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Taking The Day One Spoon At a Time

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Prepping For Breastfeeding a New Baby

March 20, 2020 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Prepping to breastfeed your new baby can mean a variety of different things to different moms. New moms often feel lost and overwhelmed by everything that is out there. Even seasoned moms can feel overwhelmed by everything that is out on the market for nursing moms. It has been 3 years since I have shopped for breastfeeding supplies and I have done a lot of research as to what I will need this time around.

A Good Breast Pump

A good breast pump is a must have item for any new mom that plans to be away from their baby for an extended period of time. Most US health insurance plans offer a variety of different breast pump options for free. If you are low income and are on WIC this is also another way you can try to get a breast pump. I would recommend picking one with a closed system as those are easier to clean. In addition to an electric breast pump you might want to look into a manual hand pump or something like the Haakkaa breast milk collector. This works great to catch milk off of the free boob while the baby nurses on the other side. 

Milk Storage Bags

If you are pumping then you will want to look into milk storage bags. I liked the Kiinde Twist bags when I had my son 3 years ago because they stand up nicely. If you aren’t planning on having a big milk stash in the freezer then I would recommend these because you can pump directly into the bags with ease. However, if you plan on having a freezer stash I suggest you choose bags that freeze flat to help conserve space in your deep freezer. There are a lot of different breast milk storage bags on the market so you will want to do your research to see which ones work best for you. I liked the Lansinoh bags. For freezing your milk flat you will also want to look into the MAMMaway Freeze It Flat. I would recommend splurging and getting the double version so that you can freeze two at a time. If you will be pumping a lot then you might even want to invest in more than one of these to help speed up the freezing process.

Baby Bottles

Most people think of baby bottles for formula fed babies, but these are important to have if you plan to be away from baby at any time. We tried a million different baby bottles with my son and this time around we are going to try some different ones again. The Comotomo bottles are highly rated as great bottles for nursing children as they help to mimic the shape of the boob. We will also be trying the Evenflo Feeding Proflo Venting Balance bottles.

Nursing Pillow

A good nursing pillow is ideal for at home nursing because a nursing baby gets heavy after a few minutes. So, if you plan to nurse sitting up I recommend getting a nursing pillow. There is quite the variety of nursing pillows out there. I used the Boppy Nursing Pillow with my son, but I am looking into a couple of other options this time around. The Boppy was a little snug on me last time so I want to see if there is something that will fit around my plus sized curves better this time around.

Filed Under: Featured, Parenting Tagged With: Baby, Breastfeeding, Mother, Parenting, Pregnancy, Tips

Second Pregnancy Woes for the Disabled Mom

July 15, 2019 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Getting pregnant when you have a little one in the home can be a very exciting adventure, but as a disabled mom it does come with it’s own worries. While I have figured out ways to adapt and care for a child on my own (when I have to be alone); I haven’t figured out how to handle two children on a daily basis. There are many new fears that come with being pregnant and bringing another life into our family.

Caring for a toddler while pregnant.

The first big fear is casting for my three year old son as the pregnancy progresses. Will he step up and start climbing into his car seat without being lifted or will I still need to carry him? I know the third trimester is the hardest for me and during that time I’m afraid I’ll struggle to lift and carry him when it’s needed.

All I can hope for is that I can continue to do everything like normal and hope that on the days that I’m struggling my son will notice and help make things a little easier for me.

Traveling with Two Kids

I am not afraid of going anywhere when I have someone with me, but I’m afraid of what it will be like to get around with two little ones. Do I need a double stroller? Will my son cooperate when Baby is being held and he has to walk or ride in the cart?

I know most moms worry about these things, but I worry a little extra because I know I can’t chase down my toddler on a normal day and definitely won’t be able to do it with a baby in tow.

Bring on the new adventure!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Disabled, Family, Maternity, Pregnancy, Toddler

I’m Pregnant with Baby 2 or 3… Depending on How You Look at it.

May 6, 2019 by Ashley Leave a Comment

You may have seen on social media that we announced a new pregnancy! We are very excited to add another baby to our family. Raiden couldn’t be more excited and neither could we. This pregnancy wasn’t planned, but doesn’t change anything for us.

Baby Coming November 2019!

I’m pregnant with baby 2

We are excited that this time around we are a bit more prepared. (Kind of a given after you have already raised a baby into toddlerhood.) We own our own house, have the space for a second child and already have a decent amount of baby items from when Raiden was born. Of course because I love to help other moms some of our stuff isn’t currently in our possession, but that’s okay! I know many other babies are getting to use some great products in the meantime.

Definitely be on the look out of tons of baby content coming because I may only be 8 weeks pregnant, but all I have on the brain is BABY, baby, baby! And that means I’ll be pulling out all of my favorite baby products to share with you all. This will include products for all parents as well as products that are especially useful for physically handicapped parents like myself. If you have any specific concerns feel free to leave them in the comments so that I can try to bring them up in future articles.

Is this baby 2 or baby 3?

My biggest question this time around is whether this baby should be called baby 2 or baby 3. I keep asking myself this question when talk with other moms in moms groups because as a family this is our second child, but realistically there is another little one out there that is a part of our extended family. She was born in my arms, but is being lovingly raised by another amazing woman that feels like a sister to me. We do view her as Raiden’s sister and loved being able to have them finally meet last month. So what would you say?

What do you think, is this baby 2 or baby 3?

Filed Under: Family, Featured Tagged With: Family Expansion, Family Life, Multiple Kids, Parenting, Pregnancy

Free Breast Pumps – Not Really Free for Everyone

January 19, 2017 by Ashley Leave a Comment

(Edit: Most of this piece was written before the birth of my son, but somehow went unpublished until now.)

As many pregnant women have found out the Affordable Health Care Act made it possible for women to get a free breast pump through their health insurance.  Unfortunately, there are loop holes so that not all women can actually get a free breast pump through their insurance.  Some insurance companies are grandfathered into the Affordable Health Care Act and are not required to actually include this option in their insurance plans.  For someone like me who is on Medicare there is no coverage what so ever.  I tend to blame it on the fact that Medicare was made as an insurance for the elderly versus one for people of all ages, but really I don’t know the official reason as to why it is not covered through Medicare.  In addition to Medicare I do have Medicaid due to my low income from being on disability.

Medicaid does cover my pregnancy though when it comes to getting a breast pump covered by insurance they make you jump through a million hoops.  Based off of everything that I read and have been told it could take months to actually get a breast pump through them because they like to deny them as much as possible.  I assume it is because breast pumps are so very expensive and they are already paying out for all of your other medical expenses which adds up very fast while one is pregnant.  In order to get approval for a breast pump through my insurance I have to prove that my child cannot breast feed and I cannot manually pump milk from my own breast.  Everything is black and white to them.  That is why I was so very thankful when Medela stepped up to the plate and offered me one of their breast pumps to review.  Before I move on to tell you about the breast pump that I received from them I wanted to share with you that you can look up your insurance on Medela’s website to see just what breast pump is actually covered for you.

Medela Freestyle Breast Pumps

As you know breast pump’s are not cheap and the Medela Freestyle Breast pump Deluxe Set is not any different.  To purchase one out of pocket it costs $429.00 according to Medela’s website, but if you scour the internet you can often find it a little bit cheaper.  I personally always check Amazon prices before I make a big purchase because I might be able to save a little bit of money.  This set comes with additional accessories so that you do not have to but them separately.

What’s Included

  • 1 – Freestyle pump
  • 1 – Lithium ion battery – rechargeable
  • 1 – AC adaptor/charger
  • 1 – Double pumping kit – includes: (2) breast shield bodies, membranes and back caps, (1) set of tubing
  • 1 – Set of 24mm and 27mm PersonalFit Breastshields
  • Instructions

Additional contents within the Freestyle Breast pump Deluxe Set

  • 4 – 5oz/150mL breast milk bottles and lids
  • 1 – Portable microfiber carry bag
  • 1 – Medela cooler system including cooling element
  • 1 – Free Easy Expression Bustier voucher (redeemable at medelabreastfeedingus.com)

This kit does come with many accessories though you might still need to purchase some more for you to use.  While the kit comes with both a set of 24mm and 27mm Breastshields you might need a different size depending on the size and shape of your breasts and nipples.  In addition to possibly needing a different size for your breastshields you will need to redeem your Easy Expression Bustier voucher if you want to be able to do some hands free pumping.   The Easy Expression Bustier is similar to a strapless sports bra that wraps around your torso.  The difference is that this one has two holes in front that will hold the breastshields in place while you pump so that you do not need to hold them up to your breasts.  They don’t provide you with one in the box to ensure that you get the right size for you.

I am loving Medela thus far and everyone I know that has used breast pumps has told me that I would want a Medela pump because they are top of the line.  After doing even more research I came across their breastfeeding guidance; if you are like me and this is your first time breastfeeding you will want to do as much research as you can before the baby arrives.  I plan to know as much as I can about breastfeeding as well as pumping to make transitions between the two even easier.

What breast pump do you use?

Filed Under: Family, Featured, Parenting, Review Tagged With: Breastfeeding, Infant, Infant formula, Pregnancy

The Unexpected Perk to Setting up a New Baby Nursery

December 20, 2015 by Ashley Leave a Comment

As my pregnancy rounds its final bend I am feeling overwhelmed with holiday festivities, an upcoming baby shower, and setting up the perfect new baby nursery before my little man arrives.  In order to to get a grip on my own stress levels I have been trying to find the positive things in this whole mess.  It is easy to see the perks to holiday festivities and my upcoming baby shower, but I have had to delve deeper to find the perks to setting up a new baby nursery while knowing that I am a perfectionist and I am limited on what I can physically do at this point.

Staying Positive While Being Stressed

I am used to having physical limitations so you would think that I could handle pregnancy limitations, but they have been harder for me to accept than I ever thought they would be.  I cannot lift much weight at all due to even more severe balance issues due to the large belly that is protruding in front of me.  This is causing me to feel even more stressed about life and everything that I need to get done.  I find myself easily falling into a deep hole, but manage to pull myself out before I really delve into feeling depressed.  My most recent realization in the positive realm has been in regards to setting up the new baby nursery in our home.

Baby Nursery

My Baby Nursery Realization

My realization has been that not only am I setting up the perfect little nursery for my little man, but also that in setting up the nursery it is also giving us the opportunity to do a little mid winter spring cleaning.  The room that we are turning into the new baby nursery happens to also be the storage room here in our house.  This means that I am having to go through all of my possessions and cut out what I do not need or do not use any more because we need to free up space in the attic for some of my mother-in-laws possessions that are in the storage room.

I wish that it was warm out because we would be able to sell so many of our possessions in a garage sale, but that is not really possible in the middle of winter.  If you happen to be lucky enough to be pregnant in the spring and summer months I would recommend going through your possessions like I am and hosting a garage sale to rid yourself of many of these possessions.  Seeing as we cannot hold a garage sale we are first checking with family to see if they could use or need any of our possessions before we donate them so that someone else can use that which we do not need or have the space for in our small home.

Filed Under: Baby, Family, Featured, Pregnancy Tagged With: Baby, Family, Pregnancy

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