can, but I ended up running out and buying another within days. You know that feeling you get when you finally reach that part of the roller coaster waiting line at Six Flags where you get to stand under the misters in the middle of summer? Yea..this is like that. Cool, soothing mist/spray that does amazing things for soreness, suture pain and burning post-delivery. I couldn't get enough. I thought it was pretty standard, but several other friends who delivered elsewhere hadn't gotten any until I told them about it, and they loved it as much ore more than I did! Super easy to find at Target, Walgreens, etc.

•  Lanolin - By now, you probably have already heard the praises of Lanolin, and they are no joke. The first several days of breastfeeding were fine, and I thought I was Super Woman. "What are all these people talking about? This is easy and painless!" But all of the sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks...cracked, bleeding, insanely sore nipples. It was awful. Cue the Lanolin to save the day. You don't even have to rinse it off before the next feeding which makes it ultra convenient. I could literally tell the difference if I skipped it just ONCE, and it wasn't pleasant. After about six weeks I finally adjusted, had no pain with BFing and didn't need it anymore, but I went through at least two tubes before that point.

• Nursing Gel Pads - Again, in the beginning I thought everyone was crazy and that I would never need any of those nursing accessories, but I was so wrong. It got to the point where I could barely get in the shower because my nipples were so sore, and I knew I had to cave and get some help. I sent Matt out on a mission, and he chose these pads which were incredible. Go, hubby! They are a little pricey for only a few uses, so I saved them for the worst of times, but it would have been nice to have a set or two on hand before I reached the breaking point. I wish I had registered for them, in fact! Anyway they go in the fridge and feel amazeballs when you wear them. Although I think I would have put frozen-anything in my bra at that point. I never knew what "toe-curling" pain really meant until about week 3.5 of BFing...when my toes would quite literally curl up because it hurt so bad. Yikes! The disposable breast pads were essentially in the beginning too for leaking, but these are for the soreness.

(Note: This was made with a v-delivery in mind..many of these things wouldn't be necessary after a C-section. Also..this is just a FRACTION of the things I used, but most of the other things - pads, etc- were sent home with me from the hospital)

Let's face it...having a baby ain't pretty! It is amazing how much care and maintenance is involved for the mom afterwards, in addition to all the baby care. I still don't know how people did it hundreds of years ago..  

Don't get discouraged, though! There were days I felt like I would NEVER get back to normal. You will, though! I promise! Maybe a "new" normal, but some form of normal nonetheless. These products are just some of many that will help you get there a little more quickly and comfortably..start stocking up now!

In other news...the patio is finished! Just in time for tons of rain and a cold front, boo! Pictures and updates to come!

And our giveaway is STILL going on!! Don't forget to start following the blog to be entered to win!! 

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