Items I couldn’t live without as a new mama & what I’ve learned during our first week home

Goodness gracious, how is my baby 11 days old already?!

Time is seriously flying, and although this newborn stage is SO incredibly tough…
It’s also the absolute sweetest, and I’m doing my best to soak up every single snuggle I can while he’s so teeny tiny. I feel like we just brought him home yesterday, but I also feel like he’s always been here with us!

I’ve had a lot of you asking me to share what it was really like when I arrived to the Hospital, and then of course what the first few nights at home are like. I’m still debating on whether or not I want to go into detail about what happens when you arrive at the hospital, just because every hospital and staff are SO different.
BUT today I AM going to share how our first few nights at home went and what I’ve learned so far!

It seems like every day Kyle and I learn something new, and I kind of love it.
It’s been a lot of work, but SO much fun figuring things out together!

We left the hospital Monday evening.
I cried the entire drive, I couldn’t believe we were headed home with OUR baby.
I was so happy and so emotional and totally still in disbelief that I just birthed a child haha

We ended up getting home around 8:00PM and I remember Kyle setting Hayes in his swing,
and we sat down to eat dinner and we were both just like….
“Wait, what???? There’s a baby right over  there!!! THIS IS SO WEIRD”

We’ve sat at that table a million times to eat dinner together but this time was SO different.
We felt super weird sitting there and not having him in one of our arms…
But hey, new parents gotta eat!!

The first night was a tad stressful and a complete learning experience.
We have the Halo bassinet right by our bed where we have been picturing Hayes sleeping for months now. I have seriously been SO excited about this bassinet!

Well, we started getting ready for bed and all the sudden realized we managed to leave the hospital with no earthly idea how to swaddle a baby…
I was too sore and exhausted to even attempt it the first night,
and Kyle kept trying and trying but Hayes would always manage to free himself.
After googling like crazy and searching YouTube for videos on how the hell to swaddle a baby at 2AM,
Kyle finally managed to get Hayes swaddled and we all took a deep breath and laid him in the bassinet.

For some reason he kept rolling around and it was really stressing us out. I kept remembering everyone saying that he needs to be on his back and thinking about all of these horror stories of babies who accidentally roll over and suffocate themselves…We tried all night long to get him not to roll but nothing was working..We couldn’t figure out if it was the bassinet, or the way he was swaddled or what!

Fast forward a day or two later when our velcro swaddle from TheOllieWorld arrived in the mail!!
This swaddle is a complete game changer and SO easy, especially for new parents!
There are tons of velcro swaddles out there but this one has definitely been a favorite of ours.
It’s made with a special material that helps reduce the risk of overheating, has a custom fit to meet the needs and size of each little one, AND the best part – the tie at the bottom makes diaper changing in the middle of the night a breeze!
And I mean…look how stinkin’ cute he looks in it!!!

They have tons of different colors and if you use THIS link you can get 10% off!!
Bubba is SO content when he’s in his Ollie swaddle and we HIGHLY recommend them.
There’s no way he’s getting his arms out of there, I’m never worried that it’s going to slide up and cover his mouth/nose, and it takes just a few seconds to put on! Seriously, gold.

My second MUST HAVE, major life saving item is the Dock A Tot.
I went back and forth for the longest time whether or not we really needed this item.
I ended up deciding that we didn’t and would save our money, but then had a change of heart last minute,
Like literally the week before he was born I decided NOPE, I think I need one of these.
And y’all i’m telling you, that was the Lord having my back, because the Dock A Tot is the only way I am able to get anything done during the day and the only way we get sleep at night!
Hayes is absolutely obsessed with being in there and I love knowing he’s happy and safe.
Since the bassinet didn’t really work for us, Hayes has been sleeping in his Dock A Tot on the bed with us.
I never thought I would’ve wanted him in the bed with us, but I LOVE having him so close to me.
I sleep so much better at night knowing he’s safe and happy in his Dock A Tot, and I can hear and see him and all I have to do is lift my head to check on him.

One thing that completely blows my mind is that I’ve been able to shower every single morning,
even after Kyle went back to work and it was just me!
We wake up, put on a clean diaper, eat, burp, and then I lay him in his Dock A Tot 
on the bathroom floor where I can see him from the shower and he just hangs out like a champ in there.
If you follow me on Instagram I’m sure you’re aware that he’s in this thing ALL the time,
because the majority of pictures I share of him, he’s inside of it!
Here’s a little proof below:



So the Dock A Tot is a multi-functional lounger, co-sleeper and playtime lounger.
They have two different sizes available!
We have the Deluxe, which is for babies 0-8 months and there is also a Grand which is for 9-36 months!
The Dock A Tot is seriously this kids happy place.
Get $10 off when you use {THIS} link to order yours!!

Another item we realized was completely necessary… sleepers with fold over mittens attached.
Regular socks and mittens sure are cute, but y’all they are a total pain in the ass.
They do not stay on whatsoever, when they fall off it takes forever to find them because they’re so teeny,
oh and if you have a dog he/she will eat them…SO sleepers with fold over mittens are a MUST.
I’ll link a few for y’all below!

As far as diaper changing goes, ALWAYS change babys diaper before nursing him/her!
I learned super quickly that if Hayes has a dirty diaper he will not latch and it is SUPER frustrating,
because it’s like he wants too and is trying too, but he’s just uncomfortable and won’t.
Make sure baby is clean downstairs before attempting to breastfeed!
Also, get yourself some of {THESE} changing pad liners, you will be so thankful for them,
especially if you have a boy, because…pee…everywhere.

I’m sure I’ll remember some other things as soon as I post this but I’m pretty sure these are the main things we swear by!
If I think of anything else or discover another item that is life changing like the ones I’ve shared above,
I’ll be sure to let y’all know!!

Hope y’all found this post helpful! So excited for all of you soon to be mamas!!!