Product reviews for trendy Moms & Dads, their children & pregnant moms
Photo credit: IsabellaOliver.com
Love Jennifer Garner and her casual style – always. She’s no different pregnant and doesn’t she just look adorable in this Isabella Oliver Maternity Denim Skirt ($109)?
Love Isabella Oliver too for maternity clothes. They currently have a coupon code for 15% off too for their VIPs (very important pieces)!
Use coupon code FW15 for 15% off at IsabellaOliver.com.
When I hit the stage in my pregnancy where I just couldn’t make do with regular clothes anymore (which came way too quickly by the way), I bought several items from Isabella Oliver. They are among my favorite maternity clothes. They are the items I turn to when I want to look nice and feel comfortable. They are very flattering and stylish. The clothes are comfortable, easy to care for and are made of a thicker material that drapes beautifully. I can’t say enough about them. I love the ruching that is a signature look of many of Isabella Oliver’s clothes.
I am off to stock up on a few essentials for when the cooler weather hits. They are having a fabulous sale right now that I had to share. It is their spree sale and everyday the percentage off goes down a little bit. Today is 41% off, tomorrow 38%, Thursday 35% and so on through Sunday. Visit Isabella Oliver online and use code “SPREE” at checkout.
I am astonished that I am already 27 weeks pregnant. I really haven’t been paying attention. I am finally just starting to think about things like the nursery and the delivery. While the excitement and joy of delivery day far out ways the negatives, the day does come along with its own unpleasantness. Pretty Pushers aims to make some of that unpleasantness just a little nicer.
They provide attractive, comfortable hospital gowns designed to work when you are laboring and make you feel prettier. They have openings in all the right places to accommodate fetal monitors, epidurals etc.
The gowns are one size fits all and are made of a 100% cotton, they even have organic cotton gowns. Pretty Pushers are even made to be thrown away after use (though you would never know it from the high quality), because really who wants to come home with a soiled gown. Pretty Pushers are both functional and fashionable.
Comment on this post with your due date or if you are entering for a friend when they are due for a chance to win your own Pretty Pushers gown. One lucky reader will be randomly selected on August 31th.
Baby Carriers -n- More is currently offering 15% off Pretty Pushers products if you use the discount code “LABOR15.“
My newborn baby girl has been home for a week now, and we have had the chance to use a bunch of different products from our hospital stay throughout our first week at home. I wanted to share some of our favorites with you in a little round-up.
At the hospital:
great idea since I looked and felt much nicer and fresher in my new gown than the ugly (and big) hospital gowns. I also got great use of the dearjohnnies robe when I was laboring and afterwards.Coming home:
ding, sleep or awake time, and more. With a simple push of a button, you can keep track of how long “itzbeen” since the last time your child was changed, etc. I love that you can set an alarm if too much time has elapsed. I also like the night light and back-lit features for use at night. What a great product for the first few weeks/months at home!More to come in the next couple of weeks with some of the other products I am trying out! Stay tuned!
Thanks to Daddy Scrubs and dearjohnnies for samples to try out. The other products mentioned in this review were purchased. As always, all opinions are my own.
It’s been a long 39 weeks. I am ready to meet my baby girl any day now! My bags are packed, and one of the things in that bag that I am very excited about is my new dearjohnnies hospital gown and robe.
I was looking at pictures of myself from my last two births, and honestly, that big, gross, ugly hospital gown couldn’t have made me look any worse. I understand childbirth may not be the most glamorous time for a woman’s appearance, but really, those hospital gowns don’t fit, expose everything, and don’t do anything to make you feel special on your extra-special day.
Enter dearjohnnies designer hospital gowns. These beautiful gowns are soft, well-fitting, beautiful, and are hospital 
friendly with snaps on the sleeves and down the back, allowing easy access for breastfeeding, IV lines, etc. They are perfect to wear while laboring and giving birth, afterwards, or at home for ease and comfort. I plan to wear mine when I labor and deliver so I look and feel as good as I can!
The gowns are made of 100% cotton in a number of beautiful prints, trimmed with grosgrain ribbon. dearjohnnies also makes coordinating robes made of cozy, yet lightweight, 100% cotton flannel, trimmed with fabric from their pretty Wellesley Collection. The robes are perfect to wear while laboring and walking, for added warmth and comfort, or just for additional coverage. Monogramming is available on the robes as well as every piece in their collection!
Each gown is sized so that you have the perfect fit (instead of the huge, unisex hospital gown that always seems to be open or falling off).Sizes include XS, S/M, and L/XL.
Celebrities love dearjohnnies and have many wonderful things to say about them. dearjohnnies also make great gifts for any mom-to-be, and come wrapped in a ready-to-gift bag.
I am so excited to meet my new baby and the first step when I get to the hospital will be to put my dearjohnnies gown on. I can’t wait!
I was provided with a complimentary dearjohnnies gown and robe for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions expressed here are my own.
Breastfeeding 3 week old Cole with my Bebe Au Lait Nusing Cover. Look at his tiny little legs sticking out!
This week’s topic for #BumpMonth is Breastfeeding.
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I think I have a somewhat unique experience as I formula fed my first and breastfeed my second. I’ve written about this a few times so here’s a little excerpt from a review I published here last year:
I formula fed my first son when he was an infant. I walked into the hospital at 41 weeks and if someone had stopped me and asked me if I was going to breastfeed or formula feed as I was walking in, I would have responded, “I’m going to try and breastfeed and see how it goes.” But I didn’t know much and after a horrible first time delivery that ended up in an emergency c-section, I gave up breastfeeding after two weeks.
When my second son was born in 2006, I was a little better prepared. He was breastfed until he was 11 months old. It was easy.
While I have two totally healthy and happy children and I don’t believe in regrets, I do often wonder if I would have made it beyond two weeks with Nate had I been given more breastfeeding support. But I didn’t know that I needed to get it. I had cans of formula, I was depressed and breastfeeding was hard, so it seemed like an obvious path.
While I find nothing wrong with formula feeding, I do wish for every new Mom that they could receive as much support as possible to make the breastfeeding choice. To know that, hell yah, it’s really hard in the beginning – but if you power through it, it gets easier. It may not work out for everyone – and everyone has to do their best to do what’s right for both their baby and themselves but I wholeheartedly feel that making the effort and having the support in the beginning is key.
I wanted to add too that besides the obvious better choice health-wise, I think in the end breastfeeding can be so much easier on Mom too. It was for me. I got more sleep when I breastfeed since I was the bottle. Getting up with Nate to get a bottle, heat up the formula, etc ended up being much more a hassle than when you’re a walking milk machine. And of course going out is the same – I loved not having to lug around a bunch of supplies when it was Cole’s turn. (Other than a nursing cover. Which I will also note was huge for me as I’m a modest person and having a cover made it possible for me to comfortably nurse in public. But I digress…)
Check out the other Bump Month posts for the month of May. I also have a giveaway for over $1000 worth of baby products in conjunction with Bump Month. Haven’t entered yet? You can do so here.
This post is apart of a series of posts inspired and sponsored by “All about the Bump Month.” To visit our sponsor page please click here.
Meet the 9 Bumpin’ Bloggers
Kelly Whalen The Centsible Life @centsiblelife
Julie Meyers Pron Just Precious @justprecious
Andrea Fellman Savvy Sassy Moms @savvysassymoms
Jessica Rosenberg It’s My Life @kikarose
Laurie Cooper Guessing all the Way @clueless_mama
Leticia Barr Tech Savvy Mama @techsavvymama
Alison Ray Sassy Moms in the City @sassymomchicago
Grace Duffy Formely Gracie @graceduffy
Whitney Wingerd Mommies with Style @WhitneyMWS
Hubby and I with our babies in 2011
For the entire month of May, I’m a part of a campaign with 9 other bloggers for Bump Month. Nine websites across the country will all be particpiating in celebrating everything pregnancy. We’ll talk maternity and newborn and of course we’ll have some fab giveaways along the way to let you all play along and have some fun.
For this first week, we were tasked with sharing a personal birth story. Now I have two kids and two birth stories and this one really made me hesitate because I have two very different stories.
The first involves 22 hours of excruciating back labor with very little pain meds. It involves a distressed baby Nate. It involves panic and fear and my scream to my mother to please make sure my husband takes good care of the cats if I die because I was that petrified that neither I nor my baby would survive as they rushed me on a stretcher down to the operating room because my baby had to come out ASAP via emergency c-section.
It involves a healthy baby but a horrible recovery. I had a lot of pain during recovery and I was depressed. The latter wasn’t helped by the fact that I gave birth during the cold month of December.
And while it’s been seven years and I can look back and say, “well that sucked but I’m over it,” I still don’t like to dwell on it much.
December 2003. Crying while holding Nate for the very first time. Happy, traumatized, overwhelmed & relieved.
#2 was the complete opposite experience. A planned C-section, I happily chatted through my operation and still remember being on an endorphin high holding Cole in the recover room. I walked the hospital literally hours after the surgery because it was such a smooth and normal operation without the exhaustion of hours of labor. I felt great.
November 2006. Introducing Cole to big brother Nate just hours later. Totally relaxed & elated.
Two totally different experiences physically.
But here’s the bottom line and what I remember the most when I think about my two experiences giving birth – I remember the love I felt both times looking down and seeing my sons’ faces for the first time.
I remember the awe of knowing this little guy came from inside of me and that he was ours to love and cherish and take care of for life. I remember the innocence I had the first time around with Nate – being shocked that within minutes I could love someone so completely that it overwhelmed me.
And that’s really what it boils down to for me when I hear about anyone’s birth story. It doesn’t really matter how your kid came out. It doesn’t matter if they’re adopted. It doesn’t matter if they were sliced out of your stomach or they ripped out your vagina. What matters is that you’re a mother. And a baby is a miracle. Your life is forever changed in a way I can’t even explain in words. But I don’t need to explain it. If you’re a Mom reading this, you know what I mean. And if you’re not a mother yet but reading this as expecting Mother, you’ll get it soon enough.
Some of the fab Bump Month sponsors:
Other Bump Month Birth Stories:
So how fun is this one guys: for the month of May, Splash Creative Media is hosting #BumpMonth, or an online baby shower. 9 Mom bloggers will be talking pregnancy and everything good that comes along with having a baby.
Some fab sponsors are on board like Zulily and Babycenter. And of course the most fun for our readers: giveaways! There will also be some in-real-life events at three local venues: Chicago, Philly and LA so if you live in one these three places and want info, leave me a comment and I’ll be sure you get it.
Meet the 9 Bumpin’ Bloggers
Kelly Whalen The Centsible Life @centsiblelife
Julie Meyers Pron Just Precious @justprecious
Andrea Fellman Savvy Sassy Moms @savvysassymoms
Jessica Rosenberg It’s My Life @kikarose
Laurie Cooper Guessing all the Way @clueless_mama
Leticia Barr Tech Savvy Mama @techsavvymama
Alison Ray Sassy Moms in the City @sassymomchicago
Grace Duffy Formely Gracie @graceduffy
Whitney Wingerd Mommies with Style @WhitneyMWS
There are so many pregnancy and baby books out there that when you are expecting it can be a bit overwhelming. As an expectant mom, I want to know as much as possible, but I don’t have a lot of time and need to get the best, most concise info I can.
I discovered a great book for any mom-to-be, called One Year to an Organized Life with Baby by Regina Leeds (professional organizer) and Meagan Francis (parenting expert). I really enjoyed this book. It gives you a week-to-week guide to get ready for your baby and helpful suggestions on how to keep your family organized (keeping you sane in the process!)
As it should be, this book is extremely organized and is laid out in a very easy-to-read format. It’s also very digestible, broken up into month segments and then by week, so you can focus on what you need to do each week in a logical and organized manner. The book has two parts, one is “getting ready” and the other is “baby’s here!” Both sections help you with practical suggestions, timelines, checklists, and tips.
As a mom with two other children, I didn’t know how useful this book would be to me. However, I did find a lot of great tips and reminders on what I should be doing and when to get ready for my baby. For first-time moms, this book is priceless. If you are an organized person who likes to plan ahead, you will absolutely love this book. And if you are not that type of person, you will still love this book because it will help you get organized (something you will need to be once baby comes!)
This book will help you get your home, health, work, and life ready for your new baby. Some of the topics the book covers include creating your nursery, determining what baby gear you need and what you can skip, preparing for maternity leave and going back to work, packing your diaper bag, creating effective household routines, organizing baby photos and documents, childproofing your home, and much more.
If you are pregnant or know someone who is, One Year to an Organized Life with Baby is a great addition to your pre-baby/baby library. Definitely don’t skip this book!
Want to win a copy for yourself? Comment below on what you feel you need to organize before your baby comes (or now that your baby is here) and you’ll be entered to win a free copy!
At 28 weeks pregnant with my third child, I am pretty big. Yet I am still active chasing my two boys around, working, and trying to stay fit at the gym and playing tennis. However, lately, I have noticed how hard it is wearing my regular underwear and feeling a total lack of support.
I happened to have some Belevation undergarments in my drawer that they were kind enough to send me to sample. I gave them a try and was SO THRILLED with the comfort and support that I had throughout the day around my belly. I wish I had tried these undergarments sooner!
I tried both the brief as well as the Belly Band. Both were great and so supportive. I loved that the brief was comfortable, didn’t ride up (or fall down, a problem I have been having with my regular underwear!), and fit perfectly around my belly and waist. The Belly Band is perfect to wear for layered looks. All of the Belevation products are made with a unique, seamless, four-way stretch microfiber construction with moisture wicking, breathable mesh that is extremely comfortable. And the nude Belevation products are made with CelliantLife(TM) a unique smart-fiber clinically proven to improve overall comfort.
Belevation also offers a cute boy short and is coming out with a great-looking Yoga pant soon, too!
Now that I have discovered and tried the Belevation undergarments, I will not go to the gym or play tennis without wearing one. It’s almost a necessity to keep me comfortable. Every mother-to-be should have a pair or two of these great products to keep them feeling as comfortable as possible! Event better? Take $4.00 off your purchase using code MWS. Enjoy!
As a nursing mom I am torn when it comes to nursing bras…I don’t want to buy alot because lets face it eventually I will be finished nursing and I won’t need them. But then I find that if I don’t have enough, I am constantly washing the ones I have. And who has time for that? So I am always happy to get a new nursing bra, and I was excited to try the Allure Underwire Nursing bra from Bravado! ($54 from Bare Necessities).
I waited a little while to go with the underwire nursing bra because I heard that it’s important to not use one until your milk fully comes in. But now that it has, I was ready to give the girls some more support! I went a little crazy and got the bra in Black! That’s right, I strayed from the beige and the white! Shame on me right? Nah! I loved the look of this bra with the lace features. It made the bra feel a little more feminine and less like all the other nursing bras I have.
The one negative I found with this bra was the sizing. I feel like it runs a bit big, so keep that in mind when ordering for yourself through Bare Necessities. One thing nursing breasts done need is less support, fit is very important. All in all I was pleased with the Bravado brand bra, and extremely pleased with Bare Necessities!
If underwire is not your thing, be sure to check out the Bare Necessities site for tons of other nursing bras in many different styles and price ranges. They have something for everyone!
I was provided with the Bravado! Nursing Bra for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Pregnant? Or just looking for something cute? Shabby Apple‘s got you covered, with cute and fun dresses for women and girls. We like their Sicily Dress ($72) from their Maternity Line — which also works beautifully as a 4th Trimester option (which is how I’ve been wearing it). This candy apple red dress is casual and is perfect for everyday use. It has short sleeves and it’s knee length. Mamas who get very hot will appreciate how cool and comfortable it keeps you. It’s a Poly / rayon / spandex jersey blend. You can use it for nursing (it crosses at the chest) and it has an empire waist. While I liked the dress and it looked cute on, I can wear it only as an everyday dress. If it came in black, I could have worn it for nights out.
My favorite way to shop Shabby Apple is by categories – choose from black dresses, essential, flirty, sophisticated, soiree, bridesmaid, aprons, maternity, plus size, fitness, etc… We love the retro look of some of their dresses (check out their Berkshires and 1943 Lines).
Save 20% on nearly everything! Use code WINTER20 at checkout. May not be combined with any other offers. Excludes Manhattan, Skyscraper and Jazz.
Thank you to Shabby Apple for providing a sample dress to review.
Need a powerful daily electric breastpump that won’t break the bank? That’s why we like Lansinoh’s Affinity Double Electric Breastpump (price range $135 – $159). It’s pretty compact, can run on AA batteries (if you have nowhere to plug it in) and does exactly what you need it to do! It features independent adjustable cycle and suction. It starts in the Let-Down phase and switches to the Expression phase after 2 minutes. If your milk lets down sooner, then push the Let-Down button to switch the pump to the Expression Phase. The breastflanges were soft and ultra comfy –they have special purple rubber outer rims to the breastflange, which ensure a good seal which aids in the suction. Purchase the larger size flanges if you are a DD cup like me.
One of my favorite features was the built-in bottle holders on the purple pump unit, so I didn’t knock the bottles over (yes, that’s happened to me before and I do cry over spilled milk). The pump is designed for everyday long term use and I was really happy with how it performed. It’s guaranteed to prevent milk backup in the tubing & pump and everything is BPA free. The pump comes with two extra white valves, two bottles and caps for pumping. It doesn’t fit the same size bottles I have from another company, so I recommend purchasing more bottles if you plan on pumping often. I wish that I could use Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags to pump directly into, but they do not work with it (too bad, because I love them).
All parts can be steam-sterilized in a microwave bag except the tubing which never needs to be cleaned or sterilized because it does not come into contact with breastmilk. You can also use boiling water to sterilize as well.
If you are going to store your milk – here are the guidelines on the Lansinoh website.
Thank you to Lansinoh for providing the Affinity Double Electric Breast Pump for product testing purposes.
As the mom of two boys, I have been asked constantly over the years if we wanted  to have a third child so we could try for a girl. Now that I am pregnant with our third child, those questions have intensified even more! And of course, the person who wants to know the most is ME!
I couldn’t contain myself… so at 10 weeks exactly, I got to experience the IntelliGender “Boy or Girl Gender Prediction Test”, something I never knew about with my prior pregnancies. Curious about IntelliGender? It uses first morning urine and a proprietary mix of chemicals which reacts with a combination of hormones to indicate the gender of your baby. And it’s simple to use!
You can pick it up at your local drug store in the pregnancy test aisle. It works very similarly to a pregnancy test, too. It comes with an instruction book, a syringe, a cup for your pee, and a container that has the IntelliGender “crystals” in it. You very simply pee in the cup (first morning urine), use the syringe to capture some of the urine, then take the syringe and place the urine in the IntelliGender crystal vile (there is a small sticker on top that you remove to expose a hole that you can place the syringe in). You swirl (not shake!) the test in a rapid motion, and then let it sit for 10 minutes. That’s it!
Then your pee will change color, and this is where you find out the gender of your 10+ week old baby. After ten minutes, without disturbing the cup, you will either see a yellow-orange color, or a dark murky green color. This color tells you whether you should expect a boy or a girl.
My cup was a very obvious yellow-orange color. What does that mean? Take a look here!
Since taking my IntelliGender test, I have also confirmed the IntelliGender results with an ultrasound. So IntelliGender was correct at predicting our new addition! The company claims to have an 90% accuracy rate, if you use the test according to their instructions. Take a look at their FAQ page, which answers some of the most common questions about accuracy and testing.
Are you pregnant and do you want to try out the IntelliGender test for yourself? We are giving one kit away, direct from the manufacturer. Please comment below on how far along you are, and what sex you think your baby is! One lucky winner will be chosen on January 15th. Good luck!
As a busy mom of 3 (including an infant), I do most of my shopping online. I’m always looking for a bargain and LOVE those members only daily deal sites — and one of my favorite ones is zulily.
If you don’t know what zulily is, it gives parents daily deals on unique and hot brands at up to 70% off retail prices. I’ve already bought a lot of things for my kids, myself and as gifts on the site.
So when I was invited to meet the staff at an event in NYC last month, I had to go! I spoke to President and CEO Darrell Cavens, who used to be an executive for Blue Nile. I was very impressed when he told me he wouldn’t put anything on zulily that he wouldn’t buy for his own family. He co-founded zulily to introduce parents to high quality boutique brands at significant discounts.
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One of our favorite pregnancy style experts, Amy Tara Koch, just teamed up with Mama Mio to create a pampering kit which includes her wildly popular book, Bump It Up. The Mama Mio Bump It Up Pregnancy Style Kit. The Kit retails for $60 (an $83 value) and includes:
Tummy Rub Butter (for award-winning stretch mark protection)
Boob Tube (because those great pregnancy boobs are temporary)
Bump It Up: TRANSFORMING YOUR PREGNANCY INTO THE ULTIMATE STYLE STATEMENT by Amy Tara Koch (Ballantine Books)
Expecting mamas will thank you as they slather on the wonderful products and curl up with Amy’s book.
Get it here (shipping is free right now).
