We are delighted to announce the birth of our second daughter, Layah. She finally joined us (after 24 hours of labor!!!) on May 7th at 8:26am. She weighs 7 pounds, 3 ounces and is 20 inches long. We are delirious from our lack of sleep, but also head-over-heels in love with our tiny little bird. 
Meet Our Baby Girl!
May 8, 2012 By 26 Comments
It’s My Due Date!
May 4, 2012 By 2 Comments
My due date has arrived! Unfortunately, my baby didn’t seem to get the memo…she’s still hanging out in what must be a very comfy uterus (Darah didn’t want to come out of there, either, and had to be induced!). I’m going to be pretty focused on encouraging this one to come out on over the next handful of days. There will be some wonderful guest posts on the site while we make our final preparations for our baby’s arrival. I’ll touch base again when we have news to share!
Maternity Week: Sleeping (A LOT) In Comfort! Hanes Review and GIVEAWAY!!
October 27, 2011 By 134 Comments
For the first trimester of my pregnancy, I turn into a bear in the winter. That’s right, I HIBERNATE. I easily sleep 12 hours each and every day that it is possible for me to do so. I’m extremely lucky that this is even possible for me to do. It certainly comes at a price (my house is constantly dirty…and I don’t mean slightly messy…I mean DIRTY). But I am SO tired that sleeping wins every single time I can possibly choose it.
Since I’m doing a lot of sleeping, I need to be as comfortable as possible. As those of you who have been through pregnancy before know, your body goes through some pretty rapid changes, even in the first trimester. You experience quite a bit of growth (in your belly if you are like me and start showing 7 minutes after discovering you are pregnant). But even if you are lucky and don’t show for a while, your breasts almost certainly will start to grow. And they will be sore and sensitive, which means that you don’t want to wear your traditional bras any longer than you absolutely have to.
I’ve been spending a lot of my time in the perfect option from Hanes. Check out their ComfortFlex Fit Bras. These offer light support (so for me, they aren’t for wearing outside of the house), no wire, and they are SUPER soft. I wear these when I’m in the house, and also I wear them to sleep, as they provide some extra needed support while I toss and turn. They are also value priced, at $12 each or 2 for $20 (go ahead and buy 2, you will wear these constantly). While they aren’t designed specifically for expecting moms, I can tell you that they are the perfect choice for us, and I highly recommend them.
The other area where I need some extra comfort while sleeping has to do with my feet. Women are known for having poor circulation in our feet, which causes our toes to be freezing cold. I feel as though the problem for me has been multiplied since being pregnant. I’m not usually one to sleep with socks on EVER, but I’ve had a change of heart in recent weeks because my feet were so cold that I couldn’t fall asleep. So, I reached for my new Hanes socks that are made with a Comfort Toe Seam (all Hanes socks are made this way!). They are designed to feel smooth all day long to the wearer, and not to bunch up and be irritating. I put them on and drift off to sleep since my toes are snuggly warm! Love them!
Comfort is king when you are expecting. You are already going to be fairly uncomfortable during your pregnancy (at least that’s my experience), so anything you can do to get a little more comfortable is a good thing, indeed. Hanes is a company to turn to for some relief, and their prices can’t be beat!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a comfort flex bra and a 6 pack of women’s socks from Hanes! Yay!
Preggie Pops Review and GIVEAWAY!!!
August 16, 2011 By
My first trimester of pregnancy with Darah was not too terribly bad, other than the fact that I threw up every single day. Thankfully, my nausea would usually come in two predictable waves (while getting ready for work, and about 20 minutes after getting home for the day). I know that not every woman who deals with this symptom is quite so lucky.
Still, even though I knew when it was coming, I still struggled with it. I remember walking up and down the aisles of our local Whole Foods one day, desperately seeking any type of food product that didn’t make me want to hurl at the mere thought of eating or drinking it. That was a tall order for many weeks, I’m afraid.
A girlfriend gave me a few Preggie Pops that she had leftover from her pregnancy, and I LOVED them. Preggie Pops are lollipops that are designed to help with morning sickness. I recall that they helped me a great deal. In fact, I was very sad when I ran out because I couldn’t find any more in Memphis (and I guess I was just not thinking straight or else I could have just ordered more online!).
Preggie Pops has two main products for pregnant women. The Preggie Popscome in packages of 7 for $3.95 and have the following flavors: sour fruit, ginger and mint. They also have a variety pack, which is what I would recommend so that you can find your favorite flavor. The second option is the Preggie Pop Drops. These come in packages of 21 and are really ideal for any environment where you don’t especially want to be seen sucking on a lollipop! Their size is much closer to a lozenge. These are available for $5.50. They also have an organic drops option, but it is considerably more expensive, at $5.5o for just 12 drops.
I remember the feeling of morning sickness, and how horrible it felt to not be able to find anything to help alleviate the feeling. Preggie Pops really did work for me, and so I highly recommend them to anyone who is dealing with pregnancy-related nausea. They just might do the trick! They are also a very thoughtful gift for anyone who just announced a pregnancy!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win Preggie Pops and Preggie Pop Drops! The contest will run until August 26th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell me which flavor of Preggie Pops sounds the best to you!
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Three Lollies (the parent company) on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on the sidebar)
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the blog.
Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. No, I don’t have any announcements to be making! Opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
