Baby shower gift ideas

1. Sugar Sweet Baby Wrap: $40-$70

2. Rear view Carseat Mirror: $18

3. First Years Crib CD Player (or similar boom box for music): $40

4. Book of Bedtime Stories: $10-$20

5. Prenatal/ Postnatal Massage: $45-60

6. Hooded Towel(s): $10-$20

7.  Leapfrog Scout Dog: $19

8. Bumbo seat: $40

9. Gift Card: $ Your Choice (but remember Babies R Us has a bigger markup)

10. ?

A friend of mine asked for baby shower gift ideas for her best friend, so I whipped up a list of a few of my favorite things I got or bought soon after having Lil' J. All of these things I love so much. The Scout toy is for when they get a little older but they grow so fast and before you know it they're laughing at these things. The next thing I plan to buy here is this, because she LOVES them when we go other places.

I left off clothing stores because I think clothing is so personal and dependent on style. Since I'm getting emails asking about where I shop for Lil' J quite a bit, I'm going to be captioning the places I get Lil' J's clothes from under her photos with links from now on, so if you're wondering it'll be there.

I left #10 open because I was curious what you thought. What's an item you love?

5 Ways to Soothe My Baby

We were riding in the car when my daughter started crying. We had just gotten back in the car after grocery shopping and we didn't have far to go, but her piercing scream literally cripples me. Normally I'm able to hold a conversation, surf on my iPhone, or relax while my husband drives, but when my little one is crying in the back seat, all I can manage to do is cringe.

I had just fed her and her diaper was changed so I knew she was just cranky and tired, but that didn't matter. My stomach tightens up in a knot when I hear her cry and it's the worst when I can't do anything about it. I sang the ABCs to her and she calmed down and fell asleep. Finally, I was able to breathe again.

I used to wonder why mothers would say they couldn't even take a shower by themselves, or go to the bathroom alone once they had a baby? Why can't you just put them in the playpen and let them cry for a few minutes while you do your business? I wondered. Now that I'm on the other side of the fence I understand completely. Your babies cry causes an internal reaction just for you, like a high pitched sound only a dog can hear. Except it's a unique key only the mother of that baby can hear in a way that triggers a torturous reaction. Then on top of that, I think my daughter has the lungs of a singer and imagine she may be performing some musicals on stage someday without needing the help of a microphone. Even nurses in the hospital were amazed by her power when she was first born.

Luckily, aside from car rides when she was young (most of the time now, besides when we're putting her in her seat, she enjoys the car) Lil' J has been a very happy baby. But she has her bad days. Like when she had her vaccines, or when she's teething, doesn't feel well and wants to let us know. Over her almost eight months of life I've learned a thing or two about soothing her.

1. Sing to her: Her favorite song is the ABC song, but a song that always calms her down and puts her in a snuggling mood is "A Child's Prayer" She can sit and stare at me singing that forever! I don't have the best singing voice, but it's nice to know she likes it.

2. Give her a bath: I know some babies hate baths but mine loves them. She recognizes the sign for bath and gets excited before I even turn the water on. I take baths with her and we play with bubbles, use her soothing Aquaphor Gentle Wash. I wash her hair and we play until her feet are almost pruny.

3. Play the "Say yes to the dress" theme song: I know this is weird but I attribute this to two things 1. Watching a marathon of Say Yes to the Dress while in labor and 2. Watching Say Yes to the Dress daily with her during maternity leave. If she's whining at all I'll turn on an episode on my DVR and she'll stop and look at the TV. Look, here's proof.

4. Show her her mobile (I made her): I'm not lying when I say she has loved this mobile since the day I brought her home. And I'm so proud. She will lay in bed and look up at it, or if I'm holding her and she's not happy I'll twirl it around and she'll immediately be enthralled with the paper butterflies and shiny jewels.

My DIY

5. Breastfeed: This is probably my most effective tool for soothing my daughter. I have no idea how I'd make bumps feel better, help her go to sleep when she's overly cranky, or easily calm her down when she's overly hungry if it wasn't for being able to pop a boob in her mouth. I'm sure I'd find other ways but that definitely has made things easier for me.

What do you do to soothe your baby?

More tips for soothing a baby in the Comfort Zone. 

This post is sponsored by BabyCenter in conjunction with the BabyCenter Blog Network.

10 Tips for flying with a baby

If there's one thing I think I've mastered in motherhood, it's flying with an infant. Granted, it's different every time, especially since she's getting older and more active/nosey/hard to tame but I've still had nine flights with her in her six months of life, and yes, I finally set up a frequent flyer account (no, my daughter can't have one yet).

My first flight with my daughter was when she was about two and a half weeks old. I know some people say you shouldn't travel with babies that young but I was exclusively breastfeeding and kept her wrapped up around me, plus our pediatrician gave us the O-K so we went for it and flew to Utah. My mother in law flew with us and it helped a lot having an extra set of arms.

Our second flight was back home when she was about a month old, and my husband flew home with us, again making traveling relatively simple. Then a week later Lil' J and I flew to New York City for the Blogher conference. That was our first of seven flights alone together after the first two with help.

I've had several people write to me asking tips for traveling with a baby so I thought I'd write some of the things I've learned in a post, so someone else can hopefully find these things helpful.

1. Pack light. I know this is hard, and pretty impossible with a baby because you need so much. Diapers, blankets, burp cloths, PJs, clothes. But try your best to keep it to a minimum. On one of my trips, to my mom's house, we decided to pack a few diapers but buy more there. Along with baby soap, and small sizes of things I could use while I was visiting. If your family is anything like mine, you'll most likely be bringing more stuff home from your trip, so leave extra room in your suitcase if you can.

2. Only bring one carry-on. Yes, you're entitled to one carry on and one extra bag or purse but I was sure to make it easy on myself and only carry on her diaper bag. One time my check in bag was over 50 pounds so I took my camera out to carry it on with me and forgot it on the plane when we got off. Luckily I realized this once I got to baggage claim and was able to ask the Delta people to page up there and have someone bring it down to me. An extra bag with a baby can be a lot to remember.

3. Wear your baby. This would be ranked number one in my books of things that make traveling with a baby easier. On 9/9 flights with my daughter I wore her in a wrap through the entire boarding process and most of the flight. On our most recent flight we were waiting in the airport for hours, and she just hung out in our Moby Wrap. I thought having a stroller would be a necessity but I'd argue that would only make things more difficult.

In the first few months of my daughter's life she fell asleep moments after being snuggled in my wrap. She was out like a light while we walked through the airport, went through security and everything. These last couple of flights she wanted to face forward (like pictured above) and watch everything, and she was too excited to fall asleep, but it was still an easy way to have my hands free while going through the boarding process.

Will you need to take them out through security? Yes and no. I only was asked to take her out of my wrap once out of our nine flights, and they made me take my wrap off too, which was super annoying. It was our most recent flight though, and they had recently upped security measures. On our flight before that, to Salt Lake we were given the option to take her out of her wrap while we walked through the metal detector or have a pat down. At first I was like "give me a pat down" but then I realized it wasn't hard to pull her out for a second and put her back in. So total I took her out twice.

4. Look for signs that help you. In most of the airports we've been to there are separate lines for families through security checkout, so you can bypass the long wait. If you're flying with a child under two they not only get to fly for free, but you get to get on the plane first (or right after first class, depending on the carrier).

5. Don't put booties or shoes on your baby. At least not through security, unless you don't mind taking them off, but it's just an extra step they make you go through. Socks are ok, so I make sure she was wearing her Trumpettes on the rest of the flights after this happened.

6. Dress easy. Meaning don't wear a belt you'll have to take off at security, or shoes you'll have to untie and tie again, or a big coat that will get in the way... You get the idea. If you're flying alone with a baby these things that are normally simple to do are a HUGE PAIN!

7. Nurse, feed your baby or let him or her suck on something during takeoff and landing. But don't freak out about it if they're sleeping. You know how you yawn, chew gum, or swallow to pop your ears during the elevation changes? Same concept. Lil' J was asleep during our first six flights however, so I let her sleep, and she didn't seem to be affected. If she was awake, I nursed her, and she did ok with the pressure changes.

8. Do your best to get a window seat. We've been lucky enough to have one on all of our flights and it makes breastfeeding on the plane so much easier as I can just turn towards the window and no one knows the wiser.

Before our 9th flight back home

9. If you're nursing and/or pumping during your trip don't worry. You're allowed to bring the milk on the plane for your baby. Just tell security about the milk for the baby, and if necessary, they'll take it aside to screen it. They didn't even do that with me. On one of my trips I had about 70 ounces I was bringing back, so I bought a pound of dry ice to keep it frozen, and put it all in a cooler in my checked bag. On other flights with smaller amounts I kept it in my carry-on. Also, a breast pump is considered a "medical device" so you can bring it on the plane with your other two bags, or check it for free. *Car seats, strollers, pack n' plays and other baby stuff are also free to check*

10. Track your flight before you get to the airport. Lil' J and I missed a flight that was actually on time when we arrived just minutes after they cut off the check in time (45 minutes before your flight takes off). It SUCKED! But luckily we were able to catch the next one for a minimal fee. After that, I was sure to be prompt or very early to our flights. But it wasn't until after checking into our last flight (and having already returned my rental car) that I realized our flight was TWO HOURS delayed. I wasn't happy. And it's not fun sitting at an airport just waiting with a baby. Luckily I had my camera with me, and some toys for her, so we were able to keep entertained, but this could have been avoided had I checked the flight tracker beforehand.

So there are ten tips that will hopefully help you on a trip with your little one. Let me know if I left anything off or if there's something else you're wondering.

To help make your next trip with your baby much easier, everyone who comments on this post before February 1st will be entered to win an original Moby Wrap of their choice. You can get ONE extra entry by thanking Moby Wrap for this giveaway on facebook or twitter OR if you're a one of my "homies" (top right). Winner will be announced on my facebook page.

Pumping Party: Tips for Lacating Mamas

Every day I head to work with my mom equivalent of a leather briefcase -- My pump bag. As a working mother who has been so paranoid about not having enough milk to feed my daughter, I get it. I get how stressful it can be. But I've successfully breastfed for more than six months and still haven't had to break into the free can of formula Enfamil sent me when she was born. That's right, we haven't had to supplement a drop! And to be honest I'm shocked.

It hasn't been easy, but I've learned a few things as I've gone along that may be helpful to others.

About Storing
1. Start early: If you're going back to work I can't stress enough how important it was for me to have a stash built up. It doesn't have to be huge, but just something for emergencies, and to help you feel confidant about going back to work and pumping. I started pumping when my daughter was about three weeks old.

2. Get to know your pump. Another reason to start early is so you can get used to your pump. Get to know how to put it together, take it apart, clean it. And the more you use it, the more your body will get used to how it works and the better it will respond to it. The first few times I pumped I only got a couple of ounces, but I got more and more as time went on.

3. Pump with the baby. If you're like me and feel like your baby is attached to you 24/7 you may wonder when you can even get the chance to pump. One thing I did was hook up the pump to one side, and pump with her on the other side. Your body naturally responds to your baby nursing so you'll probably get more milk this way. I do! This was much easier when she was smaller and less wiggly, but I still manage to do this during my lunch breaks with a pumping bra. When I was still on maternity leave I would nurse her from one side all night then pump the other side while she nursed in the morning and I'd get 6-7 ounces from that one side she didn't eat from all night.

4. Get good storage bags. I've used everything from Ziploc bags to storage containers and it makes a big difference when you use storage bags made for storing frozen breastmilk. I used Lansinoh for awhile, but the first time I took one out to defrost I realized there was a leak and I lost about 6oz of milk. So I tried some Simplisse ones and ended up liking those a little more and now I buy those (they're all the same price).

About Pumps
5. Get an electric. I have two pumps. One double electric breast pump by Avent, and a manual pump by Simplisse. I can't compare a manual to an electric to each other because it's like comparing apples to oranges. Actually, they're not even in the same fruit platter. I'd heard a manual was good to have for emergencies and it did call for an emergency for me to use mine. I was taking a quick trip and couldn't fit my electric in my bag.

I brought my manual which it's good I did but boy was I not prepared for the difference.

First off, I didn't realize manual was so much manual labor. My electric pump has a manual setting on it and you tap your finger and it goes to the speed of your tapping. My manual pump takes more effort.

It goes something like this:

First minute

After five minutes

After 10 minutes

After 15 minutes

Where as with an electric (and hands-free pumping bra) it's more like this:

Maybe my forearms are just really weak but it was a task. I was wondering why the bottle that came with it was so small but after 10 minutes of trying to pump I realized why--I wouldn't be able to pump very long.

The positive is it doesn't tug as much as my electric does, it was more comfortable, but I didn't get nearly as much milk out as I do with my electric. It saved me from exploding, but it wasn't the most effective. There are times though, in the middle of the night I consider manually pumping to build my supply back up. I never do it. But I think about it. Simplisse sent me the manual pump to try out, and it's comfortable, but not for my arms. Good news is, they have a double electric out now so that should solve that problem for anyone considering it.

I have a friend though who only used a manual pump, so some people do it! I think it's all about getting your body used to whatever pump you're using, like I mention in #2.

About Pumping at Work
6. Find time. I didn't think I'd have time to pump once a day, much less twice during my shift at work, but it's worth it when I do. I don't have a desk job, so I don't really have a set schedule for when I can pump, but it's nice if you can. Your body knows when it's "meal time" and usually produces more then. I did get into a routine where I was able to pump around 4pm every day and my supply would be larger and larger at that time. If I missed it, and pumped an hour later (or earlier), sometimes it would seem as though my supply was less. I'm not sure why or if maybe I'm just crazy.

Now I pump once in the middle of my shift, and once when I'm leaving and about to go home. By law in most states you're allowed time to pump so don't feel bad about it.

7. Find a place to pump with a door that locks. Oh my goodness, I about have a heart attack every singly day when I'm pumping because it never fails someone tries to walk in. Luckily the door is always locked, but I still have a half a second where my mind wonders if I forgot to lock it and this would be the time our traffic guy walks in, startled to see my girls tied up in tubes. It hasn't happened yet *knock on wood*.

8. Bring pictures of your baby, or a smart phone. I hook up to my pump and call home to talk to Lil' J, my husband, or play Angry Birds on my iPhone. Sometimes I bring my laptop in and try to do some work but I find I get more milk if I'm more relaxed. Sit back and enjoy the quiet time alone (Cause Lawd knows we don't get it often).

9. Here's a trick for storing your pump. I didn't know this until recently, but if you're going to pump multiple times while at work, you can put your pump (the horn parts, not the whole machine) in the fridge between sessions so you don't have to wash it each time. The milk on the pump stays fresh and doesn't need to be washed off. After I finally remembered to bring a bag to put them in (I didn't want to set my pump conspicuously next to a coworkers chicken salad) I started doing this and it takes about 5 minutes off each of my pumping sessions.

(I just remembered one more!) 10. Pump for 15 minutes!! If you're double pumping I mean. I usually want to give up and pack up after 10 minutes but those last five minutes really pay off. I usually can get an extra ounce or two from an extra let down before I go. It's worth it hanging on just a little longer every session.

Well, those are all of the tips I can think of right now. If you're looking for something for supply I'd recommend fenugreek, an herb that's suppose to help with milk production. I use Mother's Milk Drops by Intelligender. Their prediction test was wrong but these drops sure are right when it comes to helping. I normally get an extra ounce or two after taking (twice the dosage--But don't do that just cause I do, I'm crazy) of those drops.

Hopefully this can help some working mamas, or perspective pumpers out.

(congrats children teaching mama #36!!)

Every GFC Follower who comments on this post Before the 22nd will be entered to win a pack of goodies from Simplisse including: A Manual Breastfeeding Companion designed by lactation consultants, Essential Lactation Supplements, Disposable Breast Pads, Lanolin-Free Nipple Cream and Breastmilk Storage Bags (ARV $100). You can get an extra entry by thanking Simplisse for this giveaway on their Facebook page.

My friend Jessica is having a huge blog hop for giveaways, all over $50 (many over $100) so if you're feeling lucky, enter these below. Have fun!

How to Find a Deal on Etsy

I'm a girl who loves to shop. But I'm also a girl who knows how to find a good deal and won't get ripped off. I'm constantly posting my finds on my Facebook page and one of my online buddies asked if I'd post about finding deals on Ebay and Etsy.--Cause that's where I do most of my shopping.

It may come across as strange to some people that I shop for cloths and just about everything else on Ebay but it's really pretty convenient. I love getting mail so it's more fun than going to the store. And 90% of the time I'm getting a rockin deal.

I just recently started shopping on Etsy and that's a little more overwhelming to me, but I'm quickly learning tips to finding a bargain.

1. Be Specific: Personally, I get overwhelmed by just searching for random things on etsy, and that's a quick way to buy something you don't need. I use as many key words as possible to get a good amount of return results, but not enough to have to sort through dozens of pages of stuff.

The Groovy Mommy $10

2. Narrow the Results: If I'm searching for something like a "baby dress" and get tons of results, the first thing I do is usually click "sort from lowest to highest" but then the first half a dozen pages seem to be patterns, so I enter a prize range to sort it even more, maybe between $5 and $15, so I can skip through pages of patterns, but scan for the cutest, lowest-prices results.

3. Compare Compare: If you're coming across several items that look alike and are priced similarly, check out things that may be "deal breakers." How quickly they ship (is it ready to mail, or made to order?) and compare things like shipping costs. Sometimes buying multiple items can save you on shipping, depending on the seller.

4. Communicate with the Seller: I almost always write to the Etsy sellers and tell them what I'm looking to buy, and ask specifics about the order, (my husband makes fun of me because I can never order a meal without some exception, I think I'm the same way with buying things on Etsy) sometimes (not always) if you get a really nice seller, they'll offer something extra for a discount.

For instance, I was just going to buy one dress from Sumo's Sweet Stuff for a rockin' deal of $10. But then I saw another one that had just sold that I liked, and decided I wanted to buy two, but then I really liked the headbands and wanted one to match one of the dresses, but the seller was nice and said I could get two for $10, when normally they're $6 a piece. I've found lots of sellers who are nice about my custom orders and offer a discount when I'm torn between something. You never know who will hook you up with a deal so you'll buy more!

So these adorable dresses Lil' J and I took a photoshoot in today are from Sumo's Sweet Stuff. I saw one listed on her shop as a tunic top and asked if she could make a dress like that. She whipped them up so quick and sent my like 10 emails to make sure I was getting what I wanted. Etsy ROCKS!

5. Word of Mouth: I'm constantly finding awesome deals by just asking my friends about their favorite shops. I'm always finding things I wouldn't have found on my own. There are SO many sellers and it's impossible to see them all. Sometimes I'm looking for dresses and end up finding hairbows I love by a seller who also makes dresses.

It's fun to hop around, and ask around for favorites.

What are your favorite Etsy shops? Everyone who comments before November 2nd will be entered to win a $15 credit to Sumo's Sweet Stuff. If you follow her blog or tell me what you want from her shop you'll get an extra entry! Random.org will choose the winner! Good luck!

 

My Baby Birthing Tips

So as a grand finale to your pregnancy there's the birth. I've only done it once and I'm not going to act like I know all of the answers on the subject. There is no cookie-cutter answer to anything and everyone's birth is different, but I do have some tips based on what I did and learned to help you prepare to have a good experience.



1. Choose Your Caregiver Wisely: I can't emphasize this enough. If you want to deliver your baby at home or in a birth center, you'll most likely use a midwife. If you want to deliver at a hospital you have a choice. You can't assume all OB's are evil and all midwives are angels, you've gotta do some digging and not be afraid to talk to your potential caregiver about your concerns and desires.



Ask your friends who they recommend. I had a prenatal massage by a really sweet doula who told me she loved my OB. Coming from a woman who works a lot with women who birth at home this meant a lot to me.



You also can check out Lamaze's Birth Survey results. I filled one out, and you can too (if you've given birth before), about your provider so people know who are researching their providers can read about your experiences.



Some questions you can ask when deciding on who to choose: What's your birth philosophy? Do you have a time line for how long you think a woman should be in active labor? How long past a due date are you comfortable letting a woman go before suggesting induction? What do you think about doulas?



Or anything else you may be concerned about. You can ask how often they perform cesareans, or how often women in their practice labor without any interventions. You can even ask how soon they'll let you get an epidural, or how late.



2. Be Up Front: This kinda goes with #1. You want to be up front with your caregiver about what kind of experience you're looking for. Wouldn't you hate to find out 9 months in that they prefer you stay in bed during labor? It wouldn't be fun starting the search all over again. Also ask questions about your hospital's policy. Mine didn't have strict rules about food and liquids during labor, but many do. Ask what positions you can labor or deliver in (if that's something you're concerned about).



3. Take a Childbirth Class: And have your partner go with you! They're fun and educational. You really can't go wrong by taking one. I took a Lamaze class and loved it. I also listened to some hypnosis but that wasn't for me... I fell asleep every time I turned them on but during labor I HATED it (personally, but I know a lot it works for!).



4. Have a Birth "Plan": I prefer the term "birth wishes" or "preferences" rather than "plan" because you really can't plan what you're baby's going to do. However, it's still a good idea to think about what you'd like to happen in a perfect world. Or in a not so perfect world. I even had an "in case of an emergency" section of mine with things like "let the sheet down after she's born... etc" in case I needed an emergency c-section. It's not a bad idea to think about your preferences in a situation like that.



Write it early, (you can always change it as you go. I had 2 or 3 versions) and talk it over with your caregiver.



6. Have a Music Playlist (or Two): I had three different labor playlists: Upbeat, Relaxation, and Just Meeting (one to play after she came out). The upbeat one totally had me in the zone more than anything else when I was working through my contractions. I was just moving around on my yoga ball to the beat, and breathing on my own. I like music when I work out and I felt like I was getting a workout so it worked. I maybe should have started with relaxing since I was so tense but it's something I'll keep in mind next time.



6-11 Are the Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices (in my words) which I HIGHLY recommend.



6. Let Labor Start on It's Own: If labor gets going on it's own you'll save a lot of medical interventions that come with induction. Obviously I didn't do this one, but I'd recommend it. Here are some tips for keeping you birth as healthy and safe as possible if induction is necessary. And here's what I learned about trying to induce labor naturally, or medically.



7. Get Moving: Walk, move around, and change positions during labor: I took this advice to heart in the first several hours of my labor, even though I was hooked up to monitors and pitocin. This makes it harder but not impossible.



I didn't enjoy walking as much as I did moving on my yoga ball. My Lamaze instructor taught us some thing we could do on a yoga ball and some of them really helped me. Here's a video of me and Lil' J demonstrating a few things I learned.

8. Bring a Buddy: Meaning a loved one, friend or doula who can offer support. I had my husband who learned the Lamaze techniques with me, but it was my mom who got there earlier than expected and was a big help during labor. She wasn't in the room when I pushed (I wanted it to be just my husband and I) but she was rubbing my legs, my back, my feet. Oh man, I didn't realize how much of a help it was to have someone who knew what to do. She'd been through that and while my husband was sweet, he would ask me what I wanted, when I needed him to just do.



I'm not sure I'll go the doula route next time. I think they are awesome and have their place though, so look into it. But a support person can be any woman who knows what you're going through, or even a friend or loved one would do! (Even a doulo husband or partner if you think he'd be helpful).



9. Avoid Interventions You Don't NEED: I was as adamant about this as I could be, even though I was induced. Right before I checked in I got a sweet email from Amy Romano, my Cyber Lamaze Coach, and she gave me some fabulous tips to remember. One that stuck out was to avoid having my water broken. You can delay things longer (as long as there's not an emergency situation preventing this) if you still have your bag of waters intact.



In my "Birth Wishes" I said I'd like my water to break on its own. I can't remember if I addressed internal fetal monitoring, but I knew I personally didn't want that. My water broke before I got my epidural, and that epidural was an intervention I needed. It helped me relax when it was becoming too difficult to do on my own.



You can ask for a heplock and no IV, so you have more freedom of not being hooked up to anything. You can also ask for intermittent or wireless monitoring, so you're not hooked up to a machine constantly. And you can avoid pain killers. If you go to a Lamaze class they go through the positives and negatives of each intervention, so you can decide what's worth it to you. I really enjoyed it because I felt like it was a very unbiased approach to it all.



10. Avoid Giving Birth on Your Back, and Follow Your Urges to Push: I had asked about squat bars and taking off the bottom part of the bed so I was in almost a sitting position versus laying backwards. The nurse said we'd see how it goes without the bars and if I still wanted them they'd bring them in. After a slight push and seeing her head, I knew I wouldn't need them. But they did take off the bottom part of the bed so I wasn't lying on my back to get her out. I was in a more seated position. I think it made it easier for me. She was out in minutes.



I didn't have a huge urge to push, but I know many people do. From what I've heard it's like when you're going to throw up. You know you're going to heave and you can't control it.



My pitocin had been turned off so I wasn't having many contractions, but I could feel the muscles I needed to push her out.



If you don't want to be coached on when to push and for how long, tell them. I wanted to get her out so I was pushing when they weren't saying push, and not pushing when I didn't feel like it. I say go with your instincts on this. Having the epidural does make it more difficult in the "feeling it" aspect, but try what you can!



11. Stick Together: After your baby is born stick together--You and the baby. This helps bonding and breastfeeding.



I asked her to be placed on me right after birth, so my OB didn't suction her mouth, clean her or anything, she just handed her to me, gooey and all. I didn't breastfeed right away cause I honestly wasn't thinking about it, and I kinda forgot, and didn't know how to do it, but a few minutes later I gave it a try (still hadn't a clue what I was doing) and the nurse helped me.



I asked that one of us be with her when she needed to go to the nursery, and that most of her tests be performed in our room.



I think this initial contact helps with breastfeeding and bonding. At least it seems to have helped for me.



12. Let Other Opinions Go: If you're reading this you're involved in social media. Don't do what I did and let other opinions stress you out to where you're more worried about what others will think than your own experience. This goes for your family and friends too. You may love them, but this is your experience.



I had to take a step back and regroup after I realized how all of the influence was doing a number on me.



If you want to have a water birth, and catch your own baby, don't let others sway you. Or if you want to do your hair and makeup before so you can have cute pictures afterward, own it! Someone WILL disagree with something you do no matter what. Don't let it get to you, and do what makes you happy. Don't feel like you need to prove people wrong, or right, just do you, and leave other opinions by the wayside.



I hope this all helps a little if you're preparing to have a baby. These are things I did and some of these may work for you. Some may not. If you'd like more information on healthy birth practices you can check out Lamaze's page where they have videos on each of the subjects, and more detailed descriptions of techniques that can help and why.



Good Luck! And feel free to share your tips for others reading!



Everyone who comments on this post before October 16th will be entered to win a great prize that you or a friend can enjoy before and during labor with your baby. A Sound Beginnings music player from Creative Baby. You can play music and your voice to your baby while listening to the same thing to start bonding early. Little J has loved music from day 1 and I think using something like this made it that way. If you follow @SoundBeginnings on Twitter or their Facebook page you'll get an extra entry.

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Winner of $40 to Kids Room Decor Inc. #40 Miss Sophie. Congrats! You'll have 48 hours to respond to my email!