Beau-tiful Blessed
Living
I hope you enjoy this holiday season and keep Jesus the focus for you and your family! My kiddos are so excited to celebrate Jesus' birthday. We celebrate by baking a birthday cake and singing, "Happy Birthday" on Christmas day with our family.
If you use the countdown, make sure you tag @beautifulblessedliving over at Instagram or Facebook, and show me how you are using the countdown this Christmas season!
Merry Christmas!
Toddler Chore Chart
I hope that this chore chart inspires you to create one that works for your kiddo!
Feel free to use the one I found, or locate your own.
Also, make sure you tag @beautifulblessedliving over at Instagram or Facebook, and show me how you are using chore charts or to-do lists in your home!
Enjoy!
Pregnancy Must-Haves
So being pregnant for the first time has been a learning process for me. I've always been one of those women who never really thought about being pregnant before. Prior to meeting my husband, adoption was what I had planned on looking into when the time was right, well lets say plans change! I am now at the start of my third trimester with my first child, and I've learned some tips and tricks throughout this experience that I would love to share with all of you! If you have any tips or tricks you would like to add or suggest, please feel free to reach me through the contact tab! I would love to hear from you and add your tips and tricks to the post!
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1. Bio Oil & Lotion
I love using any moisturizing lotion of your choice (I personally love using the Aveeno lavender ultra calming lotion) and about 5 drops of Bio Oil mixed together everyday on my stomach area. The Bio Oil helps prevent and treat stretch marks while the lotion helps with the feeling of tight, dry skin.
2. Olly Prenatal Vitamins
You can use which ever prenatal vitamins that you prefer, but I found that the Olly brand (I purchased mine at Target) didn't make me feel sick, taste good, and were chewable. I opted for the chewable option since I had awful nausea for the entire first trimester and knew that swallowing a pill would not be an option for me.
3. Preggie Pops
If you suffer with nausea like I did for any amount of time, these will be your lifesaver! Now I tried Jolly Ranchers and other hard/sour candy to try to cope with the constant throwing up, but nothing worked as well as these did! They are completely worth all of the hype you see and read about on social media platforms. Don't hesitate if you are considering buying them, I only wish I had purchased these sooner!
4. U Shaped Body Pillow
Now I never thought I would need to use one of these. I always laughed and said that I'll just stick a pillow between my knees. I WAS WRONG! After about 2 months of not getting any sleep due to discomfort, I finally caved. I purchased my "U" shaped pillow off of Zulily, but you can find these all over online. I would recommend purchasing one online rather than in the baby stores. They tend to be over priced and not always the best quality. Now unfortunately my pillow seems to take up some room on the bed, but it has been a life saver. I've found that it helps relieve back pain, hip pain, supports my back and tummy, and even relieves heartburn. Save yourself the struggle and go and purchase one, you won't regret it!
5. Glow Nurture (Phone App)
I used the app prior to this that was used for tracking your monthly cycle and overall health, and really liked it. Once I found out I was pregnant I was on the search for the best pregnancy app that would help me track what I needed. This is when I found the app Glow Nurture. It is free and I believe it is available for Apple and Android. This app allows for you to track your daily symptoms, health, baby's growth and milestones, along with a community feature. I've found that it's super easy to use and navigate. There is also another app called Glow Baby that I plan on using after the baby is born. Overall, I would suggest this app as well as the What to Expect app if this is something you are interested in using!
Labor Must-Haves
Although my labor process wasn't exactly what I had planned for the 9 months I was pregnant, there were some important tips, tricks, and things I was glad I had packed. No matter how you plan on welcoming your precious baby into the world, labor is something that is amazing, painful, and above all, completely worth it! I hope you enjoy the tips, tricks, and items I found the most helpful and useful during my labor! Please feel free to share with us any tips, tricks, or items you found useful.
1. Breathing
Alright, I know what you're thinking...in and out, how hard can it be? Well when you start to get lost in the pain and stress your body is currently experiencing, somehow your breathing can get away from you. My husband and I attended birthing classes and they stressed the importance of breathing and why it helps with the labor process. It seems silly but I found that really focusing on my breathing allowed for me to think about something other than the pain I was experiencing. Now I ended up having a C-section after 18 hours of labor, but I can imagine focusing on breathing would benefit you during the "pushing" portion of labor as well.
Keep Calm and Breath!
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2. Essential Oils/Diffuser
One of the best things I did was bring my essential oils and diffuser to have in my room during labor and afterwards as well. Now there are a ton of different oils that you can use to help induce labor, help with contractions, help with relaxation, etc. The oil I used the most prior too, during, and after my labor was a mix of clary sage and lavender. Clary sage is supposed to help induce contractions and help the labor process along, while lavender helps with relaxation and calming. I use this postpartum as well at night for relaxation. I found that this did help during the labor process as far as relaxation and calming. After labor I was at the hospital for about 3 days since I had a c-section. I used lemon essential oil in my room to brighten up the smell and overall mood of the hospital room. During the stay almost every nurse and doctor that came into the room commented on how good it smelled in the room and made the comments that the room just felt so welcoming. I know that I am a big "smell" person when it comes to my home, and I found that this made the hospital room a little more "homey". Now one warning I have with this tip is during labor your senses may be heightened, including your sense of smell. Some people get very sensitive to smell, so just make sure you are able to shut off the diffuser. Another tip is I would avoid placing the oils on clothes, skin, etc., since you aren't always able to remove the smell if you become sensitive.
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3. Clothing
I read so many conflicting articles on whether or not I should bring my own clothes, robe, slippers, etc. Some people said to avoid doing it since you don't want your clothes to be ruined. Others said bring clothes you are comfortable in so you don't have to wear that drab hospital gown the whole time. I decided I would bring my own comfortable clothes, robe, pjs, and crocs (not slippers). I was so happy that I decided to do this, especially since my stay at the hospital was longer than I had anticipated. Here is a list of things I chose to bring with me:
* Nursing Bras: I bought a 2 pack at Target (black and tan). They were a sports bra style and would be comfortable to wear to sleep in as well. I would highly recommend bringing these, especially if you plan on breast feeding your newborn.
* Underwear: Now my friend had recently had a baby and she recommended that I purchase a pack of boy brief cotton underwear, you know the kind that you haven't worn since elementary/middle school. I thought this was silly, but was thankful that I brought them with. They were comfortable, fit with the pads they make you wear, and if they get ruined, I just threw them away! Genius!
* Robe: I purchased a black cotton robe from Target and this was one of the best things I had packed. This was perfect! It was comfortable, allowed for some coverage but was still realistic for nurses to check vitals, etc.
* Crocs: Now I know these are the most fashionable footwear, but they were perfect for the hospital. I HATE those hospital socks they make you wear, with the grips on the bottom. Now I chose to bring my crocs because my feet could fit in them no matter how swollen they got, they had grips (hospital requirement), and they were slip on. I would recommend bringing your own shoes/slippers so that you don't feel you need to wear those socks the whole time you are there.
Overall I was happy that I brought my own clothes from home. I felt more comfortable and more myself. For some reason when I wear that hospital gown I feel sick, I know, it's a mental thing, but I was glad to have my things from home. Plus, there is this thing called a wash machine that can take care of things if they get caught in the crossfire of labor! No worries!
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4. Birth "Plans"
Now while you are pregnant the hospital has you fill out a "birth plan". In my opinion they should call this a "birth suggestion". The word plan is too concrete and in a lot of cases, labor doesn't go the way you "plan". In fact my labor went nothing like my birth plan, which is okay, but I had to get over the fact that it wasn't going to go the way I had planned. If you fill one of these out, just keep an open mind about how things may go during your labor process.
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5. Visitors
Having a baby is very exciting, and everyone who loves you wants to be a part of it! This can mean that you have a room full of people or constant visitors while at the hospital. Don't be afraid to ask for some private time with you and your spouse, or just by yourself if you need it. Rest is extremely important and sometimes that's hard to do when you have a constant flow of people wanting to visit. People will understand if you don't want visitors or want some private time with just your family. I loved having my family there, but I also enjoyed the time that I had with just my husband and newborn, especially right after giving birth to our son. There will be plenty of time for everyone to love on your baby, don't be afraid to let people know what you want when it comes to visitors.
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These are just a few tips and tricks that I thought I would share that helped me during my labor. I hope you find them helpful and I would love to know if you have any tips and tricks you would like to share!
Good luck to all you future mamas heading into labor, try to enjoy the process as much as possible, and remember you are just moments away from meeting your precious baby!