5 Secret Weapons Every New Mother Needs.

 

Lots of babies popping out left and right over on my side of the net.  Oh, and what’s Baby Fever an insane female to do, other than dish out unsolicited advice on her personal blog of fuzzy feelings? Precisely.

My dear college friend, Megan, recently gave birth to a baby boy, and for her baby shower, I was determined to give her practical items which aren’t as obviously known as your usual diaper cake and 50 baby lovies… …and clothes that clearly weren’t matched to the season and size the baby will be at the time.  (Color me a bitter, pet-peeved wench.)

These gifts are actually more for mom’s survival than they are for baby.  In each of my pregnancies, I got caught up in prepping for the baby, but not so much about survival with the baby. These items are great for the gift giver on a budget. I tossed them in a gift bag with tissue paper and, to personalize, I illustrated a little flip book for Megan, with short descriptions for each ‘weapon’.

{note: other than Swaddle Designs, the links following are Amazon Affiliate links.  This does not affect the cost of the product, and it can help me out.  I thank you!}

 

Let’s take a look, shall we?

I know there are tons of great swaddle blankets on the market these days, but I’m a loyalist to Swaddle Designs.  Maybe because a mommy friend gifted one to me when I was pregnant with Lexington, and it was such a touching extension of kindness during a difficult time of my life that I’ll never forget it.  Maybe because Brangelina’s kids like em.  Maybe both.  Maybe also because the blankets are extra large and become darling Linus blankies once baby grows to a toddler.  And goodness gracious, the plethora of adorable designs and organic cottons is just overwhelming!  Swaddle Designs blankets are my go-to gift for expecting friends.  Warm, breathable flannel, by far, they have out-performed the other blankies we swim in at our house of the 7 Laundry Seas.  SDer for life.

 

I buy mine in the organic section at my local grocery store, but you can find it on Amazon, here, through my affiliate link, and purchase a few boxes at a time.  I still drink this tea nightly with a drizzle of honey.  It’s my favorite herbal tea ever and I kind of panic when I notice I’m down to one left in the box.

Many moms set out hoping to breastfeed, but the unforeseen complications and stresses of nursing a newborn are like the worst backhand to the newbie momface ever.  Stress alone can cause low lactation for the mother, and didn’t you know, besides your baby, you actually birth a second child named Anxiety, too?  I’ve written a diatribe of tips I wish I’d known about breastfeeding here.  But who wants a random blog entry for a gift? Not even me.  Aside from a phone date with La Leche League, enter a warm cup of tea with herbs which specifically encourage milk production, and it can’t hurt. HOWEVER, I’m not going to ignore the fact that this tea kind of tastes like the inside of my husband’s 5 year old Sperrys. To make it more palatable, I added a different herbal tea to my cup which contained mint-y flavors, and that did the trick.

 

I’ve tied the eco-friendly cloth pads.  Unless there’s a revolutionary product which has surfaced in the last 2 years, they suck. Lansinoh
is my disposable bff for about 6 months postpartum, and I pledge myself a life long Diva Cup user to compensate for the cloth pads I won’t ever find time to wash and dry and find amongst the sea of hundreds of teeny tiny baby socks while all the children in the world hang onto my ankles in imminent starvation, or loaded diapers, or paper cut boo-boos, or other related child-mergencies which are ever present. Ever.

 

Call me a little crude, but it’s true, and I’ll be darned if I leave a new mom friend hangin’.  No one told this mommy about the other side of the babymoon.

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But wait!

 

voilà.

A Five Favorites Linkup with Hallie!