By now, I’ve been awake for a few hours. Yesterday was Mother’s Day and if we’re being honest, I spent it in bed. All of it. Right there is where my husband brought me coffee, showed me my gift and later brought me dinner. I roamed Netflix, social media every now and again and barely dredged up enough energy to respond to all the mother day wishes and make wishes of my own. Just barely.
(more…)Tag: First Time Mom
A Husband’s Perspective: First Time Traveling Without… Me
Having seen my wife’s blog post about her first time traveling alone with our frisky three year old daughter, I’ve decided I will share my side of the story. The husband, left soaked in tears, I mean rain :-), in the airport.
Ok, now, first of all, we usually travel together, as a family. Even with two sets of hands and four sets of eyes, Sio is incredibly slippery and I knew for a fact, based on past experiences that at some point in the journey, she would give up on walking. She’s now three, perfectly capable of handling herself but when she says no, that’s it.
First Time Flying Solo with my Toddler
The other day, the need arose for Sio and I to travel alone. Up until that time, we traveled as a family. My husband was a tad concerned, asking numerous times if I was sure I’d be okay mostly because our child is frisskkyy! In addition, she behaves like a banshee when she’s tired. Well, going solo definitely wasn’t my first choice, however, it has to happen some time, right?
(more…)Becoming Mother: Three Years A Mum
To accurately describe the still very young journey of motherhood that I’m on is to fail, and do so miserably. What I can say, is that although I remember life before my nugget, it strangely seems she has always been here. Maybe it’s her energy that was here, helping us to love her even when she was but a figment of our imaginations with a name.
(more…)Baby Reid No.2?
These last few weeks, watching Siobhán grow like a weed and immersing myself completely in the experience of being her mom, I’ve been hit with an unexpected conundrum, baby fever. I feel it wash through me everytime I look at my child, or see one younger than her. I look at her baby pictured wrought with nostalgia. More often than not, I look at my child playing alone and I think, ‘Oh lawd. She gonna grow alone? She nuh deserve that!’ (more…)
Becoming Mother: She’s 1!!!
On October 13, 2016, my most precious bundle of joy was born. It feels like just yesterday that I heard the doctor say “Siobhán is out!”. She was so tiny, even her newborn clothes were big. My husband hogged her for the first few weeks. The only thing I would get to do was feed her because I had the breast! Now, all that teeny bop stuff is gonna and I have a full on young lady on my hands. I can’t believe how fast this past year went by. (more…)
Becoming Mother: 6 Months Update
I had my daughter 6 months go today. WOW! Just… wow! Already I have found myself several times over looking at pics from the day (night) she was born. She changed, grown so much. Will it always be this fast? My heart might not be able to take this. I love this kid so much! It’s intense. It keeps my heart so full, grateful, scared, yet content and happy. (more…)
New Mom Guide: 6 Must Haves
When I had my baby, I was starting from ground zero on the knowledge of comfort scale. Most of the women I had giving me advice hadn’t had a baby in at least 10 years, so I kind of had to figure it out on my own as far as small comforts were concerned. So I’ve put together a list of things that helped me.
Pregnancy Pillow
My back pain started pretty early, around four months and is currently ongoing. I decided I wanted to try a pregnancy pillow. Wowzers, the difference it made! The shape I have not only completely alleviated my lower back pain, when my belly got bigger, it provided support and assisted with the pulling weight when I layed on my side. It is also currently functioning as support (which I can’t do without when I nurse), so that’s another plus.
The drawback? It’s huge and takes up half of a queen size bed. We had to be very creative to still manage to cuddle. If you know about Jamaica, you know the summer heat, is no joke! It was very uncomfortable when I needed the support but would sweat buckets being cocooned.
Where: I had made up my mind to have my mom make me one when I lucked out. I visited the Ping’s Half Way Tree store, and when I described what I wanted to make, the sales rep said she thought they may have one. She found 3, and I was able to purchase it there for JMD$3000. It was definitely a win!
This is the shape pillow I had, however, there are a wide variation of shapes.
Shea Butter Skin Mixture
I knew that moisture would be essential if I was going to have any hope of limiting stretch marks, but instead of relying on manufactured creams, I made my own. MOISTURE is imperative, not just oil. I bought unrefined Shea Butter, coconut oil and olive oil and made a mixture that I used everyday on my breasts, belly, sides and lower back. I would encourage you to add your hips to your own regimen.
Where: Olive and coconut oil can be found virtually anywhere on the island. Shea butter a little more scarce. I bought mine on Amazon for USD$14.95 and had it shipped through ShipMe. I paid Shipme around $1000+ to collect. ( They charge per pound.) The good news is I have been using this EVERYDAY since March 2016 and have since made two of the containers (shown below). The second container is not yet finished and I’ve also been using the product in my baby’s hair for a few weeks now (It does wonders for a dry patch her scalp has). I also still have enough Shea Butter left to make another container or two of product.
Lansinoh HPA Lanolin
This little tube of product saved me from screaming bloody murder while my nipples got used to breastfeeding. I would never attempt to go without it if I had another child. It’s safe for baby and doesn’t need to be removed before feeding (I removed it anyway and reapplied). It’s also great for chapped lips! It’s now a handbag favorite. It’s only 1.41 oz of product but a little goes a long way. I am still on my first tube though I no longer need it for breastfeeding (3 1/2 months later).
Where: It costs USD$8.73 on Amazon and will be about $JMD800+ to collect through ShipMe. (Tip: Don’t order it alone. It’s better to order something else you may need to make up the one pound weight ShipMe charges for.)
Lansinoh Stay-Dry Nursing Pads
These are awesome! You can put them in your bra or stick them onto a close fitting top or dress if you want to go braless. They really do keep you dry. I never notice if my breasts have been leaking until I notice the difference in the weight of the pad. It never ever, ever feels wet.
Where: Amazon. It’s USD$9.99 for a box of 100 and like I said, if you don’t leak, or do very little, you can just pop them back in to re-use.
Silicone Breast Pump
So you know when your breasts are engorged and folks casually suggest express by hand? Nope, nope, nope, nope and oh yea… NOPE! It’s PAINFUL! Not to mention you’re there enduring all this pain for two drops of milk to casually drip. Nope! When I tried to find a pump locally, I found myself facing JMD$7000 price tags for single manual pumps. Again, nope! Considering I only pump if I’m engorged or need to go on the road for hours, I wasn’t about that life. I decided to try a silicone pump. This is sooo good! Hassle free and it’s great to take the edge off when engorged. The cap is only good to keep milk covered so watch out. If it turns over, all your milk is gone. I transfer to a bottle immediately so I’ve never had an accident.
Where: Amazon. It cost USD$13 .00 and is light (for ShipMe reference).
Ovia Pregnancy App
I loved this app. It gives bits of helpful information everyday and week as well as an update of what you can expect regarding symptoms each coming week. There are helpful tips for alleviating them (symptoms), a community where you can ask questions and a cute little hand diagram that compares the approximate size of your baby’s hand in relation to the hand size at birth.
Where: Google Play and Apple Stores. It’s free!
I hope this helps someone and congratulations on your baby!
P.S. This is not a sponsored post.
