What's In My Bag: Hospital Edition

With my recent labor and a lot of my friends not too far behind.. I thought I would share what little wisdom I have when it comes to preparing for the hospital. I am very glad that I was able to finish packing my bags because I was induced 2 days later!

These are what I brought to the hospital.. every woman is going to have different preferences but this is what I found to work for me.

A Nursing pillow. I got a Boppy pillow as a baby shower gift. Because I was so freaking swollen and bloated in the midsection, I didn't get to use it much for nursing because it wouldn't fit around my belly. However, I would recommend bringing one if you plan on breastfeeding.

The Diaper Bag

I LOVE my diaper bag. Also a baby shower gift. It's a messenger style bag from Skip-Hop. I love that it has stroller clips, makes life easy. 

In the bag I brought:

1.  A travel wipes case ($1 at walmart)

2.  3-5 diapers. I really wanted photos of him in the diapers from The Honest Company cause they were so cute with the anchors! (and other diaper changing fodder i.e. baby powder and ointments if you want to go organic or prefer certain brands) The hospital should provide you with newborn diapers and wipes, I got huggies. 

3.  Burp cloths for after feedings.

4.  A nursing cover (I got a bebe au lait as a gift)

5. Pacifiers, we love our wubba-nub  (I don't recommend using these all the time, You don't want your little one getting dependent on it). Here is a tip.. go to Ross! I got a hard case for paci's there for $3.

6.  Cooling nipple pads from Medela, there are other brands as well. These helped with soreness! Also a good thing to bring would be Lanolin creams to help with chaffing. 

7.  Coming home outfit, this was the hardest part for me. It took me FOREVER to decide. I think I ended up bringing 5 outfits to the hospital! (beanies, socks, extra plain onesies, coming home outfit). When you do choose your outfit, be mindful of making your life easy. Remember that when you have late night diaper changes, you don't want to be fussing too much with full sleeper suits. I used plain white onesies with the snap crotch. I LOVE the ones from Carter's with the fold over mittens, the slip on mittens are a choking hazard. Luckily my little man was little, I'm happy I have a bunch in newborn size! Also take into consideration that when you are discharged and its time to go home, that sleeper gowns are not gonna work when you gotta strap your little one in. This is when you want pants or a sleeper suit.

8. Receiving blankets/swaddle blankets. The hospital will give you some but if you're picky, you may want your own. I prefer the Adan + Anais muslin swaddling blankets. They are huge which makes it easier to wrap baby up.

My Bag

1. Comfortable PJs, 2 sets if possible. I brought a button up top and pants set in black. You will be draining for awhile and bleeding so don't bring anything you would be upset about blood stains in. With my bulging baby belly I knew I wasn't going to be able to button over it, so I made sure to bring camisoles to go underneath it. Made it easy for feedings.

2. Nursing camisoles/tank tops. I am a cheap ass and was not going to pay $20+ for one camisole. I asked Pinterest-- ask and you shall receive. (read this blog click here)-- I made 2. 

3. Nursing bras.. I really liked the sports bra style. 

4. Toiletry bag. Makeup may be the last thing on your mind but trust me.. sometimes putting it on can make you feel normal. I brought the Urban Decay Naked palette as it has everything i need for a quick easy face. Plus if you have guests coming or are taking photos, you may look back and wish you had some makeup. At least I know I would.

- Tooth brush & toothpaste

- Shampoo & conditioner (bring travel size!!)

- Headband to hold hair back during labor

- Face wash (wipes if you can)

- Hair brush

- Deodorant

- Hand sanitizer

- lip balm (i love the eos brand)

- gum

5. Pads.. yes.. pads. Big, oversized, super heavy flow, with wings, diaper like pads. They give you some at the hospital but they dont have wings nor do they stick to the amazingly sexy underwear they give you. Leading me to my next item...

6. Granny Panties. I know. Go get a bag of Hanes women's briefs. 

7. Tuck's Pads (or hemorrhoid pads). These are just pads soaked in witch hazel to help with vaginal swelling. I had a tear and needed stitches, the pads were nice and cool on the area.

8. Bath Robe. You may be forced to walk around to help you progress further. We all know how revealing hospital gowns can be. 

9. Slipper socks! Remember when you were like 10 and you got those ridiculous socks with the rubber on the bottom. These will come in handy-- or footy haha.

10. A comfortable outfit to go home in. 

11. Electronics. Depending on your labor, you may have some downtime. My husband & I watched shows on hulu on the laptop. Bring your chargers for phones, laptops, eReaders, iPods, and cameras.

12. Snacks. You can not eat anything during labor and once that baby is out.. you're starving! I packed some protein bars.

Don't forget about daddy! Have him pack a bag of essential items for himself. Bring a pillow from home if you can. 

LAST ITEM.. CARSEAT! Practice taking the carseat in and out of the car if you can. We have a Peg-Perego travel system but I have the carseat covered with a "Carseat Canopy". 

I hope this helps!! Good luck to all you mommas out there!

Our Little Miracle

He's here! He's here!! 

My sweet little boy is here!!

November 2 2012 (38 weeks + 5 days)

9:00 am

It was just a normal morning and I had a scheduled ultrasound appointment. My OBGYN was concerned about the baby considering I had Gestational Diabetes. I was excited to see him since I hadn't had an ultrasound since 18 weeks. The ultrasound technician said that everything looked great but she was concerned that I had a low amount of amniotic fluid and wanted a 2nd opinion from a Dr. After the Dr came in, they told me that I should go up to Labor & Delivery (L&D) triage for an exam just to make sure. 

10:30 am

I went up to L&D triage to be seen by a Dr. They strapped some monitors on me and we waited for about 30 min to see if the baby was in distress. Luckily there was nothing wrong with Richie, but the Dr still wanted to admit me and induce labor today... WAIT.. What!? ex-squeeze me? TODAY?!

My husband went to the house to grab our bags. The nurse comes in, hands me a robe and tells me to change. We then walk over to my birthing suite. Come in for an ultrasound and leave with a baby. Crazy! By the way.. this was the last time I had eaten anything until after the baby was born.

12:00 noon

I was officially admitted to the L&D ward at Portsmouth Naval Medical Hospital. Nurses and doctors were in and out of the room getting me all set up and explaining the induction process. My induction started around 1 pm with a dosage of Cytotec, which was inserted vaginally (this may get a little graphic from here on out-- sorry) to soften the lining. It took an hour or so to get things going. I was only 2cm dilated & 50% effaced at the time of induction. 

6:00 pm

By evening there was no progress in my dilation, so the Dr told me they were considering using a foley bulb to bring me to 4cm. I'm telling you.. that was the most bizarre tool I had ever seen in my life but it was very effective! (Google it if you're curious). It did the trick and brought me to 4cm within an hour. 

8:00 pm (roughly)

Night rotation started and I got a new round of Doctors and nurses... One nurse recommended that we should start pitocin to progress me further. The Dr agreed it would be the best option, I had to agree with them. It had already been about 7 hours into labor and I was getting antsy. I wanted to remain drug free but with the low amniotic fluid I was just concerned for the safety of my little guy. 

I stayed at 5cm for most of the night. I still hadn't given in to the epidural even though the contractions were coming a lot stronger now with the pitocin. I just focused on my breathing. 


November 3 2012 (38 weeks + 6 days)

1:00 am

It had been about 12 hours and I was exhausted. I knew I needed to get some rest or I wouldn't have it in me to push. I was NOT gonna have a c-section unless it was medically necessary. The contractions were strong, getting more intense and closer together. I opted for the epidural. It was not an easy choice and had to tell myself that I wasn't failing. 

The anesthesiologist came in and explained what would be happening and what I would be feeling. I was so scared I was shaking. He did a great job and the meds kicked in very quickly. However the drugs were dropping my blood pressure and they had to alter the dosage a couple times. At this point I was able to finally get some sleep.

4:00 am

One of the nurses came in and said that the Dr wanted to break my water. I was relieved because that meant that pushing time wouldn't be too far away. But the L&D floor ended up in an emergency and I wasn't able to see my Dr for another 4 hours. Just to give you an idea, 17 babies were born Nov 2-3! 

8:00 am

My Dr came in and broke my water. What a relief! But the contractions came on a lot stronger & the epidural wasn't helping. The anesthesiologist came back in to alter the dosage. The nurse was closely monitoring the baby's heart rate. The heart rate monitors weren't getting an accurate reading on the baby and the Dr informed me that they wanted to do a vaginal heart monitor. This would also be inserted vaginally and into the top of his head That scared the heck out of me but it was a better way to get his heart rate. They assured me that it would only be like if you had a staple in the top layer of skin on your finger. Closer to 9:00 am, I had to keep adjusting my position because his heart rate kept dropping. I ended up on oxygen and having to lay on my right side to keep his heart rate up. The Dr checked me, at this point I had gone from a 5 to an 8 in an hour.


10:15am

I started to feel intense pressure in my bum and I told the nurse that I felt the need to push. She checked me out and sure enough I was at 10cm & 100% effaced. I couldn't believe it! The Dr came in and coached me through some pushing to get things started and then suited up cause it was GO TIME! I got lucky and only pushed for about 20 min but Richie had his hand up and it made it hard to pull him out.

I was really trying hard to focus on breathing but there was so much going on that I didn't realize I was holding my breath every now and then. They were concerned for the baby's heart rate & needed to get him out ASAP. The Dr ended up using forceps to bring him out which ended up tearing me. I think that was the most scary part. But pushing overall was a relief. I have a category 2 tear, which they thought was a cat 3. Phew thank GOD for the epidural cause I didn't feel them stitch me up. 

Once he was out... I can't even describe how I felt. Hearing him cry for the first time brought tears to my eyes & I couldn't stop crying. I kept telling my husband "omg we have a baby!" We were just overwhelmed with emotions. They cleaned him up and brought him over. I lost it. We had waited 6 years for this and it was worth every second. 

Richie (Alvin Richard Davis V) was born at 10:43 am on November 3 2012. 

He weighed 6lbs 3oz and was 19.5" long. 

Macarons? oui s'il vous plaît!!

So I'm almost 28 weeks pregnant now. Yipee! And this saturday its time to celebrate my little guy. I'm so excited for my shower and I'm so lucky to have friends like Amber to throw me one. She's the best!

I've decided that I wanted to serve Parisian Macarons at my shower but I knew it would be hard to find them here in Italy. I remember seeing them once at a McCafe down town (ha ha yes McDonalds) for €1 each but thats ridiculous! So.. I hit the Pinterest/YouTube trail to see if I could find someone that would teach me how to make them in my own kitchen. Sure enough.. I got lucky. I stumbled across this girl's blog lovely lady cakes tv as I was on YouTube. Combined with other recipe knowledge from Martha Stewart and other bloggers on Pinterest, I was able to blaze my own macaron trail. I've had ups and I've had downs. But I am here to share it with you so you don't have to pay astronomical prices for a little piece of Parisian heaven. (Mindy-- this one is for you). ** TIP ** read through the entire recipe before attempting.

PARISIAN MACARONS

Ingredients

- 3/4 cup Almond Flour/Meal (I used Red Mill brand)

- 1 cup confectioners sugar

- 2 egg whites

- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

- your choice of food coloring (optional)

YES.. that is ALL you need. Simple eh? It's the filling that will have you at wits end trying to decide what you want. 

Tools

- Electric Mixer with whisk attatchment

- 1 or 2 medium sized spatulas

- 1 gallon sized zip top storage bag

- piping bag tip, large round (optional)

- 1 large drinking glass

- large mixing bowl

- sifter/mesh strainer

- 2 silicone baking mats (or parchment paper)

- 2 half sheet pans

1. Sift the almond flour with the confectioners sugar into a mixing bowl and set aside. For me, I had a problem sifting the almond flour in my mesh strainer. It seemed that the granules were too big. I ended up not sifting the almond flour, only the confectioners sugar. I didn't notice a problem in the final cookie.

2. Separate your eggs if you havent already. Whites go in the bowl of your mixer, yolks.. do what you want with em. If you are that ambitious, make a lemon curd for the filling. (uhmm yum?) Whisk the eggs on medium til frothy.. this should be about a min or 2 depending on your mixer. Once the eggs are frothy, add in the 4tbsp of sugar. Do this one tbsp at a time, sloooooowly. (picture to the right) Once all sugar has been incorporated into the egg whites, turn up the mixer to high. If you're using a Kitchen-aid Stand Mixer, this is speed 8 or 9. Continue to whip the egg whites til they are opaque, glossy and stand up in stiff peaks. It is at this point that you want to add your food coloring. I have used gel based as well as liquid and both have turned out just fine. (This color chart has helped me immensely with liquid dye). Remember that the batter will lighten as it bakes in the oven so don't be afraid to go a little darker.

-look at that gorgeous peak!-

*hint* WRONG                        RIGHT

3. Now you are ready to make the macaronage.. mix in your almond flour + confectioners sugar mix. I found it easier to put half the mix into the egg whites. Don't worry about deflating the egg whites. It's ok. Once most of the flour mix has been mixed in, add the rest. I counted 50 strokes total. The batter will be deflated compared to how fluffed up the egg whites were when you started. DO NOT FREAK OUT.

4. This tip helps me out EVERYTIME.. even with frosting cakes. Don't go spending money on an expensive piping bag.. you've already got one in your kitchen. I use a gallon size zip top bag, a piping bag tip and collar (those are cheap.. I like the wilton brand and I think I paid about $3 total). Just snip a small corner off the bottom of the bag, assemble the tip and collar, then slide the tip end into a drinking glass. Fold the top open and this will hold the bag open and upright as you fill it with your batter (or cake frosting). If you dont have a piping bag tip.. its ok you dont need it. I've made this recipe with and without it.. no difference.

5. Fill up that cheap-skate piping bag with your macaronage! Try to remove any air from the bag, I found a little plastic scraper to help me move all batter to the corner. Line your baking sheets with your silicone baking mat (or parchment paper). This is where it could potentially get tricky. But you will be fine. Pipe your batter STRAIGHT down to form a circle. I made mine just a smidge bigger than an American 50 cent piece. You can choose your size but be aware that it will affect your cooking time. The smaller the better but don't go too small. I was able to get 20 on a sheet with about a half inch spacing between them. Now tap the sheet pan on the counter top to remove any air bubbles.

6. Now we wait.. yes.. WAIT. Leave these on the counter to set for at LEAST 30 min. They need to form a "crust". This will allow it to have a smooth and crunchy top with a chewy inside. While these are resting, start your oven to 325. Once you have hit 325, turn it back to 300. You have an oven thermometer, don't you? You can check the "crust" by very lightly running your (clean) finger tip over the top. If no batter sticks to your finger and the cookie is smooth its ready to go in the oven. After 30 min, an hour is preferable, go ahead and place your first tray into the oven. If you're lucky, not like me, you have 2 oven racks. Move these away from the center of the oven. My best batches have come from the bottom rack. If you can do both trays at once, well I'm jealous. Bake 8 min, rotate and back in the oven for another 8 min. Everyone's oven is different so feel free to play with this time. I've had some batches come out at 14 min and some at 16. Your macaron is done when it has formed a hard shell top, a spongey "foot", and leaves NO trace of batter when removed from the pan.

WRONG                 RIGHT

7. Let them cool completely before removing, filling and sandwiching together. This may be the hardest part of the recipe. The list for fillings is endless. Ganache, buttercream, jam, lemon curd, white chocolate.. etc.

See.. that wasn't so hard! I hope you were able to find this recipe helpful!! Once I've sandwiched them together I will post a final picture as well as pictures from the shower on saturday. :D

au revoir et bon appétit

22 WEEKS!

"It's been awhile since i've posted"

Isn't that something I've said before. :/ Ugh.. It's been hectic.

I just got back from a vacation, dealing with some family issues as well as acting as a walking incubator. But things are progressing really well. I don't have maternity pictures just yet but plan on taking some soon.

Week: 22
Baby is as big as a papaya! and about 1lb already.

I feel great! Besides the acid reflux.. The doctor says that the baby is doing really well, as am I. no real news to express right now. Just excited for the upcoming weeks.

ok... ok.. I'm a horrible blogger

I fail SO bad at this.. the holiday season came and went. I wanted to post pictures of my holiday decorations but I got a little lazy with the posts. Not to mention my husband & I decided that we wanted to try to expand our family. I hope this isn't too much information. We had tried for a couple of years with no luck... but this year.. we got lucky.

Thats right :) We're having a baby! At this moment I am currently 10 weeks and due November 12!



It's been overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. Hopefully this week we will get to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Keep us in prayer!