Well Olivia is almost two months old now as we have entered the 8th week!

It’s been fun over the last month to see how much more alert and inquisitive she is, and I thought it would be fun to round up our favorite baby products we have used in these first two months and to also give you some insights into what it’s been like for us! From breastfeeding, the baby blues, to normal motherhood adjustments and more! Let’s chat about our favorite products below first!

I’ll start first with Mommy care – postpartum items that I found to be helpful! Now clearly after delivery at a hospital you leave with all kinds of supplies – undies, pads, Tucks Pads (if you’re lucky – they’re great!), etc. But before I delivered I ordered the Fridamom Kit, and there were two specific items I loved in there. First was their PeriBottle. I took this with me to the hospital, and preferred it for it’s larger size and the angled neck. So much better than the hospital bottle! Second was the PeriFoam. I loved that I could just pump this into my pad or diaper and go! My favorite nipple cream I tried (other than prescription APNO – if it gets bad call your doc for this!!), was the Earth Mama Nipple Butter, which was also great for pumping.

For baby gear, my favorite carrier I’ve used has been the Baby Bjorn Mini. It’s the most comfortable for me and for my mini, and I also tried the Moby wrap and the Infantino carrier that is similar. We have loved our folding bassinet, and while I was unsure about it at first since it’s a little lower to the ground, the rocking function on the feet has been a godsend at night lulling her back to sleep! By far her favorite place to play is with her Fisher Price Activity Mat, and the songs are really cute! We also use a special pillow from Koala Baby Care to help prevent plagiocephaly (flat head) while she’s on it, and she loves the pillow! And if she’s not playing with that, she’s likely in her Fisher Price Bouncer seat, which I stupidly didn’t register for. Luckily for me, Olivia has a great Gigi that quickly ordered her one and it’s one of her favorite places to be! I’ve also been extremely impressed with our Chicco Bravo Car Seat and Stroller, and it’s been a favorite for many people for a while! Quick and easy to fold with lots of functionality, it’s definitely worth it and still pales in comparison price-wise to many other stroller options.

I’ve also linked our favorite swaddles and swaddle-transition sleep sacks, the beloved Hatch nightlight and sound machine, our favorite bottles, and some personal care options – all hail the Nose Frida! We love our Fisher Price bath tub, because it’s great to use on the kitchen counter or the actual bathtub! Another product I can’t say enough good things about would be the Tubby Todd All-Over Ointment. Olivia had a bit of baby acne, and I quickly remembered this product being praised on IG and I ordered the small tub to try out. Now I won’t go without it! A little goes a long ways, and it’s great for baby acne, sensitive skin, cradle cap and more! It’s really a miracle ointment.

Now that we are almost two months into this whole “new baby” thing, I’m starting to feel more like I’m getting this Mommy thing down. When we first came home from the hospital I got slammed with the baby blues pretty hard. Add on top of that breastfeeding struggles, and I felt pretty darn rotten. Most people tell you that the baby blues just leave you feeling a little sad each day, but I had literally no appetite on top of sadness as well as pretty bad anxiety. I dropped 20 pounds in the first two weeks home and didn’t recognize myself in the mirror most days. I had my Mom with us to help with Livi and also talk through my feelings with which was a godsend.

Luckily, as the baby blues began to fade and pass, I began to feel more like myself each day. I was so thankful my appetite returned, my 10 am crying sessions ended, and I’d eventually start to feel a little better. However, my breastfeeding struggles didn’t get any better.

We came home from the hospital on a Friday, and by Saturday evening it was pretty clear Olivia wasn’t getting enough to eat. We had met with a lactation consultant while in the hospital and I was aware that I had several issues working against me and my quest to breastfeed. But luckily she had a good latch, and we continued trying to feed on the breast. On that Saturday evening when she was unconsolably crying and kept refusing the breast, I luckily had a small bottle of formula she sucked down almost instantly. I had basically been starving her because my milk just wasn’t coming in. I started to monitor this by continuing to nurse her, but also began pumping just to know how much I was getting in output. I tried different drinks and beverages, tried to eat more, power-pumped and spoke to lactation support, but unfortunately I suffered from low supply. This could be due to several factors I have, including PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), the need for fertility assistance, and IGT (insufficient glandular tissue).

I felt like such a failure. Add these feelings on top of baby blues + being a first time mom, and I felt pretty flipping awful. Eventually Olivia started really sucking down the bottles, and I realized my supply just couldn’t keep up with her anymore. I switched to exclusively pumping to supplement her formula intake. For all the exclusively pumping mamas out there, I salute you. It is mind-numbing work sitting there pumping for hours on end each day. When my husband went back to work and I was home with her exclusively, I struggled finding time to pump each day. Her schedule was extremely unpredictable (and still is – because she is NOT a good napper), and every time I’d sit down to pump, she’d be awake and most likely unhappy. I tried this merry-go-round of pumping for six weeks when I finally decided I’d had enough. It was mentally debilitating, and I could feel my days of stress taking away from the precious moments I was losing spending this special time at home with her for the first 12 weeks of her life. The moment I finally told my mom I was going to stop pumping I felt like a weight lifted off my chest.

I write all of this, not for anyone to feel bad for me – because you shouldn’t – but because I want to empower those who also struggle with breastfeeding. I come from a pro-formula family, as I am a formula-fed baby, as were all my siblings. I felt no guilt whatsoever from my family or husband to continue trying to breastfeed, but I had to finally decide for myself when enough was enough. Was I continuing to try for her, or was I selfishly doing it for myself to prove a point?

Olivia was getting more and more formula on a daily basis, and I decided she was thriving on it and I wanted to spend every moment I have left with her during our time at home soaking up all the playtime, smiles and snuggles and free from breastfeeding guilt. I pumped enough to slowly build up a small freezer stash, which we will use when she gets sick or needs a milk bath. But otherwise, she’s a very happy, well-fed formula baby. We are friends with formula in our house, and I’m not scared to say that.

Whether you want to breastfeed, combo-feed, or use formula to feed your baby, I’m here to tell you to do whatever is best. But please remember, whatever is best for your baby also needs to be best for you, Mama. I felt like a much more present mother when I decided to stop what was mentally taxing and wearing me down, and my healthy, happy baby girl confirms my decision for me every single day. I also want women to be aware that sometimes breastfeeding just doesn’t work out too. Whether you have a medical condition working against you, or a possible physical barrier, sometimes breastfeeding doesn’t always come naturally. If you start reading online about this, you’ll be met with all kinds of miracle drinks and tricks to help you and ultimately more and more mom guilt. Plain and simple, speak with your provider or lactation consultant about your concerns, and remember that there is no guilt or shame in feeding your baby with whatever works best for you and your family. It stops becoming liquid gold when it costs you your mental health.

So now we spend our days prepping bottles (the Dr. Brown’s Formula Pitcher is amazing!), soaking up the smiles and random bursts of baby babble, and attempting to get our fussy napper to sleep; but I at least know that I tried my best for her and myself. Nonetheless, a happier, more-present mother is the best thing I can give her overall – and that’s how I feel today. 🙂

Until next week….
xo, Chelsea