By hook or by Nook, get your hands on the right pregnancy book

The moment I found out I was pregnant, my first thought after “Holy shit, I’m going to have a baby--EEEK!” was “I need a book about pregnancy!” I wanted an authoritative yet not condescending companion to guide me through each stage of my pregnancy. The book should be able to answer the bulk of my questions so that I wasn’t calling my doctor every other day but not give me so much detail that I would lose sleep worrying about unlikely scenarios. My goal was to educate myself so that I didn’t worry about every little pinch and poke, and also so that I knew what to ask my physician during my appointments. As far as I could tell, there was no perfect book, so I ended up with four books, all of which supplemented each other. 



If you’re a book nerd like me and are looking for a good read while you put up your swollen feet, here are my thoughts on some good (and some mediocre) titles:

Down the yellow brick road of breast milk donation

After my little guy switched to amino acid formula due to his multiple protein allergies, I had over 200 ounces (about 6.5 quarts) of breast milk sitting in my freezer, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Over the months, I had painstakingly pumped and saved my breast milk to feed him during the two days a week he goes to the baby sitter’s house and for any other occasion that might separate us during a feeding. I also pumped because I overproduced milk, which I later learned was probably because I was pumping too much (more on that vicious cycle later). In the back of my head, I had hoped that even when I weaned Baby from the breast, he could still receive breast milk for several weeks, but alas, we all know how that story ended.

I wanted some good to come from all the late night pumping, tedious washing of parts, and time spent with the awkward bugle horns suctioned to my chest, so I started looking into breast milk donation. I first checked out Helping Hands Milk Bank (http://www.helpinghandsbank.com), a national milk bank, but ended up abandoning that endeavor. Do I want to help premature infants? Sure I do. Do I want to help support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure effort. Absolutely. Do I want to go through a multi-phase process that feels like the equivalent of taking the SATs? Not really. Call me a bad person not following through, but here’s what you have to do to donate:

Survival tips for the home-sweet-homebound

I’m a freelance writer and editor, which means that I make all of my money sitting at a desk in my home office.  I’m also a stay-at-home mom. In short, I get the best of both worlds. I have the privilege of changing all of the diapers and making goofy faces all day at my adoring peanut while maintaining my career in publishing. I work part-time, and I can control the amount of work on my plate, so I will be the first to say I am pretty darn lucky. But balancing these two huge responsibilities is quite a feat, and I’m still getting used to it. 


Even before I had my son, I knew that I wanted to work, but I also wanted to be at home. Thankfully, I chose a career that lets me do both. However, staying at home with the baby and working from home means that some days I don’t cross the threshold of the front door, and the only conversations I have are with a six-month-old who just pooped his pants. 



To keep my sanity, I live by the following eight rules:

Not all baby carriers are created equal

Over the past six months, I’ve had the opportunity to try out three different baby carriers. I started carrying baby when he was around 12 weeks, and it gave me a great sense of freedom. Instead of feeling stuck to the couch with a baby sleeping on my chest, I could wear him and do some simple household chores. After having limited mobility after a C-section, folding underwear was practically a thrill for me. I enjoy the closeness of wearing baby and being able to kiss the top of his head whenever I so please. I also find that in public, strangers are much less likely to touch your baby when he is nestled in between your boobs than when he is in a stroller or car seat. Rather, they can admire from afar, and that is A-okay with me.

I’ve rated the carriers using your basic A-F scale with A being the highest rating and F sucking bad.

Boobies versus bottle: The ultimate showdown

Well, mamas, after two and a half months on the elimination diet in which I could not eat wheat, dairy, soy, nuts, or eggs and still seeing no improvement in baby’s symptoms, I decided to give up breast feeding and switch to a prescription elemental formula. For those who aren’t familiar, the proteins in an elemental formula are broken down into amino acids so that they are easier for baby to digest.

Although I was committed to breast feeding, a few things propelled me over the edge. First, I lost so much weight that I didn’t need to undo my pants to take them on and off. Second, not only did I feel nutritionally deprived on the diet, but also emotionally deprived. Sometimes a girl just wants pudding or a mug of hot cocoa, you know? Third, I had zero energy, and fell apart easily. And finally, the simple knowledge that the food I was providing for my son was causing him discomfort, although heartbreaking, was the kick in the pants I needed to make the switch. 

The doctor said the switch from breast milk to formula would take two days. Hahahaha. How little she knows. 

I want to be a MILF

That’s right--I said it. I want to be a MILF. When I’m pushing the stroller down the street, I want to turn heads. I want to crack walnuts with my butt cheeks. But let’s be real here, Mamas. After a baby, some things never quite return to their former glory, so I’ll settle for adjectives like “fit” and “in shape.” I don’t have to do more chin ups than a Marine, but I do want to be able to lift my baby and run up and down stairs without getting winded, and I'd like to avoid splitting my jeans when I bend over.

So, how does a new Mama stay in shape? For me, the key has been exercise videos and my stationary bike. It’s also important for me to remember that I may not be able to finish a workout because the baby wakes up, and that’s okay. If I get hung up on the possibility of not being able to finish, I might not put on my sneakers at all.  I figure it doesn’t matter whether I complete my workout in one attempt or if it takes several attempts, as long as I do it, I'll receive the benefits. 

What to do with all that poo: Part two!

First, I have to share how excited I am to have found cottonbabies.com. If you click on their clearance section, you can find a delightful selection of seconds--items that may have a tiny aesthetic flaw so they can’t be sold at full price but they are still perfectly usable. I bought four all-in-one diapers for $40 total when they’d normally be more than $25 each. 

I’m also excited to try the wool soaker that I recently purchased.  My sister introduced me to the idea of wool soakers when I was pregnant, and I thought "I'm having a baby in July--don't you think wool is a little much?" However, I have since learned that wool is breathable, so it allows baby's bottom to stay at a consistent temperature. It also holds 30% of its weight in liquid before it starts to feel wet, so it's great for diapering baby overnight. The kicker is that unless there is poo on it, a soaker only needs to be washed every few weeks with Eucalan wool wash and lanolin. I learned how to lanolize this weekend via greenmountaindiapers.com (which also offers seconds!), and it is probably the simplest thing ever. I’ll put the soaker to the test during the overnight hours and let you know.

One thing I did not write about last time was storage. You have a wet, stinky diaper--what do you do with it? You’ll need a wet bag and a plastic trash container or diaper pail with a lid on it. First, let’s talk about the wet bag. I bought two Kissa’s Antibacterial Pail Liners so that I could have one in the diaper pail and one in the wash. When it’s time to do laundry, I don’t even have to touch the diapers--I simply pick up the wet bag, tote it to the washing machine, and dump in the contents. I also wash the bag to reduce odors in the living room, which is where I change the baby. As for the diaper pail, we bought Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail. The Kissa’s pail liner fits nicely into the Safety 1st pail, and I can fit one and a half to two days of diapers in it. The pail has a button-activated flip top and a built in deodorizer. I’ve never walked into my living room and thought “Hmm, I smell poo,” so it must work!