it is COLD outside! a whoppin' 47 degrees out and i have ice on my front lawn to prove it. see?
i started feeling under the weather yesterday at work. so i plan to take it easy today to nip this cold in the bud before i get really sick. i've got a baby shower to attend and i plan on helping john's cousin with wedding stuff, so i HAVE to feel better. just curious, what are your weekend plans? well, whatever your plans may be, stay warm, stay dry, and don't get sick! have a good one =)
who am i kidding? shapewear, no...i mean supportwear. a few weeks ago, i started feeling the slightly uncomfortable weight of baby gabriella around my pubic symphysis area, particularly after i would work several 12 hour shifts in a row. that, coupled by my achy legs and swollen feet after 3 shifts i knew i had to do something. so i ordered the blanqi for belly and back support, and compression stockings for my feet and legs. both purchases have been...for the sake of being dramatic...game changers for this pregnancy. here are my reviews:
the blanqi: i ordered mine from amazon. unfortunately i had to pay for S&H, which i always try to avoid at all costs but i was ordering several items and just threw this one in my "cart" as well. isn't amazon so dangerous that way?? the blanqi arrived in a few days and i eagerly tried it on. wowzers...it made a huge difference! first and noticeably foremost, it instantly gave "the girls" a nice lift. now who doesn't want that ;-) the blanqi also helped my posture and alleviated the lower abdominal weight that i was feeling. i no longer have the pubic symphysis pain. the blanqi does all this without being too tight or restricting. and the fabric is soft and isn't itchy at all. the downside is, is that it is expensive ($68), so i only bought one. but i pretty much wear it everyday. i wash it with all my other clothes and hang dry it. once it's dry it's as good as new. i highly recommend this for any pregnant woman who needs a little "support". check out some YouTube video reviews.
pintoli style 1020 compression socks: as with the blanqi, i ordered 2 pairs of these compression socks on amazon. this had free 2-day shipping with amazon prime..score! these socks give you 15-20 mmhg of compression. this is the first time i've used compression socks, so i really don't know if the ones you can buy at walgreen's are the same. but i can tell you that after working 12 hour shifts and being on your feet all day, i don't have achy legs or swollen feet anymore. ask my husband...leg and feet massages aren't as frequent as they used to be ;-)
in conclusion, these 2 purchases really made a difference for me. i would highly recommend wearing supportwear, particularly the blanqi, and some sort of compression stockings during your pregnancy. happy shopping. the end.
lately these 2 words seem to be an oxymoron to me. is it even possible to prepare for a baby and have a minimalistic mentality? i've been determined to think so. but john and i ventured into buy buy baby today and i instantly got overwhelmed. there is just so much stuff out there! and i know, deep down inside, most of the items that are available are not needed. particularly during the newborn stage. right?
we've decided to forgo the usual accoutrements of a swing, a bouncer, and a jumper. we've even decided to ditch a crib, for now, and simply use a pack 'n play in our room for baby gabriella. of course there are the necessities, such as a car seat, a stroller, wipes, blankets, a breast pump, diapers, etc. which we are more than willing to buy. but in the hopes of being as cost efficient as we can, i am planning to breastfeed for at least 6 months (buy hopefully longer) and use cloth diapers. yes, that's right...you read it right...cloth diapers. after much research i've decided on the bumgenious elemental one-size cloth diapers. i'll be writing more posts on our experiences with cloth diapering once that journey begins. but for now, i'd love to hear from experienced parents, what were your registry favs/necessities and what were the items you could've done without.
as for all you non-cloth diapering folks out there, here is what they look like. they have come a long way from the sterile, white, pinned cloth diapers of the past. i don't know about you, but the thought of these diapers taking our baby gabriella from a newborn all the way to toddler hood sounds amazing to me.
