Packing Mom Hack

Does everyone else also wait until the last minute to pack for a trip? Doing this with kids makes it infinitely harder because you're most likely doing it while they're asleep, but you need access to the clothes that are in their room! So here is my #momhack: take the drawers out of their dressers and put them somewhere else. The entire drawer. This way you have everything you need and in the morning you can put the drawers back in and you don't have piles of clothing that need to be put away.

motherhood: the hospital list

I over-pack. For everything. Not surprising then that the nurses at the hospital commented on the amount of stuff we had with us at my son's birth. Here is the list of things you actually need in the hospital. If you end up with a c-section, I could see how having spare clothes might be nice, but for a vaginal delivery and a 2-day stay, you only need an outfit to go home in.

• for mama
• slippers
• socks
• robe, if you think you might use it
• nursing-friendly maternity-sized outfit to go home in
• flip flops for shower
• usual toiletry bag with deodorant, hair ties, chapstick, face wipes, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, brush, shampoo
• makeup (although I didn't put any on at all)
• for breastfeeding
• brest friend
• lanolin cream
• breast pads
• nursing cover, if you think you might use it
• for entertainment
• laptop + charger
• kindle + charger 
• phone charger
• camera + charger
• snacks
• water cup/bottle
• for dad
• pillow + blanket
• a change of clothes
• for baby
• NB and 0-3m outfits for going home and professional pics
• a hat
• a blanket (to be used in pro pictures)
• anything else you might want in pro pictures 
• car seat
• a baby book to get footprints 
• necessities
• medical files
• insurance card
• list of people to notify of birth

motherhood: the most surprising thing

My sister's friend once asked her what was the most surprising thing about motherhood for her. My sister's answer was that she didn't mind changing poopy diapers. I thought it was a great question and it has stuck with me through the years. I asked myself this same question a few weeks into motherhood. My answer: the amount of bodily fluids you deal with. Between the pee, the spit-up, the breastmilk, the poop (it's pretty liquid so I'm going to count it as a fluid here)... You're basically covered in and trying to contain bodily fluids constantly. Invest in burp cloths, bibs, receiving blankets, outfits, etc because you go through them at an alarming rate.