My #1 Pregnancy Necessity

Our Doula!

"What is a Doula?", you may ask. My description of a Doula is as follows: "An amazing woman who provides support and strives to be a Mother, Sister, and Friend to a woman during her Pregnancy."

Other descriptions I have found sound more like this:

"The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period." (http://www.dona.org/mothers/)

Hiring a Doula was an easy decision for Casey (Daddy) and I. We live about 12 hours from the majority of our family. In combination with moving frequently, and this being our first pregnancy, we knew we could benefit from the extra support we would receive from a Doula.

If we were surrounded by family during this time, we might not have hired a Doula, but I can't say for sure. Doulas do usually come with a price tag. Unless, you are able to find a Doula who is still training to become certified by an organization such as DONA International or a Doula who is linked through your hospital or birth center, those Doulas might come to you at little or no cost. The average cost of a Doula is between $200-$400. The more experience a Doula has will be reflected in the price they charge. 

Birth Doulas (which is what we have) often schedule a few meetings before the birth of your baby to discuss your birth plan and you and your partner's fears, hopes, and anything else you would like to discuss. 

Postpartum Doula; a Doula who is there for you, your partner, and baby, to help with baby blues, breastfeeding, and any questions you may have. Our Doula will be visiting us after baby is born, which is why we don't feel the need for a Postpartum Doula. You can certainly have both or one and not the other, it's completely up to you! 

If you have interest in finding a Doula, ask your Doctor or Midwife, or you can search online yourself! You can do a search in your area on the DONA International website.

Currently Reading: "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League International & "Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money" by Dave Ramsey & "French Kids Eat Everything" by Karen Le Billon

The Great Diaper Debate

Disposables vs. Cloth.

That is the question.

Congratulations! You have been given the great decision of how to handle your munchkin's poo!

This past weekend I attended a seminar on Cloth Diapering at a local natural baby store, Over the Moon, here in the mountains of Virginia. Prior to the seminar I had done my own research via the Internet and awesome cloth diapering friends, but I still managed to learn quite a bit at the seminar.

There are Pros and Cons to both sides, but I can't help but be a little biased toward cloth because that is what we've decided to do. So here it is!

Cloth Diaper Pros:

• Money saver
• Less waste/Environmentally friendly
• Better for baby's bottom
• Less stink!

Cloth Diaper Cons:

• More laundry
• Some daycares won't accept cloth diapers
• You have to rinse the poo out before you wash
• More labor-intensive than disposables

Disposable Diaper Pros:

• All daycares accept disposable diapers
• Super easy
• Don't have to rinse out poo
• No extra laundry

Disposable Diaper Cons:

• Stinkier than cloth
• Large amount of garbage
• More expensive than cloth
• Chemicals in diapers than can irritate baby's skin

When we decided to do cloth diapers a large determining factor was how much money we would be able to save. And you can save even more than just 2-3 years worth. You can hang on to those cloth diapers if you plan on having more children and double the savings, or maybe even triple them!

The typical Cloth Diaper stash will run you about $500, give or take, depending on the style of diaper you choose to buy (which I will dive into in a separate post). And there are plenty of websites to buy used Cloth Diapers to cut that $500 initial cost even lower.

Some websites where you can find used cloth diapers:

Here.... Craigslist
Here....... Diaper Swappers
And Here.... Cloth Diaper Trader

(I have not used Diaper Swappers or Cloth Diaper Trader, but I'd love to hear your experiences if you have!)

Happy Diapering!

Currently Reading: "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League International
& "Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money" by Dave Ramsey

Welcome to Mommyhood!

Here it comes! Mommyhood, with all it's glorious perks including poopy diapers, giggles, and sleepless nights.

This is my first pregnancy and it has been quite a journey so far! We have about 10 and a half weeks left until our EDD (Estimated Due Date) of April 10th, 2014. We learned we were expecting at 3 weeks and 6 days! We have had plenty time to prepare and get very excited. Learning I was pregnant so early I was able to start eating better, stop indulging in that glass of red wine, cut out sushi, and start taking prenatal vitamins all at 4 weeks pregnant.

From the very beginning I have had just about every symptom in the book! From Morning Sickness to Pregnancy Brain and everything in between.

• Heartburn
• Sleepless nights
• Going to the bathroom every 20 minutes
• Crazy pregnancy dreams
• Hot flashes
• A pain in my butt (literally) 
• Leg cramps
• Forgetfulness
• And a whole bunch of other things I can't remember ;)

My greatest pregnancy brain moment was the day I accidentally used my Sister's phone number in place of my social security number. Oh boy! And that was just the beginning!

This is just the beginning of my journey into Mommyhood and I can't wait to share what I learn along the way.

9 Weeks

27 Weeks

Currently Reading: "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League International