Milkies | Review and Giveaway!

Warning: you are about to read a post about breast feeding.  Don't say I didn't warn you (men).

When I read about this product, I was immediately intrigued.  There are certain things people just don't tell you about pregnancy or motherhood and you learn as you go.

Which reminds me, are any of you interested in a mini-series of "What People Don't Tell You" in regards to those things?  I've been thinking it would have been convenient for me to have read before embarking on this journey.

One of those things is that when your breasts become full of milk, they will often leak.  I swear its like they sense the baby or something.  He cries.  They leak.  I look at him lovingly.  They leak.

I did not realize (due to good nursing pads) that while I am nursing on one side, the other side is continuously leaking as well.  No big deal - there's a nursing pad there.  Until you realize how much milk is leaking out and just being absorbed by that pad.

Breast milk is liquid gold.

That's where the Milk Saver comes into play!  While nursing on one side, you wear the Milk Saver inside your bra on the other side and it collects any leaking milk while you nurse.  What seems like such a simple concept, has been an amazing tool for me!  In one day I can collect 1-2 ounces of breast milk just from leaking.  That's half a bottle right now!

Milkies also sent me a Milkies Freeze to review and giveaway.  This thing is genius.  It organizes your frozen, bagged milk based on a first in, first out system.  It freed up a lot of space in my freezer and took out the guessing game when it came to figuring out which milk needed to be used up first.  Let's face it, even with good labeling, things can become disorganized or lost in a freezer.

Not just that, the Milkies Freeze also has a quick freeze feature.  You put your milk in the freezer bag and then set it on the metal plate atop the freezer for seconds and it is frozen and ready to put into the organizer.  Like I said, genius!  

So, Milkies has agreed to give away a Milk Saver and a Milkies Freezer!  There will be two winners: one will get the saver, one will get the freezer.  Sign up below via Rafflecopter so that you can be entered to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hubby's Hospital Bag

Since sharing what I frantically packed into my hospital bag, several of you have asked what I packed for hubby.

I have to admit, I didn't even realize I needed to pack him a bag until one of my friends mentioned it a week or two before CT arrived.  I guess I was just so concerned with what we needed for baby that I hadn't really thought about the fact that my husband would be at the hospital for days/nights, too!

Here is what we found useful:

daddy hospital bag by coachgaines featuring black tote bags

1. iPad, chargers, and earbuds: Daddy will need some entertainment while you play the waiting game and earbuds will help him sleep through nurse checks.

2.  Camera: Document everything!  So glad hubby took all those pictures.

3.  Comfortable Layers: He is going to want to be comfortable and able to add or take off layers based on room temperature.  Not to mention, he will need shorts to sleep in.

4.  Toiletries: What your man uses on a daily basis - bring it!  Whatever effect the hospital environment is having on you and your skin, it is also having on him.  He wants to be just as comfortable as you do.

5.  Slippers: It's nice to be able to slide your feet in and out of a cozy pair of slippers to go to the restroom, get the nurse, or hit up the vending machines.

Hospital Bag: What you really need.

So...since CT surprised us 5 weeks early, there were many things that I still had to cross off my to-do list.  When I woke up and realized it was all happening at that moment, I quickly scurried to throw together a hospital bag for me and for my husband.

I had actually packed CT's bag earlier that week.  However, I threw the outfit we wanted to carry him home in into the washer before leaving the house - you'll hear more about that when I share his birth story.  What a whirlwind that day was!

Anyway, since I had been over-thinking the whole hospital bag thing for weeks and hadn't put one together yet for myself or hubby (don't forget to pack him a bag, ladies - he needs one!) I literally threw one together for each of us in less than an hour.  I didn't really have time to stress about whether or not I had everything necessary - I just threw in what I thought was needed.

This is what I learned:

hospital bag essentials by coachgaines featuring a neck pillow

All those lists and graphics I found on Pinterest didn't actually come in handy when it came to packing my bag.  I threw in what I could think of while I was waiting for hubby to get home from work to take me to the hospital.  Turns out, I had everything I needed with the exception of a few things he ran to Target for while I was in the hospital.

1. Neck pillow: I grabbed this at the very last minute on our way out the door totally unsure of whether or not it was necessary.  It was a life saver!  I used it up until it was time to push.

2.  iPad: I actually read blogs up until I was about 5 cm dilated.  It kept me entertained and occupied while we played the waiting game.

3.  Slippers: You want something that slips on and off easily.

4.  Hair ties: Need I say more?

5.  Yoga pants and sweatshirt: To go home, you want something stretchy and loose.  You can't be sure what your body is going to be like when leaving the hospital and if you're anything like me, your body will retain so many of the fluids they pump into you.  (I would suggest some really loose fitting shoes - my feet were so swollen I couldn't tie my sneakers.)

6.  Moisturizer and Cleansing wipes: The hospital is so dry.  I think I moisturized my face at least twice a day.  And even after showering, you don't feel clean for long so the wipes (hubby picked these up for me while I was there) really helped me to feel semi-clean.

7.  Water bottle: This is probably the most important thing to bring.  Blame it on the dryness of the hospital, the lack of sleep, or the breast feeding, but you are thirsty.  The staff at my hospital was awesome at keeping my water jug full and this water bottle helped to keep it cold and prevented me from spilling on babe or myself while laying in bed.

The last pregnant pictures...

I'm not going to lie...I think I'm going to miss being pregnant.

Toward the end, I admit, it got rough, but it was really a pleasant experience.

Sweater: Abercrombie via Plato's Closet, Tee: Liz Lange, Skirt: Banana Republic (similar), Shoes: Blowfish via Marshall's, Necklace: Silpada (similar)

Being able to feel baby growing and moving and resting throughout the day was an amazing feeling.

There were obviously some hardships throughout pregnancy and a lot of restrictions,

but they didn't bother me much.  Nothing could really trump the fact that I had a healthy baby boy growing inside of me.

Sometimes I forget that I'm no longer pregnant and I do things that I did or I don't do things I didn't do while I was pregnant.

Like, the other night rather than rolling from my stomach to my side, I literally did a 360 in the bed to get where I wanted to be.

Or when I attempted to balance my bowl of lasagna on my stomach only to realize there was no stomach to balance it on.  Can't be too mad about that.

Sometimes, even, I forget that I can fit through narrower spaces now - there isn't that belly there protruding and bumping into people or things.

Letter to my {Post-Partum} Body

Last May I wrote a letter to my body in which I apologized for the way I treated it.  At the time, I wasn't aware I was pregnant nor did I truly appreciate all that my body was about to do.  Since delivering CT, I decided to write a new letter to my body:

Almost 36 weeks pregnant and in labor with our beautiful boy

Dear Body (After Baby),

You amaze me.  You did something I never thought you could - even though I know women's bodies are made to do what you did, I really truly didn't believe you could do it...until you did.  And you did it so well.

When we started this journey I was so judgey of you.  I ridiculed every little inch to pinch and unwanted curve.  Little did I know those were just your way of prepping for baby incubation.

I must admit, I underestimated you.  You win.  You rock!

For almost 9 months you allowed me to carry on as though everything was normal even though I was carrying an extra 35+ pounds on my front side, my back side had lost all its muscle tone, and you even supported me while I continued to run until 31 weeks of pregnancy.  In an of itself, that was monumental.  How strong you are - I had no idea!

What I'm trying to say is, thank you.  Thank you for bringing my miracle into this world.  Thank you for giving me the ability to be a mom - it is truly the greatest gift of all.  Not all bodies were created equal and not everyone has one that supports a growing baby quite like you did.  I'm so blessed and it makes me so angry that I ever had second thoughts about you before.

From here on out, I promise to take care of you.  Each day I will appreciate you and be thankful for the changes you allowed to happen in order to bring me my greatest joy.  I promise not to judge, ridicule, or belittle you.  And while I'm at it, I promise not to put you through the turmoil of stepping on the scale each day or staring at all angles in the mirror for minutes on end.

I will value you and all that you are capable of.  I will appreciate your strength, durability, and flexibility.  I will not forget how far you have gone and how well you bounced back.  I will love you - every little bit of you.

Thank you.  I owe so much to you.

Love,
Me

Ready to go home; 2 days post-partum

Winning Belly Looks

Since the majority of 2013 was spent pregnant for me, I thought I would go back through and share my favorite outfits I pulled together over the course of the (almost) 9 months I was with belly.

Do you have a favorite?

P.S. Happy 2014!

Unedited

These photos are unedited (as if you couldn't tell).  I'm still adjusting to mommy-hood and sometimes, life is messy. It's not an easy transition even when you do get to stay home 24/7.  

You can also see that these pictures were taken pre-baby.  I'm almost 9 months pregnant here.

Remember when I told you how my wardrobe was getting extremely limited, my shoe selection in particular?  Well, this is what I typically wore to school the last week (or three) of pregnancy.

It was comfortable and it fit my fat, swollen feet.

Sweater: Motherhood Maternity, Vest: GAP (old, similar), Pants: thrifted, Shoes: Dansko

I got these pants early on in my pregnancy and joked to my mom that I may never get to wear them because they were so big for me when I bought them.  Ha.

I found them in Goodwill with the tags still on them for $3.75.

I started to think twice about this post and whether or not it was okay to share unedited photos and the fact that I haven't posted consistently in two weeks because, as of yesterday, that's how old CT is.

Then I thought, you know...

we need to see the unedited version of life once in a while.

So much of what is on Pinterest and what I see on blogs and Instagram is edited.

And it can make you feel a little intimidated or flare up the green-eyed monster if you aren't careful.

What we typically share on here is the good stuff - not the bad.  We don't like rehashing the bad so why would we document it?  So, I've made a decision just now that I'm going to be brave enough to share all of it...the edited and unedited versions.

My Favorite Year

I had thought that 2013 would be a good year, but if I'm being honest, I was ready for it to end so that 2014 could hurry up and get here.  I knew I would start 2014 with a bang and that it would quickly become the best year of my life.  2013 surprised me though - a good surprise - the best surprise.

Looking back, I have a feeling this year will forever be my all-time favorite.  

All the best things happened this year:

I'm sure many things happened in January and February that were memorable, but they just don't hold a candle to the rest of the year so I don't have much to share except a few of my favorite blog posts from those 2 months on evolving,  being a Proverbs 31 wife (and Sara Horn commented on my post!), one of my favorite outfits, and a letter to future teachers.

The rest of the year is what made it my favorite:

We visited Charleston for a week over spring break.

I completed Whole 30 and a green smoothie challenge.

We celebrated what we thought was just any other Mother's Day by taking the dogs to a new-to-us park; little did we know I was pregnant in this picture.

June 21, 2013 was the first day I got to hear my little man's heartbeat, see his sweet face, and fell in absolutely love with the best part of both, my husband and me.

We spent a week at the beach with my parents and then I went home with them for another 2 weeks.

While there, my belly continued to grow and we got more and more excited.

My husband was overjoyed when we found out we were having a boy.

I was given the awesome opportunity to team up with ForTwoFitness

I was blessed to finish my Master's degree in time so that I wouldn't take any classes after CT arrived and in plenty of time to receive master's pay.

We went apple picking and hubby made a huge effort to plan special dates before we became 3.

We went home for Thanksgiving and my mom and best friend threw us a shower.  It was awesome to see my family and friends.  They always make me feel so loved.

I was supposed to graduate December 13.  Instead, I woke up the morning of December 12 to find that my water was broken almost 5 weeks early.

December 12, 2013 at 9:22 p.m. we welcomed CT into the world and that, my friends, made 2013 the best year ever!

Thank you so much for being a part of my year; for sharing in my triumphs and stumbles and showing me your grace and love.  I have a feeling 2014 is going to be so much fun as we watch CT grow and mold us into parents.