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.

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.“

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:

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!

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).

When it comes to preparing to have a baby, what item comes to mind that you will most definitely use the most? Well diapers of course!! Being  a new mom, I have come learn first hand how many diapers one ACTUALLY uses in one day…and boy is it alot!!! That’s why I was so excited to receive my Chic Mama Diaper cake! Not only is it super cute, but it also is extremely functional. And that is why this diaper cake makes the perfect gift to any expecting mama to be!

Chic Mama was founded by a wife and mother, who took her great diaper cakes that she gave to friends, into a successful business! What started as a business of diaper cakes has now expanded to include many other great gifts such as handbags, totes, diaper bags, baby gear and clothing. If you want to go a little fancier you can even get a towel cake made! A perfect place to shop for any expecting mama.

I received the Anthony Diaper Cake ($65) just days before giving birth to my son. And it was great because when I got home, I had everything I needed to get started in terms of diapers and baby soaps and lotions once I got home. That’s why something like this makes a great shower gift! Each cake is a little different. So what comes with the Anthony cake?

60 – 65 Pampers Swaddlers diapers size 1 (8-14 lbs)

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (1.5 oz)

Johnson’s Baby Lotion (1 oz)

Johnson’s Baby Baby Wash (1 oz)

Johnson’s Baby Powder (1 oz)

Johnson’s Desitin Sample (1 oz)

Cream Silk Gerbera Daisy

Crinkle paper

Premium decorative ribbon and bows

Ingredient card

All ingredients make mommy’s first days home a little easier. But don’t think you HAVE to use the cake…it can certainly remain in tact and be kept as a decoration. I know it was hard for me to take it apart to use the diapers, but when you run out, you gotta use what you have!

I also tried another item from the Chic Mama site. The Demi bella Black Long Sleeved T shirt. As a matter of fact you can see how much I loved this item in my review on After The Alter. There is even a giveaway going on so you can try it yourself!

Bottom line…Chic Mama is a site that has great gifts for any expectant mother in your life. And with the holidays approaching what a great time to give these items as gifts!

I was provided with a Chic Mama diaper cake for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Being pregnant leaves your body aching in places you never thought you’d ache in, and although people tell you to sleep as much as possible you are left tossing and turning each night all because you are uncomfortable. If  you’ve seen most of the body pillows out there you’ll know that they take up most of the bed, and sometimes that just doesn’t work. That’s when I saw the Utterly Yours Pregnancy Pillow , and it’s compact structure, and thought it looked extremely convenient!

The Utterly Your Pregnancy Pillow ($44.95)  alleviates two major issues pregnant women face – severe lower back pain and lack of sleep. The pillow delivers optimal prenatal sleep positioning by simultaneously supporting the lower back and pregnant abdomen. The two places that ache the most when you are trying to sleep! When opened, it forms two triangles. Memory foam on one half of the pillow conforms to the mother’s belly. The other half of the pillow is made of higher density foam to support the back while keeping the body positioned to one side comfortably. One of the best parts is that this little pillow can do all of that, but still be compact. It’s even great for travel!

The Utterly Yours pregnancy pillow also has some really great patterns…6 to be exact! The pregnancy pillow retails for $44.95 and you can purchase them off their website.

I was thinking this little pillow could be good to bring the the hospital when I go into labor. Maybe it will help me stay comfortable while waiting for our little one to arrive! Anything to make me more comfortable will be good right?

As I am sure you can imagine, it’s pretty hard to feel pretty and get dressed up when you are just about 9 months pregnant. Other than feeling huge, my wardrobe is rather limited, and my options are very scarce. So I was extremely happy that I had this Isabella Oliver wrap dress to wear to dinner to celebrate my my husbands birthday. It felt really nice to get out of my sweatpants and into this dress…even if it did require wearing panty hose!

I was extremely impressed with the Isabella Oliver maternity line. The clothes are extremely chic, and wearable. Certainly not your usual line of maternity of clothes. The only downside may be the price tag on some of the items, but if that doesn’t scare you, then this company gives you a lot of beautiful options.

The wrap dress I wore was black and retails for $159. (I wish I could’ve worn some sexy boots with it like in the picture, but my fat feet would hear NONE of it!)  The good thing about this particular dress is that it has a great stretchy material and could be worn throughout different stages of your pregnancy. It also can be transformed for many different occasions. You can dress it up, or down, and I think every pregnant woman needs at least one dress that can do that! As a matter of fact I think I will be able to wear this dress even post pregnancy.

I don’t normally think twice about packaging, but the dress arrived in a great box, and nicely wrapped. You just felt like you were getting a quality product just by looking at the packaging.I guess there is something to say about first impressions when ordering things online.

Here is some of my Isabella Oliver wish list..

I love the nursing tops! They are great for before and after baby!

As you can tell I was a big fan of the wrap dress, and a big fan of the site. I give Isabella Oliver two thumbs up!

Isabella Oliver provided me with a wrap dress for the purposes of this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The time has come for me to really start getting serious about packing my hospital bag. Although I doubt I will go early, technically this baby could decide to come at any time. So I might as well be prepared right? I started to think about what to wear at the hospital and at first I only thought about pajamas (I decided to go with this Japanese Weekend set which I reviewed on my personal blog), but after more thought I decided it would be fun to bring in my own hospital gown! That’s when I came across dearjohnnies hospital gowns.

dearjohnnies hospital gowns allow you a stylish yet practical option while you are in the hospital. They can be worn during labor, surgery or outpatient treatment, as well as the days following your recovery and at home during the weeks to follow. Not only will the doctors be pleased with the gown, so will you. Wouldn’t it be nice to take the first pictures with your baby in your own pretty gown of your choosing?

There are three collections of dearjohnnies gowns. The first is the Wellesley Collection . The gown I will be wearing is the Lucy ($68 pictured above). As a matter of fact this particular gown was worn by Bethenny in the BRAVO show “Bethenny Getting married”. This collection is preppy and traditional. Next, there is the Gramercy Collection which has fashion- forward prints. and finally, there is the Hanalei Collection which has more whimsical, bright prints. No matter which collection you go with all gowns are made of 100% cotton, and trimmed with grosgrain ribbon. You can even have them monogrammed.

dearjohnnies also make a great shower gift. You can buy a delivery set ($152) which includes a gown and robe for mom, as well as a swaddle blanket for baby! Even if the mom to be doesn’t think to buy something like this for herself, who wouldn’t love a gift like this? Definitely a memorable keepsake.

Celebrities also love the dearjohnnies gowns. The most recent celebrity to get one is Nina Garcia from “Project Runway”. She has the “lola” gown with matching robe and had it monogrammed with an N on it. She is expecting her second boy in December. Some other celebrity fans? Angela Bassett, Tori Spelling and Samantha Harris are just a few.

I am excited to wear my gown at the hospital. My plan is to put it on right after delivery so that I don’t make a total mess of it during labor. I’d rather be able to wear it when people are coming in to see me and the baby. The gown fits great, is comfortable, and even has easy access for breastfeeding. All necessary qualities of a hospital gown.

If you order a “Lucy” gown dearjohnnies will donate 10% of the proceeds to breast cancer research. So not only are you getting a great product, you also are helping out an amazing cause.

I was provided with a dearjohnnies gown for the purposes of this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have a sinking suspicion that staying organized is difficult when you are a mom. There is just to much to think about and prepare for. But while organizing all your babies things, a mom should not also have to give up her style. That’s where the Pishposh Carryall comes in! Pishposh provides organizational purse inserts, so that you can use your purse as your diaper bag! Neat!

Co Creators Jenny Hong and Kopal Goonetileke created the caryall out of necessity to add organization when scrambling to gather their kids to get out the door. They felt like they were always forgetting something because there wasn’t a place for it. At the same time, they still wanted to use their designer handbags rather than a bulky diaper bag. So instead of throwing everything into a ziplock, they came up with a solution that would compartmentalize all their needs…the PishPosh Carryall ($44.99).

Along with the carryall I tried the Diaper clutch with pad ($24.99). This is designed for those quick outings when all you need are some diapers and wipes. The clutch holds a changing pad, diapers and wipes case. The carryall may be a little big to fin in some purses, but the clutch definitely will. I also think the clutch could be used along with your diaper bag to hold some of your “mom” essentials.

With a baby on the way I am trying to start to get organized as early as possible. Better safe than sorry right? Whether you use these bags in your current purse, on it’s own or as a emergency bag that goes in your car, I think they definitely offer you an organizational solution.

The bags come in great patterns, whose names represent the founders inspiration…San Fransisco. The pattern shown above is the one that I tried and is called Noe Blooms. You can get the PishPosh Swanky Set: which includes the Carryall and the clutch for $64.99. All definitely very fashionable and functional options!

For the purposes of this review I was provided with the Carryall as well as the clutch. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.