Tag Archives: mom blogger

A Splash of Seafoam Green Bedding for Summer

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We spent most of our weekend being lazy and staying cozy inside away from the rain. I love a good Sunday morning spent in bed though so I didn’t mind the gloomy weather. Speaking of our bed, we recently swapped out our sheets and down comforter for these breathable and lightweight sheets from The Company Store to finish out the summer in. As for our comforter, we chose the “light” Alberta European Down Baffled Duvet Insert and since it’s so hot in Louisiana right now, we didn’t even bother putting a duvet cover over it. I’m so glad we chose the “light” version because I like to sleep with all the covers on no matter what time of the year it is, but sometimes the AC isn’t enough and you just need to get lighter covers and more breathable sheets.

We also added a splash of seafoam with these shams and this king size cotton quilt. I usually like to keep our room all white, but we thought it would be fun to add a pop of color for summer. The Company Cotton Voile Quilt also comes in so many other colors. I also love the lilac and coral.

Right now it’s Last Call Sale up to 45% off End of Season Colors & Patterns at The Company Store. Scroll through this post to see how our full room looks.

| Shop My Bathrobe & Bedding from The Company Store |

While we’re totally enjoying our new bedding, nothing compares to this amazing Luxury Regal Egyptian Cotton Robe. I don’t know why I never thought to get one of these before. Giant bathrobes are one of the best parts of staying at a luxury hotel and since we can’t travel right now, this is the next best thing. It’s like a mini staycation at our house. I got one for me and one for my husband with our initials! I think I might make this my new go-to gift for friends, especially new moms since they spend so much time lounging around the house. So why not pretend you’re a day spa! Haha!

| Shop My Bathrobe & Bedding from The Company Store |

This post is in partnership with The Company Store, a brand I love. All opinions and selections here are my own. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts who make this blog possible.

What Items I Actually Used in the Hospital for Labor & Delivery

June 2, 2020

Hey everyone, today I’m finally sharing what items I actually used in the hospital during labor and delivery. If you missed my first on everything I packed, you can check it out here—> What I’m Packing in my Hospital Bags for Labor & Delivery During the Pandemic

***updated on 2/17/2022***

Here is a little background on our situation: Due to the specific Labor & Delivery Department policies during the pandemic, I was only able have one visitor at the hospital during my entire stay and that visitor was not allowed to leave them room until I was discharged with the baby. This meant that I had to pack absolutely everything I thought I might need including extra clothing in case we ended up having to stay longer. This changed a lot of things because it also meant that Blake wasn’t allowed to leave and grab food or something we left at home. So I went a little overboard and practically packed our entire house! LOL

Scroll through this post to see what items I actually used in the hospital for labor & delivery:

Wallet & ID card for registration — I was already pre-registered, but have this on hand just in case!

2 pairs of nursing-friendly pajamas | I’m packed this one from Target and this one from Nordstrom. I also like this short sleeve one from Pink Blush Maternity. I wore the hospital gown to actually give birth in and then I wore my pajamas later. Stick to the dark colored ones because it’s ok if they get stains.

My personal pillow & pillow case | This was a must! I loved having my own comfortable fluffy pillow and same for Blake. Plus it was nice to use different pillow cases so we knew which ones were ours when it came time to pack up.

Blanket & Sound Machine | I don’t remember getting much sleep at all at the hospital because I was so overwhelmed and also in so much pain from a 3rd degree tear so I didn’t use the sound machine because I never had time to sleep. I did like having my own blanket though and same for Blake. I did bring the baby’s portable sound machine to use to drown out the sound at the hospital just in case though and if I actually would have slept I would have used it.

My own towel | This was also something Krystal and Kathleen suggested to have a little more comfort and luxury from home because the hospital towels are kind of small. It’s true…the hospital towels are small and not the softest so it was nice to have a good towel to use. I ended up not using it, but Blake did!

Slippers | I didn’t ever want my bare feet to touch the hospital floor so I packed slippers, socks and shower flip flops! I ended up throwing away 2 pairs of socks afterwards for the times that I forgot to put my slippers on and I walked in the bathroom.

Cozy Robe | I brought a cozy robe to keep warm and that’s what I normally wear around the house with my pajamas.

Pretty Robe | I packed a pretty robe to throw on to snap a few photos with the baby, but I ended up wearing my cozy robe for the pics. It’s nice to have two options though in case one gets dirty so you can still get some decent photos. This crochet trim robe is cute and comfy too

Outfit to wear home + Baby Name Necklace | I wore this blue dress dress with a pair of sandals because it was nice a flowy and cheap so I didn’t care if anything happened to it. I also had my baby name necklace, but Blake surprised me with this B initial necklace at the hospital so I wore that instead.

Food: The second I realized that it was time for us to go to the hospital, I had Blake run to the store down the street to get us a large 22″ turkey sandwich to last us during our hospital stay because I had a feeling that I wouldn’t like the hospital cafeteria food. He got the sandwich on french bread and sliced it into 8 mini sandwiches and then wrapped each one on saran-wrap and tin foil and placed them into a cooler with cold coffee drinks and fruit. This ended up lasting us our entire 48 hour stay.

Goodie Basket for our Labor & Deliver nurses | I wrote a little thank you card and put together a basket with candy, chocolates, bars, coffees, gum and Kendra Scott jewelry (not pictured) to thank all of the nurses. I had them take the basket to take to their station so they don’t feel awkward coming in and out of my room to grab goodies. My L&D nurses were so amazing that I almost wish I had brought more for them. So this is something I highly recommend doing.

Nursing bras, nipple cream, nipple cooling pads | I heard all of these items are vital when it comes to breastfeeding and since we didn’t know how long we’d be in the hospital for I figured I’d bring them all with me. I use the nipple cream all the time now, but I only used the nursing bra at the hospital and didn’t need the other two items until later. Also, these are the best nursing bras!

Dermaplast | They give this to you at the hospital, but I highly suggest that you have a second bottle of this at home to use because it is vital especially if you tear like I did and have stitches.

XL long phone charger & wall piece | It’s nice to have an extra long cord that reaches from the wall to the hospital bed. Don’t forget the wall piece too.

Tripod for self timer photos | Since we we were not allowed to have any visitors including the hospital photographer, we brought our tripod for self timer photos to be able to capture special moments with all three of us. I’m so glad we brought this with us because that’s how we got our favorite photos. It’s also nice to have at home too to snap family photos with all of you included.

Post pregnancy panties | The hospital gives you some postpartum underwear and then when I got home I literally wore adult diapers for like 2 weeks because it was so much easier and then once the bleeding calmed down I started wearing these panties. The adult diapers were a game changer though because you could just throw them away.

Plastic bags for dirty clothes & zip lock bags for anything I want keep from getting germs at the hospital. So glad I brought some because we just wanted to wash everything.

Travel Size Toiletries + Makeup Bag + Aquaphor + Shampoo/Conditioner + Curling Wand + Wet Hair brush + Hair Spray + Hair Dryer | I never leave the house without Aquaphor because I use it for everything especially as lip repair. I’m so glad I brought my makeup and toiletries to look decent for family photos with the baby. I didn’t wash my hair because I used dry shampoo instead, but they don’t have any of that at hospital for you so bring some if you plan to.

Ponytail holders, Bobby pins, Dry Shampoo | Thank goodness I packed my dry shampoo because I didn’t wash my hair in the shower at the hospital. I was also glad I brought ponytails and bobby pins to keep my hair out of my face.

Ritual Prenatal Vitamins | Their prenatal includes 12 essential nutrients with high quality ingredients your body can actually absorb. I love the no-nausea capsule design so I can take my in the morning or night. Other prenatal vitamins made me nauseous or just made my stomach hurt. @ritual prenatal vitamins are vegan certified and have no shady additives, fillers or colorants. They feel gentle and easy on my stomach while helping support every stage of pregnancy. They offer free-shipping are delivered straight to your door with their easy monthly subscription service. Take 10% OFF your first 3 months with code: HAUTE

Young Living Essential Oils & Diffuser | I’ve been using YL oils for about 7 years now and I never travel without them. At the hospital, I used lavender to keep me calm and peace & calming oil well for extra peace and calming of course! This diffuser is great and we’ve been using it at the house.

Thieves Hand Sanitizer | It’s my favorite because it doesn’t dry out your hand. I used this nonstop instead of getting up and washing my hands every few minutes.

Yoga Ball | My yoga ball was a life saver during the last few weeks of pregnancy. I used it for as long as I could with my contractions at home before going into the hospital. I never planned on doing a natural birth, but I know a lot of people highly recommend the yoga ball for natural births. A doula also told me that that it helps position the baby for birth and prepares your body for labor. Plus it gives your hips a nice stretch! I ended up not needing my yoga ball at the hospital because I waited until my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart going in so I was already super far along and no longer needed the ball. However, if you plan to get induced, ask for a ball to help with the pain. Like I said above, I used mine all the way up until we left for the hospital.

Colace | Let me just say thank baby Jesus for Colace to ensure that your first postpartum bowel movements comes gently and easily. TMI I know, but it’s important to know! I had a third degree tear, which means it tears the anal muscle. Yikes!!! I know!! It’s still painful for me even at 6 weeks postpartum so I’ve started taking these Calm gummies and y’all….they’re even more amazing than Colace. I highly highly recommend them! Not only do they soften the stool, but they also regulate you. Also, drink plenty of water, apple juice and pineapple juice to help you in that department too.

Large Refillable Water Bottle | I was so glad I brought my cup because they gave me one at the hospital but I liked mine better.

Letter board | I’m so glad I packed this little 10 x 10 letter board to use for photos with all of his birth info on it. I already had his name filled out on it ahead of time so I just had to fill in the details like date, time, inches and weight.

Wooden Marker | I ordered this wooden marker with monthly milestones and I am bringing the one with his name on it to the hospital to make the photos feel more special. I used the letter board for photos instead and waited until I got home to use this wooden marker so I would just bring one of these.

Boppy pillow & Cover | I was nice having my Boppy Pillow for breastfeeding at the hospital and then I just washed the cover when I got home.

Breast Pump + Supplies – I’m so glad that Krystal from a A Pinch of Lovely mentioned to pack this because I was able to have the lactation nurses show me how it works.

Baby Book |didn’t end up needing this at the hospital. Way too much going on to have time to write in it.

| Shop My Hospital Bag Essentials |

| Shop My Toiletry Bag |

WHAT I PACK & USED FOR THE BABY:

A few going home outfits | I packed a couple different options because we didn’t know which ones were going to fit him and good thing we did because he was tiny and barely even fit in his newborn outfit. We ended up needing some preemie sizes for the first few days.

Monica & Andy Hospital Cuddle Box | This box includes a hat, newborn outfit, blanket and swaddle. He wore the outfit in this box home.

Baby Blankets | We packed extra in case we had to stay longer! I also love these breathable blankets too.

Baby Gowns | He wore this grey one for his photos. We also love this aden + anais Snuggle Knit Knotted Newborn Baby Gown for easy diaper changes in the middle of the night. Plus it’s so soft and comfy for him so I got two.

Pacifiers | A lot of people suggested these soothies and I also like these with the same kind of nipple shape. Once Beck turned three months we started using the mam breathable pacifiers.

CAR SEAT & Backseat Mirror | We brought him home in the Nuna PIPA™ lite lx Infant Car Seat. We love how comfy, secure and lightweight it is. Also, we love being able to see him in the mirror.

Burp cloths | They had burp cloths at the hospital, but let me tell you that we use them on a daily basis at home. He tends to spit up a lot after eating so we go through a ton each day before we have to wash a load. I recommend keeping them all around the house. LOL

| Shop My Labor & Delivery Must-haves for Baby |

WHAT I PACKED FOR BLAKE:

Pillow + Colored Pillowcase | I did the same for myself!

Blanket | I wanted Blake to be as comfortable as possible on the couch since he wasn’t allowed to leave with the new hospital regulations. I’m so glad we brought a blanket for both him and myself.

2-3 Changes of Clothes | You never know how long you may need to stay in the hospital after birth so we both brought extra clothes since we weren’t allowed to leave. We stayed two nights so I’m glad he had extra clothes and extra Pajamas.

Travel Size Toiletries like deodorant, toothpaste, body wash etc…

iPhone charger | make sure you each have your own charger to be able to stay in touch with your family!

Lots of people suggested an air mattress for Blake, but he said he was fine with couch.

Snacks | We packed plenty of snacks in Blake’s bag like gatorade, peanut butter crackers, snack bars and dried fruit. **Update: If you’re delivering during this time of specific hospital policies, our doctor suggested that we pack a cooler with cold coffees and foods we like in addition to the pre-packaged snacks because Blake wasn’t even allowed to leave the room to go the vending machine for drinks or the gift shop for a coffee. So we packed our cooler with fruit, cold Starbucks and drinks and sandwiches. You never know how long your food may take from the cafeteria or if you’ll like it or not so it’s nice to have some backup food packed that you know you’ll enjoy. So glad we did because we didn’t like the hospital food. We ate sandwiches the whole time and one night one my nurse friends brought us Chick-fil-A. I also packed myself some junk food like Oreos, M&M’s and Doritos since I was finally allowed to have those snacks again after delivering with gestational diabetes.

Slippers

Side Note! We originally packed our belongings in duffle bags, but once we realized that we needed even more items given the crazy circumstances we transferred everything into rolling bags to make it easier on ourselves when we check in.

How to Prepare Your Bedroom for a Newborn

April 9, 2020

Hey everyone, I can’t believe that I’m officially 39 weeks tomorrow. We’re so close to meeting our baby boy and I can’t thank you enough for following along with us on this journey. If you follow along with Haute Off The Rack regularly, then you know that we recently shared all the details on the baby nursery. Now that you’ve seen his room and everything we put on our registry, I thought I’d share how we prepared our own bedroom for the baby. After all, newborns tend to spend quite a bit of time in their parent’s room for the first few weeks anyway especially if you’re breastfeeding. Also, these are great ideas if you don’t have time to finish the nursery before the baby is born or you don’t have an extra room for a nursery right now.

In case you missed the full nursery reveal, you can see it here—> Baby P Nursery Reveal

Scroll through this blog post to see all of the baby gear and furniture we have ready in our room for the baby.

Baby Crib or Bassinet | We originally bought this gold crib for the nursery, but then we decided to go in a different design direct for his room so we moved this crib to the nursery at my mom’s house. If you don’t want to invest in both a bassinet and a crib, you can always just purchase a crib and keep it in your room for as long as you need and then move it into the baby room once they transition to sleeping in there.

Some of your asked if I didn’t like this crib anymore and that’s why I got it rid of it, but that is not the case at all. I love this crib. It’s chic, affordable and even converts into a toddler bed. It has a ton of great reviews, but we just wanted to go in a different design direction for his nursery and my mom needed a crib for her house anyway so it worked out perfectly.

The wooden sign above the crib with his name is by The Polymath Mom. I have the round 24″ one. Take 10% OFF with code: HAUTE10

Baby Moses Basket Bassinet | The stand allows you to rock the baby and easily move it around the house. You can also remove it from the stand place it in the crib for naps when trying to transition them into their own room. See below.

Halo Bassinet | I’ve heard so many good reviews on the halo bassinet, which is only around $200. The Halo also comes with some cool features like a 360 swivel for a safe, close sleep and you can even upgrade to the version that comes with a nightlight, 2 levels of vibration, 3 soothing sounds and 3 lullabies with volume control, all with 30-minute auto shutoff. Plus, Back to Bed Reminder alerts mom to put baby back to bed after feeding.

As for my other bassinets, I’m going to be fully transparent with you here… I was gifted some additional bassinets by brands to be able to review for you all, but obviously you don’t need them all. You can just choose which one one works best for your lifestyle and baby.

| Shop My Look |

Outfit: Ivory Ruffle Off Shoulder Mermaid Maternity Photoshoot Gown/Dress | Imitation Pearl Drop Earrings ) | Clear Heels | Calypso Bracelet, Savannah Hinge Cuff & Paris Demi Hinge Cuff c/o Julie Vos |

| Shop Our Bedroom Details |

Extra Sheets | Not only do you need extra sheets for the crib and bassinet, but you should also have extra sheets on hand for your own bed in case there is diaper or feeding accident on your bed in the middle of the night. A waterproof mattress pad is a must too. We have the Boll & Branch signature sheet set + duvet cover and we absolutely love it.

Baby Shusher | I don’t have any personal experience with the Baby Shusher, but we had a quite a few friends recommend it to us. So hopefully it works to soothe him if we can’t.

Nightlight | So I actually always sleep with a nightlight because I get up multiple times in the night to go to the bathroom, but I could imagine that it will also come in handy when I need to get up for the baby.

Diffuser and/or humidifier | Blake and I have sleeping with an essential oil diffuser for the past six years and we love it and we most recently got the Baby Frida humidifier. We’ve heard so many good things about it.

Nursing Bobby Pillow & Water Resistant Pillow Cover | The nursing poppy pillow offers comfort and support while feeding whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding. The Water Resistant Pillow Cover will offer an extra layer of protection against spills, but we also got this pretty printed cover from Pottery Barn Kids.

Rocker or Glider | We got a glider for both our room and the nursery for luxury and convenience. Our exact swivel glider and ottoman in our room is from Serena and Lily and our recliner glider in the nursery is from Pottery Barn Kids. The | Gold & Marble Table is from World Market. We have two of them that we keep in the living room and can easily move about the house. | Gold Oversized Mirror

Our friends highly recommended this budget friendly recliner glider. We may end up getting this one for my mom’s house because it has great reviews.

Sound Machine | We’ve actually slept with a sound machine for the past five years because it helps me sleep so this isn’t anything new for us, but we absolutely love it and it will be nice for the baby to get used tot he sound in our room before we transition him into his room with the same sound machine.

Diaper Pail | I thought about getting two diaper pails for both our room and his, but then I decided to just get one and we’ll keep it in our room for new to help conceal the smell and then we’ll move it into his once he transitions into his own room.

Round Brass Sana Mirror

Changing Table equipped with: diapers, wipes, extra clothes, burp clothes, blankets, pacifiers, swaddles, extra sheets for bassinet, Baby Aquaphor and diaper rash cream | Tapered Basket | Acrylic and Metallic Nursery Storage | Solid La Jolla Baskets

Piper Metal Changing Table | This changing table is so chic and matches perfectly with the decor in our room. Plus it’s not too big and only $145. I also like this similar gold changing table for $136. I know that you can change a baby on your bed, but I’d rather not risk the chance of an accident on my bed in the middle of the night. Also, the changing table offers more shelves for baby product storage.

| Shop Our Baby Gear |

Deluxe+ Stage 1 Dock

See more on my top baby products here—> Top Baby Registry Products

Also, a lot of you recommended taking the Taking Cara Babies online newborn class. Blake and I recently purchased this since many of you suggested it and we’ll also be on our own the first few weeks because of the quarantine.

Baby P Nursery Reveal

April 3, 2020

Happy Friday everyone, I’m so excited to finally share Baby P’s nursery reveal with you before his big arrival. I’ve been working on his room with Pottery Barn Kids over the past few months and we finally completed it a couple of weeks ago. I have to say that even though babies don’t start sleeping in their rooms for a while, it feels good to have the nursery complete with everything else going on in the world. If you’re currently expecting, now is a great time to dive into your nursery and baby projects while you’re home with some extra time. I’m officially 38 weeks today so the countdown is on for me.

As for the design concept of the room, it took me a while to figure that out because I’m so girly when it comes to decorating the rest of the rest of the house and Blake doesn’t seem to mind as long there is a TV involved. Haha! So trying to come up with a theme that reflects my personal style while also fit for a little boy was quite the challenge. Fortunately, I had you all to help me and once we picked out the wallpaper for the accent wall, it was all easy from there. Everything just seemed to fall into place once the walls were ready so I suggest starting with your paint or wallpaper before moving onto the rest of the room. The other three walls in the room are painted with Sherwin Williams color match to Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172.

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I chose Pottery Barn Kids for all of my furniture and decorations because they offer such a wide variety of options and styles. Plus not only are all of PBK’s products beautiful, but they also provide you with Greenguard gold certified furniture and organic cottons, which are safe and healthy for my baby. This was something that was really important to me because you want make sure that everything you’re allowing your baby to breath in on a daily basis is safe for them and Pottery Barn Kids really lived up to this expectation. Every piece of furniture that I received from them was chemical and odor free so I didn’t even have to leave the items to sit out for a while. Also, it was so nice having their delivery team put together the dresser and crib for me and place it in the baby’s room upon delivery.

| Gold Acrylic Name Sign sz XL (The company I got this name sign from no longer makes them so here is a custom gold similar name sign) & Priano Wallpaper |

I ended up choosing a soft and gentle blue color with gold accents for a glam yet calming feel in the room. Also, you can’t go wrong with classic blue and white when it comes to a baby boy.

| Shop Baby P’s Nursery Furniture |