Friday, July 13, 2012

FINALLY a Travel Boppy!!! YYYAAAAYYYY!!!!

We travel, A LOT.  There are so many products made for traveling with babies but there was a gap, a big gap, for us nursing moms when we traveled...that magical Boppy nursing pillow.  Every time I got packed up for a trip I would say goodbye to my magic Boppy until I returned home.  It just wasn't practical to carry it along with all my normal gear (and I am a bit of an over packer) and the kiddo as I often travel by myself.  I always wished a travel Boppy pillow existed and now for my third baby that wish has come true!! 

This fabulous new Boppy Travel Pillow folds to less than half the size of a regular Boppy Pillow and has a great strap for over the shoulder or cross body carrying.  It zips open and closes easily for transport (and even has straps for you to attach to the stroller!).  Once opened it is just like having your old buddy Boppy right along with you.  Nursing a baby without a Boppy is often a strange version of yoga (and I have nursed babies in just about any venue you could imagine-including a US Navy Destroyer) and now with the Boppy Travel Pillow you won't have that crazy twisting and turning when on an airplane, at your in-laws, on vacation, or just out at the mall. 

The only part I had a bit of trouble with was the clasp meant to hold the shoulder strap to the pillow.  Just took a few extra minutes for me to figure out how to get this clasp undone and now it's super easy.  I am 100% in love with this product and will recommend it to every single mom out there, whether you travel often or just every once in awhile by plane, car, train, boat or burro you NEED a Boppy Travel Pillow!!!!!!

Thank you to the Boppy Company for sending me a Boppy Travel Pillow to review!!

*The reviewer was compensated with a Boppy Travel Pillow free of cost to review but the opinions are all her own!!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Packing the hospital bag...must haves!!!

So it's that time...time to start thinking about what I will pack in my hospital bag.  This is baby #3 so by this point I think I have this bag packing thing down.  Below is a little list of the things I like to pack in my bag (and my reasons why!!).  Not all of this will apply to everyone of course.  ;)

  • Your own shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, face wash, etc.  (Trust me, you will want a shower and sometimes hospitals provide those things and sometimes they don't.  Either way, having your own toiletries from home just makes you feel better.)
  • A hair dryer (Girls-this may be the last time you dry your hair while you have someone else gooing and gawing all over your baby for awhile!!)
  • Your own gown/clothes to change in to after the birth. (Birth is messy, let's just get that out of the way right now.  For me, I have a planned C-section coming up so I know they probably won't let me wear my own hospital gown in OR so my plan to change to one of the gowns I bought from Annie & Isabel or Hot Mama Gowns as soon as I can.)
  • Something super comfy to go home in, think maternity yoga pants and a tshirt.  (Trust me girls, you won't be going home in your pre-preggo jeans, just ain't gonna happen.)
  • Something for baby to go home in. (Remember that baby will still have an umbilical stump and something like a super fancy dress or mini tux is not really practical.)
  • A camera and extra batteries and/or charger for your iPhone!!  ;)
For me, those are pretty much the basics.  You can throw a blanket and pillow for you and daddy in too if you want some home comfort.  The "partner" bed can be miserably uncomfortable!  

Alright, hopefully that gets you poppin!!!  There are a million lists out there and lots have things on there that you certainly won't need.  I know my first hospital bag had so much stuff in it that we didn't even come close to needing.  Ask other moms that have delivered at the hospital you will be delivering and see what they did and didn't need.  For me it always changes, this will baby will be delivered in our third hospital!