5 Things Every New Mama Will Love!

Being a busy mama means that I LOVE anything that helps me manage my time better, or make my life more organized. Since having the little one, I've found there are a few things I absolutely love. I've had a few friends asking about what I liked/didn't like/didn't use, so here's the list!

1) This meal planning website, Eat At Home

I have really expanded my cooking repertoire with this website. It has a HUGE list of recipes. Some are NOT healthy, and I skip those, but for the most part, they have ingredients that can be subbed out for healthier fare. I always sub brown rice for white, and throw in veggies, etc. The site also has ready made meal plans for a week, but since I don't like all the recipes for a whole week, I don't use that part. But just having such a great "recipe box" has been so helpful. I was back to cooking at week 2, but only easy meals, and this helped sooo much.

2) The Medela Double Electric Pump!

Oh, how I love this pump! As weird as it sounds, this thing saved me from some miserable nursing complications at the very beginning. Thanks to the pump, I was nursing with no problems by day four, and it got me through mastitis as well. We got it used, but bought all new tubes/sterilized all the parts, etc. Ended up being under 100$ for all the parts plus the used pump. It's FAST (2-5 minutes for a 3 oz bottle for me), and gentle.

Buy it here.

3) This workout DVD!

I gained an abysmal amount of weight with Emmy-Grace...I was absolutely terrified after I had her; that I'd never lose it. Thankfully, a lot was water, and I dropped all but 10 pounds within two weeks simply from nursing! The last ten have been a real pain, but I have just 5 more to go, and am now right back in my pre pregnancy sizes! This DVD was a lifesaver, I've been doing it at home and it keeps me right on track for my goals. Chris Powell is a little too perky sometimes, but it does keep you motivated...to be done haha ;) *Don't start exercising without your doctor's consent, I started at 2 weeks post partum, but you may need to wait until week 6.

4) Stretch Mark Cream by Mederma

I was given this by a friend and it's AMAZING. Because I gained so much weight, and then dropped it so fast, I was left with some nasty stretch marks across my tummy. This cream has almost removed them completely! Well worth the $$. Use it after a shower/hot bath. Available on Amazon and Target.

Buy it here.

5) The Ergo by Petunia Pickle Bottom!

A girl at Drew's work recommended the Petunia line to me, and I was overjoyed to find the Ergo in the pretty Petunia print! Emmersyn adores the Ergo, and it has SAVED MY BACK. I have had tremendous back pain since about 32 weeks pregnant, and the Ergo is the one and only thing I can carry emmy in that I have good posture and no back pain in.

Buy it here (along with all the other Petunia bags, which are my favs!)

5) Nursing cover

My sister makes these beautiful covers, and I've used it EVERY SINGLE DAY. They have a plastic band so you can see your little one without exposing yourself to the world. The one I have is lightweight, folds up really small, and is a pretty way to cover up. They are pretty similar to these. My sister makes beautiful covers from pretty prints. They are washable and dry up great in the dryer, which makes for easy clean up from spit up! Contact me if you want a custom one.