Author: thepristinechristine

Nursing Essentials

Babies

Hey loves,

Lets talk all the deets on nursing essentials. I breastfed Josephine for 16 months and it was truly one the greatest and most difficult things I have ever done. However, I did get really lucky with my breastfeeding journey with Josephine, she was such an easy baby! This go around with Jace it has been a breeze as well! My body knew what was up and went to work. Below are my must haves for nursing!

Fav nursing tank!

Dry Brush: Girl, go ahead and start this about 4-6 weeks out from your due date. Use a dry brush and brush your nipples once a day. I would do this after I got out of the shower a minute on each side. It helps your body become less sensitive and prepare for a babe! Im serious, this will save you from getting sore, dry, and cracked.

Medela Gel pads: Get them now! Use them in the hospital immediately they are life savers! I bought two packs of them and used them from hospital to about day three. You can use them multiple times and they help you from getting sore. With Jace I never got sore and I totally credit these and dry brushing.

Haaka Pump: I had bought this with Josephine and never used it correctly so thought it was a waste, boy was I wrong! After youtubing some vids and learning how to correctly use it before having Jace I was ready. CANT LIVE WITHOUT IT! I use the haaka 1 -2 times a day to catch my let down and milk from the side he isn’t nursing. I get 2-3 ounces each time! It also helped me relieve some pressure when my milk came in and I was so engorged. Jace is almost a month old and I have around 100 ounces in my freezer stocked up without ever having to pump.

Bamboo pad: Get these so you don’t leak through your shirts. I love them because they are soft and reusable. They come in a generous pack. Use them for a day and throw in the wash. These also prevent you from rubbing in your bra and getting sore after nursing.

Nipple Balm: This brand is my favorite! You don’t have to wash it off before you nurse, which trust me at 3am that’s the last thing your thinking about doing when you have a crying hungry baby. I would use this every evening before bed apply a generous amount, then put on a bamboo pad so you don’t ruin your clothes. When Jace would wake up I would use the bamboo pad that is in my bra already and wipe it off, then nurse him. Also mom hack this is the best stuff for dry lips! I use it every night like a lip mask.

Hatch Baby App: We use the hatch baby app because we have the changing pad that tracks his weight. However, you can use this app without the changing pad! It tracks his feeding, what side we nurse on, and times. It’s so user friendly! You can manually enter in weight to track your baby’s growth as well. It also keeps track diapers, naps, it’s an all in one app! The diaper tracker is super helpful in the beginning when you are trying to make sure they have enough set and dirty diapers.

Nursing Bras

I have a few favs ! First the amazon 3 pack everyone has shared. I like these for at home or under t-shirts, they don’t have a lot of shape to them so I wouldn’t wear them with a “cute outfit” but loungewear I would if that makes sense, like a comfy bra. These are the best for nighttime! They aren’t even nursing or maternity but they are so comfy, hold your bamboo pads in place, and are easy no snaps just pop out and go at night. Especially when your milk comes in these helped support me at night so I wasn’t in a ton of pain. And the holy grail of nursing bras are from Leading Lady. Ya’ll they are affordable, comfortable, cute, and supportive! Let me break down my favs from them. 1. The Janet – This one is seamless wire free and so soft! It’s like the amazon bra but more luxurious and actually supportive. 2. The Alyssa– This bra is seamless and wire free as well, a super comfortable at home fav. 3. The Dorthy – This bra is a great wireless t-shirt bra! Supportive and has cups to hold you in and give you shape but incredibly comfortable. I love this one! I wear it a lot. 4. Peggy Luxe – OKAY! This bra, I have it in nude and I am going back to get the black. It is a lace bra with wire that is seriously the softest most comfortable bra I have ever wore. I mean can I wear this when I am done nursing? It’s nice to slip something on that makes you feel good about yourself while in the midst of newborn haze. Get this bra, thank me later! 5. Nursing Tank – This tank is amazing I got two of them because I love them at much! They are like shapeware and hold you in and are so flattering. I don’t wear a bra with them either since they have a built in bra!

When you shop anything from Leading Lady you can get 25% off by using code 25CHRISTINE at checkout! Right now with my code they are also donating 2 bras to a mama in need with your purchase, which is truly amazing, we are all in this together. Hope this helps all of you mamas out there! And as always if you ever have questions about anything just shoot me a message or email.

Xoxo

Christine

Baby Js Baby Shower

Babies
Celebrating Josephine becoming a big sister! We are just so excited for our sweet baby boy and loved showering him with our family!

We had the best time with our family showering baby J a few weeks ago. Bradely and I choose to just do immediate family. Just brothers and sisters, plus our mamas, and kiddos since COVID. Having it at The Bakery also was a great outdoor option as well! You can rent out their patio for private events. I found so many goodies for the shower sharing all the deets below 👇🏻

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Traveling Clean

Cleaning

We hit the beach for some much needed R&R so I thought I would share with you how I travel as a clean freak. Right now, more than ever we should be taking precautions but I can tell ya, minus the masks this is my pre COVID travel routine. We like driving over flying any day with Josephine. We leave in the middle of the night so I can put her to sleep at home and then move her to the car and she sleeps half of the drive. Car is already packed and ready to go, travel essentials below.

Germ Killer & Preventer

These are items I always keep in our diaper bag and they are a def a life line while traveling. I always have a travel sized bottle that I put my thieves cleaner in! Pre COVID I would wipe the table down at restaurants, clean seats before Josephine sat in them, grocery carts, you name it. But now this trip we didn’t really use the cleaner as much since we didn’t go out anywhere. Hand sanitizer, this spray is EVERYTHING! I can easily spray any surface down, Josephines hands, my hands, something drops on the floor give it a quick spray. I also have a large bottle of this hand sanitizer to use for our hands, it’s hydrating and smells good. The spray though is the MVP, I order 20 at a time so we always have some. When we got to our condo I sprayed every door handle, light switch, remote, phone, anything we would possibly put our hands on, even the shower I sprayed! I also pack a small canister of Clorox wipes for anything that needs sanitized and cleaned. I also used these to clean down the condo, basically everything I sprayed I wipe as well.

Snack Bag & Weekly food

I grew up with a mom who always had our snacks packed, we never got gas station snacks. It is way more cost effective and you can pack healthy options if you pack your own! Gas station food and snacks always lead to the candy aisle… hah! Instead I pack fruits, nuts, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, healthy trail mix, and our waters. Since we drove I was able to meal plan prior to our trip. I placed a Walmart pick up order and washed everything, cut and prepped, then packed it in the car. I used this bag for all our food and then this Yeti for our cold items, like almond milk, more fruit, and almond yogurt. Eliminates the need to go to a grocery store once you arrive.

Bathroom Sitch

Alright lets get real here. Y’all know I am a germ freak and public restrooms are basically my living nightmare. SO ya girl would much rather take a turn off onto a back road and pop a squat on Gods green earth or use a pee cup in the car before I went into a gas station. Josephine is so used to peeing outside since we are at the ranch working its nothing new to her. Pop a squat pee, wipes are in the diaper bag, and use the car trash to dispose. Easy and done! Traveling at night also helps us not have to stop since Josephine is passed out. Also right now the less I have to see people or come into contact with strangers the better. Being pregnant during COVID just makes me 100 times more cautious than before.

Car necessities

Latex gloves for getting gas

A bag of disposable face masks if we needed to go anywhere

Hand Sanitizer. Spray and bottle. Travel bottle to pack cleaner

Trash bags. I always have a roll of the “doggie bags” or diaper bags in my car. Wrappers, wipes, literally God knows how much trash kids come up with has a place.

Also random mom hack. I use one of Josephines muslin burp cloths to rest under her chin when she falls asleep in the car so that way her head doesn’t keep falling forward. Also something I always keep in the diaper bag incase she snoozes and her falls down.

Mom hack! Always a win to keep her little head from falling forward. Obviously please use with caution and ensure you use as a rest and your child can breathe.
Quick lunch pit stop! I packed two bags of chips, Josephines first ever Cheetos at 3 and sister was loving it!

Hope this helps you guys as you make any safe summer trips!

XOXO

Christine

SOBEL SKIN Rx

Beauty

Good morning loves,

While we are all cooped up in the house what better time to dive into taking care of your skin! Dr. Sobel sent over their 15% Niacinamide gel serum and I have been using it for a month, I’m hooked! This product firms and smooths your skin while minimizing pores. Plus its preggo safe, but always check with your doctor. I use retinol when I’m not pregnant and nursing but after a week of stopping my retinol it is so evident, cue the Niacinamide gel to the rescue! I noticed the biggest difference around my eyes and crows feet. I can’t get botox right now while pregnant and those little fine lines are back, however after using this product for a month they are GONE! Also on my nose where my pores are the largest this product tightened them right up. The gel smells AHmazing, like a cool cucumber. It feels wonderful and easily spreads over your face, almost like an aloe consistency. I use it every night and will continue to do so!

Night Time Routine 

  1. Cleanse
  2.  Niacinamide gel
  3. Total Eye Concentrate 
  4. Vitamin C Serum 
  5. Moisturize Christine20 will save you 20% off anything Glow 

Lets talk investment, all of Dr. Sobel products are currently 20% off with code BRIGHTNESS so snag it while its on sale, but also understand you are using a small one pump to cover your face! Skincare products always last months and are worth the investment!! 

Key Benefits I’m obsessed with from the Niacinamide

  • Minimizes pores
  • Increases skin firmness
  • Increased hydration
  • Surfactant free

 

Check out Dr. Sobels insta account for great IGTV vids about their products! 

Currently on my wishlist about to be ordered is their Vitamin C serum, Bio Hyaluranic Moisturizing Cream, and Triple Oligo Peptide Cream. 

Heres to coming out of quarantine glowing babes

XOXO

Christine 

 

QT Ideas In The Middle Of Your Ordinary

Lifestyle

Listen boos,

Life is hectic and insanely crazy at times, throw kids in and there are some days I blink and the day is already over. I have been there, I feel you! Especially as new parents Bradley and I made the mistake of losing ourselves to the shuffle. Those first few months with Josephine we poured ourselves into her and forgot about date nights and quality time. Sure Josephine was in bed by 7pm and we had a few hours together but we didn’t spend that time investing into each other! We’ve really had to dive deep, put our marriage first, and pour into one another amidst the daily grind.  That’s when the importance of QT with the hubby became a priority. And you don’t even have to leave the house! Life is always going to get busy, the kids are always going to have endless needs, and there are days where you forget your own name. These are variables we can’t change. BUT what you can do is simply implement these five things to keep that flame burning! 

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Fall Bootie Sale

Fashion

I have been on the hunt for a simple perfect fall bootie that was great quality but didn’t break the bank! And sis I found it, I’ve got you covered!

This bootie is so cute and neutral, it can match everything. I love that it has a real pointed toe but keeps it shape! I also was on the hunt for a bootie with a zipper not a slip on, most slip on booties stretch out in the ankle. I snagged this $140 bootie for $45! Total steal! Or as I like to tell my husband “a deal you can’t pass up” But really you can’t!

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Fairly Sweet

Lifestyle

Fair Fun. Honestly if we are keeping it 100 the thought of the fair is fun for me. Every year I fantasize about that moment when that sweet Godly goodness of cotton candy meets my lips. But then reality slaps me in my face. The crowds, the insane amount germs, the copious amounts of sweat pouring because its still 100 in Arkansas. Ya feel me? It’s truly a love hate relationship, the fair and I. Maybe that’s why it is only once a year, they give ya a year to forget the insanity of it. And a year to long for the sweet moments tossled in there. Bradley is the fun parent, thank heavens Josephine has him to take her on all the rides. She had the greatest time, all she could say was “can we go again, please again?!” and so they did over and over making memories. It was truly sweet.

My dress is from HERE, it’s currently 60% off! Josephines two piece outfit is from HERE. I will say this, both aren’t steller quality. Like your not going to get a hundred wears out of each piece. More for cute pics, an event, night out. These aren’t closet staples they are inexpensive pops of fun!

Photography is by Brooke Sloan who knocked it out of the park.

Josephine has two different color eyes! It sure is one of our fav things to look at.

Hope you all make lots of memories this fair season!

 

Xoxo,

Christine