Newborn Necessities: What you REALLY need

If you're about to be a new mommy, I'm sure you already know that there are a GAZILLION different baby products out there, but what is it that you REALLY need?  I'm gonna give you the down-low on all the necessities to survive those first few weeks home with your little one.  One thing I did leave out is baby bottles, if you plan on nursing you won't need these until later on.

Pampers Swaddlers: Newborn - I was told my son was going to be HUGE, so I only bought size 1 diapers, but he ended up wearing newborn for atleast a month!  He was 8 lbs 2.5oz, so I would consider him huge at all, but he definitely needed the Newborn size

Pampers Sensitive Wipes  - Buy a huge box, you will thank yourself later, you won't have to buy any for several months

Zippered Footed Onesies: Newborn Size - same thing as the diapers, I didn't have any Newborn sized outfits, so these are a MUST! My son literally lived in zippered PJ's for the first 6 weeks of his life, granted he was born in the winter

Burp Cloths (LOTS)  - you will see that you go through these like crazy!  A friend homemade some burpcloths from towels and they are amazing.

Momaroo - best gift ever! It doesn't take up much space and it plays soothing music and you can also hook up your iphone to play music too.  I also like that it has 6 different settings for different swinging motions.  Dax slept in this for naps and even sometimes at night!

MAM Pacifiers  - All my friends use this brand and all the babies seem to like it!

Aiden & Anais Swaddles - these are lightweight swaddle blankets that can be used to swaddle, as a blanket to lay baby on the ground, a cover for the carseat (what I have used it for), nursing cover - these have a TON of uses!

Summer Infant Swaddles - these are swaddle blankets with velcro, so it makes swaddling a piece of cake!!!

Boppy - this can double as a nursing pillow, but you can also prop your baby up in this, Dax loved laying in his!

Baby Blooming Bath - the perfect little bath for your sink, we loved it!

Cetaphil  - we used this as body wash, it was recommended by my Pediatrician and he never had dry skin or any problems

Johnson's Baby Shampoo  - smells amazing and works perfectly

Baby Towel  - to keep the baby warm and dry of course!

Butt Paste - endorsed by all my mom friends and is an absolute MUST!!

Daxton is now 6 months old, so I hope I'm remembering everything that your newborn will need!  Mostly I'm just writing this for myself so I can remember everything I need for Baby #2.  No, there's no talk of Baby #2 yet, but I'm sure by the time there is I will forget everything!  I hope this post atleast helps a few of you through the newborn buying process!

How I Survived the 4th Trimester

Fourth Trimester, what?? I thought there were only three?  It's kind of like the whole, oh you're only pregnant for 9 months - LIE - its TEN!!!

So, what is it these people call the fourth trimester? Essentially it's the first 3 months that the baby is alive. I don't think I need to give you the whole scientific answer for what it is, but you can just think of it as the "most fun you will ever have".  Cough, Cough....

I feel like everyone tells you what every single step of pregnancy is going to be like, but no one tells you what it's going to be like to care for a newborn 24 hours a day with little to no sleep. There's no class that could prepare you for this even if you wanted to. Now don't get me wrong I love my son more than anything in the whole world, but learning to take care of him is one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Before you have the baby everyone talks about labor and how scary/painful that's going to be, again LIE!  I took all the drugs that I possibly could and giving birth was like going to the spa for a few days.  The baby was an absolute angel in the hospital, I don't even think we heard him cry except for a few times.  About an hour after getting home the baby is crying and I'm already wondering what in the hell I'm going to do... Diaper change, check! Full tummy, check! Burped, check! Now what? Maybe I should check his diaper again, maybe he's still hungry? Wait maybe he's just tired?? I mean why would a baby cry when they're tired, they should just go to sleep... Haha, we all know this isn' true!

Okay, so let me get to the part about how I survived the first 3 months of my sons life!  The first 6 weeks are Pure Survival Mode. Do what you need to survive... If the house is a mess, so what; if dinner isn't on the table when your husband gets home from work, oh well; if you haven't showered in 3 (I mean 5) plus days just add dry shampoo and deodorant you'll feel like a new person; if the cats haven't been played with for a few weeks, tough luck!  When the baby sleeps, you sleep - DO NOT waiver on this one!

I also found it really hard to find time to eat and when you are breastfeeding you HAVE to!  Buy things that are really easy to grab and eat with one hand.  Larabars, Cliff bars, pre-cut fruits and veggies (aka starburst jelly beans & rolos), pre-packaged snacks, basically anything that doesn't require any work...I literally think I survived on granola bars for the first 2 months except for when someone would bring me lunch or I actually was awake enough to cook one of the frozen meals I had made prior to having the baby.  You MUST find time to eat, my pediatrician said I should be eating at least 2,500 calories per day which I found to be really difficult!

Try to get out of the house by yourself at least once a week, even if it's only for 15 minutes to take a walk around the block.  Being home all day everyday with a baby can take a toll on you mentally and physically and mommy needs break every now and then, even if you think you don't!

Just know that everything with a newborn is temporary.  If something is really difficult one day just remember it's only a phase and this too shall pass!