HOW TO budget Your Expensive Pregnancy

"Pregnancy" And all the expenses that come with it. Sometimes every little penny counts, So whether we have a ton or no money in the bank we still want to know all that we can save on when expecting . Most of the times during a mothers first pregnancy we tend to go over board at the store ! Which is always so exciting, I must say. There are so many things that we need,and can save money on by just passing on those things that we really don't need and most likely wont use. So Let's talk, Because I remember how many things I bought that I look at now everyday and still 15 months later has, not been used.

  I remember when I went to babies r us to set up my registry I literally tried to choose at least one item from every category to make sure that I had everything I needed. So I want to try to help and answer that question:

                                 What do I need before my BABY is here!

DIAPERS!
You can never have enough diapers! which I'm sure you've already herd from EVERYONE.
Well it is definitely true , I probably went through a big box a week with my son when he was born.
Oh and for first time mom's here's a great #TIP I wish I would have known. If he still fits his size don't get over excited about him growing and jump to the next size, Because the bigger the baby the more the diaper cost... So if you can push that size one just a little bit more because we know it still fits a little, then enjoy it because trust me they do skip right through the stages.
So wen you make your registry don't just put 1 or 2 boxes of diapers I'd put like 10 ! SERIOUSLY speaking i really would.

WIPES
Like diapers, Wipes are right at the top of the must have list and the grocery list. and you can never have to many of. As a mother we definitely go through wipes like we do milk. We use wipes for EVERYTHING , from wiping down those dirty little hands to wiping off our makeup. They honestly come in handy for the world so keep the wipes right beside those diapers on that list and at home so u don't loose them !

BABY CLOTHE
Of course every baby needs to be dressed daily just as we do, But that does not mean that he needs to own more clothes then we do. Babies grow inches within a month. And because they are babies we have to probably change them a couple times a day. Constantly changing puking babies also doesn't not mean that they need allot of clothing, It means we have to wash they're clothe about 2  times a weeks. So you don't need allot to get you through the week, below are the things i would recommend for your growing baby...

 I would recommend to have long pants to keep him warm, maybe like 3. You will also need about 7 - 10 body suits or Onezies, Your choice. Both long and short sleeve. I would also get 5 or 6 socks and flannel blankets along with one big blanket to keep him warm when u go out. You should have a few hats for his little head and they will give you one in the hospital also. always keep it on his head for the 2 months at least  The rest of the stuff i would get in sizes 6 months and up because that's when they totally stretch out.

BABY TOWEL AND TUB
I'm sure all of us have about a thousand towels at home, But in my opinion i think that no matter how many we have our baby should definitely have his/her own . So I would definitely add a towel to the must have that baby's towel doesn't float through the household... As for the baby tub, That is totally up to you. But in my opinion its great to sit the baby into something but please don't go spending too much on a tub . I added the spa set to my registry and don't get me wrong it was great, But it cost $50 and was used a couple times.

BABY LOTION & ETC
Every baby needs Powder, Baby lotion , Shampoo and Baby wash, So go ahead and put a couple of these since u will be needing this for a few years! I would also add Destine and Vaseline for Diaper rash and the Vaseline come in handy for allot, Like when the baby has a cold and his nose is dry it helps it not burn. And also works well as a ointment for diaper rash there's just so many uses I can just go on.

STROLLER TRAVEL SYSTEM
The first thing I think I might of added to my registry was the Stroller and The Car Seat.You will need this for everything, And we both know this. Not just when u go to the store but when u go everywhere and even at home when i get things done it would help to put him in there and stroll him around the house to get things done... So when u go choose the perfect stroller for your little one keep in mind the size, You don't want it to be to big or heavy where its hard to maneuver. I suggest taking it off the shelf and strolling it around the isle.

HIGH CHAIR
Wow I thought I'd never say this, But man do I Love that chair or what! It has really came in handy ever since he fit in there. It keeps my son busy when I need to get something done. For example i don't just use it for meal time, whenever I need to mop or sweep and sometimes shower, I put him in and sit him in front of the TV with a few snacks until I'm done . Now that he eats food it great because he can reach the food and feed him self which is always fun to watch.

PLAY PEN
The Playpen was very helpful. As a newborn my son used it everyday as a crib. I kept it right by the bed. As he got older he sat in it and played then he used it to learn how to stand up and next thing u new he was walking across it. It kept him so entertained, And thanks to a playpen I saved money on having to buy a crib for the first year. Although he had a crib because his god-mother lent us hers, But either way he never used it.

WALKER
What do we do when we need to Put our little bundle of energy down so that we can get some house chores done! Well that's where the walker comes in handy. Between 4 months old and the time he learns to walk , He will love that walker.You can start to put him in it as early as 4 months, Of course he wont fit but you can    put a little pillow or towel wrapped up in between the chair and his tummy and it will hold him in place. It really kept him entertained! And the older he got, It taught him how to walk and get his leg strength ready! so we will also add this to the list and then save it for the next baby.

BOUNCER
Out of all the things my son had, I loved his Bouncer the most. It was a baby shower gift from my brother and he couldn't have picked a better one . It was the "Comfort and Harmony" blue bouncer from toys r us .  It vibrates and plays music along with a little pillow it has. It basically feels like a big soft pillow. Well he used that bouncer just about every single day until he was to old to fit it and because he was starting to crawl and would try to roll over in it, Which was about 6 or 7 months old. You get your moneys worth out of it.

Bottles
Whether you are Breast Feeding or you are bottle feeding you should always keep a bottle in the house I would put a pack of 3 on your registry. If your planning on bottle feeding then I would have at least 6. And if your breastfeeding you should at least try to encourage the bottle at some point, So it will be easier for you when you wean him off to the bottle. When my son was first born he used to use the Playtex's drop in bottles until he was about 7 months old then I bought him the regular plastic bottles, Because after a while those drop in get expensive but it was great for when he was a newborn. I did not have any trouble with my son when it comes to colic and gas, Thank god! 

                                                                  FIRST AID KIT
You should always have a first Aid Kit in the house at all time and if u don't have one, You should get one. If you don't want one then u at least need to have a Thermometer, a Bulb Syringe, a Syringe to feed him his medicine with when he gets sick and Baby Tylenol. I would also keep the Doctors number along with all those items so that when you do need it, Your not walking all over the house like a maniac, Freaking out not being able to remember anything. Don't worry I freak out every time my son gets sick, just as much as the first time. #TIP The best way to get the baby's temperature is rectal. It is most accurate. And the Bulb Syringe is great when he is congested, It sucks everything out.



Well I hope that I could help in any way, And if I missed something please forgive me. It has been a while since my little runner was a newborn.

Congratulations on your little bundle of love. Enjoy every minute because those minutes are once in a lifetime.
God Bless you and your family

-Mirian

PS: If YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME !

What was Breast Feeding like and how to put an END to it!

Hey, Before i say a word I'd like to start out by saying Thank You for taking the time out to read my post. This post is about my experience Breast feeding and how I managed to stop and lean him off. I really did feel like it would be so hard, but it really wasn't and he just made it easier for me.

 I breastfeed my son until he was 14 months old, I used to say that id bf him until he turned one but that it didn't turn out that way .Let me take u back to the birth date of my son Jeremiah . January 17 2012, around 7pm my son was born . through out my pregnancy i planed to breast feed and when my son was born i asked the doctor to give him right to me. after the birth a laction counselor  came in and introduced her self, then showed me how to breast feed. At first i had such a hard time trying to latch him on. So the nurse suggested a nipple shield which was Definitely the key, or at least a start until u get it.
 The Nipple Shield made it so easy to latch JJ on . I used it until he was at least  3 months old. One day i tried to latch him on and he did right away with out the shield . After about 2 months of breastfeeding him, I started him on formula because i did not feel like he was getting full. I would be feeding him constantly about every hour almost. Which was a problem. The formula was great because it made the feedings further apart. 
       Jeremiah was on a set schedule, until he was about 6 months old. Afterwards he would start waking up more, completely off the schedule basically . I tried giving him cereal in a bottle a couple times to try to make him sleep longer at night. But not much and i don't recommend it because that will make Him gain to much weight and is a choking hazard. Anyway it worked at first then one day he just stopped taking the bottle  and wanted more and more breast milk, It got to the point where i would just breast feed him on demand .
   When i started working  his dad would watch him. Once he started working we put him in daycare. So i would breast feed him when ever i was home, and when i was at work he would take bottles. Once jj turned one I tried to put him in his crib to try to break the habits, both co-sleeping and breast feeding . we put him in his crib and  we let him cry it out like they say. But he cried and cried, non stop. Me and dad both agreed that it was not good to let him cry.  We then tried to put a playpen by our bed and put him in there at night so he can fall asleep. That didn't work! Eventually i gave up, So when his 1st birthday came he was still being breast fed. I guess then was when i decided that he would stop when he was ready to.
Which  is exactly what he did. I started breastfeeding him less during the day and more night. I also started to give him more bottles during the day and he started to take them more until one day he just stopped drank it and went to sleep. Wow did that shock me or what but  i knew then i was definitely ready to stop. it only took about 5 days of swollen boobs, but afterwards that's it back to normal.

All grown up
I can't believe he is so big now . I definitely miss breastfeeding but he is a big boy and I know I had to put an end to it . I'm very happy that I bresat-fed him for so long which played A big part in his health . It was also like our bonding time even tho I know we can still bond somehow. :)
It felt like The older he got the harder breastfeeding got. Especially at night I would barely sleep . Jeremiah would constantly wake me at night to drink or to lay on me . But even after long night and sore nipples it was definitely worth every sound of it .
Breast feeding was an amazing experience and i definitely plan to do it again. I hope that you find this helpful and if you have any questions please feel free to ask!