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This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Dominique

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!

I’m 32, live in Florida but originallyfrom Ohio. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 15 and was told the likelihood of having my own children was slim to none.

♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?

I have 1 child, a daughter. Her name is Rozlynn but I call her jellybean, she is 9 months old.

♥ How do you find your “me time”?

“Me” time is hard to find. Especially now that I’m a SAHM. I find me time when she is napping or when my bf is home and watches her so I can be alone for a bit.

♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?

I was given What to expect when you’re expecting and both of Jenny Mccarthy’s books on her pregnancy. (Her books were more funny than informational)

♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

I loved our bassinet, it had a mesh covering we could zip and take outside.  Kept her close and let her get fresh air and kept the bugs out. The baby Bjorn and the wrap I have for her have been life savers. The wrap/baby carrier helps me when she doesn’t want me to put her down but I need to get house work done. I could wear her for hours with the wrap and she’s completely content

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?

Congratulations,  take it slow and enjoy every moment.  Even the bad…they will only be this size once.

♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?

My original plan was to have a nest egg of money set aside for medical costs and doctor visits. To be “financially stable”….but that didn’t go as planned since she was a surprise. We had just been told 5 months prior that due to my PCOS I didn’t ovulate and we would have to try fertility treatments to conceive. …boy, did I prove that doctor wrong. We bought as much as we could on our own and were blessed to have 2 showers and received a ton of diapers and wipes. ..if I had it all to plan all over again I would try to have a larger diaper supply stocked.

♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?

TTC – Stressing yourself will only make it worse, don’t focus on what you don’t have, focus on what you do and enjoy life. Don’t lose hope…miracles happen everyday

New mom – You will have bad days but remember you are doing your best and it’s OK to not get everything done. Your child will be this size once, enjoy it and them…you can clean, cook and do laundry later

♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

Besides the first time I held her, I’d have to say the day she said her first word, “mama”…music to my ears.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.

We were induced a week early. I was in labor for 2 days, when my water finally broke and it was time to push. After we started  the doctor realized her head was stuck and my blood sugar dropped to the 60’s so he decided we needed a c-section to try to ensure neither of us went into any medical emergencies. My boyfriend was with me through it all and she finally arrived , perfect and amazing.

♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

Motherhood, the scariest,  craziest, most fun, fulfilling, rewarding and thankless journey you will ever take.

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Annie Foreman

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!

I am a wife, mom, Realtor, and lifestyle blogger. My blog is where I share about my life, fun activities, fashion, food, Fresno, entertainment, kids, and much more.  I was born and raised in Fresno, CA and have grown to love and truly appreciate The Central Valley.  I married my high school sweetheart, Kevin in 2009 and we welcomed our first baby girl is November of 2011 and our second baby girl in May 2014.

♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?

Emily Grace – age 3.5  Madison Anne- Age 15 months

♥ How do you find your “me time”?

Finding “me” time is very hard but I think the most important aspect of finding me time is having support from your family especially your husband.  My husband is WONDERFUL about giving me “time off” rather frequently.  Whether it’s dinner or happy hour with girlfriends and a night away to reboot.  I’ve learned that “me” time makes me a way better mom and wife.  As a type A mama I found it really hard to ask for help or not take on everything myself.  However, I learned (am still learning) that the breaks make me a better mom and wife.

♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?

Baby Wise.

♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

Baby Brezza is a great tool for steaming and pureeing food.  I made all my own baby food so having something to streamline the process was great.

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?

Ask for help.  You don’t have to be supermom.

♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?
I read a few books during my first pregnancy but always just felt that I was meant to be a mom so I don’t think I did an overwhelming amount of research.  The books I did read did help especially Baby Wise because the schedule helped me so much.  Also doing research gives you confidence even if you don’t agree with the point of view.  You can learn different ideas then take what works for you.
♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?

Trust in God, You will get through it (whatever IT is), Ask for help

♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

There are thousands of wonderful memories in my past 3.5 years of being a mom.  It’s nearly impossible to narrow it down to one memory.  Seeing my husband hold our first daughter for the first time was priceless.  I never had a father present so to see the ultimate love when he held her was breathtaking and indescribable.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.
My water broke in the early afternoon and our baby girl arrived not so many hours later at 10:14 pm.   When my water broke I wasn’t quite sure but after a few minutes of “leaking” I figured this must be “it.”  I called my husband to tell him, “I think it’s time.”  He rushed home and was anxious to get to the hospital but I wasn’t in any pain so I was in no hurry.  I told my husband to take a shower and get his things together.  I even made him stop at Whole Foods so I could pick something up on the way to the hospital.  Once we got there I still wasn’t have any contraction pain so they called  my OB/GYN.  He instructed them to give me Pitocin to initiate labor but once they checked me they were shocked to find that I was 4.5 cm dilated.  They called upstairs for someone to come get me.  By the time I arrived to the 6th floor the contraction pain had begun and was quite INTENSE.  I asked for an epidural and those next 30 minutes or so of waiting seemed pretty long.  As the anesthesiologist was numbing my back I heard him say, “Dad are you okay?” and dad responded, “yeah,” and then BOOM, dad hit the floor extremely hard.  Everyone ran to his side as I was having the worst contraction yet (my epidural was delayed needless to say).  I was so worried he was really injured but they took my husband outside while they finally gave me the epidural.  Luckily, a few minutes later he returned and was okay except for one huge bump and a headache.  They decided to check me right after the epidural and they were utterly shocked to find that I was totally effaced and dilated to a 10.  Labor went really fast, especially for my first baby.  At 7:55 I started pushing.  As quick as labor was, I pushed for almost 2.5 hours.  Towards the end my dr. gave me an episotomy and had to use the vacuum.  At 10:14 our bundle of joy was born.
My husband and I decided that only he and I would be in the room especially since this was out first baby and we didn’t know what to expect.  Looking back I am so glad we made this decision.  It’s a very special experience and the moment your baby is born is indescribable.  It was so wonderful that we got to share it together; with no other distractions.
♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

The greatest joy and hardest job in the world.  Motherhood is wiping bottoms, drying tears, cleaning up messes, losing sleep all with a giant smile on your face!

To hear more from Annie be sure to visit her blog The Real Housewife of Fresno and follow her on Instagram.

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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NEW MOM MONDAYS CHASING LITTLES
This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Heather Koontz

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!

I’m a full-time working mom with lots of hobbies and dreams. By day, I’m a digital marketer. When I’m not working, I run a personal blog where I share musings, adventures, and DIY tutorials. When I’m not doing that, you can find me in my craft room, drinking wine, or watching Dateline.

♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?

I have one 18-month-old little boy named Russell.

♥ How do you find your “me time”?

Full disclosure: I don’t think I even know what “me time” is anymore! But, I do try to take time at the end of every day (after working, cooking, cleaning, blogging, checking off my to-do-list, and maybe squeezing in a shower) to spend 30 minutes or so watching television with my husband. It’s our way to connect and relax, and I look forward to it every day! Outside of that, I like devote a portion of my time to self-improvement in the form of devotionals, reading other blogs, etc.

♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?

When I was pregnant, I was a big fan of the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” classic.

♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

Two words: gripe water. My son suffered from severe colic, and he was in pain for the first six months of his life. When we started using gripe water, we saw him get instant relief. It helped us survive the colicky months!

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?

It’s not as hard as you think! Yes, your baby cries all the time. Yes, washing around the umbilical cord area is intimidating. Yes, he is so small and fragile. But, trust yourself. You know what you’re doing, and you know best.

♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?

I’m nothing if not a planner. I have no less than five active planners and calendars at any given time, and I like to have everything scheduled and checked off. BUT. When it came to having a baby and bringing him home, none of those plans mattered. The perfect birth I planned went horribly against plan; my plans to work while my newborn slept did NOT happen; and the baby book I so thoughtfully planned to keep updated is pretty much empty right now.

♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?

1) You can do this. There are times when it seems impossible, but girl, I promise you can do it. You became a mother for a reason, and you are the only person meant to be a mom to your baby. 2) It gets better. Colic? Crying? Sleep regression? Growth spurts? It all gets better. And believe it or not, you will look back and regret how quickly it went by. 3) Reach out. If you’re feeling sad, even a little bit, find someone you can talk to. Don’t remain silent if you’re suffering from any kind of emotional pain. PPD is real, and it’s dangerous. Reach out!

♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

My son is a very sweet human being. He loves to hug and kiss and smile. The very first time he spontaneously hugged me is my best motherhood moment thus far. We were playing on his floor and when he looked up at me, and I could see his little eyes sparkling. His face softened, he started to smile, and he decided to stand up and wrap his little arms around my neck. It made me feel like maybe he realized – in that moment – who I am and how much I love him.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.

My birth experience wasn’t what I expected. In fact, it was pretty much my nightmare. I’d been leaking amniotic fluid for a week before realizing it, so an emergency induction, threats of an emergency C-section, and blood pressure scares followed.

♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

Motherhood is sacrifice, anxiety, and lots of sighing. But, you’d never, ever want to give it back once you have it.

new mom mondays

To hear more from Heather be sure to visit her blog OakCityFolk and follow her on Facebook.

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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NEW MOM MONDAYS CHASING LITTLES
 This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Sheena Lastoskie

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!

I am a Christian mom, wife to the love of my life for 8 years, and a family travel blogger. I was born and raised in Southern California and I don’t plan on ever moving away. I love to craft, from scrapbooking to wood crafts, I love it all. My new addiction is to adult coloring books, they are so calming to me. I could eat pizza and tacos everyday of my life as long as I have a rootbeer to go with it.

♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?

I have two children, ages 3 & 4. Shane and Scarlet

♥ How do you find your “me time”?

I miss me time. It is the one thing that I have not found time for in my last 4 years of motherhood.

♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?

I stayed away from reading mommy books. Once you start letting others influence your parenting you will be unhappy.

♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

The Nose Frida saved my sanity on numerous occasions. When my children would get a running nose, I was so scared to use those awkward nose suckers you get when you bring your baby home. The Nose Frida is the same concept except so much less stressful. Now when my children have a runny nose they ask for the Nose Frida because it clears them right up.

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?

Your baby is not going to break. Don’t be scared of her, all she needs is your love.

♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?

I love to plan and I did a lot of it before I brought home both of my children but nothing could have prepared me to care for a new baby.  Going from a family of 2 to 3 and then from 3 to 4 is a huge transition.

♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?

My husband and I struggled with infertility and it was some of the hardest times of our lives. The negative pregnancy tests seemed to be never ending. What I would say to those trying to conceive is that God has a plan for you, don’t let it consume your life, he will provide.  Enjoy the time with your spouse because once you have a little one, your life will forever change. Stay positive, as hard as it may be, this is just apart of your life’s journey, embrace it.

♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

Watching all of my children’s accomplishments. Seeing them proud of themselves always makes me cry happy tears.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.

I suffer from extreme anxiety and when I was making my birth plan with my doctor we decided that we would induce and give me an epidural very early on to keep me from feeling any pain. I labored for 3 days and pushed for almost 4 hours. I was exhausted and hungry but had a healthy baby girl to show for all of my suffering!

♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

Organized Chaos

NEW MOM MONDAY CHASING LITTLES

To hear more from Sheena be sure to visit her blog Shining Thoughts Blog and follow her on instagram!

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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NMM11

This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
What’s your Name?

Diana Conforti

Tell us a little about yourself!

27 years old. Born in Bogota, Colombia but grew up in Florida. I married my high school sweetheart when I was 21 and we have been married for 6 years now. I’m a firm believer that if you put God first in your life, no matter the challenge or circumstance all things will work out for good. I’ve experienced it, even in the most dire circumstances. My favorite activities/sports are yoga, volleyball, wakeboarding, snowboarding. I’m a realtor and I love it but nothing compares to my job of being a mommy, the best and most challenging job in the world. 

How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?
I have 1 child, Jesse Ryder Conforti.

How do you find your “me time”?
Jesse just turned 1 month and finding “me” time has been very challenging. I’m hoping this changes as he gets older. This first month of my child’s life I’ve become a singer, professional rocker, swaddler, clown and a great multi- tasker. I learn something new everyday. 

Me time for me is: Basically, the ME time I have is while my son naps or sits in his swing. Also, when a family member comes over to watch him or spend sometime with him. 

Although my priorities of “me” time have changed from:

– getting my nails done to getting laundry done.
– getting a massage to getting to take a nap.
– going shopping to going grocery shopping.
– watching TV to watching what I eat and preparing a healthy meal.

– listening to my favorite band to listening to black noise or a lullaby.

My priorities and ME time have changed ALOT. It’s nice to have my family around because it makes “me” time a possibility for me.

What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?

How to become baby wise

What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

The pacifier. Babies have a suckling reflex and that’s why they love being attached to the breast(even if they are not hungry, it’s soothing for them) the pacifier allows me to get things done and keep the baby happy at the Same time.

If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?

Congratulations! The hardest part is just getting started! Life as you know it has now changed.

How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?

I planned to move to a bigger place, got a new car, moved closer to my family, got all the list for the baby shower and organized everything as much as I could to be ready when the baby arrived. It helped a lot! There is so much going on when the baby comes that being as prepared as possible gave me peace and one less thing to worry about.

What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?
– exercise. I exercised up until the day before I gave birth and it made my pregnancy and labor so much easier as well as bouncing right back to my pre-baby weight.
– eat healthy and drink lots of water. I made a point to nourish my self and skin from the inside out with ALOT of water. It helped me not get stretch marks along with spoiled mama body butter, scrub and oil.
-make a journal. Everyday of my pregnancy brought on new feelings, changes in my body, emotions and habits. It’s really neat to go back and re-live my pregnancy through my journal because when I think back now it was a blur.
What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

The first time my son looked in my eyes when I was breastfeeding him. I felt such a deep connection with him and was overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement at how God had given me a little angel to love and care for.

Give us the short form version of your birth story.

I gave birth two days before my due date. I had my Obgyn strip my membranes to help induce labor and speed the process along, I was over being so uncomfortable. Over all I gained 35lbs but it felt like 95. I started getting steady contractions between 4-5 minutes apart. They admitted me into the hospital, broke my water, gave me the epidural and before I knew it I went from 3cm dilated to 7. The midwife helped me along with pitocin to help me dialate from 7 to 10cm. The whole process was about 12 hours. When it came time to push it only took 8 minutes. The nurses were amazed as most first time moms usually spend 1-2 hours pushing but they said because I was in great shape it helped a lot. My husband and sister were by my side the whole time holding my hand. It was a beautiful and very intense experience. Hearing my baby cry was very emotional and exciting. 

Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

Gods’s gift to women. An opportunity to learn unconditional love, selflessness, sacrifice and joy.

NMM11-2

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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