Blog

Here you will find recent home and fashion favorites, gift ideas along with information on mothering and wellness.

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Making Hospital Birth Comfortable

We were fully prepared and planning on a home birth but unfortunately a third trimester ultrasound and some doctors overstepping (and being biased against home birth) ruined that for us and we were forced into a hospital birth.

All that to say, these are the things I brought, used and recommend bringing to make a hospital birth more comfortable and to feel a bit more like home.

A comb. I know it sounds strange but this was a lifesaver for me and really helped to distract from contraction pain. I had this comb in my hand the entire time.

A birth gown. It was definitely not necessary but I hate hospitals and it made me feel more comfortable to labor in. I wore it to the hospital and didn’t have to change when I got there which was nice and took the edge off as well. Mocha Delivery Gown, Milk and Baby.
I also wore this nursing bra to make things easier once baby was delivered so I didn’t have to change or feel exposed at any point. Auden Nursing Bralette, Target.
My favorite comfortable throw blanket from Target. I really enjoyed having this to help myself feel at home, it was nice having something soft and comforting while I was in pain (especially in the car on the drive there).
Honey sticks, Liquid IV, gum / mints and snacks. My favorites were apple sauce pouches, Belvita and Nature’s Bakery Fig bars because they’re easy to eat when I don’t have an appetite or if I’m nauseous.
Flameless candles to make the atmosphere more comfortable. These candles flicker like a true candle and made everything feel calmer after we turned down the bright lights and put these in the delivery room and bathroom.
Travel / car diffuser with USB charging cord, Amazon and essential oils, Young Living. Lavender and Neroli for any stress, tension or headaches. Peppermint for headaches. Lemon for nausea. Orange for energy. Clary Sage and Cypress for their medicinal properties. I had a lavender Aroma Ring in the entire time I was there to help me stay calm. I brought my oils in this travel case to keep them organized and easy to grab quickly.
Birth Affirmation Cards — here’s a link to the cards I used here.

|| Young Living — Get 10% off with your first order with promo code: SHAREYL ||

Tiana 6/30/23 Tiana 6/30/23

High Protein Food for Pregnancy

I deeply struggled with getting the recommended 90+ grams of protein daily during pregnancy and had to do some work to find foods that worked for me. Some of these aren’t the *most* healthy but they helped me get that amount when I was basically in survival mode. I’ve since been asked by several friends for advice on this so I want to share what I did and hope it helps!

Chicken breast was the quickest way to get a huge amount in one sitting. I ate that almost every night and just mixed it up with different seasonings.
Eggs. I had eggs for breakfast every single morning and just switched up the way I cooked them.
Nutritional Yeast and Chia seeds are easy to sneak in to many different meals. I added them everywhere I could.
Dave’s Killer Bread is a great brand to get extra protein in different meals. I would eat their bread, bagels and english muffins and they are all good with different flavors.
Kodiak Cakes. Making these can be time consuming so I would just make a batch of them and freeze whatever leftovers for later.
Orgain Protein Powder for shakes, chocolate flavor is my personal favorite!
Chobani Complete Yogurt Drinks
Think Protein Bars. These made it a lot easier to get extra protein while I was snacking and they have a lot of great flavors. Brownie Crunch, Target.
Core Power Protein Shakes by Fairlife Milk. Chocolate Flavor, Walmart.
Lunch meat, cheese, almonds or peanuts as a snack between meals. I know it’s controversial to have lunch meat during pregnancy but I just made sure I was having high quality meat and I never had any issues or concerns.

* This is not health advice, this is just what worked for me personally.

Tiana 4/10/23 Tiana 4/10/23

Preparing for Baby E

We are going for a very minimal setup right now because we are in a one bedroom but here are some of the things we’ve added to our baby registry. I had a hard time finding out what was most important vs completely unnecessary - I hope this helps any moms who are trying to build their registry. Once baby is here I’ll make sure to share what we ended up using.

Nursery Must Haves:

Feeding:

Infant Care:

This section has been updated after our newborn season to include items we wish we had right when we got home and recommend having on hand.

Travel & Transportation:

Nuna Stroller & Carseat Travel System | Car Seat Cover | Beanko Diaper Changing Station | Nuna Wind Cover | Nuna Cup Holder

Tiana 4/3/23 Tiana 4/3/23

Bonn Baby Shower 2023

Our baby shower was on Saturday April 1st, 2023, the rain stopped just before the shower and allowed us a perfect warm afternoon. The theme was “spring duckling” and we chose a bright spring theme with a white and powder blue color scheme. Decor was rustic serving trays, simple florals, citrus fruits and rabbits added here and there.

We wanted the food to have a casual picnic feel to it so we served croissant sandwiches, wraps, veggie cups with ranch, fresh fruit, strawberry vanilla cupcakes, cookies and pastries for dessert. Each guest was given a small basket, honey stick, mini jam jar, tangerine and chocolate chip cookies as a favor to take home.

We are incredibly thankful for our family letting us use their home to have this shower and for helping to set everything up and shower my husband and I as we anticipate the arrival of our sweet boy this summer.