The idea of cloth diapers always intrigued me. I always try to be Green as often as possible. I felt guilty even before my baby was born thinking about how much more garbage we would generate from diapering. Not to mention how expensive cloth diapering would be. 

I was scrolling through Pinterest and I noticed an infographic showing that most parents spend anywhere from $1500-$4000 PER YEAR on diapers (depending on the diaper brand). That is a lot of money to be spending just on diapers. 

I bought $60 worth of cloth diapers before my son was born. I procrastinated for 4 months and came up with excuse after excuse for why I wasn't ready. It is gross; it will be too much work; I don't have time... I could write an entire blog on the reasons I avoided it. I started to feel guilty about wasting money on diapers and liners sitting upstairs that were not being used.

Finally, over Christmas break, I decided I'm going to do this, and if it isn't for me, then it isn't for me. At least I could say I tried and stop feeling so guilty about wasting money. 

The first day we did it, I realized that it wasn't so bad. This realization pushed me to try again the next day; and the next and the day after that. At the end of that first week, I realized it wasn't nearly as gross, time-consuming, or inconvenient as I had thought. I posted some pictures of a dirty diaper later in the blog, not to be gross, but to show you, it really isn't bad at all.

Now I will put it out there that we are not a full-time cloth diapering mommy. We are a hybrid home, where we use disposable diapers at daycare and night currently. At first, I didn't want to inconvenience the daycare. However, we might be switch to cloth diapers full time, so stay tuned!

Okay, let's get back on track...

If you are considering it, I highly recommend just trying it yourself. You do not have to go all out on expensive diapers and gear. You will be spending the money on disposable diapers anyway, so what is the hurt in spending $60 to try it out. You will be spending that money on disposable diapers anyway, right?

If all that wasn't enough to convince you to give it a try, technically our society has been using disposable diapers all wrong. According to the box, the diapers are not intended to be disposed of with the poop wrapped up inside. Instead, you are supposed to dispose of the waste in the toilet and then throw away the soiled diaper. In a sense, you are required to do almost the same amount of work as a cloth diaper at this point.  

Here were some of the questions I wish I had known before starting:

Where do you clean the diapers?
At first, I used the toilet and would dunk my hands in and give it a quick scrub to get the poop off. 

You can also get a sprayer that hooks up to the toilet water line to spray down the pads. In doing so, you don't have to put your hands in the toilet. 

But if I am going, to be honest, and real, now I just use the upstairs bathroom sink and clean it with bleach at the end of the day. Most of the time I am just rinsing out pee anyways, and the diaper liners catch the majority of the poop.

What do you do with the pad insert?
There are different ways to go about inserting the pad. The diaper shells that I use have a pocket you place the pad inside. The only downfall with this is that you then have to replace the shell after every use. Instead, I just lay the pad in the shell like a maxi pad liner. In doing so, I am just replacing the pad and the disposable liner, which allows me to reuse the shell. Who needs more laundry?

Side note: Because my son isn't mobile yet, we haven't had any issues with it moving or leaks. This might change when he starts crawling and running around, but for now, it has worked great. 

How many diaper shells do you go through a day?
Anywhere from 1-3 diaper shells, depending on his bowel movements. Most of the time, I am changing pee diapers, and I am swapping out the pads. The only time I swap the shell is if poop gets on it.

How many pads do you use in a day? Right now (at 6 months), my son goes through about 8 or 9 diaper pads per day.

How do you launder the linen?
I typically do the laundry after 2-3 days. I haven't any issues with smell yet. When I do the load of laundry, I set it on the hot cycle, add in the detergent and a scoop of Oxy-clean. The Oxy-clean is key to getting out those poop stains. Afterward, I hang them to dry on my drying rack. I love this rack because it has clips and it takes up barely any space.

What do you do at night? 
At night we put Jack in disposable diapers. The one downfall is that the cloth diapers are super absorbent, but the wetness will still sit against their skin. Because I am not going to be getting up as much throughout the night, we put him in disposable diapers at night to keep his skin dry.

What do you do with the poop? 
Since our son still has more liquid poops, we just ball up the liner and throw it away. When he gets older and his poop is more solid, you dump the waste into the toilet and throw away the soiled liner.

WARNING: Here are the diaper photos I warned you about below!!! I think the last photo is worth noting, this is all that is thrown away, a small tissue size wad of liner. I also think its important to show how absorbent the diaper liners are, even more liquid poop doesn't get through these bad boys.

If you are interested in giving it a try and I really hope you do here is what I recommend:


Alva Baby Cloth Diapers: 
There are other brands out there that can cost $20 per diaper shell. That is crazy to me! These cost less than $35 and they come with 2 pad inserts in each diaper too. I still recommend buying the charcoal pad inserts, these inserts are far better than the inserts that come inside the diapers.

Black Diaper Pads: 
It just makes sense. Poop stains and why make more work for yourself. There are no stains with this dark color. Plus these suckers are SUPER absorbent.

Diaper Liner: 
We use these diaper liners and I can't believe how effective they are. We wad it up and throw it away. Even though some liners are "flushable", no one wants an unwanted plumbing bill. Think of these as your poop catchers.

Drying Rack: 
I love this hanging drying rack. It has come in handy not only for letting the diapers air dry, but we use it for other articles of clothing I don't want to throw in the dryer.

Waterproof Bag:
We hang this dirty diaper bag on the back of our bathroom door. That way we can just throw the used pads and shells in after.

​

​Going back to work after having a baby was one of the toughest moments of my life, maybe the toughest outside of having my miscarriage.

I cried for two weeks straight leading up to returning and not just normal crying. The ugly kind; the snot running down your face coming from the deepest part of you type of crying. It was only a few months ago, but I just remember feeling like a part of me was about to die as I held my baby and rocked him as I wept uncontrollably. 

I was so bitter at the world, at my husband, at myself for not being able to afford to be able to stay at home with the baby. I wanted to stay at home with him more than anything, but my student loans were far too high for my husband to take on. We already relied on my husband's income to pay the mortgage, electricity, gas, the internet, and his student loans. It wasn't fair to put even more stress on him and expect him to cover part of my loans which come to $800 a month.

There was already so much stress about having to leave my son, it was hard to think about what I needed to do to prep myself for shifting to this new routine and change.

Going back to work would now be different, I had to think about what it would take to be a career mom, but also getting the baby ready for his day ahead as well. In the end, everything worked out really well the way I approached going back to work. I hope some of these strategies might help you transition back into this new change, not only in your personal/ family life, but also in your career life as well.

Here is my list of tips on how to make the transition easier:

Have Your Spouse or Family Watch The Baby The First Week.
I am a realist. I know that this is a privilege, and it might not apply or be an option for all households. However, if it is possible for your situation, this probably the one thing that will make it the easiest to go back to work. 

My husband took the first week off as I went back to work. Knowing he was at home with dad and not a stranger was a huge relief. My maternity leave only allowed me to stay out for 6 weeks contractually. My husband helped get me through the school day by sending photos and short videos of Jack. This made it so much easier getting to "see" him throughout my day.

Our family was incredible and they also chipped in and took turns watching Jack for the next few weeks.  As a result of this, Jack was able to stay out of daycare until he was 12 weeks and build up his immune system more.

Treat Yo'Self
Go out and get your hair, nails, or even a facial done. You are exhausted and you need to have a little bit of rejuvenation. As easy as it is to put ourselves last, it is so important to still take care of yourself both physically and mentally.

Buy Yourself a New Outfit
Going back to work is hard enough and your old clothes might not fit. I was able to fit back into my pants fine, but my breast size was still much larger because I was breastfeeding. Having a few new outfits or even a few new shirts makes you feel good about yourself and can give you a little encouragement.

Get Yourself a Freemie Pump
I talked about this pump in my past blogs. When picking out your pump, I highly recommend getting this pump. It allows you to pump on the go, in public, or even at social gatherings discreetly. If you are a teacher, it is extremely important to buy this if feeding your baby breastmilk is a high priority. 

Legally, employers have to provide you time to pump for usually 30 minutes in New York State. In my case, the school gave me that time during my planning periods. Many of my coworkers told me stories of how getting to the nurse's office to pump, getting set up, pumping, and cleaning up was impossible to do within the 30 minutes. As a result, their supply began to dwindle, and they couldn't keep up with providing their baby with breastmilk. 

I honestly believe the only reason I am still pumping out large quantities and keeping up my supply up for the past 5 months is because of this pump. I am able to pump during class discreetly on my schedule. I put the pump on before my students arrive and take it off as soon as they leave. This allows me to pump on my schedule and if I need extra time, it is no big deal because I can still do my job. This pump allows me to get up and move around the classroom and doesn't limit or take away from teaching and getting things done during my prep time.

Pro-Tip: If you do decided to go with amazing pump. Be sure to buy extra duck bill valves and connector pieces. The ONLY problem with this brand is that you cannot walk into a Target or Walmart and snag a replacement part if you need one. I have lost two pieces so far and having to wait for new ones to ship was frustrating. I now have back up replacement parts for when I lose another part or just need to replace it in general.

Buy Kinde Storage Bags
I am a big fan of this style of breastmilk bags. I have had other brands leak and it's so frustrating. I love that these breastmilk bags have twist caps like a water bottle.

​Keep A Stash of Bags in Your Car
I sometimes forget to grab more breastmilk bags from home, or I thought I had more bags than I did at work. I have run out of bags at work and this has happened to me more than once. Having an emergency stash in your car is great just for your own peace of mind and it sure comes in handy when you do run out. I would cry if I ever had to pump and dump.

Buy a Milk Cooler Bag
If you do not have one of these already, I highly recommend these to transport your milk from work. My work commute time is over an hour-long from school. I need to make sure that milk stays cold until I get home. 

Side-note: It is really hard to get an art teacher job, if you are wondering, it is my goal to get a job closer to home.

Bring an Extra Pair of Clothes: 
Spills and leaks are bound to happen. One time, I didn't squat to pick something up, I bent over while pumping and got breastmilk all over me! GAH!!! I think I was more upset about losing the milk than anything. Bring a neutral top and a neutral pair of pants. I chose black pants and a black top that way it will go with whatever I am wearing. 

Buy a Utility Tote Bag
As a teacher, I usually bring my teaching bag/purse, a lunch bag, and my laptop to and from work every day. Now I had to add my pump bag and my breastmilk cooler bag. I was going to look like the crazy bag lady! I went onto Amazon to buy a utility tote. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on one and got the cheapest one I could find. It is no Thirty-One tote quality-wise, but for $15 I couldn't really complain. It gets the job done and I can put all of the bags into one bag.

Buy a Water Tumbler
Hydration is key for pumping and keeping your supply up. I hate drinking water. I have to force myself to do it unless I am working out. Having a cute tumbler with photos of your sweet baby all over it helps to remind you to stay hydrated and who doesn't love looking at their baby all day?
After each pumping session, I fill up the tumbler and chug the whole thing down because if I don't, I will forget and not do it.
 
Record Baby Crying
This was a suggestion I was given when I was going back to work. Sometimes when our brains hear the baby cry, it kicks in the hormones and triggers our bodies to start producing milk. I used this in the beginning but realized that I didn't need it all the time. 

Buy Breast Shell
If you are pumping, you will want to have these breast shells. They are a lifesaver. Pumping can leave your girls feeling sore and then having them rub up against your bra can be really painful at times. These give your breasts a little bit of relief by creating a barrier to keep your nipples from rubbing up against the bra.

Set a Series of Alarms
If you are a pumping mama, you can easily get so focused on your work that you may forget to pump. I pump every 3 hours to mimic how often Jack needs to eat. Even though I know when I need to pump again, the time can often get away from me. Having that backup reminder is such a huge help. You may eventually only need one or two alarms.

Have Lunch or Dinner With a Co-Worker Friend
This was one of the most helpful aspects of prepping myself to return to work. My teacher friends had a "happy hour" and met up at an ice cream parlor after work. I joined them and brought Jack with me. It was a lot of fun and there were lots of laughs. It helped me remember how fun my co-workers were and made me realize I did miss interacting with them on a daily basis.

Do a Practice Run
Leaving your baby for the first time is so hard regardless of what you are doing. Sign up and volunteer somewhere for a few hours or even take it slow and go in for half a day once a week. This will make that sting of having to leave not be so intense.

On top of being a mom, a teacher and a blogger, I also have a sip and paint side business called Vino & Vernici. This is how I eased into going back to teaching at school. I first started doing a few paint parties again. I cried on the drive to the first paint party after having Jack, but once I got there, I was fine. The best part about working or volunteering was coming home. Coming home had never been so exciting before, I almost had an adrenaline rush. Let's just say I was a little heavy on the gas pedal that day.

Try to Remember Your Why
This is easier said than done, but if you can find one it does help. 

I had two "why" reasons. The first was my student loans. I told myself that if I went back to work, I could pay off my student loans faster. My hope was I could be a stay at home mom for baby number 2.

The second reason was we knew before Jack was born, that Jack potentially had a mild kidney concern. My health insurance isn't the worst, but it isn't the best either. The copay of the ultrasounds can cost a few hundred dollars each time he had to have it done. Having this motivation for making sure I could provide him with these necessary procedures helped make it a little easier for returning to work.

Cry It Out
Do not bottle those emotions girl. This is not easy and that emotional release can really help. It is totally normal and lots of moms need to have a good cry. No one is judging. It only shows how much you care and love that sweet little babe.

Write Down Your Feelings
Maybe you need a different outlet to get everything out. I find that writing about how I am feeling helps remove those awful feelings; hence the blog. I wrote an entire blog post about my feelings on returning back to work and how it felt eerily similar to the feelings I felt after my miscarriage.

Remember It Gets Better
I heard this over and over again. I didn't want to hear it at first because I was so bitter and mad about having to go back to work. It took a long time for me to really be okay with it. I was able to get through the week and be okay with working, but once the weekend came, it reminded me of what I was missing and it unraveled all of the progress I had made throughout the week.

Honestly, it took me about a month to really get back into the swing of things and for me to enjoy my job as much as I had used to. But the moms were right, it did get better and easier.

Remember Your Blessings
Lastly, sometimes we need to look at the big picture and remember what really matters. Do I wish I could stay at home with my son? 

Abso-freakin-lutely!!!

However, my dread is something someone else is praying for. Someone out there is praying for a job to return to, someone else is praying for a baby of their own even if they can't be a stay at home parent, having a baby with a relatively small health issue that doesn't require multiple surgeries and time in the hospital. I have so many blessings and keeping that in mind helps make me remember the big picture. 


My Final Thoughts
I know you are about to embark on a new stage in life mama, it might not be okay right away. But as all of those other mamas promised me, it will get better, your days off will be even more precious to you. Remember your blessing, someone very little is looking up to you and watching your strength.

Be brave mama and take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay.

Hey there! Bringing home that new baby can be pretty overwhelming. I found there were a lot of things that seemed pretty self-explanatory, but then I was a little stumped on how I should go about doing it. Bathing was one of them. The first bath Jack hated it and cried the whole time. By the next week or so, I had finally found the secret formula that worked for both of us.

I am a visual learner, so I decided to take pictures of our bath process that we have used to show our setup for a smooth bath transition.

2. I also get everything out for after the bath too. I place it all on the floor because I find it the easiest and safest too. That way, if I forget something and he decides now is the first time to roll over, he isn't going far, and he isn't going to hurt himself.

3. Get out a muslin swaddle. Fold it in half into a giant triangle. Once baby is undressed, place baby's head at the top of the swaddle so that the shoulders line up with the crease. 

4. Fold the bottom corner up in between the legs quickly. Especially if you have a boy, so you don't get peed on in the process. 

5. Fold over both corners on the left and right of the baby to swaddle him or her.

6. Place baby in the bath and get the swaddle nice and wet with warm water. This will help them stay warm and calm during the bath. You will eventually need to rewet the swaddle with more warm water to keep the cloth warm. 

When I bathe Jack, I will unswaddle and wash one half of his body.  I usually start with the right side for whatever reason. In doing so, he still has the swaddle on half of him keeping him nice and warm. This is also a good chance to dunk that unswaddled corner into the water to reheat the cloth.

PRO-TIP: When bathing the baby, pour the water over their head and let the water run down their face. TRUST ME ON THIS. You might think it is mean, but I promise it will save you from issues later down the line. 

This was one of the very first things I learned what not to do as a kid watching my younger twin cousins experience bathing. My aunt would shield the water from their eyes and face when they were babies. 

Later as toddlers, my mom was giving the twins a bath. When the water hit their face, they cried so hard that one of them vomited in the tub. When their brother was born a few years later, my aunt made sure to pour water over his head and let the water run down over his face.

7. Wash all those little cracks and crevices. Seriously, babies get gunk in the weirdest spots; behind their ears, in between their little fat rolls, etc. 

Also, side note, if you are a first-time mom or dad reading this, the baby only needs a bath 2-3 times per week. CRAZY RIGHT!?!
I loved bath time with Jack because he was so cute and fun in the tub, plus who doesn't love that clean baby smell. I was only bathing him 3 times a week and this still was too much for him. His skin started drying out and he started to get dandruff. He now has a Wednesday night & Saturday morning bath schedule.

8.Dry off that cute little nugget and bring the baby over to get diapered and clothed. I will usually just leave all the bath stuff out until after Jack is dried, clothed, and settled. That is one thing you will learn is that things can wait and you can come back to them even if it is 30 minutes later. It is not going anywhere!

I hope this helps make life a little easier bathing that sweet little babe. Bath time is one of my favorite moments and I hope this process makes it a little bit easier on you and baby too! 

Happy bathing!

Well, here I am. The moment every mother dreads, having to go back to work and leave her little one in the care of someone else. Where did the time go!? Everyone says that "it goes by fast," but no one tells you its supersonic fast!!!

The pain of going back to work hit about two weeks out for me. I silently sobbed every night because one more day had passed, and I was one more day closer to it all being over. The pain and the grief I was feeling felt eerily familiar like I had been here before. It finally dawned on me that that the grief I was feeling had similarities to the thoughts and feelings I experienced after our miscarriage.

Here are the similarities the grief of these two different experiences:

I Blamed Myself
I felt like the world's biggest failure. I continuously felt like it was all my fault, and if only had I made different decisions, this wouldn't be happening. I know now that I didn't do anything wrong to cause my miscarriage, but at the time, I felt like my body had failed my unborn child. I miscarried early into our first pregnancy, but that didn't stop me from rethinking all the choices that I made and how they could have affected the pregnancy. 

This same feeling took place when I realized that staying home would be too hard financially. Once again, all of those "what if" thoughts started to pop back into my head again.  I blamed myself for not doing a better job saving or working harder on paying off my student loans. Realistically, I had done my best, but instead of looking at all I had accomplished, I could only focus on what I didn't do yet.

You Are Losing A Part of You
I would never wish a miscarriage on anyone. But unless you have gone through it yourself, you will never really understand how it feels. One moment, the baby is with you throughout every moment of the day, and the next moment they are gone. That emptiness is consuming.

This feeling of "gone" was not identical, but all too familiar. This little person I have been caring for day and night for the past eight weeks is now barely part of my day, especially on the nights where I had to go straight to my second job right after I was done teaching all day at school.

I was grieving the "loss" of my son.

Your Husband Gets It, But Doesn't
I have the World's Greatest Husband. I often say I won the jackpot when we became a couple. He is compassionate and caring and is an old school romantic. He knew I was struggling, with having to leave Jack and he understood it was hard, but he would never truly able to fully understand everything I was going through with this grief. Only moms, especially new moms, get it. 

This problem of not fully understanding what I was going through rang true with losing Jules. When we had our miscarriage, it was the same. The empathy my husband was trying to express could only go so far since no one truly understands this feeling unless they have experienced it themselves firsthand. As much as my husband lost Jules too, his experience was different than mine.

You Become Jealous of Other Moms
The feeling of jealousy was the most relatable. After I had my miscarriage, I was uncharacteristically angry and jealous when I saw or found out other people were pregnant, or even just seeing other people with kids in general. I couldn't escape it since I am a teacher. I was reminded daily, even hourly, of what I had lost. I so desperately wanted my baby back safe and with me. 

The feeling of jealousy is remarkably similar to the situation of going back to work vs. being a stay at home mom. I tried my best to stay off of the internet, but marketing my painting business requires me to be on social media to advertise my classes. By seeing so many stay-at-home moms plastered all over Facebook and Instagram, that frustration and jealousy started to creep back in.

I was and still am so envious that those moms could stay at home watching their little ones grow and experience new things every day. I know this choice is a huge financial sacrifice, but I wish more than anything, it was something my husband and I were able to pull off.

Blindsided By Emotions
After I miscarried, some days afterward were better than others. I don't think you can ever say you have ever completely recovered from losing a child, but each day that passes, it seemed a little better than the day before. But then there were some days where it seemed that everything was going just fine, and then BAM, out of nowhere, all the emotions and sadness came flooding on back like a tidal wave. I still have these days once in a while, even now, almost a full year later. 

About two weeks before I was to return to school, is when the sadness began to set in. I started sobbing almost every night silently as I would feed and rock Jack to sleep. During the day, I usually felt like I was doing better. It seemed like it was getting better. I would just be holding him, or I would look over as he was sleeping in his swing, and that tidal wave of emotions would return, followed by the silent sobbing.

You Would Give Anything To Make Things Different
There isn't much of an explanation needed for this one in regards to wishing things could have been different after experiencing a miscarriage. But these thoughts came across my mind also when it was time to return to work. I honestly became desperate. I looked for any way to make the impossible possible. 

The major hurdle holding me back from staying at home was my student loans. For the past three years, I have been trying to pay off my student loans aggressively by using everything I earned from my second job towards the loans. Even though I have done a phenomenal job whittling down the majority of my loans, one loan still stands in my way of being able to afford to stay at home with Jack.

I became so desperate to get rid of this loan that I was about to drain my entire bank account to pay it off. Withdrawing everything from my bank account would have been beyond reckless and irresponsible. Jack has mild medical issues, and our house is over 100 years old, that money had to stay put. But trust me, I thought about pulling the trigger on this quite a few times.

Everything Happens for a Reason
If I were to choose one motto that I believe in wholeheartedly, it would have to be that "everything happens for a reason." I had to remind myself during both of these experiences that everything that happens in life has a purpose. For my miscarriage, it was to show me that I did want children because I had always been on the fence. It also made my rainbow pregnancy that much more joyful and meaningful. 

I am still in the process of figuring out the reason that I was meant to go back to work. But for now, until I discover the meaning, I will say it is because I am hopefully reaching out to others reading this who may be experiencing these same feelings, helping to let you know that you're not alone. I know that each day will get a little easier, with maybe a minor setback here and there. This moment may be tough, but so am I and so are you.

With Covid causing schools, my side business, and well ...the whole country to shut down, I had a lot of time on my hands towards the beginning of summer and my due date in August. I felt pretty confident about becoming a mom, but I decided to read mommy blogs to be more prepared for when Jack arrived. 
However, all that reading still had me caught off guard with some things I never anticipated with being a mom and having a new baby.

Here are some of those things I've learned over the past 7 weeks:

How Long It Takes To Prepare To Go Anywhere:
I knew I would have to take a little more time to get myself and baby ready to run out to the store or complete a quick errand. I didn't realize it could take multiple hours depending on the day with a newborn.

First, you need to get the baby dressed. Great! 

Now it is time to feed them so that they can sleep while you pump. That can take up to 30 minutes. 

Okay, they should be nice and full and fall right to sleep right? Sometimes... and then sometimes they fuss for up to an hour.

Okay, great they're asleep! Time to pump for 30-40 minutes. Done!

It is then you realize that the feeding window is quickly reapproaching again because everything took so long! They will be waking up again soon because they're hungry and you're not even out the door yet. Yikes!

I can't tell you how hard it can be at times to perfectly time out this process. Some days are easier than others for sure!


Formula Stains Fabric & Clothes:
Jack was still struggling to breastfeed and we had to supplement formula in the meantime. (I am happy to report we did get the hang of it eventually...okay ... focus Melissa) Jack was and still is a messy eater and even with the burp cloth, he can still manage to get his milk on his clothes. My mom came over after work to meet Jack for the first time and he was in his cute going home outfit I had specially made from Etsy. Luckily, she let me know right away that formula stains clothes, and I would want to tackle soaking it right away if I wanted to save it. Luckily, using some blue Dawn dish soap and OxyClean soaking in some hot water for an hour took it right out!


Baby Poops Are So Loud:
Guys, I am not joking on this one. The first time you hear your little one poop you will be shocked by how violently loud and intense it is. There are still times it still makes me jump if I am holding Jack and he decides it is time to go to the bathroom. Seriously, get ready!


Point The Penis Down:
This one we had to learn the hard way. If you have a little boy, this advice is huge!!! When changing their diapers and reapplying the fresh one, you need to make sure his penis is pointed down. There was one night where Jack wet himself outside his diaper 3 times and soaked his mattress cover! Luckily, some seasoned moms were able to quickly diagnose the problem. This one is probably my number one word of advice.


Your Boobs Will Tingle/ Hurt When Baby Cries:
If you are breastfeeding or pumping, when your baby cries your brain sends a message to your breasts to get them to start producing more milk. It is the most bizarre feeling and most definitely unexpected. It also isn't fun when you haven't pumped yet and your boobs already feel like they're about to burst.


Babies Need To Eat Every 2-3 Hours:
This might be a "duh" concept to some of my readers, but I honestly had no idea and that's okay! We are learning here people! I was somewhat scolded by one of the overnight nurses when Jack was born for not feeding him in the middle of the night. I just thought that he would cry when he was hungry. I made sure to wake him up every 2-3 hours after to make sure his weight was up for the time being at the hospital. When we got home, I relaxed on that rule and let the kid sleep until he was ready to eat. In my opinion, never wake a sleeping baby unless it's really necessary.


Your Boobs Can Get Milk Clots:
Oh yeah... this is a fun one and I mean it with the heaviest amount of sarcasm possible. The best way to describe them is like having hard, rock-like clusters in your boobs. I feel like they usually pop up out of nowhere. This can and most likely will happen and they are not always the easiest to get out at times either. There are different recommendations on how to loosen the clog. There are breast vibrators that you can buy to loosen the clog. Applying heat with a damp microwaved cloth, heating pad, or a good soak in the bath is suggested. I read once that one mom had her husband suck it out. I gagged after reading that. Please ladies... do not do that! YUCK!!!

I find that soaking and then immediately pumping or breastfeeding after has always worked best for me. Sometimes it also takes multiple sessions to finally get the clog out.

PRO TIP: Do not wait to work on getting the clogged milk ducts out. I did once thinking it would just go away on its own without any extra effort. Oh boy was I wrong and man did it hurt. Please ladies save yourself the pain.


Your Milk Production Is The Strongest At Night
You produce the most prolactin at night. This is the hormone that promotes milk production. If you are struggling to produce but still want to breastfeed or pump your milk, night time is the time to do it!


How Painful It Can Be For Your Milk Supply To Come In:
This was not a fun day. I honestly thought something was wrong and I was getting an infection in my breasts. First of all, they got even bigger which I wasn't anticipating. Next, they became rock hard. I now understand why they are called melons, they felt that stiff! Lastly, they felt like they were on fire. This was not a fun day, but according to my doctor was normal.


How To Properly Reheat Milk:
There are two parts to this. First, you can leave breastmilk out for up to 4 hours in the bottle before it needs to be put into the fridge.

Second is how to properly reheat milk once it has been in the fridge. What do you normally do when something is in the fridge and needs to be reheated? You microwave it! RIGHT!?!

Ha, little did I know this is NOT what you do to reheat breastmilk. I made this mistake.

This was heartbreaking to me at the time because I was producing very little and I felt like such a failure as a mom. Here was all I was able to produce for that sitting and I just ruined it. Instead, you need to heat it by placing the bottle or the milk bag in warm to hot temperature water. You can buy a bottle warmer or you can do what I do and just use the Kehrig to heat the water. 
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Pro-Tip: This is also a great hack when you are over visiting at someone else's home. Most people have a Keurig in their home and if not, throw some water in a mug and heat the water in the microwave.

You, Will, Want to Cry Over Spilled Milk:
Whoever came up with the phrase "there's no use crying over spilled milk" obviously was not trying to pump or breastfeed. This has happened to me a few times now and even though I am producing well at this point it still is frustrating when it happens.

Pro-Tip: Make sure the containers that are catching milk are secured properly. I know this is a "duh" statement, but once mine wasn't and when I went to get up from pumping, it came loose and went all over my pants and couch. GAH!!!

​Pregnancy Brain IS REAL:
AND IT DOESN'T GO AWAY!!! OYE!

You are going to be so forgetful and do weird things without even realizing it. My favorite was the time I couldn't find my Gatorade drink for the longest time. I ended up finding it in the cupboard where we keep the pots and pans. But for real, I can't tell you how crazy this is going to make you feel. I felt like I was struggling to even speak properly and form sentences. I honestly thought something was wrong with me. Thank goodness a friend confirmed that she had a similar problem because I felt like I had a stroke! 


Clothes Won't Fit Properly For A While:
Again, I know this might be another "duh" statement to some of you reading but seriously I wasn't aware of this. I honestly thought all you had to do was get back down to your pre-pregnancy pant size. 

I am so proud to say I was able to fit back into my pants at 6 weeks; however, my pre-pregnancy tops are a joke. I barely have anything that fits and it is so frustrating because I am bored with wearing maternity tops and the same clothes I have been wearing over the past few months. Since I plan on pumping for as long as I can, I don't see this changing any time soon.


You Have To Clean Under The Drying Rack:
Normally, this would have been a no-brainer to me. However, with a new baby, there are so many things you need to remember to do throughout the day and when you are running on nothing but coffee and exhaustion you are going to forget a thing or two. This one was mine. I have one of those trendy grass drying racks that you place your bottles and pumping parts on. 

One day, it hit me. I hadn't cleaned under it. Let's just say I gagged when I lifted it, followed by lots of bleach and scrubbing. 


You Will Become A Multi-Tasking Champ: 
When you have a baby, you do not waste any time with procrastinating. Those downtime moments are beyond valuable. Things I used to drag my feet to do, I am now tackling because I know my time is limited. That's why I always laugh inside when people would tell me to "sleep when the baby sleeps". I would not get anything done if I followed this advice.