Life Lately

I know things have been pretty quiet around the blog as of late (hello, life with a newborn!), but I wanted to pop in and share a little life lately in our neck of the woods. It's pretty much all things baby over here, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Obviously having a brand new baby puts a temporary stop on social outings, but my friends have been so wonderful in planning activities that my son and I can be involved in. So thankful for these girls. It's really fun seeing your friends love your baby!

My family visited for a week, and it was so amazing having them here! The main reason for the visit was of course to love on the baby, but my sisters and I took a quick trip to watch Parker fly. When in Virginia!

My parents are the best grandparents to our sweet baby. It's so fun seeing them in the grandparent role! Grammy and Grandpa looks good on them!

Parker and I went on our first post-baby date night! With our son being so little, I am not ready to leave him with anyone, but Grammy is the exception and made me feel so at ease leaving him for a few hours. Parker and I had the best time!

Our first date night was of course sushi! Give me all the raw fish, please! It was seriously delicious, and I could eat that stuff every day. I waited 10 months for a plate full of sushi and man was it worth the wait!

Jenny has been such a trooper as we adjust to life as a family of four, but she unfortunately had a run in with bad luck this past week. She was playing with my neighbor's dog, and the dog's tag sliced through Jenny's ear. A couple of stitches later, she is going to be just fine. Very thankful she is going to be okay, but talk about a freak accident! Poor girl has been coping with lots and lots of peanut butter. ;)

My new favorite thing is baby wearing! We took a little family trip to the driving range to watch Parker hit golf balls and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. 

That's life lately!

Month One Favorites

We officially have a one month old! How in the world did that happen? It's gone by so quickly but simultaneously feels like he has been with us for a long time. I am willing time to slow down because this newborn phase is just so sweet.

I thought I would take today to share the products that got us through this first month. When we registered for baby gifts, I had no clue what I was doing. Does any first time mom really have a clue? This one sure didn't! I knew the items that were helpful to my sister with her son, but other than that, I winged it.

Now that we are a month in, there are several products that I swear by and have made day-to-day life so much easier.

1. My Medela iPhone App- This has been a lifesaver. I use it to document his feedings, but you can also document wet/dirty diapers, pumping, and sleeping patterns. I can never remember what time he ate (#mombrain), so I refer back to my app about 100 times a day to see if it's time to eat. If nursing, there is a timer so you know exactly how long each feeding is and which side the baby fed on last. Couldn't recommend this enough, and it's free!

2. Boppy Newborn Lounger- If I need to put him down or just want him to be able to stretch, this is where he goes. He is pretty content sitting there for a little while, and it's great to put on the kitchen table while I scarf down a meal. I wanted to make sure he wasn't held 24/7 in those first weeks of life so that he would be content when the time came that I was on my own and had to put him down, and the newborn lounger has been perfect for that.

3. Graco Glider Elite Gliding Swing- He usually takes 1-2 long naps per day, and at least one of them is in the swing. This is my productive time where I cook, clean, etc. We love this swing and so does our son.

4. Fisher Price Rock n Play- This is where he sleeps, and it's been great. He has slept well in it since the day he came home, and it doesn't take up a lot of space. I'm a big fan of the Rock n Play.

5. Wipeable Changing Pad Cover- There are so many cute changing pad covers out there and many much cuter than the one I have, but yall, the wipeable feature is a game changer. I never have to wash it when he inevitably poops or pees on the changing table. I just wipe it down with a Clorox wipe, and we are good to go. The cloth ones are cute, but you will be washing them several times a week!

6. My Brest Friend- This is what I use to nurse him, so it's easily our most used baby product. It makes breastfeeding comfortable for both of us. You know you are parents when the phrase "Have you seen my brest friend?" is used multiple times a day. ;)

7. Spectra Breast Pump- This pump came highly recommended over the Medela, so I decided to give it a go. I absolutely love it. I can pump one side at a time rather than having to pump both, and it uses a charger, so I don't have to plug it in when I use it. I could pump in the car if I wanted to. It's awesome!

Why I Loved Having a C-Section

I blogged our pregnancy week by week, and I think it was around the halfway point that I started talking about a c-section. That's about how early the doctors started talking about it with me. Our son measured large the entire pregnancy, a fact that I loved and was really grateful for. I love a big, healthy baby!

When babies are measuring big, they worry about the shoulders getting stuck during delivery, known as shoulder dystocia. It could injure the baby and would likely result in an emergency c-section to get the baby out. Our son's head and abdomen were measuring greater than the 99th percentile, so the doctor's were very weary about the risk of shoulder dystocia. 

My doctors never pushed a c-section on me and made it clear that it was my choice to try to have him on my own or opt for the c-section. As with most things in life, there were pros and cons to both, and while they could advise me based on the facts, the choice was mine. I chose to have a c section, and once I saw our perfect, big baby, I was glad I did! The shoulders on that kid were something to write home about!

For some reason, there is a stigma with having a c-section. Some think it's taking the easy route, some think it's not letting your body do what it was made to do, and some go so far as to think the c-section mama isn't a real woman. I never agreed with any of these, so it never really bothered me, but I did want to share why I loved my c-section and how thankful I am that this is the route I chose.

I will preface with this: I am all for natural births. It wasn't the best option for me and my child, but had it been, that would have been the way we wanted to go. I wanted to write this out for the pregnant mama discouraged because she might have to have a c-section.

5 Reasons I loved my c-section:

1. No tearing. Yes, a c-section is major surgery, but the lack of tearing was a huge perk.

2. No contractions, no pain during surgery. Since my water broke and I didn't make it to my scheduled c-section, I did experience a couple of hours of contractions. Those things are no joke! No contractions (or very little in my case) are a nice benefit to the c-section.

3. It's quick. My water broke at 3:30 AM, and we had our son at 12:21 PM. No long labor, no waiting to dilate to a 10, no pushing for hours. You get to meet your baby quickly. On top of that, the surgery itself takes minutes. Once I was in the OR and all numbed up, my son was out in 5 minutes.

4. A lot of knowns as opposed to unknowns. With a c-section, you know what's happening. They are going to cut you open, take the baby out, and sew you back up. Natural birth presents far more unknowns since each person's body progresses at a different rate, handles contractions differently, etc.

5. It was the safest option for us. Simply put, I loved my c-section because it got my son here safely. Regardless of your birth story, if your baby is alive and well, I hope you love the way they got here and celebrate the miracle that occurred on that day.


If you end up having a c-section like I did, even if it was not your plan, there are positives, and it doesn't make you any less of a woman or a mom for doing so. Modern medicine is amazing, and c-sections exist to get babies out safely when a vaginal delivery isn't working. I for one am glad they do!

Our Birth Story

Thank you all so much for the sweet congratulations and well wishes on the arrival of our baby boy. We are thrilled to be parents and are truly loving every moment with our little man. His birth story couldn't have gone any better, and I want to make sure to write it all down so I don't forget the details! In the final weeks of pregnancy, I spent so many hours wondering what his birthday would look like and praying for that day. Anytime someone asked us what our birth plan was, I said the same thing: "whatever brings him into the world safely and keeps me safe in the process". I never had a specific plan. I just wanted a healthy baby boy, and I wanted to live to tell about it. ;)

Since our baby was measuring so big from the beginning, the doctors started talking to me early on about the possibility of a c section. I was prepared for it, and honestly, I was just fine with the possibility. Since he didn't come on his own in weeks 36 or 37, and his head and shoulders were still measuring really big, we scheduled a c section. Little did we know, our son wasn't going to wait that long. 

At about 3:30 AM, I woke up and thought I had wet the bed. I was annoyed and confused but changed clothes and got back into bed. As soon as I laid back down, the same thing happened again. At this point, I wondered if it could be my water breaking. I probably sound so silly not realizing it right away, but I was always told it was like a big gush, and that wasn't true in my case at all. It literally felt like I couldn't stop peeing. I woke Parker up to tell him I thought my water was breaking, and he sleepily replied "Okay, well just let me know" as he rolled over. Clearly, he wasn't quite awake enough to process what was happening. I called my twin sister who is a postpartum nurse and consulted Dr. Google, both of which confirmed that my water had indeed broken. I woke Parker up and told him what was happening, and he shot up like a bolt of lightning and busily started gathering our bags and getting everything ready. Ready or not, we were having a baby today!

We arrived at the hospital around 4:45 AM and were immediately admitted. At this point, other than having to deal with the fact that my water was still breaking, I was in no pain and hadn't experienced any contractions. I was dilated to a 3, but I had been dilated to a 3 the last 2 weeks. We were told the doctor would be in around 8 AM. Of course, the doctor I had been seeing throughout most of the later stages of my pregnancy was not on call. It was around 10 AM when the doctor on call came in, and he asked if I wanted to do a c section or vaginal delivery. I was really conflicted. The plan was to do a c section just 2 days later, but was my water breaking early a sign that I should try to have him on my own? The doctor said he was comfortable with either but went back to review our ultrasounds just to be sure. At this point, contractions were coming in full force and were about a minute apart. They hurt just like everyone said they would! When the doctor returned, he still said he was comfortable with either option. I looked at him and said "I really need you to tell me what to do. What would you do?". I knew I was leaning towards the c section and so was Parker, but I needed someone to confirm that. The doctor looked at me and said, "Okay, at this point, you are dilated to a 5 and probably wouldn't have him for a while. Since he is measuring so big, let's do the c section." I was so thankful I wanted to cry. Parker and I agreed that was the way to go, and at about 11:30 AM, they were wheeling me back to the OR. 

The doctor on call called my doctor to let her know what was happening, and she asked them to wait while she drove to the hospital so she could perform the c section herself. I almost cried when I saw her. I was so comfortable with her from all of our previous appointments and was so flattered that she wanted to do my surgery even though she wasn't scheduled to operate that day. 

They gave me a shot to numb my back, which was mildly painful and felt like a bee sting. That was the last pain I felt. I didn't feel the spinal, and they laid me flat to let it start taking full effect. Within about 10 minutes, I was numb from my chest down. Parker stood at my head and kept me distracted, and they started the surgery without me even knowing it. The doctor said "Are you ready?" I said "Yes!", and she said "Good, because we started a couple of minutes ago!". I replied "Oh good, that means the spinal worked because I can't feel a thing!". 

It all happened so quickly after that. They worked for a few minutes, and then I heard the doctor say "black hair!" to which I cried and looked at Parker. He had hair! A few seconds later at 12:21 PM, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world- his first cry. I lost it, yall. I mean I was already crying, but I really lost it. For the 10 months I knew and loved this baby growing inside of me, I had dreamed of hearing his first cry and knowing he made it safely into the world. It was such an indescribable moment that I hope to never forget. 

The next thing I remember hearing is the doctor saying "that's a big baby!". And it sure was! They briefly held him over the sheet so I could see what he looked like and then handed him to the nurse to get checked out. He was adorable and so so chunky! Needless to say, we knew right then and there the c section was the right call. The head and shoulders on that kid... I really don't think he would have fit had I tried to have him on my own. 

Parker stood with our son as they cleaned him up and performed the initial essential tests. It was probably 3 minutes before they were done, and they immediately placed him on my chest. Man, he was beautiful! I was laying completely flat, so it was hard to see him perfectly, but the moment they laid my son on my chest was pure magic. Parker and I couldn't believe our baby was actually here. We had a son! We were officially parents!

I wouldn't trade a single detail that happened that day. His birth story was perfect, and my only wish came true: he was here safely and they didn't kill me in the process. I couldn't ask for anything more!