Special Monday Edition: We Had a Baby!

On Monday, April 7th I woke up at about 5:30am and felt “off”. It was still 4 days before my due date, but I knew something was up. At 5:54am, I had what felt like a back spasm. Then another about 20 minutes later. And then another, and another, and another.

At some point I thought, “You know what? I should probably go downstairs and let my husband know before he heads out to work.” I went downstairs and I awkwardly said “I think I’m having contractions? But I’m not sure?”

With both of my pregnancies, going into labor wasn’t completely obvious for me. With my older daughter, my contractions were never super consistent in frequency or length and while I was crying on the floor in pain, I was still convinced the hospital would send me home. Same thing this time. Inconsistent contractions. Me being oddly calm and in denial. My husband trying not to say the wrong thing.

SOOOO log story short, I was in labor. Ten hours in, our second daughter was born. We named her Allison (but her friends call her Ally). I’d like to thank the doctors and nurses at Greenwich Hospital for being angels on earth. My experience was calming and lovely. They made sure all my needs were met and my baby girl was brought into the world as safely as can be. Every mom deserves that level of care and support.

We are blessed beyond belief.

Right before Ally was born I listened to the Kylie Kelce podcast “Not Gonna Lie” where she discussed what’s most helpful for postpartum mamas. It really got me thinking about what has been most helpful for us after the birth of our kids. I’ve also consulted with a bunch of friends on what they deemed to be the most liked, used, and helpful gifts after having a baby. Here’s our top 5 (if you got an awesomely helpful gift, and we didn’t include it, let me know!):

1. Meal Delivery Service - my husband’s coworkers bought us a month’s worth of healthy meals delivered to our house from a local delivery service when my first daughtetr was born. It was AWESOME. We didn’t think about dinner FOR A MONTH. We were eating healthy and nutritious meals every night. This was pricey I’m sure, but made for an excellent group gift. Highly recommend.

2. DoorDash/Uber Eats/Instacart Gift Cards - cooking is about the last thing I want to do with a newborn. When you’re this tired, ordering from your favorite restaurants is like a warm hug from an old friend. Comfort food makes me happy.

3. Pre-made meals you can freeze - on the nights we don’t order out, having something pre-made I can quickly pop in the oven or microwave is chef’s kiss amazing. Lasagna, meatballs, chicken dishes, what have you…a meal that’s home-cooked and easily heated up is a life and time saver.

(I’m noticing a food theme emerging here…okay, let’s switch it up a bit)

4. House cleaning/chores/running errands - keeping your house clean and fully stocked with a toddler and newborn in the home is a Herculean feat. A clean house keeps my anxiety low, my mind at ease, and makes being home with two tiny tornadoes far more enjoyable. If you’re going to visit a home with a newborn, go ahead and do those dishes, rotate that laundry, make some beds, mow the lawn, OR purchase a professional cleaning for the family and they can schedule it when convenient for them. I promise you it’ll be appreciated.

5. Generic gift cards for baby supplies - Parents are quite finicky when it comes to the brands they buy and things they need for their growing family. You can’t go wrong with a more generic gift card. We received some cards for big box retailers and this allowed me to purchase supplies my kids actually like and use. I also can use these gift cards when we actually need them instead of stockpiling massive boxes of stuff throughout the house.

I’m writing this during a rare moment when both girls are down for a nap. For parents of very young children, you know how lovely and cherished these quiet minutes are. If I hurry up I may be able to enjoy a warm coffee and meal before the chaos starts back up….gotta go, bye!!

-Catie