BumbleWee Nursing Wear Blog

Nurse your wee one in style!

Posts Tagged pregnancy

Brrrrr – Keep warm this Winter while Breastfeeding (or pregnant)

Nov 5

Posted by dcrosbie in Breastfeeding, Maternity & Nursing Clothing, Pregnancy & Labour

We’re coming up to another cold cold Canadian winter. This winter I’m breastfeeding and just the though of exposing any extra skin brings on a case of the goosebumps. Especially for those midnight feedings when you have to get out of your warm and cozy bed and into the chilly night air. So… how will I cope?

I’m getting some good nursing tops and sweaters that will keep that extra skin covered while breastfeeding. The great thing about a good nursing top is that, unlike a regular top, you don’t have to lift up your shirt and expose your belly and back to the chilly winter air. A nursing top has special openings that only expose the part of the breast required for breastfeeding keeping your belly and back warm and cozy.

Here is my favorite nursing top/sweater combo so far – the Double Layer Henley, then for added warmth I am wearing the Ruched Strip Hoodie over top.

For night time I am just using regular nursing pajamas, my favorite is the Lacey MJ, and then again I am wearing the Ruched Strip Hoodie over top.

As an added bonus, all of these items are good for maternity as well as for nursing so if you have a bun in the oven, you can use thse tops as well. Then when the wee one is born you can continue to use the same tops for breastfeeding.

So far I’m warm and cozy! How about you?

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Losing Weight while Breastfeeding

Aug 14

Posted by dcrosbie in A Mom's View, Breastfeeding, Losing Weight

It’s 7 weeks after the delivery of my second child. I’m 30 years old and I gained about 40 pounds during my pregnancy. Now, 7 weeks later, I still have 25 pounds to lose. But really, I wasn’t exactly at the right weight before my pregnancy, so to get back to my healthy weight I’ll need to shave off about 40 pounds in total.

Problem # 1 – I’m breastfeeding.

My number one priority is to maintain a healthy milk supply for my baby. So, I did some research online about losing weight while brestfeeding. The most common thing I read was that while breastfeeding you need an extra 500 calories, so how does that factor in to losing weight? One expert mentioned that not everyone needs exactly 500 extra calories during breastfeeding, some need more, some need less – it depends on how often your breastfeeding, if your supplementing, and many other variables. In the end I got buried with information overload on the internet, there is just too much information out there!!

I made an appointment with my public health nurse who is also a lacatation consultant. I asked her if I was allowed to excercise, eat healthy, and lost weight. Her answer – YES! She says do whatever makes you feel good because that is most important. According to her the three most important factors affecting your milk supply are:

Top 3 factors affecting Milk Supply:

  • Stress – mothers with higher stress levels produce less milk
  • Sleep – mothers who don’t get enough sleep produce less milk
  • Water – mothers needs to consume enough water

Next, I spoke with my personal trainer. Her tops points for losing weight:

  • Cardio/Weights – 3-5 times per week
  • Drink lots of water
  • Eat frequent small meals

Check out my full workout plan.

Combining this advice here are my thoughts on losing weight while breastfeeding (keeping in mind I’m not a professional, just a regular mom trying to lose some weight):

  • Excercise as much as you feel comfortable
  • Eat healthy but don’t starve yourself
  • Drink lots of water

I see all these factors working together. Working out makes you less stressed and less stress means more milk. Drinking lots of water is important for losing weight as well as for milk supply. Excercise helps you get better sleep which helps you produce more milk. And lastly, eating healthy never hurt anyone so I’m sure it can’t hurt my milk supply!

So, I’m off to losing weight… hopefully! I’ll keep you posted.

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Getting Ready for Baby

Jun 10

Posted by dcrosbie in A Mom's View, Pregnancy & Labour

I am having a baby in 2.5 weeks (give or take 2.5 weeks of course). I’m starting to get into panic mode where I’m realizing that I might not have all the things I need. I still need to pack my hospital bags. I didn’t do this on time with my first child and ended up atempting to pack during labour. We eventually had to abandon packing and go to the hospital without a few things. This time I plan to be packed before labour begins!

Here is a list of things to pack for the hospital: Packing for the Hospital Birth

And of course the next big question is, when exactly should I go to the hospital? According to my Doctor she says I should go in when my contraction are 3-5 minutes apart and I can not walk or talk during contractions. So I guess this means I should be timing my contractions. Here is a Contraction Worksheet that I will use to time my contractions.

Next – Baby Names. Picking that perfect name for your baby, this has got to be the hardest part of having a baby (next to pregnancy, labour and sleepless nights of course :o )

First, do you know if your having a boy or girl? If not then you’ll obviously have to pick out twice as many names, like me! You can pick one name for each or pick several for boy and several for girl. We preferred picking several because we weren’t sure what we would like once we met our new baby. Looking back, I’m glad we did since my friend who had her baby 2 weeks before me picked our top boy name, haha! I guess that’s what we get for keeping secrets.
I had a book for picking out names, but it was long, tedious and tiring to look through. I found this great online source (www.BabyNames.com) to help you pick a baby name, and I’m in the process of using it to pick the name for our newest addition!
So this should get you ready before you leave for the hospital. But what do I need for the new baby once I get home. Of course there’s the obvious like a crib and some diapers, but what else? Check out this complete list of things you’ll need to have on hand for when you and your new baby arrive home: What do we need for baby?
These are my lists and charts to help me get ready for labour. I hope they can help you too! If I’ve forgotten anything please let me know and I’ll add it to the lists.

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What do I need for baby?

Jun 8

Posted by dcrosbie in Pregnancy & Labour

Getting ready for a new baby can be a hectic time. You’ll want to make sure you have everything you need ready before you go into labour so that when you get home you don’t have to worry about rushing out for odds and ends. Here is my list of things that I got together before I had my first baby.

Item Quantity
Furniture
Crib and/or Bassinet 1
Change Table & Change Pad 1
Dresser 1
High Chair 1
Baby Gate (2) 1 or 2
Baby Wwing 1
Bouncy Chair 1
Feeding
Bottles & Nipples 8
Soothers 3
Formula 1
Receiving Blankets 10
Bibs 10
Breast Pump (if breastfeeding) 1
Nursing Pillow 1
Breastfeeding
Comfortable Nursing Bra 3
Nursing PJs 2
Nursing Tops 3
Nursing Nursing Cover 1
Nursing Pads 1
Nipple Lotion 1
Gliding Chair (or other comfy chair for breastfeeding) 1
Sleeping
Blankets (including one for swaddling) 3
Crib linens 3
Baby Monitor 1
Lullaby Music Player or Whitenoise Machine 1
Night Light 1
Prop for side sleeping 1
Item Quantity
Diaper Changing
Diapers (Size 1) & Wipes 2
Diaper Rash Cream 1
Baby Powder 1
Diaper Pail 1
Bathing
Body Wash & Shampoo 1
Baby Tub 1
Wash Cloth 5
Towels 2
Clothes
Hat 2
Onesies 6
Sleepers 6
Tops & Pants 5
Sweater 2
Mitts (to avoid scratching face) 2
Socks 6
Booties 1
Health & Safety
Thermometer 1
Tylenol 1
Nail Clippers 1
Nasal Aspirator 1
Teether 2
Outlet covers 10
Out and About
Diaper Bag 1
Playpen 1
Stroller 1
Car Seat 1
Baby Carrier or Baby Sling 1

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Packing for the Hospital Birth

Jun 6

Posted by dcrosbie in Pregnancy & Labour

So, I’m having a baby in less than 3 weeks, did I mention that? I’m starting to think about packing those bags for the hospital. Last time we weren’t packed until labour started and that was a bit too hectic, in fact we never did finish packing.

Here is my packing list in case others might find it useful.

Mom
Toothbrush, Toothpaste
Facewash, Lotion, Deoderant, Shampoo/Conditioner
Lip balm
Brush
Ponytail holder
House coat
Socks & Slippers
Two peice Bathing Suit – if hospital has birthing pools
Comfortable Nursing Bra – no underwire since you’ll want to be comfortable at the hospital
Nursing PJs – so much easier to nurse in proper PJs!
Nursing Top – in case you feel like looking pretty for visitors (myself, I just stayed in the PJs!)
Clothes to wear home – don’t forget undies
Nursing pads
Sanitary pads – these are usually provided by the hospital, but you can bring a few just in case
Laundry bag – for dirty clothes (just in case)
Dad
Camera
Family Phone numbers’s – to spread the good news!
Comfy clothes, undies, socks – if Dad is spending then night
Toothbrush, Deoderant
Blanket & Pillow if Dad is spending the night
Watch – to time contractions
Contraction worksheet – Dads should track the spacing and length of contractions
New Baby
Car Seat & Car Seat cover if you have one
Baby clothes
Baby hat
Diapers & wipes – although most hospitals provide these
Blanket – hospital blankets can be a bit scratchy
Other Children – Overnight bag for your other kids
Diapers & Wipes
Change of Clothes
Pajamas
Favorite Blanky or stuffed animal
Sippy Cup or Bottle
Birthing Support – My labour wasn’t long enough to have a chance to use these, but I hear they can be useful for longer labours
Headphones & iPod – for soothing music
Knee pad for shower – they say a shower can help relax the mother
Massage bar
Relaxing picture to focus on
Pool Noodle or Tennis balls – for back Massages
Handheld Fan – if mom gets hot during labour
Hot water bottle or Flax seed bag – to relax sore muscles or back labour pains
Refreshments – During and after labour – sometimes the cafeteria is closed and you are left with only snack machines
Healthy Snacks
Sandwiches
Gatorade
Apple Juice
Cooler
General
Call List – who to call when you go into to labour (Doula, Parents, etc…)
Contraction Worksheet – keep track of the timing and length of the contractions
Birth Plan
Baby Names
Health Card
Insurance Information
Money
Paper and Pen
Deck of cards – for all that free time you’re going to have – haha! Hey you never know, you might get lucky.

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