Baby Discount Codes

I have recently come into some discount codes that you mammas would like to use!

Dolphin Organics- This is a line that was specially formulated to suit the needs of older kids and adults. It is certified organic, hypoallergenic, naturally tear free, no parabens or sulfates, no harsh chemicals, gluten-free, and vegan! Take $5 off your order with code BGOCT

Little Balance Box- This is a small table designed to provide stability for children while transitioning from sitting to kneeling, standing and walking. It can also be used as a toddler table, the top surface is easy to clean dn the raised frame helps keep items from rolling off. Receive 20% off using promo code LBB , expires 12/17/2015

Spray Pal-  This is a sprayer designed to clean cloth diapers without getting the mess splattered everywhere. Use code babyguybox to get 15% off any Spray Pal brand product or bundle.

Ardo Breastpump- did you know you can get a FREE breast pump? You can get it free through your health insurance! Sometimes there is a co-pay and it is a limited selection, but none the less, you can get one FREE! Here is a code to get a calypso breast pump for 25% off, BABYGUYBOX. This pump is quiet, comfortable, & efficient.

I hope these codes are helpful for you natural mamas trying to save a buck! Thanks for reading!

Honestly the Best Diapers!!!

My son is almost 1 years old ,in fact,  14 days until his first birthday.  For the last year, I have been in search of a good diaper. We started with the Pampers Swaddlers with the blue wet indicator line. I didn't have any leaks or blow outs with these diapers; however, we had a much worse problem. The chemical that turns the line blue was giving my son a chemical burn! It took me way too long to figure it out. I just assumed things were taking an extra long time to heal. Next we tried Huggies and the result wasn't much better. Again, no leaks or blow outs during the day, but at night he would leak out of them. He would wake up with a wet shirt and pants. Then we tried LUV's and had better results, but when he turned 9 months he developed an allergy to all chemicals in the diapers. It caused him to have awful diaper rash and caused bumps all over his legs and it started to spread. We went to the pediatrician several times, but the only cause we could come up with was diapers.

An entirely new search began. We were looking for an all natural diaper: no bleach, no chemicals. There are several brands out there. We live about 45 minutes away from the nearest Babies R Us, so the next best place to get natural baby products is target. There we tried Babyganics, Earth's Best, and 7th Generation. They all gave us a similar result: relief from the rash but major blow outs. We're talking about taking our child out of his high chair to find blow outs in his seat. We're talking about you can find your child anywhere in the house by following his poop trail. It was awful! I can't tell you how many adorable outfits I was throwing away, because the stains were impossible. I was at my wits end.

I decided that despite the cost of The Honest Co., it would be my last attempt with disposable diapers. To my surprise, there were no leaks or blow outs and no rash. These diapers were like a God sent. My only challenge was the availability at Target. Getting his size in a large pack according to his gender was quite difficult. After some satisfaction with the product, we decided to sign up online to receive the discount and ease of having them delivered right to our door. It is one of the best decisions we made when it came to diapering our little one.

I'm sure some of you may be wondering why we didn't just cloth diaper. Well, my husband was very resistant to the extra work and care that went along with it. I had agreed to try one last brand before we went cloth.

As an update, my son will soon be 2 and we are still very happy with The Honest Co. diapers. It is still super convenient and easy to have them delivered to the house. We always get first dibs at all of the new and exclusive prints. I'm still happy with the absorption  during the day, but not so much at night. These days I'm frequently changing sheets in the morning due to the diaper being overfilled.

The C-Section that NEVER Healed

   As I am preparing to deliver again, I can't help but acknowledge the "gaping" incision that is eating me alive. Something about the way I was treated during my last pregnancy, labor, and, delivery is making it extremely difficult to feel comfortable with delivering another bundle of joy into this world.

"But you have a healthy baby..., But it was medically necessary..., The doctor just did what he thought was best...But you were overdue...etc" None of the phrases are consoling. In fact, these comments only enrage me all the more!

  I earned and deserved a vaginal, non- surgical delivery, and recovery. I had a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, in the head down position. I can only feel like everything that happened next was medically uncecssary and doctor created. I was induced only after my doctor advanced my due date up 5 days when my healthy baby was showing to be "large" for his original ESTIMATED due date. FYI my husband is 6'4"! When I mentioned to the doctor of my concern of induction and the due date advancement, his response to me was, "It is already scheduled and you are overdue." The medical induction led right into a world of mess. The Pitocin caused my uterus to contract and not release, which of course stressed the baby and his heart. This happened literally within minutes of the IV drip starting. Shortly after receiving a brethain shot to make the uterus relax, my OBGYN came in to break my water to move things along. I'm not sure what the rush was. I hadn't even been there but 2 hours. My labor time clock started ticking. Tick, tick, tick, BOOM!!! Before I knew it I would be in the operating room shaking so badly from the drugs that once my son was delivered I couldn't even look at him, much less do skin to skin and nurse him.

   My goal was to have as natural delivery as possible. Despite the induction, I still tried for a natural delivery. I labored for 11-12 hours without any sort of pain relief. I was probably going through transition when I got an epidural. I was over 9cm and the nurses suggested pushing to help bring the baby down more. My son was so far down that we could see his hair! He had been showing decelerations in his heart when I would push, but that is also normal to a certain extent. The OBGYN came and let me push one time before he lost his cool and started yelling at the nurses. He started calling for forceps and then decided we would just section. I was never asked, talked to, given any options. I just found my self out of control and being operated on.There was a long pause after my son was delivered. As the doctor put it, the baby was in shock, because he was already in the birth canal.
   The moment your baby is born you should feel an emotion of joy, excitement, and pure love come over you. All I could feel was a wave of nausea from the drugs causing me to vomit. My heart wanted to feel excitement but I was so groggy from the drugs I couldn't  even hold my eyes open. My son's birth was anything but beautiful and peaceful. Instead it was high tension, forceful, and rushed. With all the drugs my son and I received and the induction we had a horribly difficult time breast feeding. I was determined that even though my child and I had been robbed of a peaceful delivery, I would not let it take away breastfeeding. It took us about 4 months to finally get in a rhythm, we worked at it all day and all night and I refused to supplement. We sucessfully nursed for a full year.

  Every day I look at my son I feel so blessed that he is a happy, healthy almost 2 year old boy. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world! At the end of the day, I love him more than my life itself, but I still can't shake the feeling that all of the things that went wrong during my labor and delivery were completely unecessary and doctor created. I can't help but feel that every time I have another baby I will be at risk for complications because of this unecessary c-section, I will need to be monitored twice as closely during my deliveries, and I had to search high and low for a providor that would support me during a VBAC delivery.

 Ladies I urge you to do extensive research on your provider, Find out what their c-section rate is, find out  the rates of whoever they share call with, find out what the hospital policies are, make sure  they fully support all of your needs. Hire a doula who can act as a advocate for you when you and your loved ones can't think straight. Educate yourselves! The United States as a whole has a C-section rate of 21.5%, that is, more than one out of five births to women without a previous cesarean delivery were delivered by cesarean. Primary cesarean delivery rates varied by state, ranging from 12.5% in Utah to 26.9% in Florida and Louisiana. CDC statistics