Infants

Before my personal experience as a NICU mom, I knew other moms who had been through a NICU stay. My sister and sister-in-law had both been there. I visited my nephew in the NICU. I saw what was on the surface: they left the hospital without their baby, the strict NICU rules, scrubbing in. Still, I had no clue what they were experiencing on a personal level, at least not until I had my son at 24 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 11 oz. and 12 inches long. From September 1, 2017, to June 25, 2018, Junior was in the NICU in critical condition. One of the toughest parts of his 10-month stay was the fact that not a single person knew...

In February 2018 I just landed an amazing job, bought my own house, just turned 23, felt the most comfortable I ever had in my own skin, and recently retired from competing for Miss Louisiana. I felt like things had fallen into place until I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, but not for the typical reasons someone young and not married would be scared about having a baby. I had supportive family and friends. That was no issue. It felt like a death sentence. I was scared because of everyone telling me “just wait”. Everything I was told and read made being pregnant feel like a death sentence. I was generally advised to hurry up and get married, quit...

Dear little human growing inside me, First, I would like to tell you that I already love you more than I imagined I could love anyone (don’t tell your dad - I love him a lot too). Second, pregnancy sucks. You’ll likely never be pregnant, but I hope you’ll learn to be in awe of pregnant parents and support them in every way you can.  It is a strange thing, but even though you are so little, you already know more about me than I’ll ever know about myself. There’s no hiding how I feel, my impulses or reactions since you have access to all this information in the raw. All the things I went through while I was pregnant are the...

Disclaimer: If you've ever been in a Facebook thread about baby sleep, you're bound to read at least one person being called a "sanctimommy." There is a lot of back and forth in the mommy group world about the line between judging and sharing safety information. I think it's important to note that this post is not intended to judge. I believe that parents should have all the pertinent information so that they can make the best decisions for their families. The information below is based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). I do not claim to be a perfect parent. I have made unsafe sleep choices out of desperation and lack of knowledge. As I've learned...

Disclosure: our partners at Charlie Banana sponsored this post. Cloth Diapering :: Saving My Baby’s Bottom Shortly after the birth of our second child, my husband did what any good husband would do - he made a diaper run...on Christmas Eve. What he came home with wasn't the exact brand I had chosen to use for her but we were out of diapers and it was the only brand that store had in her size. I needed to put her in something, even if it wasn't my first choice. It didn't turn out so well. What’s a mom to do? Within two diaper changes, she developed a terrible rash and blisters on her cute little bottom. I knew the chances of her having...