Monday Morning Ask Me Anything #2

Answering all of your questions from over the weekend! You can read last week’s Q&A here! Wearing this pretty new dress from Called To Surf and dreaming of warmer weather!

Tips for growing your blog & Instagram?

Stay consistent- with when and what you post. Don’t just focus on one platform (i.e. Instagram). Team up with fellow influencers and grow together – can’t suggest this one enough! Share each other’s content, team up for loops, style sessions what have you! Collaboration is the ONLY way to grow.

Where are you from?

Maryland! We live about 45 minutes from DC and 30 from Baltimore.

What were some of your must-haves when Flora was a newborn?

Good question, I’m working on lots of baby gear posts at the moment! These were all of my favorites (minus the Rock & Play which was recalled). I would also add Cloud Island Sleepers (reverse zipper and hand covers were NEEDED for Flora) and they are $12.99 for a 3-pack, hold up GREAT in the wash and are super soft! Solly Wrap which was so helpful in chasing around Piper when Flora was a newborn.

Favorite ways to entertain 15-18 month old?

Pom-Pom drops are so fun, sensory rice (messy but fun), sticky walls that you can change up by season, sensory bags are also great and again you can get really creative with what you put inside of them. Ice cube play, water pouring practice are also great. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for activities for this age group and am working on some bigger posts full of ideas!

How long did it take you to get pregnant with each of your babies?

We feel extremely fortunate that we got pregnant very quickly with all of my pregnancies. Very, very grateful for this every day and don’t take it for granted.

Who makes the heart charm necklaces that you have been wearing?

AMAZON FIND!! They are cheap – $12 so I’d compare them to something you’d pick up at Forever21, Target, H&M when it comes to quality, but it’s not bad! I wear them here and there it’s not a daily piece and they have held up fine so far! I love that they are adjustable, too!

How do you deal with a cold while being pregnant?

Oh, it is the worst! I’ve never been so sick with so many colds in my life one right after another! I’ve been using my essential oils to help open up my sinuses but honestly they are so blocked it doesn’t do much, I also put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in the base of my shower, use a humidifier right next to my bed (this mini Crane one is perfect), and have been taking elderberry gummies. I’ve been doing a sinus rinse, and also using this saline spray. Then when I was REALLY sick back in December for 3 weeks I finally caved in and took Sudafed. There is one pregnancy safe kind (usually kept behind the counter) that my doctor OK’ed – but be sure to check with yours. It was life changing when I took it! I may have to take it this week if I’m not feeling better! I also drink tea non-stop and stay very hydrated.

What is your all time favorite read aloud book?

This is so hard!!! I love Mem Fox and both of my girls have loved Time For Bed, I’ve read it for nearly 3 years straight so it’s the first one I think of. See more of our favorite books here.

How long did you breastfeed your other 2 babies?

We made the choice to exclusively breastfeed both of our babies (though I was open to supplementing with formula for Flora if we needed to) because breastfeeding worked for me. It was not easy at first but I didn’t have any major issues and enjoyed it. I nursed Piper until she was 13 months and I nursed Flora until she was 15 months. I stopped pumping with both of them promptly at 12 months. I was also on restricted diets for both of them (dairy & soy-free for Piper’s GI allergies and dairy, egg, nut-free for Flora’s) and could have seen myself nursing a little longer but I was ready/needed to eat normally again! I have TONS of posts about breastfeeding!

How have your breastfeeding experiences been? Did they differ between babies?

I feel fortunate that breastfeeding was never a HUGE struggle for me. I would say that both of my experiences were very similar, but everything was MUCH easier as a second time mom with Flora! Here’s the basic jist of how breastfeeding has worked for me…

When my milk comes in I get EXTREMELY engorged, as a first time mom this was a dark, awful few days of panic, fear and not knowing what to do. It is so painful. Same thing happened with Flora. My nipples are also extremely sore and raw for the first week, despite what everyone says, and working to get the correct latch I think they just need to get used to their new job??? I did have a lactation consultant help me in the hospital with Flora’s latch but I still experienced the same piercing pain for a full week. I’m expecting it this 3rd time too. After about 2 weeks breastfeeding has been easy for me, there have been issues that have come up like my supply dropping (see what helped me here) but overall both of my experiences were hard, but good!

What’s you husband, Austin’s job?

Austin works in IT for a government contractor. He works early and has to get up at 4:30 which has been a big adjustment for us the past year!