Did you guys check out my Instagram Stories last night?  If you didn’t you need to head there now to see all the fun I had at the Big City Moms baby shower! So many best products for newborns all in one place.  The shower came at the perfect time as I am writing my four month motherhood check in.  What a better way to share the details of that shower than in my motherhood post.   Today I explore life as I move out of the fourth trimester and really start to settle into life.  Before I get to the personal part of the post I am sharing the details of the baby shower event and the best products for newborns.

 

Big City Mom’s Biggest Baby Shower Ever

The biggest baby shower ever was held in Chicago at the Revel Fulton Market, which is an amazing event space in Chicago’s Fulton Market.  The shower welcomed over 45 brands and companies to share the newest and best products for newborns on the market.  Many of them I already love and have products from, but there were several brands I was introduced to at the event, including Owlet.

Before I get to Owlet and their newest product on the market I want to share some brands and the best products for newborns.

Hearmuffs – These are noise canceling headphones that muffle loud noises from your baby’s ears.   These are great for loud events, travel and everyday life.  We will use ours to take Lizzie to Millennium Park in Chicago.  Every summer we go there for their live concerts and want her to enjoy the time outside without damaging her tiny ears.  We can’t wait to try them out for opening weekend.

Tula – I received a few Tula blankets at my baby shower and let me tell you, they are the best blankets we have.  They are super soft and durable.  We use it as our main stroller blanket and Lizzie loves it.  They also offer several baby carries in adorable patterns.

Stokke – If you haven’t heard of this brand you will want to listen up because they make beautifully designed products.  They are a Norwegian company that is know for their timeless Scandinavian design that brings you closer to you child.  We use their baby bath tub (with the infant insert) and absolutely love it.   Their Tripp Trapp Chair was their first product ever and is still a best seller today.  It grows with your baby for their entire life.

4moms – We are a 4moms family!  We have their playard and used it as Lizzie’s bassinet for the first couple of months.   We love it because it was super easy to set up and cleanup.  It’s also great for travel (by car), as we use it for her bed.  It’s to big to take on a plane, but perfect for road trips. 4moms make some of the best products for newborns today.

Happiest Baby – The Happiest Baby was there showcasing their Snoo Smart Sleeper.  This bassinet is the Cadillac of bassinets for your baby.  It listens to your baby and provides the right amount of movement and sound to put them back to sleep.  I considered this as a bassinet, but ultimately passed due to the price.  It’s a true investment piece, however they just came out with options to rent it, which are much more reasonable.

Bugaboo – The Ant Stroller by Bugaboo is the stroller of the year!  It’s small, mighty and ready for any adventure you go on.  It’s a super functional, compact stroller that will make traveling a breeze.  It offers 6 different seat configurations and folds up to to a 22 x 15 rectangle.   You can watch the full demo on my Inst Stories .  I can’t even link to it because it doesn’t hit the market until September.   So keep your eyes peeled for that.

Owlet

Owlet presented the Big City Mom’s Baby Shower and ahead of the event I was asked to try out the Owlet Smart Sock + Cam.  I’ll be honest, I was completely on the fence about this product. I ready so many mixed reviews and I wasn’t able to make a decision on the product.  If you haven’t heard about this product yet let me tell you a little bit about it. It’s the first baby monitor ever to track your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels while streaming video and audio to your phone.  Let me tell you technology has come a long way!

The best way for me assess the product was to try it out and make a pro/con list, it’s what I do best.  And here is my list:

 

Pros

Set up is a breeze with step-by-step easy to follow directions

A+ for technology and innovation, this is a top of line product

Camera is amazing, high quality picture and sound

Camera connects to your home wifi for high streaming video.  It also works with cellular data so you can check in when away from home too.

Cons

Slight delay in data, when the sock came off her foot it took awhile for the notification to get to the station

False positives on the notification station due to the sock falling off

Too much information for me to handle.  Knowing her oxygen levels and heart rate constantly is overwhelming.  I am far more relaxed when the sock isn’t on.

Lizzie hates wearing the sock and tries to kick it off the entire time it is on her, even after I adjust it for tightness

 

Overall, this is a high-end product and it is done nicely.  I absolutely love the camera and the app to monitor it.   At the end of the day the sock is to much for me to handle.  I am far more relaxed without using the sock. However, I do think this product is great for parents who want that extra security and assurance that their baby is breathing at night.

 

Leaving The Fourth Trimester 

Before having a baby I didn’t know what the fourth trimester is, well I knew what it meant technically, but not about all the emotions and things that happen during it.  Given my perpetual later bloomer status much of my emotions didn’t show up until the fourth trimester was over. I had a hard time going back to work, traveling and the postpartum body changes.  I’m sharing all these details with you below.

 

Going Back To Work

Going back to work is 100 times harder than I thought it would be.  I knew it would be hard, but I wasn’t prepared for how hard. I cried hard, like full-blown ugly-cry for two weeks straight.  Every morning when I left the house it was full blown tears. Lizzie was unphased by me leaving, but I was a mess.  

 

Being away from her is devastating to me.  I cried a lot at work too; in the bathroom, at my desk and even when I walked around the block to avoid crying in the office.  There was a lot of tears and a lot of messed up makeup.

 

What I dislike about going back to work is the pressure to be the exact pre-baby person I was.  Think of it this way, if you start a new job there are zero expectations of you. You can decide what kind of worker you will be.  If you want to be a super fast responder to emails then you can. If you’d rather take a bit of time to respond to emails you can. It’s a clean slate and you get to decide.

 

When you go back to work after maternity leave it’s completely different.  People know the pre-baby you and expect you to come back and jump into that role. It’s hard though, because so much has changed.  I’m constantly thinking of Lizzie and sometimes my memory isn’t what it used to be. In fact I should buy stock in post-it notes because I go through a packet a week right now.  I’m writing everything down so I don’t forget it.

 

I’m also worried that people will think I’m that woman with a baby now, the one who needs to leave early and is more focused on her family.  It’s not a bad thing, but the working mom stigma is alive and well still. I personally have ten times more respect for the working mom now. I’ve always had love for the working mom, but it’s grown 10 times now.  

 

Postpartum Changes

Let’s talk about hair loss, holy crap it’s out of control!  While pregnant, I had great hair 🙂 The hormones were totally doing their job.  My hair was less grey, super strong and shiny. When I stopped breastfeeding and my hormones started to even out my hair started to fall out!  I know it’s normal, but I have considered wearing a hairnet in the house because it’s so bad. And the grey hair that stayed at bay while pregnant is coming back with a vengeance!

 

Weight Loss

If you read my pregnancy experience post you know about my weight gain details.  I gained 36 pounds and while it was a little bit above average I thought it was a lot for my body to handle.  The first 27 pounds came off pretty easy after having Lizzie, but these last 9 are a killer to get off. I’m sharing exact numbers because every pound and half a pound is a huge victory.  

 

I try to work out 3 times a week at a minimum, but it’s hard too.  I squeeze in a Pure Barre class at night when Lizzie is sleeping and when I don’t have time for that I run stairs in my building.  47 floors straight up is a killer workout! It’s a work in progress, and I am determined to get to my pre-baby weight this summer.

 

First Trip With Baby

We took our first trip with Lizzie away from home over Memorial Day weekend.  We drove to visit Mike’s family and while the trip went off without a hitch the morning before the trip did not.  I was so overwhelmed with the idea of taking her away from our home. So you guessed it! I cried uncontrollably before we left home and I didn’t see that coming at all.

 

The fear I had to take her away from everything I knew was out of control.  I built up a great amount of confidence around my town and taking Lizzie pretty much anywhere in the city.  The idea of putting her in the car for hours and being somewhere that wasn’t my home was a lot to handle. Too much actually, hence the breakdown.  At the end of the day we all lived!

 

Wow that was a long post!  If you made it to the end THANK YOU!  I write this blog for you, my readers and you are the reason I keep going.  Balancing all of this isn’t easy, but it is fun.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following along!