Maternity Leave Recap

Maternity Leave Recap + Baby Must Haves

I had 6 weeks of maternity leave. I know, I know, not very long. But welcome to being a working mom in America in 2019. I will not make this a rant about women’s rights, however, I will just say I am VERY thankful for the time I have had bonding with our new baby. 

But to recap maternity leave, wow what a time! To say it flew by is an understatement. 

I wish I was kidding when I say that neither Josh nor I had ever changed a diaper before the birth of our child. And now we feel like seasoned veterans LOL. Literally the first day we were home, we experienced the first blow out…needless to say our skills have improved immensely. My number one must have is a pack and play. It is multifunctional with the changer, bouncer, sleeping area, and play area all in one item. We have this set up in our room and it is perfect for our needs at this time. 

Braylon enjoyed his first bath at home much more than the bath in the hospital where he just screamed and cried the whole time. He now seems to enjoy bath time, we try to make it part of his bedtime routine because it relaxes him so much. We have this baby tub which works great. It fits right into the sink which makes things very convenient. It was great for sponge baths until his umbilical stump fell off and works great as a regular infant tub. It also transitions to a toddler tub as well. 

We went on a lot of walks. Mostly for my sanity. Secondly because the dogs needed their daily walks. And thirdly because walking was an instant way to get Braylon to nap. I must say I LOVE our stroller. Never thought I could love an item so much. I am excited to actually jog with it at some point way down the line. But so far it has been wonderful as our go-to everyday stroller. 

I started pumping to build up a bit of a freezer stash to have before returning to work. This system is a game changer! You pump directly into the bags, the bags go straight to the freezer, straight to the feeding bottle system. So there is ZERO bottle washing. Only downside is that the pouches aren’t reusable, but they save SO much time and are so functional. A working mom must have in my opinion. PS, I use this pump which I have zero complaints with. I love that you don’t need to be tied down to an outlet for it to work. I obviously have never pumped before so I have nothing to compare this pump to, but it gets the job done and I’m very happy with it. 

Speaking of breast feeding, the Haakaa was something I hadn’t heard much of before pregnancy, but has it been a game changer for me. You can google how it works. I would say if you have an abundant milk supply you would definitely benefit from this ingenious device. 

In terms of sleeping, we would be zombies if it weren’t for these swaddles. If you are interested in getting your baby to sleep at night and getting rest for yourself, you need these swaddles. Period. 

And I can’t leave out my favorite part of maternity leave: alllll of the baby snuggles. I must say, this will never get old. I know there will be a time when Braylon won’t want to snuggle anymore, so I am soaking up every second of this phase. I highly recommend a sling or carrier to help keep your baby close and keep you comfortable as well. Baby wearing also allows you to have your hands free which is a nice perk!  

So that about covers the high points of maternity leave. Everyday was different and the same all at the same time if that even makes sense LOL. I am thankful to have a career and job I LOVE. So on on hand, I am excited to get back into the swing of things in my professional life. But dang it, I will miss this uninterrupted time I have had with Braylon. These past 6 weeks have been a special time that I will look back on with such happy and fond memories. I know being a working mom will have its challenges, I hope to learn to balance it all with grace, patience, and humility. I commend all of the other working moms out there who have paved the way for the rest of us, thank you! 

-Kristen