What I packed in my Hospital/Diaper Bag

I've had a few people request that I share what I have packed in my hospital/diaper bag so I figured I would write up a quick post to share with those of you that are interested.

Diaper Bag (my diaper bag is a HipCub Diaper Bag from Amazon that comes with a changing pad and I love it, great bag for a really good price). 
   +3 plain white onesies (2 newborn and 1 three month size just in case he's a giant)
   +2 cute onesies
   +Coming home outfit (will post a picture after the birth)
   +1 receiving blanket
   +1 SwaddleMe Wrap  (my nephew lived in these when he was a newborn)
   +2 hats
   +2 pairs of mittens
   +2 pairs of socks
   +1 Burp Cloth (these are the SOFTEST burp cloths ever!)
   +2 pacifiers (if you have never heard of them, check out Natursutten Pacifier they are 100% natural rubber and are made specifically for breast fed babies)
   +Milk Snob Nursing Cover 
   +pacifier wipes
   +nipple cream
   +diaper cream
   +regular wipes
   +snacks (trail mix, Cliff bars, Fig bars, and homemade protein bars not pictured)
   +Vitamin Water Zero Strawberry Lemonade (because I'm obsessed, also not pictured)
   +Camera with battery fully charged

Hospital Bag (for Rocco and I)
  +Boppy pillow
  +Make-up bag (only the essentials: remover wipes, concealer, eyeliner, mascara,chapstick
  +Toiletry bag, some items not pictured (toothbrush, toothpaste, contacts, glasses, brush, shampoo/conditioner, mirror, dry shampoo, deodorant, face mist, face moisturizer, body lotion)
  +Tucks Medicated Cooling Pads (because....well we all know why)
  + Always Maxi Pads Overnight (again...definitely necessary for the aftermath)
  +Dermoplast Spray (not pictured-some hospitals will provide this for you, I am borrowing my sisters because her hospital gave her some to take home)
  +Stool softener (also not pictured but very necessary for those first few days after going home)     
  +2 nursing bras (Medela Nursing Bra)
  +PJs (these are SO soft from Victoria's Secret, made sure to get a button top for nursing)
  +Nursing robe (this one is from Pink Blush Maternity)
  +Post Partum Undies (based on many recommendations I went with these comfy boy shorts that are super soft and in a size larger than my reg size to fit a giant maxi pad)
  +Slippers
  +Outfit to go home in (my maternity leggings because let's be honest my belly will still look like a hot mess, tank tops, and a cardigan)
  +not pictured (change of clothes for Rocco)

I may have over packed just a little, but better to be over prepared than under prepared! Now that we are all packed and ready to go this baby can come any time now!

Until next time,

Cara
 

Week 38 Bumpdate

38 Weeks and it feels like there are 4,586 days in this last month of pregnancy. 

Doctor update: I am 2.5cm dilated and 80% thinned which means not too much has changed since my last appointment. At this point it's still a guessing game, she said he could come in the next few days or it could be another 2 weeks. Friday night I began having back pain, nausea, and cramping sensation that almost felt like period cramps, according to a few people I've talked to this is my body's way of preparing for labor. I initially thought maybe I had the stomach flu, needless to say I spent the night curled up on the couch and last night wasn't much better either.

Not much has changed since my last update. Sleeping is still impossible, I've been waking up every 2 hours to pee and then I just end up waking up early because I can't fall back asleep. I've been having more Braxton Hicks contractions since my last appointment where they checked me for dilation which makes standing on my feet at work all day very uncomfortable. The swelling in my feet has started to return as well as in my hands, the doc pretty much said this is inevitable because I work 10 hour shifts and am constantly on my feet. I wear compression stockings and that helps but my feet still get puffy and hurt at the end of the day. I have been slowly losing my mucus plug over the last few days (TMI yes I know but it's a normal part of the end of pregnancy that no one really ever talks about). At this point I pretty much have to wear a pad every day and I even have a bag packed for work just in case my water breaks while I'm at work (which would be very embarrassing). 

I officially have my hospital bag and diaper bag packed and ready to go, the car seat is in my Jeep and I have both bags in my Jeep just in case I go into labor while I'm at work. I just finished sterilizing all of the bottles, pacifiers, and breast pump parts today (which took longer than I expected). The nursery is officially ready to go, we are basically just patiently awaiting Baby Rocco's arrival :) 

Here are a few pictures from our maternity shoot that I mentioned before with the amazing Emily Anne Photography http://emannephotography.com. If you live in NW Ohio and are looking for a great maternity photographer I HIGHLY recommend Emily Earl, she is seriously amazing and does great work. Like I mentioned before I debated doing maternity pictures because I didn't know if it was worth the money, but looking at these pictures I am SO happy that I decided to have them done. Pregnancy is such a beautiful journey and I want to be able to look back at these pictures and remember how much I loved my bump and appreciate all of the changes my body went through to grow our child. If you are one of those people that are debating paying the money to have them done I highly recommend that you just go for it because you will not regret it!

Until next time (hopefully by then we have a baby!)

Cara

Week 36 Bumpdate

Week 36...big week!

Today was the first pelvic exam to see how much I was dilated/effaced and to test for Strep B. Nothing like having your OB shove their hand half way up your vag first thing in the morning, talk about feeling violated. Anyways, she said that I am about 2cm dilated and about 70% effaced (thinned). Baby is head down and VERY low. It took her about 1 second to say "yep that's his head". From now on each week up until delivery we will repeat the process to see how much I am progressing each week, but according to the doc she does not think I will go the full 40 weeks. We will find out more next Thursday and have a better idea of how fast I'm progressing. 

Since my last baby shower it seems like we have been doing nothing but run around trying to get everything done before baby comes. Putting in the car seats (way harder than it seems), setting up the crib/dresser, washing all the clothes, organizing the room, getting oil changes, getting taxes done, the list goes on and on! It seems like every day there is something to do as the due date feels like it is quickly approaching.

How am I feeling? So far this pregnancy has been a breeze, I have been very lucky. No morning sickness, no heartburn, no back pain, no swelling. However this last week was a little rough.  I feel like as soon as I hit 36 weeks everything changed. This last week my feet have been swelling after work, I'm feeling SO much pressure down low, I'm not sure if I'm having contractions or just have to poop, I pee every 15 minutes, I can barely sleep at night, and I am just purely exhausted. It doesn't help that I work four 10 hour shifts at work that involve constantly being on my feet alllllll day, working on patients, and occasionally lifting patients when I work in the hospital. Thankfully I have the sweetest husband that rubs my swollen and squishy feet every night, helps with laundry, and has put together countless baby items without one complaint.

Regardless of all the exhausting parts of pregnancy in the last few weeks I wouldn't trade it for anything. I absolutely love rubbing my bump and feeling him move around in there. I enjoy the feeling of being pregnant and knowing the fact that I am literally growing a human inside my body (which still amazes me). Now if I could just sleep at night, skip the swollen feet part,  and poop regularly then I would have no complaints!

This week really has felt like a milestone week, so many changes and so many emotions as the due date approaches. Anxious to meet our little guy, excited to become a mommy, eager to snuggle him, and happy that I have had a smooth and easy pregnancy but also a little sad that he won't be inside my belly anymore....
It's crazy to think that in less than 4 weeks our lives will be forever changed. We will be parents, we will have a family, it will no longer just be us, we will love another human more than we've ever loved anything in this world, and we will have a little creation of the both of us that will teach us more than we could ever know as he grows. I get emotional just thinking about it! Until then, let's let this baby cook and continue to grow until he is ready to arrive :)

On a side note, here is a little sneak peek from my maternity shoot with Emily Anne Photography....more photos to come later :)

Until next time,

Cara

Week 34 Bumpdate

34 weeks down, but who's counting?

I think they say these last few weeks go by soooo slowwwww and boy are they right. Sleep is slowly becoming non-existent, constantly rolling from side to side trying to find a comfortable position and then once I finally do....I have to get up and pee. Every morning when I wake up and sit up in bed I feel like I got hit by a truck and those first few steps out of bed are rough. It's getting harder to eat normal sized meals because I constantly feel like I ate an entire Thanksgiving dinner. I can't even look at a salt shaker without my fingers and feet swelling up so I basically avoid all foods that have any sodium in them and I drink about a gallon of water a day. I also spend any downtime I have with my feet up to avoid swelling and walk/workout 5 days a week to keep the swelling down. Everything that I do has become such an effort, even getting dressed makes me feel like a 400 lb drunken sumo wrestler that lacks balance and coordination. 

I have yet to experience any back pain, thankfully, but by the end of a long work day my feet feel like they are on fire. My dreams are becoming more vivid, majority of them are about me going into labor early and the nursery not being ready (crossing my fingers that's just pregnancy paranoia.) Any of my downtime is spent organizing, cleaning, and obsessing over what I need before the baby comes (can you say nesting?). 

So let's talk about pregnancy and skin discoloration. Melasma, pregnancy mustache, dark nipples, dark lines, etc. How about the lovely linea nigra....some people get it and some people don't. I'm one of the lucky ones that started developing this lovely line around 24 weeks. At first I was self conscious about it but actually over time I've grown to love my little dark line as it really just means that I have lots of pregnancy hormones pumping through my body which means a healthy baby. How about the darkening of the nipples? I mean who knew nipples could even be that shade of color?! Or that they could grow that much in diameter? It's like everything just gets darker and bigger during pregnancy! Luckily I never had any issues with the pregnancy mustache or melasma on my face..but I know plenty of people that dealt with facial discoloration.  The best part about having friends that are all pregnant or have been pregnant is discussing nipple size, baby poops, and hemorrhoids. If you can't discuss these things with friends then are you really even friends?

This last weekend my mother in law threw me a small baby shower for Rocco's side of the family. We decided to have 2 separate showers since our families live far a part from each other. It was such a cute shower at the most adorable little Tea Room in Medina. We received so many great gifts and enjoyed spending time with family, we are definitely feeling very blessed to have such great family and friends in our lives. This coming weekend I have my other baby shower with my family and friends and I am really looking forward to it. Then we can finally get the nursery all put together and wait for the arrival of our sweet little boy! Exciting times ahead :) Here are a few photos from my shower last weekend, I had a few people ask about my dress and it's from Pink Blush Maternity and I am OBSESSED with it. It was the most comfy and soft dress that I think I have ever worn, and would be perfect even without a baby bump! 

How adorable are these onesie cookies?!

Miss Molly's Tea Room has the cutest tea pots!

Perfect favor for a coffee lover like me

Until next time my friends!

Cara

Week 32 Bumpdate

So how am I feeling these days? Well right now its 4 am and I am up typing a pregnancy update, if that tells you anything. Why? Because it is impossible to get comfy with a giant round belly and a baby that kicks you as soon as you lay down. Not to mention it also takes me a good 2 minutes just to roll from one side to the other. It's a good thing I don't mind getting little sleep to say the least.

My stomach has officially become a giant veiny road map with little veins running every which way. The doc says this is due to the increasing amount of blood supply and nutrients to the baby in preparation for delivery. Speaking of blood, did I mention I am anemic? Here I am eating spinach salads every day and taking my supplements and eating my protein and yet I am STILL anemic. The doc said to me "girl we need to get your hemoglobin up because you're about to lose a lot of blood during delivery". Thank you for not sugar coating that, doc. Bring on the blood bath.

At this point shaving has basically become a guessing game, one swipe here another swipe there, just leaving some patches for decoration. No swelling yet, although I seriously wonder sometimes how my skin is going to stretch even more over the next 8 weeks. My bladder feels like the size of a pea, and there have been multiple occasions in which I've almost peed my pants. My doc says that baby is sitting real low, and now I understand why I feel SO. MUCH. PRESSURE.

On another note, it's crazy how much nicer people are to you when you're expecting. My patients are constantly bringing me goodies and saying how cute my bump is and strangers hold doors open for me and pick things up from the floor for me when I drop stuff. I get a lot of various comments like "wow you are tiny" to "that baby is so low it looks like you are going to have him tomorrow". Oh and don't forget the people with judgy eyes that give me the side eye at the gym because I'm still working out. Chill out people, my doctor said it's perfectly normal and healthy and actually advised that I keep working out for the baby's health and to keep my swelling and fluid retention down. It also helps with back pain and gives me much more energy. When I don't work out I feel like poo, so go on and judge away. Oh and don't forget those judge monsters that cringe when they see me drinking a cup of coffee, it's coffee people, not cocaine. I am allowed 1 cup of joe per day and I like to savor that 1 cup. To all my mommas out there that enjoy that 1 cup per day, cheers! Another judgment I notice is what type of music I listen to, sorry I'm not over here swaying to Mozart and instead bumping to Dr Dre and Biggie Smalls. To each his own my friends.

Baby Rocco is moving and dancing all over the place multiple times per day now. It looks like an alien is moving inside me when he does his little rolls and I watch his foot slide across my belly. It makes my little heart smile and I just cannot wait to meet him. Sometimes he will give me a nice swift kick during the day and it makes me jump or make strange faces and I'm sure everyone is wondering what I'm doing. I have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions as well and it's always weird when I'm sitting at work and suddenly my belly forms the shape of a point and becomes extremely hard. It's a weird feeling but it doesn't hurt. I find myself just rubbing my belly throughout the day and I think that I'm really going to miss my bump once baby comes, but I'm getting more and more eager to meet this little guy every single day. Crazy to think I only have 8 weeks left! I think that's enough updates for today, until next time!

Cara

Week 30 Update

Holy cow I cannot believe I am already 30 weeks! It's been hard to find time to create my second post as I spent majority of the last week moving and spending time with Rocco before he left for North Carolina. 

So far I have had a fairly easy pregnancy. I never had morning sickness, no complications, no heart burn, etc. I battled with the first trimester fatigue but once I was 14-16 weeks I had my energy back. If anything my biggest struggle was that I had no appetite until right before the third trimester, nothing ever sounded good and therefore I didn't eat much which resulted in me not gaining much weight the first two trimesters (not complaining though). I have been able to continue my kick boxing workouts and cardio/weight lifting throughout my entire pregnancy which has also kept my energy levels up and has made me feel much more mobile and healthy. 

Now don't get me wrong, as much as I love being pregnant and love my growing belly there are some interesting things that begin happening in the third trimester as you get bigger. For one, I officially feel like a T-rex when I try to shave my legs, wash my body, or put my shoes on. I no longer care what my toes look like because I cannot even imagine trying to bend over to paint them (sorry Rocco). Personal hygiene goes down the tube in the 3rd trimester  (my hair is about 90% dry shampoo, heck no I'm not shaving, yes I'm wearing my maternity leggings for the 3rd day in a row). Getting up off the couch and out of bed is almost comical (kind of like a turtle stuck on its back). The bathroom has become my second home (take one sip of water, run to the bathroom to pee). My belly has officially become a crumb catcher (saving that for later, oh there's where that peanut butter went). When sitting down in any chair I automatically "assume the position", sliding down into the chair until I'm in a reclining position, and if you expect me to get up to do something you are wrong because once I finally sit I am not moving. The first thing I pay attention to when I go to a public place is where the nearest restroom is. I now understand why cross walks take forever to count down when crossing the street because I now walk like a sumo wrestler. I refuse to wear shoes that tie, you try tying a shoe with your leg in distorted positions. And I officially am tired of answering the SAME questions over and over again at work and seriously considering wearing a shirt that says "yes I'm pregnant, due in March, it's a boy, I feel great". 

Next week is my next check up and from here on out I will have 2 and 1 week check ups which makes me really excited. I will try to post an update later next week after my appointment. Until next time :)

30 Weeks :)

-Cara

Welcome to my blog!

Merry Christmas and welcome to my first blog post! Please excuse the appearance of my page as I am new to this blogging world and am working out all the kinks. 

I have been contemplating creating a blog for a few years now, I have attempted on a few occasions but failed miserably. With encouragement from a few friends I have decided to actually start a lifestyle blog and try to be consistent with it. My main inspiration for starting a blog was getting pregnant (and married) this year. With so many life changes going on I wanted a way to document everything and share it with everyone. My journey through my first pregnancy has been an amazing but also hilarious one. There are so many changes and things that happen during pregnancy that I feel like no one ever talks or shares about and I wanted to change that. I want to share the good, bad, and strange parts about pregnancy (and life in general) that people are afraid to actually say out loud (except that all my friends know that I will and do share). Everyone that knows me is aware that I am not afraid to say what's on my mind and often my unfiltered mouth gets me in trouble (but that's okay with me). I want to share the realistic, unfiltered, unedited parts about my life. I am hoping this blog will be a fun and interesting way to show everyone tiny snapshots of my crazy busy life and all of the things that make me smile.

Needless to say I am excited to share all of the ups and downs of life as a newly wed and soon to be first time mommy! Cheers to new beginnings and new adventures :)

Christmas morning PJs (that barely fit over my bump)

Christmas celebrations with my husband (aka baby daddy)

Until next time!

    Cara