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100+ Protein Packed Postpartum Snacks

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All new moms need healthy and delicious snacks after having a baby! Grab our list of more than 100 protein packed postpartum snacks!

Congratulations!!!! If you are reading this, you likely just had a baby. You are now going to be hungry non-stop. Think you were hungry when you were pregnant!? Wrong.

via GIPHY

There is nothing like newly postpartum mom hunger. I understand why some mother mammals eat their young. THEY’RE FREAKING HUNGRY. Give them a bit more to eat!

As a new mom, you also don’t feel like cooking anything. This means you need quick, simple, healthy, delicious. We’ve complied a list of great postpartum snacks for anyone.

If you happen to be here and you are not a new mom, you are likely looking for something that you can put together for them.  Kuddos! You’ll definitely want to save this list and over the next 6 months to a year, any time you see this mama, take her a snack.

Why Does a New Mom Need Healthy snacks?

Umm, she just gave birth to a whole human being. That took a lot of energy! In all seriousness, birthing a baby vaginally or by Cesarean is a lot of work.  For the last nine months, mama has had all her organs pushed and shoved, grown new organs, and then expelled all of them for the sake of a tiny little being that is now going to keep her up for hours and hours every night.

It’s exhausting giving birth AND having a newborn. Her body is going to expend a lot of energy getting her body’s organs back into place and realigning other bodily functions. This takes a minimum of six to eight weeks to happen, but often even longer.

Now, if the mama is breastfeeding, she’s going to need even more. She’s physically producing milk which is burning a ton of calories.  In order to continue to make milk, she needs breastfeeding snacks that are healthy for her.

How Many Healthy Snacks Does a New Mom Need?

Overall, a new mom needs between 1800 and 2200 calories a day.  Because moms are always on the go, some of these could be in snack form, like the protein energy bites or avocado toast listed below. If a new mom is breastfeeding, she’ll need to increase her calories by another 500-800 a day. Also, if cleared for working out or tandem nursing (either twins or an older children), she’ll need even more. It’s best to talk to a lactation specialist if breastfeeding or other care physician, like a dietician to get a correct number of caloric intake for each specific person.

What are the best healthy snacks for a new mom? 

We’ve rounded up 100+ Protein Packed Postpartum Snacks that are amazing and just what you need as you transition into this new time in your life. Whether this is baby #1 or #6, you still have to eat. Most of these recipes are easy to make or no bake, but there are a few that requires baking. Make sure you have someone else make those ones for you!

Side note: whether you are breastfeeding or not, these are all great snacks for postpartum mothers. Your body needs fuel to recover and heal and you need to make sure you are getting proper nutrition so you have the energy to keep going.


Best of luck on this amazing journey of motherhood!

Some things that may help you through the transition:


Other Posts You Might Be Interested In

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breastfeeding myths

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lactation energy bites

This post was originally publish on 3/21/2017.

Postpartum Almost Ended Our Family

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Postpartum Almost Ended Our Family is a truth in parenting post about the struggles of dealing with postpartum anxiety, depression, and birth control. 

Someone was going to sneak into our house and harm us all.  I knew it.  I had a feeling in my gut it was going to happen. If I didn’t stand at the door and watch the garage door completely shut, someone was going to slip under it, hide out in our garage, and wait until I opened the door again to harm us. 

The first time I had this thought, I shut the door to our garage and chuckled to myself. “Larisha, you are crazy.” I brushed it off, and went about the day. Our second baby was roughly three weeks on when this happened. I didn’t give it much thought. It was just me being a little paranoid with a new baby in the house.

I frantically woke up. The baby wasn’t breathing. 

I screamed at my toddler because she spilt her cup. 

I frantically woke up. The baby wasn’t next to me. Someone must have taken her. 

The garage incident happened again. 

My chest would feel like my heart was going to pound out of chest and my throat would feel like someone was strangling me. 

The garage incident happened again. 

6 Week Postpartum Visit

This and multiple other events happened before I even reached my 6 week postpartum appointment with my OBGYN. When the day of the appointment arrived, I burst out into tears.  I knew that something was wrong, but I was terrified.  How much did I disclose?  If I said too much, I felt like they were going to admit me and take my children away.

Looking back on it now, I feel like this is likely the #1 reason most moms don’t speak up more. We are terrified that someone is going to take our children away. Women would much rather suffer than have it happen. We will bear the weight of the entire world on our shoulders if that means that our children stay with us.

I gave enough information that they agreed it was beyond “baby blues”. It was at that appointment that I was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety and depression. I was put on Zoloft and also started the mini pill because it was the safest form of birth control for breastfeeding (so I was told).

It got worse before it got better.

While I could tell the Zoloft was helping, my burst of anger towards everyone, including my new baby, and extreme mood swings almost left my relationship with Andrew in shambles. I would go back and forth feeling helpless that I was this horrible mother only for the next day to burst out again. Every time, almost immediately I felt guilt. I was a monster. My children and Andrew didn’t deserve this and I knew that, but I couldn’t control it. I would go days without be upset and then go days of constantly being on edge.

There were certain things – like taking a shower alone or being outdoors that helped, but we don’t have the support to have help often, so many times because of that and Andrew’s long work hours I was left alone with both kids.  All the while, I tried to act to the outside world that everything was really okay when it wasn’t. The combination of everything was almost unbearable for Andrew and I to continue being happy together and because of that our relationship almost ended on more than one occasion through our trials with how I was feeling.

The Mini Pill

A few months went by and I learned through an outside source that the mini pill side effects could be depression and mood swings. I immediately stopped taking the pill and within a week noticed a huge difference in my mood. As someone who reads so much about what medicines I’m giving to my children, I couldn’t believe I didn’t do this for myself.

Where We Are Now

Around the time I stopped taking it, I had already scheduled my appointment to have my tubes removed. Looking back on it now, I’ll admit, I wonder if I made the right decision.  We always wanted more than two children, but with the anxiety and depression, I knew if I had another child it would likely be the end of our relationship for good. It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

I’m in a much better place, but we still have moments of craziness. With a 5 and almost 3 year old, I chalk that up to being parenting. Andrew and I are in a better place now but it doesn’t go without the fear that we could have lost it all.

Pin this Postpartum Almost Ended Our Family post for later

I Don’t Sleep With My Husband

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I don’t sleep with my husband is a look into the lives of real parenthood. This post is about the truths of parenting and how if may not be ideal, but parents do everything to find a working solution for their family.

I don't sleep with my husband

Spoiler Alert: First off, we aren’t even married so technically he’s not my husband.

Secondly, get your mind out of the gutter. We’re talking about shutting my eyes and sleeping. Trust me, my sexual needs are being taken care of. TMI????

Now that you have that imagery in your head, let’s get started.

I don’t sleep with my husband.

We sleep in separate rooms which means separate beds. He sleeps in our master bedroom and I sleep in our girls’ room with our girls. Most of the time…it’s complicated.

I remember the first time I told a friend that she looked at me like I had 35 heads. What did I mean we didn’t sleep in the same bed? What kind of nonsense was this? We weren’t 80, why was this happening? I laughed, but she was genuinely confused. And this is typically how the conversation goes every single time it comes up with a friend.

How did we get here?

Let’s go wayyyyy back. It wasn’t always like this. A little over 5 years ago we had our first child. We swore she would never end up in our bed. After not even a week, we were both exhausted. No one was sleeping. The baby ended up falling asleep on my chest one night and all three of us had the best sleep since becoming a family of three. Our journey into attachment parenting kicked up a notch after that night. Soon, she was in our bed all the time. We figured out the safest way to bedshare (co-sleep) and never looked back after that.

cosleeping best for family

We slept this way for over 2 years until baby #2 came into our lives. Things got a little more complicated at this point. Andrew has extremely long days at work outside of the house, so it was important to both of us that he got sleep. We tried transitioning our first into her own room, but ultimately, it was a lot of back and forth for me.

I’m not the type of person that can function on little sleep so something had to change and change fast. Our home was miserable. Everyone was grumpy. And everyone was being affected. The solution….sleep in separate beds. Him in our own master bed and me with our girls in their room. Most nights, I will fall asleep with him in our room and then when one of the girls wakes up, I will go in their room for the rest of the night.

bed sharing better for family

“This is why we don’t co-sleep. Life is not functionable like this.”
“I would have done cry-it-out. There’s no way I’m not sleeping with my husband in our bed.”
“Your sex life must be miserable.”
“The kids would have to go.”

We’ve heard all these things, but what these people fail to realize is that this is a temporary solution. The way we’ve chosen to live our lives isn’t the end of the world, nor is it a permanent solution. Our goal when having kids was to fit ourselves into their lives, not them into ours. But seriously. This isn’t the end all be all. The world is this cruel and evil place. Now, more than ever. Right now, our girls need closeness and comfort that they get from laying with their mother for a few hours every night.

Also, this works for us! Everyone is happy. Our girls sleep (mostly). I sleep. Andrew sleeps. That was our goal and we are succeeding at it even if it’s not a traditional method that everyone has. Our girls are the most important thing we’ve even done and we know that only a few more weekends are going to go by before they are moving out of our house. Truthfully, think about it. We have 18 summers with our children. We all know how fast summers come and go, so for us, we are going to savor the few nights that seem like a drop in the bucket until they no longer need me. Until then…I don’t sleep with my husband. 

PS. Why do people assume that because you don’t sleep for 7 hours in a bed together at night means you aren’t having a sex life?  Y’all realize that sex does not have to happen in the bed at night after the lights are out and you are supposed to be going to bed right? Okay then. 

PPS.  We’re still happy and in love and thriving in our relationship!

why I don't sleep with my husband

Motherhood is Messy

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Motherhood is Messy is a real life depiction about the messy moments that we don’t always talk about in parenting. 

Get a solid night’s sleep without waking up 14 times.
Clothes staying folded in a pile when you walked away from them.
Eat food when it was hot.
Showering alone.
Running into a convenience store because you wanted a smoothie without having to unbuckle and rebuckle and wait 15 minutes because, “I can do it myself.”

Life was definitely more simple before having kids. Motherhood is Messy.

motherhood is messy

In all sense of the words, literally and figuratively, motherhood is messy.

I mean, for starters, your body changes during pregnancy and fluids randomly leak at inconvenient times is just a premonition of what is to come.  You laugh, you pee. You sneeze, you pee. Hiccup, cough, tip-toe across the room you pee yourself. Then, you actually birth said child and you didn’t realize that so many bodily fluids could happen at one time.

Okay, you think, it can’t get worse. But then, you wake up in a sweat every 2.5 hours only to realize every single time that it’s actually just breastmilk leaking from your boobs because your nursing pad fell out of your top. Then, you look at the calendar and it’s only Day 4 of motherhood.

truth in parenting

You go through the next few months of leaking milk when you forget your nursing pads, projectile vomit and poop, sometimes at the same time, and more tears than you’ve cried the previous 26 years combined.

You are emotionally a hot mess. Motherhood is Messy.

Moving on past infancy, you swear things are going to get better.

Then, your whole life is flipped upside down when your little starts to walk. Opening cabinets, pulling things out of drawers behind you, dumping every single bucket of toys they own only not to play with any of them. The next few years aren’t any easier. Then, bam, positive pregnancy test.  WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!? Did you not just go through all of this? We’re going to do it again?  Yup, we’re going to do it again.

postpartum motherhood

Repeat everything that happened in the first three paragraphs, but add in a potty training toddler who will only pee 35 seconds after you took them off the toilet, a kid who likes to squeeze all the yogurt out of the pouch as fast as they can, and also loves seeing if they can actually manage to get all the water out of the tub in the 23 seconds it takes you to run to the hall closet to grab a towel. Hint: They’re pretty successful at doing the last one. 

messy parenting

Motherhood is Messy. 

Fast forward to having a toddler and preschooler and you finally feel like you are above water. The only issue is, it’s an entirely new set of messy obstacles. Schedules shift to include school and extracurricular activities, there’s new found messy fun like painting and mudpie making. It’s always something. You finally felt like you have it down, but the truth is, it’s always changing.  There’s always a new messy obstacle and always something that keeps you from feeling like you actually have it together.

messy moments in parenting

One thing remains constant – Motherhood is Messy. 

But it’s your messy. It’s your normal. While every day isn’t perfect, most moments are. We can embrace the good times. Shoot, we can even get messy with them. One thing remains true through it all and that is that laughter is the best remedy for those overwhelmed moments. Sit down and finger paint with them. Toss all the clothes up in the air.  Leave the dishes in the sink for an extra few hour to go outside and swing together. Whatever it is, embrace the messiness of motherhood.

messy motherhood moments

Motherhood is no easy flight, but I promise there’s moments that make it all worth it. When your kid asks to sit near you while you do a chore. Or when they bring you a picture that they made just for you. We have to be willing to accept and embrace our imperfections. Because while motherhood is messy, it’s all ours.

honest parenting

365 Daily Quotes of Encouragement

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Everyone needs a little pick me up sometimes.  Start your day off right with this 365 Daily Quotes of Encouragement Free Printable! 

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigelowTea #TeaProudly #CollectiveBias

365 daily encouragement

Three years ago, I walked into our bedroom to see what appeared to be some sort of explosion.  There was stuff everywhere.  Papers and scissors, craft boards that I haven’t seen since high school social studies class project days, and some bottle of stuff called Mod Podge. I had no idea what was going on at the time. Larisha could sense my confusion and said, “Don’t worry, just making a vision board.” A-do-what?

365 daily motivation

Since then, I’ve seen the effects on how having something that is in your face to read every morning can change your mind set and help you reach your goals. Waking up and reading, “You are awesome” or “You’ve totally got this” when you aren’t in such a great mood to start can absolutely change the mindset of anyone. If you’re willing that is. 

motherhood moments

Larisha and I also realized that this type of encouragement helped our girls as well, mainly our older girl right now. You see, she’s at this awesome, but vulnerable age currently.  Telling her to pick a paper out of the jar that says “You are beautiful” or “Today’s going to be amazing” lights her up so much.

While the visions boards are old news for us, the encouragement jar is something new. For us, we try to pick one of the 365 Daily Quotes of Encouragement out of the jar as a family. Every morning, our new tradition starts by making a cup of Bigelow tea– we’ve really been loving the Green tea with pomegranate. Then, whatever that piece of paper says, we try to stick to that as our mantra for the day.

bigelow tea

January is actually Hot Tea Month, so it’s the perfect time to pick up a new tradition of a cup of tea and daily quotes of encouragement jar. You can hover over the image below to see how you can easily purchase Bigelow tea at Walmart.

 

365 Daily Quotes of Encouragement Jar Free Printable 

We truly believe in the power of encouragement. Because of that we wanted to make this as simple as possible.  We have (almost) every thing done for you. The supplies you need are:

All you need to do is make your favorite cup of tea. Then, enjoy while you are waiting for the printable to print out. Next, cut out all the phrases of encouragement while you drink your tea. Finally, place in a jar and pull one out each day.

daily motivation for dads

Grab your 365 Daily Phrases of Encouragement. 

 

365 daily pieces of encouragement

 

What are your New Year New You goals or plans for the year? Leave a comment below and let me know! Make sure the next time you are out shopping, you can a box of Bigelow tea from Walmart.

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#TeaProudly #Sweepstakes (1/16 to 2/28)

daily encouragement for kids

25 Ways to Practice Self-Care After Kids Go To Bed

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25 Ways to Practice Self-Care After Kids Go To Bed are simple, lost cost solutions to get more self-care back into your life. 

ways to practice self-care Affiliate links contained in this post help us to earn a commission to keep this site running. Thank you for your support.

I remember when I first got pregnant, I swore nothing would be different.  It’s just a little baby, how much could life really change.  Fast forward, five years, and life has determined that to be a lie. Parenting has been the most challenging, yet most rewarding experience I’ve ever had in my life.  I wouldn’t change it for the world. However, within the last year or so, I’ve pushing for me more.

I struggled with undiagnosed postpartum depression and anxiety with my first and diagnosed, but worse the second time around. One thing that didn’t click with me for the longest time was that I was doing nothing for self-care. Before having kids, there was so many little things that I would do that there no longer seemed to be time for. Thankfully, with the help of some amazing people who came into my life over the last two years, I’m prioritizing self-care.

My friend Alice said it best when she said that prioritizing herself is important “so that I can be my best self for others too.” That includes our family, friends, co-workers and anyone that we come in contact with throughout the day.

Today, I wanted to share with you 25 Ways to Practice Self-Care After Kids Go To Bed

ways to practice self-care after kids go to bed

We asked some of our favorite mom friends for their self-care ideas that help them the most. All of these ideas are low-cost or free things that you can do in your own home after the kids go to bed. I’m fully aware that for many, leaving the house isn’t an option. But there’s still plenty of ways to practice self-care.

  1. Make Homemade Hot Chocolate, make sure to add extra marshmallows (and maybe some Baileys)
  2. Take A Bubble Bath (add in some DIY Bath Bombs for even more relaxation)
  3. Doodle
  4. Try a DIY Exfoliating Salt Scrub
  5. Put Earbuds in and listen to your favorite podcast or music while blocking out all other noise
  6. Do your nails with a simple polish or get a gel look
  7. Take class on YouTube – like yoga, learn how to cook something new, crocheting tutorial, etc)
  8. Binge your favorite show or classic favorite teenage movie
  9. Rearrange a Space to give it a new look and new feel
  10. Color Under a Fort (it still makes you just as happy as it did when you were 10)
  11. Declutter a Space
  12. Meditate
  13. Re-learn how to breathe using a breathing app
  14. Journal your thoughts
  15. Read a book you’ve been wanting to for the longest time
  16. “Window-shop” on Amazon and make a wishlist of cool things you find
  17. Bake Something that makes you happy to eat
  18. Make something that brings our your artistic side (painting, needlework, sewing)
  19. Enhance the smell of your house by using essential oils in a diffuser or burning incense
  20. Play music that takes you back to a fun and happy time
  21. Do a 10-20 minute workout from a YouTube video (Zumba is a fun one)
  22. Deep condition your hair or do a mud mask facial
  23. Listen to a motivational speaker
  24. Garden
  25. Just sit for a few minutes in silence (this is paired well with #13)

Just find a way to get a few minutes in every day.

I get it.  Taking time for yourself isn’t easy.  But you owe it to yourself to attempt to take a few minutes each day and do something for yourself.  These are all ways that you can practice self-care without ever leaving your house and that cost little to nothing.

how to practice self-care

 Special thanks the following friends for help with this 25 Ways to Practice Self-Care After Kids Go To Bed post: 

A Whole Story, Ok Dani, BernettaStyle, Bianca Dottin, Hustle or Hyde, And Starring As Herself….MrsRKFJ, Anointed Heels, Mia Cupcake, The Shirley Journey, Give An Eff, and Courtney’s Sweets

I Didn’t Realize How Much I Still Want Another Baby

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We’re never having another baby.

I’ll never celebrate a 1st birthday again.

My baby will never be a big sister.

Motherhood has this weird effect on you. It’s literally a roller coaster of highs and lows. And the scary part is, you never really realize how the hormonal changes are going to hit you, or even when, until you’re knee deep in uncontrollable sobbing.

Today, we celebrated our baby’s 2nd birthday. Even though she’s 2 now, she will forever and always be my baby. We happily gave her whatever she wanted to do the whole day. She got to pick her meal options the whole day (oatmeal, cream cheese toast, and Chick-fil-a for those enquiring minds). We let her go to Target and pick out candy (she choose gummy bears) after she said that’s what she wanted to do. She got to make all the choices. It was such a simple and carefree day.

But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t low moments either.

Seeing her newborn picture pop up in my newsfeed instantly brought me back to those first moments of having her in our life. Seeing the first picture of her and her older sister bonding immediately hit me that she will never get to play the big sister role. I know that our nursing relationship may be coming to an end sooner than later. She’s running out of “firsts” to celebrate.

I didn’t realize how much I still want another baby.

I want to feel life growing inside of me again. Little hiccups and legs stretching.

I want to see Andrew’s giddy face as he feels the baby move for the first time.

Part of me wishes we could argue again about what we are going to name our baby.

I want to feel the rush of naturally giving birth and holding a squishy human for the very first time.

I want to feel the instant bond of euphoria as I nourish my baby into their first milk drink coma.

Desperately, I yearn to watch as my girls bond with a new baby. Loving and kissing and snuggling with their sibling.

I want to watch as this person that I helped to create grow into their own unique personality.

And as much as I love my girls with all of my heart, part of me will always want to have given Andrew a son.

I didn’t realize how much I still want another baby, but I’m trying to accept this is our reality.

One Less Worry – Introducing BINTO

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Binto. Thoughts and opinions 100% my own.

Shortly after finding out I was pregnant with our first child, Andrew and I decided that I would be a stay-at-home mom.  It was my dream to be able to stay at home with my kids when we had them. Fast forward, 5 years and this roller coaster of parenthood has been nothing like I imagined it would be. As much as I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, I also wanted to run my own business. However, what I didn’t realize at the time is how insanely busy both of those things are every single day. Running a business is all consuming, yet so are children. You want to give both of your “babies” your full undivided attention all the time.

There’s simply not enough hours. 

There’s really not enough hours in the day for me to give my attention to everything. Naturally, I’ve worked hard to divide and conquer.  Working hard to figure out how I can maximize my time most effectively. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out and sometimes not. Being able to order as much online as possible is one of the things that immensely helps save me time.  However, it’s not always easy.  Working hard to live a healthier lifestyle means that I have to get creative with our budget sometimes. Luckily, there’s companies that understand that and work to ensure I can have the best of everything.

Enter BINTO. 

BINTO is a subscription-based box service, created by women’s health professionals, that delivers a box of curated products related to fertility and reproductive health to your home each month. Don’t let the name fool you, you don’t have to be pregnant. Whether you are still waiting for your first child, or you’ve already had children, the BINTO can be tailored to your needs. Their goal – to make your life simple and less stressful. Furthermore, they want to provide woman with safe and effective products that are designed to support fertility and reproductive health.

Currently, inside each period support box, contains:

  • Organic cotton tampons
  • Probiotics
  • Prenatal and regular multivitamins with built-in DHA
  • and feminine wipes

The purpose of this is to send you personalized monthly products that cost less than if you purchased them individually.  Additionally, by setting up a subscription service, you no longer have to worry about forgetting to order more or running out.

The BINTO team is also currently working on a box for menopausal support and curating additional products to be included in each box. At this time, BINTO currently costs $35/month for a period support box and $60/month for a fertility support box. All products inside are made free from harmful chemicals like parabens, phthalates, and preservatives and are made sustainably.  Additionally, you have constant access to the FREE  online knowledge center which includes a streamlined library of reliable online information on topics ranging from ovulation tracking to endometriosis.

You can learn more about and purchase your own BINTO here.

 

What do you REALLY need for breastfeeding?

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If you’re pregnant and plan to breastfeed, you’ve likely asked yourself this question.

What do you REALLY need for breastfeeding?

It’s really quite simple.

  1. A baby
  2. A boob

That’s actually it. You don’t even need two boobs (though it helps). Just one will do.

However, I know you really want to know what will help your transition go more smoothly. I’m not going to lie, the first 4-6 weeks is tough as you adjust and anything that you can do to make your life easier, I highly recommend. I’m not going to sit here and say that those first few weeks are sunshine and rainbows, and that breastfeeding isn’t going to hurt.  Who actually ever said that never breastfed before. While I’m being honest in that it isn’t an easy transition, I will say that it’s 100% worth the tough days.  I nursed our firstborn until just over 4 years old and I’m currently nursing our 23 month old.  Those strenuous days are well behind me and most of the time, I can barely recall those moments.

4 Things I Highly Recommend to Everyone 

  1. Nipple Cream.
    • I personally tried half a dozen or more brands over the two children. My #1 preference is Motherlove, however, for money saving I typically just buy the 3 pack of Earth Mama Angel Baby Brand.
    • Looking for a cheaper option?  You can use coconut oil or even just expressed milk on your nipples after every feeding.
  2. Reusable Nursing Pads
    • Don’t waste your time on buying disposable ones.  Not only are reusable better for the environment, they are so much softer and stay in place better.
  3. Boppy/Nursing Pillow
    • Tip: Buy this early on in your third trimester and use to support your growing belly throughout the last trimester. The shape really helps support your belly and baby once here.
    • Need a cheaper option? Just use the pillows you have in your home.
  4. Breastmilk Storage Bags
      • You will likely need to hand express in those first few weeks just enough to relieve the engorgement. Having breastmilk storage milks handy, will allow you to save the milk in those early days.


4 Things I Think Able Helpful but not Necessary

  1. Breast Shells
    • I had never even heard of breast shells before I was about to leave the hospital after having our first. Our nurse gave them to us and they saved me. They stop your nipples from rubbing on your clothes. During those first few days of adjusting, especially with your first, it allows you to be comfortable.
    • Need a cheaper option?  Just stay topless as often as possible.
  2. Milk Savers
    • This is the one product I regret not getting for either pregnancy.  I didn’t know about it with my first, but did with my second. Milk Savers collects milk from one side while you nurse of the other side.  Typically, this milk would just be lost in your nursing pad, but with Milk Savers it’s saved inside. Then, you can transfer to a storage bag and save. I have friend’s who use them and swear by them.
  3. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding Book
    • The holy grail of breastfeeding books.  If you really want to read everything about breastfeeding this is the book for you.
    • Need a cheaper option? Almost all libraries carry this book.
    • Also check out KellyMom.com for a ton of breastfeeding information if you can’t afford the book
  4. Baby Carrier
      • I think every parent needs a baby carrier. It’s so much better for getting around, but it also makes breastfeeding a breeze.  I personally never used breastfeeding covers because our first daughter freaked out. However, using a carrier, allows me to nurse discretely and still keep going.


3 Things I Think Able Necessary Depending on Life

These last two things are either absolutely necessary or not depending on your life. If you are a mom who works in the home, then you don’t necessarily need a a breastpump or bottles. I personally never left for me than a few hours for the first 6 months of our girls life, and in those cases had a better outcome hand expressing; however, I know that’s not a realistic expectation for many.

  1. Manual Pump
    • I highly recommend if you are a working mom outside the home, you keep a manual pump inside your car.  You never know when you will forget a piece to an electric pump, but having a manual back up will always come in handy.
    • Standard Manual Pump like Medela is highly recommend.
    • New silicone pumps are taking over for easy use and storage purposes.
  2. Electric Pump
    • There’s so many options to have. We personally used a Lansinoh Double Electric.
    • Many moms love Freemies because you can discretely use them and keep working
  3. Bottles
      • Some kids are picky so you may have to try a few options.  We love the Kiinde system for storage and bottle usage.


Working Mom?

Check out our 25 Tips for Working Moms Who Want to Make Breastfeeding Work.

I personally never used nursing bras, tanks, or other clothes.  Instead, I opted for soft bras, regular tank tops, and regular shirts like v-necks that allowed for easy access. You can definitely grab all those if you like them more, but I chose to save money and not use them.

Here’s everything we mentioned in this post:


I Hope They Know

by

It’s 9:00pm. I just got our baby down for the second time tonight.  I’m laying in the bed with one of our girls on either side of me. Listening to each breath they take, holding their soft hands, taking in the sweet scent of their growing bodies. In this moment, there’s no other place I’d rather be. Everything, in this very moment, is perfect.

But the day was not. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were absolutely beautiful moments to our day, but as I lie here reflecting, all I feel is an overwhelming sense of guilt about how I could have been such a better mom today.

I was grumpy when I woke up this morning.

I stayed up late the night before and in turn didn’t get as much sleep as I needed. I was short and lost my temper not even being up an hour. My oldest coming up to me and asking, “What’s wrong, mommy?”  Me, explaining to her, that I was just really tired. Her, telling me, that it’s okay I could rest, she’ll take care of her baby sister.

There was another time when I snapped about the toys. “Can you please just pick up the toys!?”  It’s never really about the toys. It’s the anxiety.  The anxiety of never having a clean enough house.  Never being able to keep up with the mess. Never being able to control things not going back in the order that I want them too.

Why did no one tell me about the anxiety before giving birth?

“Mommy, I cleaned up”.  I know she’s trying her hardest, but I look and just want to run away. She sees the look on my face and knows I’m disappointed. Not disappointed in her, although that’s how it comes across, but disappointed that I don’t have some magical wand that can fix all our problems.  Why can’t someone just make the anxiety and depression go away. It’s the cruelest thing that can happen to a mother. A mother that wants to be warm and loving and ends up being the complete opposite most days because the anxiety is all consuming.

I yelled today because they were just being sisters. 

Fighting over who gets the glittery pink Easter egg even though Easter has been over for weeks.  Fighting over who gets the the most toys on their egg hunt, or who gets to pick the next show on Netflix. Two sisters, playing a little too rough with each other until someone gets hurt.  And with each bickering moment, I find myself getting closer and closer to blowing my lid. I just want to feel like I can breathe for a moment without the stress. But I never feel like my body is calm.

I find myself walking to the garage and just standing there for a moment to gather my composure. Or sitting in the car for a moment after starting it before walking back in the house to grab the kids. Sometimes it’s so loud in my head that I can’t hear myself think and in turn I just scream. And while I scream at them I feel like this horrible person and immediately wish I could take it all back.  It doesn’t make anything better. My girls stand there confused and upset because the person who is supposed to love them unconditionally just hurt them.

Because I couldn’t control my emotions.

I hope they know it’s not their fault.

I hope they know there’s nothing they could have done better.

I hope they know they aren’t to blame for my actions.

I hope they know they are amazing.

I hope they know they are exactly what I need to model after.

I hope they know they are teaching me more than I could ever teach them.

I hope they know my love. 

My unconditional, dying, passionate love for them. And that because of them, I will wake up tomorrow and try to be a better mom to them all over again.  And I know that some days I will fail and I will fail miserably.  But I also know that some days, we will get it all right. And it’s those days that I hope they know they should hold close and remember. It’s those day I continue to strive for. I hope they know I love them.

For now, I’ll just lay here and whisper to them how much I do.

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