In the interest of full disclosure, I should preface this blog with telling you that I am not yet a mother so this is all just my humble opinion. I have done a fair amount of research and I have also spent a lot of time around people who have either used products like this or who have sworn off other products. So with that said, here are my tips!

*Invest in a good, comfortable baby carrier (or two)
I make wraps like the Moby because of the variety of positions you can wrap
baby in and the fact that you can use it from birth up to 35 pounds. But I have used and love the Maya wrap. Not only is it SUPER simple to use but it seems like the little tots love it! For older children, I have friends who swear by the Ergo. As I said, I don't have children, so I can't say which I prefer but I do know what I won't be buying! Don't buy a carrier because of name recognition. The front, forward-facing style carriers have been found to be extremely uncomfortable (not to mention the risk of hip dysplasia...look it up!). I have heard of local birth centers occasionally hosting a baby wearing night where you can go and try on several styles of carriers to see which is most comfortable for you. Check and see if you can find something like that in your area! You won't regret it.

*Nurseries are over rated Yeah I said it! Let's be honest here. Truth is, your child will more than likely be next to your bed (or in it) for the first six months of his life. If you're planning on having baby in your room, don't stress about the nursery. Baby won't be mad at you because his crib isn't set up yet, his nautical themed decorations have not been ordered or because his walls aren't painted the right color which coordinates perfectly with the staining of his crib (which is still not set up).

* He will have outgrown those newborn clothes by next week
I know they are so cute and tiny, but you will hardly get any use out of them (unless you have a darling little premature babe on your hands <3). Register for bigger sizes. People who don't look at your registry are going to gravitate to the small sizes so go ahead and register for the big ones, even up to the 12 month size. That will get you to his first birthday party!

* Go gender neutral as much as possible
I won't both to bore you with my opinion on "pink for girls, blue for boys"...not to mention I don't want to make my readers angry in my 2nd blog! I know that there are a lot of parents who believe that every little girl has to have her bows and pink, frilly dresses and every little boy needs his baseball hat and blue jeans, but there are so many things that you can buy in neutral colors. Do it! Then you have less to buy next time around. (Plus you'll keep strangers guessing and let the child determine their gender..."Oh what a beautiful little....um....uh....CHILD you have there!" [guess I couldn't keep my opinion to myself...oops!])

* The person who invented baby sleepers that snap all the way up and down was not a parent
Get the zippers. You'll thank me later.

* Diapers, diapers, diapers
So you think buying diapers is a boring present? Yes....it can be. But they are so expensive and are a never ending expense (if you go with disposables). If a mom is cloth diapering, it can be more fun because you can pick out fun designs! Cloth diapering mommies can register for diapers! Register for several sizes, focusing on the bigger sizes. Newborn diapers lasted us for about two weeks before you will find that you have to move up to the next size. In conversations that I have had with some diapering moms who use disposables, they have said that their babies spent the most time in size 3 diapers, so stock up on those. For a cloth mommy, register for diapers, liners, cloth wipes, laundry detergent and all other diapering supplies.

* Standard sized receiving blankets won't swaddle my BIG TOE! 
If your baby likes to be swaddled, the ones that you receive from the hospital or similar sizes are just not big enough. Find some extra big ones or have someone make you some large, lightweight blankets that you can use for swaddling and beyond. However, please keep in mind that you should learn the proper way to swaddle and as soon as baby learns to roll over, you should immediately stop swaddling.

* You really don't need 15 bottles of baby lotion...or baby powder...or diaper cream
I can count on one hand the amount of times that I have used these things on a baby in my care. I don't like how it makes them smell and they really don't need it, as long as they are not bathed too much or with harsh chemicals. Coconut oil can be used as an all natural moisturizer if needed. If your baby gets a diaper rash, then you can worry about the diaper cream. Don't register for a ton of cream just because Aunt Diane said it's the best. If there comes a time when you do need it, go to your local grocer and get some after you've decided what is safest and best for your baby's skin. Register for the things you know you will need!

* Register for good quality nursing bras and tanks
These can be pretty darn expensive but can make a HUGE difference in how you feel day in and day out. Find a brand you
love and register.

As you can see...you don't need very much! And as I said before, this blog is a summation of the items that I have seen get the MOST use from family and friends. If you have things that you couldn't live without when you brought your baby home, please feel free to add them to the comments! I want to know! :-)

Hey everyone!
After months of flip-flopping on the subject, I've finally decided to start a blog! Now I'm not even going to kid you into thinking that everything I write is going to be gold, so please don't expect TOO much from me...at least in the beginning. I'm sure that there are going to be some posts that are controversial and we might have a healthy debate from time to time. I'm excited to begin this journey and if you're reading this, I'm glad you've decided to come along for the ride. You probably already know me, either personally or professionally, but just in case you're reading this and have no clue who I am... I'll tell you a bit about myself.
I was raised by a single mother in a small town in Connecticut. While I'm sure that she did the best that she could, I didn't have the best upbringing. In fact, at times it was downright terrible. I spent most of my time devising ways to trick my friends and their parents into inviting me to sleep over their house so that I wouldn't have to go home at night. Many girls in my grade were terribly cruel and as a result of their constant ridicule and my exhausting home life, I began to find ways to hurt myself. When my life was threatened, I ran away from home. This was just a few months before I graduated from high school and since my family decided to move away, I was homeless that summer. I made my way crashing on couches and floors and babysitting in exchange for food. I spent 4 terrifying nights in an alley, sleeping in between a huge garbage bin and a brick wall.
I eventually made my way to Massachusetts where things finally started to work out in my favor. I got a job at a nursing home assisting the elderly. I loved that job. It was really rewarding but SUPER difficult mentally, emotionally, and physically. Every time one of my patients passed away, I went home a sobbing mess. It was really hard to go to work knowing that I might lose someone that I had come to care about. Soon I moved on to work with at risk teens in a residential setting. This would turn out to be something that I would spend almost a decade doing. Those kids seriously taught me so many life lessons and there is really no way to repay them.
I started to work as a doula when a friend asked me if I would attend her birth. That peaked my interest and I decided that I wanted to start learning about what a doula did, but it would take me another year or so before I would take the steps to get certified. Since becoming a doula, I've learned a heck of a lot. I've always had a huge knowledge of birth, babies, child care, etc. but never really knew how I was going to put that to use besides for being a mother. So when I had the opportunity, or should I say "kick in the pants" to get certified through DONA (Doulas of North America), I jumped on it. I mean, I dove in head first! This career has been the most incredible, challenging, rewarding, moving, humbling thing that I have ever done in my life. It has shown me the incredible strength that we as women possess, the tender compassion that husbands have for their wives, and fierce love that new parents have for a child that they have only just met. I'm welcomed to take part in one of the most intimate moments in a person's life and each and every time...I am overwhelmed. I have found my place. I have found my calling. I know deep down in my heart that I was born to be a mother but I also know that I was born to be a doula. And that's kind of the same thing. :-)