I love being a mom. I especially love being Roman’s mom. It’s been a completely life changing experience for me. I am still learning as I go through it. Nobody can quite understand the transition to motherhood, unless you have done it yourself. At 37, I felt I had a good handle on what it would be like as I have seen so many friends & family members go through it. However. I had NO IDEA what I was in for. It is hands down the hardest thing a woman can ever go through.
“Biological, structural, and neural brain changes support a woman's transition into motherhood; they serve to help her prioritize and be responsive to her baby's needs, increase bonding, and even impact her planning and judgment.” - You must read this fantastic MindBodyGreen article on how it alters your brain.
For the first month, I literally felt like I was drowning. I never slept, I was nervous and anxious about everything. Breastfeeding is a whole experience that literally takes the life out of you. The feeling you have looking at your little baby like you just want to protect it and give it only the BEST. It’s so surreal, you won’t even recognize yourself. Along with a baby, a whole new you is born.
Having the support of my love, my parents and his parents was incredible. But for me, the most important and impactful thing to have around me was support from other moms with newborns. There is something so nurturing about connecting with other women who “get you” and are in the moment with you. I joined a group called MamaBloom in Austin, Texas and this was the ABSOLUTE BEST experience. If you are a new mom, find one in your town or start one yourself. You will thank me later.
Another thing I didn’t realize was how much money I would spend. You’ll need so many things and there are so many things to try. After a rough night with your baby, Amazon boxes will come flying to your door. Trust me, you will want to join Amazon Prime. This was a savior for me. Anywhere I go, I love to buy things for my baby. So, I wanted to share my absolute essentials for the newborn life. This is just what has worked for us, I’m sure there are many other opinions out there but these are all tried and tested by me.
THE 10 NEWBORN ESSENTIALS I HIGHLY SUGGEST
I cannot stress enough how much I think the Dockatot is one of the most necessary things you need. Roman can sleep anywhere as long as he is in his Dockatot. I just love this thing. I suggest you buy a patterned one (I went with carrera marble) versus the white one because it WILL get dirty. There are many chic covers you will love…
2. The Baby Swing.
Okay so, this is a super controversial item, some people love it, some hate it. For Roman, this was the magic nap trick. Before becoming a mother, I had no idea babies would resist sleep so much. Roman falls asleep in his swing no matter what. The range of motion apparently is the best. I have the very popular MamaRoo which was $250 and that did nothing for Roman. He would hang out for about 8 minutes max in that thing. To me, this swing was half the price and absolutely worth every penny.
For Roman, he is mesmerized by the mobile owls and the secret convex mirror that sits above the seat. It puts him right to sleep. I turn the swing on the highest speed and he loves it. They say the gravity is good to help settle the stomach.
3. Britax B-Free Travel System.
This was probably the best purchase I made for baby. After look through about 375 options, I decided on this travel system. There were a few others I really liked, the Cruz and Vista are very stylish and trendy strollers. A lot of my mom friends have these and love them! However, I still think my stroller is the winner. Here’s why I love it so much: The 3 wheels. This stroller turns on a dime and can navigate through any nooks which makes getting around for us so easy. The wheels are super durable and you can take this thing jogging, on a hiking trail, whatever. That’s very helpful for me because I love taking Roman on gravel trails. There’s plenty of storage, cover for rain or too much sunshine. Also, the car seat is awesome and super safe.
The only drawback of this stroller is there is no bassinet and I wish I had a bassinet when he was super small to walk him in the neighborhood.
I tried several baby carriers but Roman loved this one the best. I really was so in love with the look of the wraps. The Maya Wrap was the one I really loved and one of my nannies let me try it. Roman didn’t really like it. I didn’t really like all the pressure being on one shoulder. He loved the freedom of the Infantino and he enjoyed sleeping upright like this. It’s super affordable, breathable, easy to clean and feels so comfortable/supportive even now when Roman is a good 17 pounds. This has been another nap time savior.
5. Skip Hop Vegan Leather Backpack Diaper Bag.
Let me just start this with, I get so many compliments on my diaper bag. It’s awesome. I hate the look of regular diaper bags so for me, this one is the best looking. It fits right on the handlebar of my stroller, so everything is so easily accessible. I chose the tan leather but the black one is also so chic. It has tons of compartments and comes with a changing pad. Love this thing.
A Swaddle is a definite game changer when it comes to sleep. My parents were really persistent that I shouldn’t swaddle because I was never swaddles and I slept great. However, I really love the idea of the swaddle. Keeping the baby snug and preventing them from waking from the startle reflex. I tried every swaddle you could think of. Roman hated them all. That was until I found this swaddle. Roman loves to sleep with his arms up and so he needed the room for that. This helped Roman sleep good long stretches at night starting at 2.5 months.
7. The Diaper Genie.
This is a must have. Seriously, don’t skimp out on this. With all the diapers going on, you will want one of these next to your changing table. Trust me. On that note, for me, Pampers Swaddlers are the best diapers. I tried the Honest ones and every other brand out there. These hold the most and the best in my opinion.
Mamas, these are my favorite. They just make it easy to zip, no snapping. It’s easy for the dads too. I can’t tell you how many times his dad changed Roman and the snaps were all confused. Just save yourself and everyone the trouble and get some zip fronts. I love them.
9. Hatch Baby Night Light and Sound Machine.
Man, I just love this thing. It is a wonderful white noise sound machine that I place next to Romans bassinet at night. You can control the colors, the sounds and volume from your phone. It also has the ability to set a timer with your sound routine. Birds in the morning, lullaby at bedtime routine and white noise for sleep. It is wonderful! I can’t live without it myself now.
10. Kimono Robe.
This robe has literally been my uniform for the last 3 months. I’ve ordered a couple more because there has been so much spit up on my last one. You want to be comfortable and sleep well when you are up many times throughout the night. You want something easy to feed baby, hop in and out of the fastest shower ever and I even wore this in the hospital for comfort. It’s just the best. And its 20$, which is fabulous because you don’t want to ruin all your clothes with the many things that baby will get on your wardrobe. Trust me. This one is essential!
