Pregnancy Items I'd Love to Review

There are lots and lots of items on the market that are designed for use by pregnant women.  But some of the biggest day-to-day problems still aren't addressed.  I would love if someone would invent these products, I would review them in a second:

1.  Belly protection - Being pregnant while having an older child in the house is wonderful and magical.  That older child really gets to interact with your growing belly.  However, toddlers/preschoolers are accidentally dangerous.  They don't mean to kick/punch/headbutt your belly, but it happens - and you fear every time that a little tiny person is going to fall out of your uterus.  Pregnancy Kevlar vests or something would be a great idea to wear around the house.

2.  Extend-o arms - I know that there's no way to really make your arms longer, but it would be nice if there were some sort of hook or something that could help you put on socks in the morning, or clip/paint your toenails.  There's a certain point in pregnancy at which you just sort of think, "Eh, flip flops are fine, even if my toenails look like a wild animal's."  

3.  Belly rearview mirror - I'm not sure how else to say it, so I'll just go for it.  After a certain point in pregnancy, personal grooming becomes a guessing game.  Please take this poorly-illustrated cartoon as an example of a pregnant woman's field of vision.  

 

So clearly drawing hands and faces aren't my thing.

 

 

That grey area is the area that a woman can see effectively when she's looking downward.  Anywhere from the belly down pretty much becomes a mystery.  You could be growing a goiter on your upper thigh and have no clue (I know that's not medically possible, but stay with me here).  If there were some way to attach a rearview mirror to a belly belt or something so that you can see what you're shaving, it would certainly make things easier.  I don't know many people who love going to weekly OB appointments with unruly body hair all over their lower half.

4.  Food-o-meter - I think I'm fairly well on-top of what you're not supposed to eat when pregnant.  Anything lunch meat-y, fish with mercury, soft cheeses, caffeine.  Wait, there's also herbal tea, alcohol, raw vegetable sprouts, sushi, and more, you say?  Wouldn't it be nice if there were some little sort of food-tasting device that you could put a little bit of the food in question into, and it would tell you if some sort of baby-harming bacteria or chemical is in it?  I suppose a phone app is probably more practical, but sometimes you are really craving that roast beef sandwich and want to know if "just this once" will hurt things or not.

There are lots and lots more, but these were just the ones that came to my mind based off of my last 24 hours of pregnant existence.  I would give any of these the most positive review ever.

Maternity clothes on a budget

There are something like 4 million babies born in the US each year.  I’d guess that would mean there are something like 3.25 to 3.5 million pregnant women, after accommodating for multiples (does that sound reasonable?).  WHERE ARE THEY ALL FINDING THEIR MATERNITY CLOTHES?  I ask this in super-serious all caps because I have scoured most of the state I live in, and I can barely find anything.  What I do find feels like it’s ridiculously expensive for something I’ll wear four or five months at most per pregnancy.

Target does have a maternity section (our local Wal-Mart and K-Marts do not, so I’ll skip mentioning them).  We have a pretty decent-sized Target, and yet there are maybe only three small racks of maternity clothes, and even fewer styles.  Despite the fact that this is a discount store, even the most basic V-neck tees generally run $20 or so.  Their online offering is more robust, and using their Cartwheel app can sometimes score you some discounts that makes it worth asking fellow mamas where the Target is with the biggest maternity section.

Old Navy and Gap both have online selections that are really pretty good.  Their in-store selection definitely varies based off of the location.  Our Gap’s maternity section is at the back of the babyGAP, and it’s about seven or eight racks’ worth.  I’ve found that they generally carry the more expensive items in store, which can be a little annoying, but their pants are probably the most comfortable on the market.  The key is to try and hit at the end of a season and score on the sales (both in-store and online).  Old Navy’s in-store selection is a little more haphazard, in my experience.  It seems less organized, and all of the items are sort of just thrown in a little corner.  I have been able to find a few sale items that I liked, but prefer to shop their selection online, and then return in-store if something doesn’t fit.

Motherhood is our local store that clearly has the biggest selection, as it’s entirely dedicated to maternity and nursing garb.  I will admit – I will usually go to their store to try something on, and then order it online.  The reason for this is that they seem to run more sales online than in the store (a common sale is to buy two clearance items and get the third free).  I also find a bigger selection of petite pants online than I generally do in-store.  

JC Penney and Kohls have a very, very limited section for us locally – two or three racks in each store.  Their selections online are definitely more complete, but a little pricier than most of the above options (other than the Gap).

These next two places don’t have any stores local to me, so I don’t have any experience with them in-store, but they’re both great choices for cheap, cute items.

Asos is a site that I believe originates out of the UK, but they have a US site.  They have lots of options that are inexpensive and trendy.  They have a lot of casual stuff, maybe less in the way of work gear if you work in a formal or business casual office.

H&M has probably the best maternity selection I’ve seen as far as looking remotely modern, and the prices are incredibly reasonable.  What’s great is that you can also pick up some kids’ items at the same time for a low shipping price.

Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced Breast Pump

While nursing the Pickle, I used a Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced breast pump.  I pumped in varying degrees during the entire two years that she nursed, so I became very familiar with it.

The PISA is sort of known as one of the main workhorse pumps.  It's a dual pump, so if you're more coordinated than I am (this shouldn't be tough), you can pump both sides at the same time.  It has two speed settings - when you first begin pumping, it is a faster/harder suction to accommodate the initial letdown.  Then, after about two minutes, it slows down.  I ended up needing to press the button to go back to the first setting usually just to work with my particular needs, so I sort of wished at the time that it didn't automatically change the suction setting, but I think that would be a bonus to people with more standard needs.

With the pump, you get the following items (or at least you did 3.5 years ago) - cooler bag with ice pack, standard-sized flanges and connectors, tubing, an AC adapter unit for mobile use, and four Medela bottles.  Mine also came with a little sample of a few milk bags, and some Medela lanolin.  We didn't want to have to completely wash all bottles every single evening - since I was pumping multiple times a day at work and even more at home, this meant that we needed about 8 extra bottles.  The bottles have come down in price since then; at the time, this meant about $15 for three extra bottles.  I also needed a different sized flange.  Once I figured out the best system, it worked great.  Our daughter had a small mouth, so we pumped around the clock for the first few months - other than the fact that I felt like the pump was talking to me during the middle of the night pumping sessions on zero sleep, it worked really well despite all of the rigorous use I put it through with round-the-clock pumping.

I got my pump in July of 2010 - it worked great for about a year, and then the motor burnt out.  This was part of a big group of pumps that had this issue during that time frame, so I was able to contact Medela and get a new one sent out immediately.  Their customer service was great - they express sent me the new one and prepaid shipping packaging, so all I had to do was box up the old pump and send it back.  

I'll be using the same pump with our upcoming arrival.  I don't see any reason to change - the only reason I might have considered changing would be to get a hospital-grade pump, but I think those are much more expensive.  This one works great for the cost.

Black Breeze Baby K'Tan - a first peek

This pregnant lady is very happy.  I was lucky enough that Baby K’tan sent me a Black Breeze Baby K’tan carrier to try out (LINK)!  We’ve still got about 4.5 months left to bake our little one, so I can’t give you a full review yet, but wanted to share my first impressions.

I’ve mentioned before that I have short little T-rex arms, and couldn’t quite get the hang of wrapping the Pickle in a Moby.  I would either need my husband’s help, or I wouldn’t get it quite loose enough.  As such, I wasn’t as effective at it as I wanted to be.

What’s great about the K’Tan Breeze is that it’s easy to use for even the wrap-challenged.  It is essentially two hoops hooked in the back.  I couldn’t get a good enough picture of this, so this is available on Baby K’Tan’s website:

The two loops are crossed over your body and brought under your arms.  There are much more thorough instructions on their website, and it can be used in a variety of positions as baby grows.  I’m really excited about that, because it’s not limiting in its use like some carriers are.  Much the same as how you can get wraps in different sizes, the K’Tan has sizing that is appropriate based off of your dress and bra sizes to ensure that it fits comfortably.

The Breeze is especially exciting to me since Little is due in August – the Breeze is 50% mesh and 50% cotton, so it’s cooler and more breathable if I want to take a walk around the neighborhood while babywearing.  We can essentially use this from birth until toddlerhood, since it supports children from 8 to 35 lbs.

In short, I’m really, really excited to use this on something other than a pregnant belly.  There are a bunch of colors available, and you can even purchase carriers gently-used on their website.  I’ve been coveting the K’Tans since long before we were pregnant, so I’m pumped!  Keep an eye out here in late August/early September for a full report on how it works.

My First Crayola Safety Scissors

In preschool, the Pickle does a ton of crafts that involve cutting and pasting.  We do some at home, but I hadn’t been able to find any scissors that I really felt okay with her using even with supervision, so we had mostly focused on painting and other fine-motor skills at home.

A couple of months ago, I was at a store that rhymes with Schmarget, and found Crayola’s “My First Crayola Safety Scissors” – I couldn’t find them on their website, so here’s a link from Amazon:  LINK

The premise of these (and you get a pretty good deal for it, three pair for about $5) is that these scissors should only cut paper and cardstock – not clothes, lampshades, eyelids, or any of the numerous things that small children attempt to cut on a regular basis.  They’re made of plastic, no metal, and they’ve got rounded edges.  Hence, even stabbing motions to, say, a leather couch should theoretically not meet with any destruction.  (I should qualify that nobody in our house has actually attempted this, but I can’t see it being possible.)

Overall, these work awesome.  We did have one accidental mishap where Pickle was trying to cut something while holding it up in the air and accidentally got a tiny bit of hair (so they do cut hair), but overall they’ve been working really well.  I don’t feel like I’m abandoning her to a deathtrap if I have to turn away for five seconds to get her a new piece of construction paper. 

Additionally, they’re really a pretty great price.  For $5, you get three pairs.  This is nice if you’re having a playdate or if you have multiple children.  I figured safety scissors like this would be more expensive than normal scissors, but they’re not at all.  They haven’t broken yet despite some pretty heavy use, so they seem durable.

 

Value:  About $5 for three pair.  This, in my opinion, is a pretty great deal when a single pair of metal children’s scissors usually runs about $3.  10/10.

Child entertainment level:  This was very high for us.  The Pickle loves to cut paper into teeny little pieces more than I can even fathom.  9/10.

Practicality:  In my opinion, this was very practical.  Safe, economic, and worked well.  10/10.

BFFL Co Mommy/Delivery BFFLBag

I was lucky enough recently to get the chance to review the BFFL Co Mommy/Delivery BFFLBag (LINK).  The company has recently been covered in Time magazine, on FOXNews, Huffington Post, and more, so I was really intrigued by their product line.  There is a reason they’ve been covered – co-founder Elizabeth Chabner Thompson, MD, MPH, has a pretty remarkable story.   She completed her residency in Radiation Oncology and has a Master’s in Public Health.  She devoted her career to helping those with cancer after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer – and has even been through a prophylactic double mastectomy and breast reconstruction because of that family history of cancer (think of what Angelina Jolie recently did, and why).  Her brave decisions and personal history, combined with her medical education, have given her a unique perspective on what’s needed during a hospital stay.  Using this wealth of information and experience, BFFL Co has an entire line of recovery products for different surgeries and medical conditions – including this innovative bag for new mothers to take to the hospital.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned in my previous posts that I’m currently pregnant, and am always going to be a high-risk pregnancy.  Our first daughter was born still at just 21.5 weeks, and I was on bedrest from 13.5 weeks on with our second daughter.  I have to have a hospital bag ready to go pretty much from the start of the second trimester on forward.  However, with a precocious 3.5-year-old tearing around the house, a full-time job, and trying to make time for my wonderful husband, I don’t have a ton of time to sit down and write out lists for months on end of what needs to go into my hospital bag.  Even if I did, I’d miss something, even having been through all of this before.

So, it’s safe to say I was really excited to see this bag.  I’m sort of a natural skeptic, however, so I was positive that I’d find something that was missing or needed adding.  I can’t think of a single thing missing from this bag.  I literally think you can just put your phone charger in here and head to the hospital.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves with uncharacteristic gushing from me, I’ll explain myself.

First things first – BFFL Co includes a designer bag to hold all of the goodies inside.  Much to my delight, this is an adorable bag.  It’s a bag you would actually want to use as a gym bag or an overnight bag after you’ve recovered from emitting a baby from your body by one method or another.  Then, inside, there’s just a TON of stuff.  There’s a heart-shaped Axilla Pilla comfort pillow (good for hugging when you’re trying to ride out a contraction, or for nursing support), flip flops (so you don’t have to pick up a foot fungus along with a newborn), a skin care gift set, Bio-Oil moisturing scar and stretch mark treatment oil, some nursing pads, perineal ice packs and disposable sleeves (if you don’t know why these are included, I don’t think I should be the one to explain it), a collapsible water bottle, some nursing pads (GENIUS, because everyone forgets these and then panic when their milk comes in), and then several separated packets.  These are organized ingeniously – one is for toiletries (including dry shampoo which is especially awesome for those post-op, lip balm, nail care set, tooth care, and more), a wound care/incision pack for if you had a C-section, a packet of fun entertainment stuff (playing cards, notebook, pen, slipper socks, cards, etc.), and a pack that is filled with mesh underwear, pads, and all of that fun stuff.  I skipped over a lot of little individual items in here (ear plugs, etc.) because it literally would take an entire paragraph just to list everything, it’s so chock-full (but packed into a convenient-sized bag).  I had assumed I’d need to add some of that little stuff like lip balm (to which I’m addicted) and nail clippers, but they’re all just right there.  I guess you could add a gown if you didn’t want to wear the hospital garb, but that’s really not a necessity, and those hospital gowns have snaps specifically useful for if you plan to breastfeed.

I know I don’t usually glow this much about a product, but I just really was impressed by how complete it is.  On top of all of that, 15% of the net profits from the purchase are donated to the Harvard School of Public Health Women’s and Health Initiative.  With all of this, not only am I glad that this is going to be going to the hospital with me, but I believe this will start being my go-to shower gift.  I can’t think of a single mom or type of delivery that wouldn’t benefit from this – and there’s even some room in it to take home the diapers that you paid 5x cost for from the hospital room!