"YOU ARE A MOTHER"!!!

From the moment you think "I might be", to the moment you find
out "I am" "You are a mother". Even if you never heard the heart beat "You are a mother". Just because you didn't get to feel their kick "You are a mother". Even though you never will get to take them home, "You are a mother". So what you had to give them up for adoption "You are a mother". If you didn't get the chance to watch them grow because they got their angel wings earlier than expected "You are a mother". Its okay you had to play mommy and daddy. "You are a mother".

"I am looking forward to seeing the kind of person my son will be. His little personality and his little smile. I am a mother".

"I hate the teenager years, the mood swings, the "mad"itudes for no apparent reason. I am a mother".

"They are my motivation to pull through in life. I am a mother".

"I hate that because I have spoiled them rotten that when I say I don't have it, they don't understand. I am a mother".

"I love the unconditional love that each kid gives to me. I am a mother".

"I hate that I cant protect them from the pain and hurt in the world. Having to let them make their own mistakes. I am a mother".

Regardless of your situation "you are a mother". Some say that if you don't
physically have the child you are not. I say other wise. I celebrate each and everyone of you today. "You are a mother".

"I love the thoughtful things my children do/say without being asked. I am a mother".

"I am not looking forward to the dark thoughts I know will come at night. That I am not able to be the mommy I want to be. I am a mother".

"I love that becoming a mother exposed me to the world of holistic health care. I am a mother".

"I hate mommy wars. I am a mother".

"I love the simple joy that my daughter finds in life, like bubbles and flowers. I am a mother".

"I hate the first trimester of pregnancy. All the sickness its awful. I am a mother".

In life we have obstacles. Some that are easy and some that we really have
to work hard to overcome. Becoming pregnant is one of those obstacles. For some there mere thought of a baby gets them pregnant. That isn't the case for everyone. Some may never get to experience the joys of motherhood through the womb., but by adoption. "You are a mother".

"I love the immediate indescribable love you feel for your kids. I feel it most at night while rocking mine to sleep. I am a mother".
"I hate that I cant ever give up. It is especially hard when I have so much going on in life and I cant deal. I am a mother".

"I love seeing my child apply something that I taught. I am a mother".

"I hate that my kids are old enough to make their own decision and I have to accept them, even though I know the are making a mistake. I am a mother".

"I love that when I am down and out and thinking negative thoughts about leaving this place, just thinking about my kids saves me. I am a mother".

"I am not looking forward to my post-partum body. I am a mother".

Being a parent is a different experience for everyone. Sometimes we get pregnant and we don't feel like it is our time to become a mother. We aren't ready. We think about "do I keep it, get rid of it, what am I going to do"? Adoption becomes an answered pray to some family. "You are a mother".

" I love seeing her every morning and every night just smile at me. I'm finally a real mommy, and it's such a great feeling. I am a mother".

"I hate that he is so far away and there is nothing I can do about it. I never regret my decision to place him for adoption, but sometimes I wish circumstances had been different when he was born so I could have him now. I miss him so much, and there will always be something missing in my heart, but I know I gave him the world. Had I kept him, he probably wouldn't be in my custody now. I am a mother".

"I love watching my son grow. Watching him reach milestones and seeing his personality shine through. I am a mother".

"I hate I feel like I failed my daughter, because I picked a man wouldn't be my husband or a father to her. I am a mother"."

"I am looking forward to breastfeeding. I know it is going to be difficult, but I want to bond/connect and look into her eyes. I am a mother".


"I hate people questioning my parenting especially when I didn't ask for an opinion. I am a mother".

Just because things didn't play out the way you wanted you haven't failed. Sometimes life gets in the way. We do things we aren't proud of, and make choices we soon regret. "You are a mother".

"I love that we will always be a family despite our situation. I am a mother".

"I hate the anxiety that comes with motherhood. I constantly doubt myself, am I doing everything right. I am a mother".

"I love spending time with my daughter, watching her grow and blossom into the young lady she is. I am a mother".

"I hate feeling alone with our kids even though I have a husband home. I am a mother".

"I love that I am able to witness her many talents. She bring joy and
happiness to my heart. I am a mother".

"I hate my pregnancies are so hard that I never get to enjoy them. I am a mother".

     Psalms 127:3 

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

No matter how you were blessed with them, they are your gifts. Love them and cherish the moments you have together. It may get rough, you may lose sleep. But, their are women dying to have the opportunity to become a mother. Don't take it for granted.

No one may ever tell you this but only once a year, and to me that is not enough. We moms are under appreciated. From one mother to the next I will celebrate you and this wonderful thing we get to call motherhood. Lets make a difference in the world. Not judging each other but uplifting one another. I love you all and believe in you. No matter what circumstance you are in or have been in.
                                                             "YOU ARE A MOTHER"!!!

 

 

 

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10 Best Mommy Must Haves

As a mom of three kids, I have tried a lot of different products. Some of which I cant live with out and some that I wish I never spent my money on. If you are a new mother or a mother to be, I promise these products will do you justice.

1. Medela breast pump. (There are a million different types you can make the decision based off what you considered to be needed).
2. Ergo carrier
3. Britax traveling system.
4. Lanolin nipple cream.
5. Tommee tippee bottles.
6. Bebe Au Lait nursing cover.
7. Burt's Bee Calming body wash, and lotion.
8. California baby bubble bath (Aromatherapy).
9. Nose Frida (I used this when little man had RSV, it did wonders).
10. Honest company diapers and wipes (I don't use anything else).

Now of course to each is own, but for me these are products that I stand 100% behind. I cant go wrong with any of them.

I love my Medela breast pump. I use the heck out of it, especially when little man was so sick in the hospital. I would pump so that I could leave enough milk for Shawn to feed him. I had to travel back and forth because I had 2 other kids depending on me as well. I am in love with it. When I first had Sariah I bought a cheap one, and boy did I make a mistake there. It had no suction and kept breaking.

You all know my love for the Ergo carrier. I am always using it.

The other day as I cleaned the house I put Logan in it and it put him to sleep. Sometimes you have to work with what works. I would not waste my money on anything but an Ergo, and that's not wasting money. I know that he is safe in it and that he is comfortable. Nothing can beat this.

My Britax traveling system has everything that you need for the baby. It comes with the car seat base, the car seat and the stroller (which is the best part of the whole thing). I wasted a lot of time and money with strollers. I probably have bought at least 10 strollers in my kids life time because they just weren't reliable. I wont go back.

Lanolin nipple cream soothes your sore cracked nipples. Now some say if your nipples are
cracked then your doing it wrong. Not true. Mine actually cracked from using the breast pump and feeding him. My nipples were on over drive if you can understand that. I used other creams and they were greasy and didn't really sooth me.

Tommee tippee bottles are amazing. I use the ones that specialize for colic and reflux babies. It really does make a difference. Logan
is very picky when it comes to a nipple. He likes the Medela bottles as well, but they cant surpass Tommee tippee... They make all the different sizes as well and babies r us always has a sale on them.

Bebe Au Lait nursing cover is a must for breastfeeding mothers. It keeps you 100% covered up and is airy

enough for the baby to keep cool. Also in the inside it has two terry cloth pockets so that you can keep extra breast pads or pacifiers. It is cool. This cover allows you to nurse your baby comfortably in public without worrying who can see (although I didn't care who saw, just being honest).

Burt's Bee Calming body wash, and lotion go hand in hand with the California Baby Bubble Bath (Aromatherapy). Not only do they smell amazing, but they work. When little man is tired at night and ready for bed. I give him a bath using these products and sure enough it puts him right to sleep. I wish I would have found these products with the girls.

Nose Frida is probably one of the coolest things invented since sliced bread (thank you Kendra). When Logan was sick those bulbs the hospital used didn't work for anything. Besides the fact they deep suctioned him we needed something that would work in between. This never once failed me. It grabs all buggers and snot. No people you cant actually get them in your mouth. I only wish that I would have came up with this product...

Honest company diapers and diaper wipes are my favorite for so many reasons. My favorite part about them is the cute designs that are on my babies butt.... OMG they have so many to choose from and I want them all (wait I do have them all). The are bio- degradable and safer for the environment.

Logan has very sensitive skin and huggies make him irritated. He gets very red and swollen. Pampers do the same thing to him. I was buying the sensitive pampers in the beginning because he was so small and the honest company would swim on him., but even those started to irritate him. I love these and am so glad that I found them. I wont go back. A big plus is if your order them online you get way more bang for your buck.

I hope that this will help you when shopping for your baby or setting up your registries for the baby shower. I love each product on here. They are not in any specific order they all stand out on there own.

My Journey through breastfeeding

Bonding is something that is very important to me as a mother. I always heard that breastfeeding is the best way to connect one on one with the baby. As a first time mother at 19 I didn't have many around that actually breastfeed their babies. Honestly I think I only had one friend. (Hey Brit Hey)... When I gave birth to Sariah I immediately knew I was not bottle feeding her. So on her little glass bassinet it said "no formula". I thought great this hospital is in compliance with what the mother says. Here was the problem the nurse I had was a you know what. In birthing class I was told that right when the baby is born they do skin to skin. I wanted my daughter to go right to the breast, but that didn't happen. I held her for like 1 min, if that and then the nurse took her from me. Shawn had left, my mom had left. I was all alone in a unfamiliar place without my baby on my breast. I believe over an hour had past and they still hadn't brought her to my room. Now I was frustrated. I called to the nursery and demanded they being her to my room. Do you know what they said "oh, we thought you would want rest". What they hell, no I wanted my damn baby. This hospital didn't offer a lactation specialist to come to help so if you can imagine I really felt alone.

Me and my first, Sariah.

I was so afraid that because I hadn't immediately started her on the breast my body wouldn't know its time to work. Colostrum come to mama... LOL. 1 week had gone by and I believed that I was doing well in the breastfeeding department. Sariah had ended up in the hospital for jaundice, choking and gasping for air. She was there for a week. I never left her side. While she was there I met with a lactation specialist and they told me I was doing great. They only came to check babies weight and make sure that she was gaining while eating. She was. I left feeling great about a week or so of her being in there. Two weeks later I noticed that she was more fussy always seeming to want to feed. So I started pumping out to see how much I was producing. To my surprise hardly anything was coming out. I didn't read on it, I didn't have anyone to talk to so I right away gave her a formula bottle. She has been the most content since birth. I gave up because I didn't have enough.

The next time around with Kamille I said " I got this, I know what to do this time". She was born and I was so excited to put her on the breast and start bonding. Now a little side note, just because I

Kamille on my 21 birthday.

wanted to bond through breastfeeding, that is not the only way. Actually skin to skin is the best form of bonding. Trust me not everyone is meant to breastfeed and I know that. If you can great and if you cant you are still a wonderful mother in my book. Okay now back to my breastfeeding journey. After they get you all cleaned up and situated I asked for the baby to put on the breast, now the nurse said she wouldn't latch because she was just born, I thought yeah okay. I think I know better she is my baby. Kamille latched on right away. Never had any lack of supply with her. About 5 weeks in I noticed that my breast was tomato red and engorged so bad I was nearly in tears. I took the hot shower and massaged them, I applied hot compress to them nothing worked. I went in to my Ob/Gyn and found out that I had a very bad case of mastitis. I didn't know why. I fed her every two hours and pumped as well. Come to find out Kamille had thrush. So I stopped breastfeeding while taken my meds, because you could give the baby the milk with medication in it. I never stopped pumping though. Kamille's thrush was gone and so was my mastitis. I put her back on, and again the same thing happened. My OB told me to stop breastfeeding her.

I was furious I wanted to breastfeed my kids. Not because of these people that say "studies show your baby is smarter if you do", but because I truly wanted to breastfeed them. It was very hard on me emotionally to have to stop.

I found out that I was pregnant again with little Logan now you think one that had such a hard time

Logan and daddy when
he was sick in the
hospital.

breastfeeding wouldn't even attempt to try at it again. Wrong. I knew I was going to breastfeed him. I went out and bought books (my fav. womanly art of breastfeeding), and did internet research. Used up YouTube for videos. I had this. Little man was born and right to the breast he went. He stayed there for an hour to my surprise. I was so excited. He had a great latch and was around the clock at my breast. Day 3 my milk was all the way in. Little man had jaundice just like my other two. The difference was that this hospital didn't allow any breast milk to be given to the child while under the lights. I had to pump which let me tell you is not the same. To me the pump hurts and is not comforting like holding your child. My milk was doing great still. I could pump out 6 oz. out even after he fed. I was a mommy milk making machine.

Around 3 months I started to notice a dip in my milk supply. He was very uneasy and hungry. I felt so bad for him. Formula was not an option I kept telling myself. He started to become much more unhappy so I had no choice. We had moved and I continued breastfeeding him but he wouldn't latch on for long enough to get a full feeding. I was pumping more than him being on the breast. I went to my whole foods and bought some supplements for producing more milk. I came home took it, and had the worst reaction ever. My blood sugar dropped, my throat itched I was hot and tingly. Just a mess. I stopped the product (it worked thought, lol) it wasn't worth my health. I wrote the company and did research on the product. I guess fenugreek drops your blood sugar, and blessed thistle can cause allergic reactions. Wow all because I wanted to produce more milk. So I sat and pumped ever 2 hours on the hour, downed water all day long, ate oat milk and still nothing. I was not even making 3 oz. a day people. I read that malt liquor (beer) helped. So I tried, that was so nasty, and it didn't work for me just an FYI.

My journey has been hard all three times, but the fact that I tried is all that matters to me. I still am pumping each day because I plan on making his baby food. The breast milk is great to use as the liquid in the food. Also he can drink the milk still while using formula. Its not easy but I wouldn't have traded the moments with them at my breast for anything in this world. Remember everyone's journey is different.