Breast Feeding Mommy Must Haves

Molly learning to sit with the help of her boppy!

I didn't have a lot of support in the beginning of my Breast feeding journey. There were a lot of things I had to figure out on my own. I didn't have anyone to turn to other then lactation specialist, google, and my husband. Lactation specialists can be your best friends. At least it feels that way in the beginning, you will be on the phone with them more then your actual BFF! Google can be your enemy! Googling things is great until you come across all of other peoples horror stories and worst case scenarios! Your one stop shop for all the best and most accurate info is kellymom.com even my doctor and lactation specialist told me about that site. It will help put your mind at ease. Husbands can be great to turn to, but they are helpless!! They don't mean to be but they really can't help you. They don't have milk squirting out of their chests after all! haha My husband was great at supporting my choices and trying his best to help me when I was frustrated and exhausted. He would run out and get me anything I needed.

 Here is a list of the items that worked best for me:

Medela Manual Pump- While I was waiting for my insurance to send me my pump I used a manual pump. When my milk came in I started to become so engorged that Molly couldn't latch properly. I used to hand pump to help relieve the pressure. Once I pumped some out Molly was able to latch better.

Medela Pump in Style- My insurance offered 3 brands of pumps. I chose this one simply based on my research and reccomendations from lactation consultants. I really loved it. It's very gentle and it gets the job done! It comes with everything you need including 4 ice packs to help keep your milk fresh when you are on the go. 

Medela Tender Care Lanolin- I did a review on this a few months back check it out here

Medela Disposable Breast Pads- you will definatly want some kind of breast pad!! Especially in the beginning, you will notice a lot of leaking. Breast pads are a must to avoid wet and stained shirts. Once I forgot my pads and went out to a huge family function and I leaked SOOO much I had no way to hide it. I am sure any brand will work, I have only used this brand but if you like another one let me know and I'll try it out.

Boppy Bare Naked Pillow- I love this pillow! It really helped me when trying to position Molly for feedings. I also used it for tummy time and to help catch her when she was learning to sit up. I had the cutest slip covers for it too. My favorite one was a lady bug design. It was just comfy and even being washed so many times it never faded or frayed. All the boppy products seem to be such great quality.

Nursing Bras- You will need a few options for accessible tops but a good bra is an absolute must! Its good to get a few different styles and colors.  I have at least 5 nursing bras, but my favorite is a racer back one my husband picked up for me. It's motherhood maternity and he got it in white. It doesn't go with everything because of the racer back style, but it is so comfortable and really makes me feel secure. It is also a little thicker material so if I ever forget my breast pads again it will hide the leaks!

I hope you found this helpful! I've linked you to all of these items below :)

I would love to hear from other mommas! Tell me what products are on your "must have" list.

  

August is Breast Feeding Awareness Month NOT Bash Other Mothers Month!

Some of you may or may not know that August is the month for Breast Feeding Awareness. I have been seeing some really great posts out there and some really horrible and mean ones! It is really sad to say that as women we can't just support one another. We are all on this journey of motherhood, and it's a hard journey! I am late to posting anything about Breastfeeding awareness month because of all of the negative I have been seeing. Not only has there been negative posts from non-breast feeders but some breast feeding mommas out there are completely rude and hurtful! How can we expect people to understand us and to normalize breast feeding when you're shoving it down their throat? To me it is completely unacceptable to treat anyone like they are beneath you. How dare we as mothers mock and judge someone for NOT breastfeeding? I am saddened by the number of comments I have read bashing bottle feeding and formula feeding mommas. Ladies, I am sorry to tell you that it just doesn't work that way. We need to support one another, as mothers. You can not demand respect if you are not going to give it.

I 100% support breast feeding and I feel that breast is best, but I refuse to make someone feel bad or less of a mother because they couldn't do it. Go back to the beginning of your breast feeding journey, remember how hard it was? Remember every time you have been judged? How did that feel? Not good! So please think before you put out something so hurtful!!!!

Breast may be best but it may not be for everyone, and that's OK! There are many reasons as to why someone may not breastfeed. We should support other peoples choices and not scare people away. Don't get me wrong I want to normalize breastfeeding just as much as most of you, but I also am a big supporter of supporting other mommas no matter how they choose to feed their child! 

With all that being said bottle/formula feeding mommas: I support you, all I ask in return is that you support me. I will not judge you so please do not judge me!  There is no greater love then that of a mother. There is no law that says a child is loved less by the way they are fed. As mothers and as women we need to stand together. I can only wish that the hate and judgement will stop.

Happy, healthy, and loved.

Tips for soothing Hand Foot Mouth

What the heck is Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease??!! My exact reaction a few months ago when hearing about friends kids contracting it!! Basically it is a viral infection that is WICKED contagious, and according to Molly's pedi they have been seeing an extraordinarily high number of kids with it this summer. It is mostly a summer condition, and targets children. It effects the little ones the most but adults can get it too!

The signs: Fever and blisters on hands, feet,and in and around the mouth. You may also see them in other places includin, inner thighs, bum, knees and nose.


Treatment: There really isnt anything that can be done for this other then trying your best to keep your baby as comfortable as possible because it is painful. The blisters in the mouth are the worst because it effects their eating habits. It is painful to swallow so often times they become dehydrated.

Here are the items that worked best for me: Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment-- I gave Molly an oatmeal bath 3 times a day and let her stay in just a diaper. It really helped when she was screaming in pain. She also had a hard time sleeping and after each bath she would be relaxed enough to fall asleep even if it was for a short while.
Motrin Infant Drops-- It helps with the fever and some of the discomfort. I noticed a change in her after a few minutes of taking her dosage. I used the 8 hr long lasting drops, but I did notice it starting to wear off around the 6 1/2 hour mark. I also switched to the dye-free because sometimes little ones like to spit! haha and its less messy!!!
Desitin Cream--Molly got some of the blisters on her bum, my usual diaper cream wasn't working. Our friend recommended desitin, so we picked some up and it works amazingly well.
Pedialyte-- It's always a good idea to keep this in stock when you have little ones. The painful blisters make it hard for them to suck a bottle and in molly's case breast. You do not want them to become dehydrated and end up in the ER!  My tip was to keep it extra cold and even freeze some. It's cold and soothing against the pain of the blisters. I also suggest keeping foods soft and cold. Molly did well with things like Sugar free jello, pudding, and ice creams. I also froze some of her yogurts and she loved it!

I highly recommend you keep these items on hand in your medicin cabinet at all times--not just for this but for any sickness that may go around. All of these items are multi-purpose and are just good to keep around. I hope this helps anyone else who gets hit with this nasty infection and don't forget the hand sanitizer!


You can find more info on hand, foot, mouth here

Review: Honest Company Diapers and Wipes

Okay! Here is my HONEST review of the Honest Company diapers and wipes.  I have always been very interesed in these diapers based on other reviews by Judy Travis (itsjudytime) and AprilAthena (apriljustintv). When it comes to mommy things they usually know whats up! So I finally decided to try it out. They offer a free trial on their products which is great, you just have to pay the shipping. The trial comes with 7 diapers and a trial pack of 10 wipes.

First of all, the diapers come in the most adorable designs for boys and girls and the trial came with an assortment. They let you pick the designs you like best if you decide to go with their bundles. Another plus is they claim to be "premium eco-friendly diapers" and we all could do a little more to help the environment right?

I took the diapers on a weekend trip to see how they would compare to my usual go to brand of PAMPERS.  I have to say, the absorbency is amazing! I found it to be a little bit more absorbent then the pampers swaddles, but non comparable to the pampers baby dry.  So far, I was loving them. Once it was time to change Molly's diaper I checked her skin for any reactions, and there was none. I took out the trial of wipes, and I wasn't too impressed. They were thinner, dryer, and a little rough compared to Pampers sensitive wipes. They were fine for number 1 but when it came to number 2,I found myself using more then i normally would, and they ran out quickly.

After changing Molly into the 2nd diaper, my enthusiasm for this brand started to dwindle. They kept falling off! No, they were not to big, but the Velcro tabs kept coming undone. A baby wearing a summer dress with her diaper just falling out the bottom was embarrassing. I put it back on and it just kept coming undone. I thought maybe that one was defective, so i changed her into another one. That one kept coming undone too! I was getting frustrated trying to figure out why that was happening, so I changed her again being super careful of how I put it on and sure enough that one kept coming undone too! Why are all these diapers not staying on? The first one didn't seem to have any issues. LIGHT BULB! I realized that while wearing the first one she was in her car seat for a long drive, for the others she was running around and wiggling and doing all things toddlers do. For me that just isn't going to work for me. I need something that will stay on and be able to move with her. I figure a lot of new time moms love them because newborns don't move like a 14 month old. I did a little more research and talked to some other moms and found i wasn't the only one having that issue.  So for now I will stick to my Pampers!

I had to call up Honest and cancel, because if you don't they will bill you and send you a bundle and your card will be charged $79. I explained my situation and the girl said that wasn't suppose to happen and there must have been some kind of defect. She did kindly offer to send me another trial which i declined. At this time I find it more effective and affordable to stay with Pampers.If I do decide to give the diapers another try TARGET carries them now, so I would just grab a pack from there. I am not completely opposed to trying other Honest products, in fact I have been hearing good things about their cleaning supplies. We are also in the very early stages of potty training, so maybe Honest training pants will also be an option for us.

Id love to hear other moms views on these brands. Did they work for you? Let me know below!

If you are interested in checking it out for yourself check out The Honest Company and get a free trial!
If you like it share with friends!

How I pack for a weekend away in New England

Before Molly packing was much lighter, but here is how i pack to take a 14 month old on a week end trip to the Cape! I hope this is useful for your next weekend trip!

The essentials: diapers wipes toiletries

I didn't feel the need to bring all full size soaps and lotions on the trip. I purchased these TSA approved toiletry bottles at Target for just a few bucks. I found it helpful and I love how it came with stickers to label each bottle and a little plastic zipper bag to keep everything all together.
TIP: you can actually use these for your diaper bag too. Use them as refillable containers for hand sanitizer, sunscreen etc.

I got a free trial  of The Honest Company diapers and wipes so I brought those along with our regular diapers and wipes
so I could do a trail and review (next post)

I like to lay everything out before it goes in the bag that way i dont forget anything I try to make sure I have enough
clothes for each day PLUS a" just in case" outfit  Because its New England and the weather can change in the blink of an eye, i like to have two pairs of shoes and sweater. I almost always pack a pair of long pants also.

FUN STUFF! Cape Cod has beautiful beaches and you can go on vacation and not
have some swimming fun! Here I packed a bathing suit and hat to shield from the sun, a towel, and of course a bucket and assortment of digging tools, because what kid doesn't love to play in the sand?! Or if you have a husband like mine who loves to build sand castles for his princess haha! Unfortunately it rained and we had no beach days, but our hotel (The Cape Codder Resort--highly recommend it!)  had an indoor wave pool that we checked out! Molly was not a fan of the waves but daddy really got to enjoy himself, especially with the two water slides they had!

My "Just in case bag" is all the things that I might need. Like Motrin, oragel, and diaper rash ointment. You can never be too careful when you have a teething toddler. Id much rather already have these items in my diaper bag then have to run out somewhere in the middle of the night, and possibly not be able to find them!

 I hope my quick and easy way to pack was helpful to you! Check out instagram to see some pics of our trip!

Boston heart walk 2014

Calling all kind hearted people!   In about 20 days I will be participating in the Boston Heart Walk to raise money for the American heart association.  

Why do I walk? I walk for my dad John. 

On January 19,1997 i turned 10 years old. That same day, I lost my father to a massive heart attack.  My entire world changed in the blink of an eye.  I remember that day so vividly and have terrible flashbacks of the moment my mom came in and said "dads gone".  Just like that? He was fine when we went to bed and then he was just gone? Now what?  Anger, hurt, sadness, and fear took over me.  A little helpless girl not knowing what to do.   There is nothing I can do to bring him back but, there are plenty of things I can do to keep his memory alive. Every year I walk this walk to do just that!  

To me my dad was everything.  He was awesome and cool and taught me some of the best things about life.  He was put on this earth to do great things and I believe he was taken to do even greater things. He'd give the shirt off his back to a stranger if they needed it.  Generous, kind, and extremely missed! 

Please help me in my efforts to stomp out heart disease and stroke by donating any amount that you can to the American heart association.  Team Sarchioni! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Your support is greatly appreciated!! 

Review: EarthsBest Wholesome Breakfast cereal

First of all I want to thank EarthsBest for letting me try these new hot cereals for tots.   Lately Molly has been very picky with her food, so I really wanted to find something to give her that was healthy and filling.  

These are the two flavors that we tried. 

Quinoa and brown rice-sweet potato and cinnamon and oat and brownrice- punpkin vanilla (both were delish! Yes, I ate some too!) 

We started off with the sweet potato one, no reason as to why it's just the one I grabbed.  I made it using the microwave instructions and it was very simple! 2 table spoons of cereal and 1/3 cup of water. Microwave and stir repeat.  Super super easy!  It does get VERY hot so be careful! It seems watery at first, but while it cools it will thicken a little. 

Molly was a little confused at first.  She wasn't sure if she liked it, and she spit out the first bite. I gave her another spoonful and she still wasn't sure.  Turns out my little miss independent just wanted to do it herself!  I gave her the spoon and she ate the entire bowl!  I was one proud momma!!  After that her belly was so full she took a 2 1/2 hour nap! Now, in this house naps that long are few and far between! Molly never naps longer then an hour, so I was able to get tons of stuff done and even take a shower longer then 5 mins without interruptions!  So for that I must thank you EarthsBest. THANK YOU!!!! ;) 

Tip: I sometimes mix in bananas or raisins for a nice treat! You could add in any fruit your little one likes. 

Now for the vanilla pumpkin: she refuses to eat it as is. I have to mix in a banana or raisins for her to eat it.  Even then she just picks them out and tried to eat around the cereal.  The bananas and raisins got coated in the cereal, so she still was warring it. I don't know if it's because she didn't like it or if she just felt like eating it that way.  She was still getti a good amount of the cereal but once she finished the fruits she left the rest in the bowl.  I tasted it to see if it was too strong, or maybe the texture but I thought it was yummy and I finished it for her haha!  

All in all I thought the products were good and Molly seemed to like them for the most part.  These are also the perfect breakfast for a New England morning.  Soon we will be approaching fall and our miserable winters and I know we will be stocking up things like these to have nice wholesome meals :) 

The only negative I could find was : there could be a wider selection of flavors 

For more information on these products and other products from EarthsBest you can go to their website www.earthsbest.com

Healthy snack options for toddlers on the go!

Happy August!!  This weekend we are heading to Cape Cod, and we are ao excited for our weekend away!  This will be a long ride for Molly, but we tried to plan it around her nap and feeding times.  Whenever I take her anywhere I always try and bring snacks.  I try to give her organic food as much as possible, so here are some quick and easy snack suggestions for a long car ride: 

You can never go wrong with fresh fruit, especially in the summertime!  I usually don't like the pre-cut fruits but Whole Foods never disappoints! Their fruit is always super fresh and sweet! The containers come in all different sizes too! Today I got watermelon (Molly's and mommys fav!), pineapple with coconut, and grapes (Molly's 2nd fav!). I find these to be a convenient choice for a road trip!

Another great option is raisins! These are a new snack for Molly and so far she really loves them!  They're just dried out grapes anyways!  There are a ton of health benefits and they will help with your little one if they are having a hard time going #2! 

Earths Best products are some of my favorites for Molly. She really enjoys their crackers, which I always try to keep on hand!  *will have a first impression and review of their new wholesome breakfast cereals coming soon!**

And of course I have plenty of water and some milk for her, and we will stop for a proper meal as well! 

Check back to see what's in Molly's weekend bag! How i pack for a weekend away in New England!