10 Gift Ideas for the New Mom

It's that time of year again…

Time where you procrastinate and put off shopping for as long as possible until you finally look up and realize that it's the 23rd of December and people will be expecting presents but now it's so late that everywhere is sold out of things so then you and your husband stop by a truck stop on the way to the party and buy travel pillows and mugs as gifts.

Oh. You don't do that?

Moving right along.

If you're a better planner than I am (and it's really not too hard to be better at that than me) then you're probably already thinking about Christmas gifts. Or you've already bought them. Whatever. Stop gloating. You're making the rest of us look bad.

If you haven't bought all of your gifts yet, then this post is for you! If you have, then stop smirking and go do whatever it is you productive people do.

If you have a new mom in your life this year maybe this post will give you some ideas for what to buy her. Basically this is my Christmas wish list but since I am a new mom, I feel like I have some insight. Hope this list helps all of you procrastinators (AKA, my people).

Silhouette Necklace

I love silhouettes and a silhouette necklace is a classy way to wear a memento of your child. I'd go for this one over at Etsy but a quick Google search will pull up plenty of options.

Caffeine

Because she'll probably always need more than she has. You could go for a few bags of it or a coffee shop gift card. Whatever direction you choose, it'll probably be appreciated. Unless she's one of those freaks of nature that functions perfectly without caffeine. In that case, skip this idea.

Pamper Products

When you have a new baby, time alone is rare. When you do catch a few quiet moments, you've got to make the best of them and pampering yourself is the way to go. Whether it's nail polish, highlights, or simply swabbing on some mascara, new moms like to feel human every now and then. May I humbly suggest this marshmallow sugar scrub? Because, who doesn't want to smell like marshmallows??

Cute Hair Ties

There's a good chance that the days of spending 45 minutes on her hair are now gone and she'll be looking for cute and quick ways to make her (probably dirty) hair look fixed. Cute hair ties accomplish this and especially this lace headband from Oh, Sweet Joy!. 

Travel Lotion

Between wiping butts with baby wipes and wiping germs with hand sanitizers and soaps, her hands are probably going to get dry. She'll need something she can throw in her car and diaper bag so travel lotion is a good option. My favorite is the J.R. Watkins because it's natural and cheap. We love both of those things.

Comfy Pants

If she's anything like me, she'll be wearing a lot more pajama bottoms than she used to. These are my personal favorites but find something that fits her personal style.

Fancy Pants Sweatshirt

I, personally, would be 100% OK if my entire winter wardrobe consisted of fancy pants sweatshirts. They're easy, comfortable, but still manage to keep you from looking like you just rolled out of bed. And when you have a tiny human attached to you all of the time, you want to be comfortable. This one from Forever 21  is my favorite but since they're kinda a thing these days (Thank you!), you can find all different styles.

Memory Card

She'll  be taking a lot more pictures these days than she used to and instead of her using up all of her computer space, a memory card is a good idea. 

Comfy Throw Blanket

She got a zillion baby blankets for her baby but what about her? She needs something to snuggle up on the couch with beside her baby and their cute blanket. I love this Target one but if you really, really, really, really, really, really, like her (Or you just won the lottery and have too much money) then you can drop a whopping $800 for  this Anthro Your choice.

Soup Bowl

This is assuming that she loves soup as much as I do but who doesn't?? It's really the perfect new mom food. Throw it in the crock pot and heat it up in the 5 minutes you have to actually sit down and eat. This one from easy is my personal favorite.

So there you have it. I hope this helps! And tell the new mom in your life that I said congratulations!

And enjoy the best time of year :)

Got Milk?

One of the hardest things about Cali having all of her food intolerances is keeping my milk supply up. I'm on what a lot of people call a "Paleo" diet (except I can't have eggs either) but more for health reasons as opposed to trying to eat the way the cavemen ate. Since taking out all grains, eggs, dairy, soy, and cutting back on tree nuts, Cali's stomach issues have disappeared. Yes it's hard but totally worth it.

Back to my milk supply.

I have to be extremely conscious of how much and what I'm eating every day or my milk supply dwindles fast. 

Low milk = irritable Cali.

Irritable Cali = tired Me.

So I thought I'd list some of the things I try to do to make sure that Cali has plenty to eat and I'm not caught making up for it by having to feed her every hour.

Eat Lots of Fat

Healthy fats that is. Avocados are my 'go to' but coconut milk, olive & coconut oil, nut butters, and nuts are good too. As a quick snack I normally take an avocado and cut it in half. Then I drizzle oil (I love hazelnut but olive works too!) and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little onion powder. Voila! It's delicious and quick. Not having all of the usual carbs as "filler" calories, I really don't worry about getting too many fats in my diet as long as they are the good kind, and I've found that they're vital to keeping up my milk.

Sweet Potatoes

These are really the only "typical" carb that I eat. Technically everything has some amount of carbs (even broccoli!) but when it comes to carb dense foods, sweet potatoes are what I rely on. I try to get in at least one a day.

Grab & Go Snacks

This is probably the hardest for me. Not being able to eat the traditional quick foods, I have to make sure that I'm pre cooking things so that when I need a fast option, I have them. There are a million ideas but some of my favorites are bacon wrapped dates, turkey meatballs, hamburger patties, homemade "Larabars", or pre cooked stir frys. Fruits are also a good option because of the carbs but I try to limit them to 2 servings a day because of the sugar content.

Don't Skip Meals!

Sometimes I get lazy and am guilty of this. Calories are essential for making milk so making sure that you're eating enough is a definite "do". I have to make sure that, not only am I not skipping meals, but that the meals I am eating are dense in calories. Good calories. 

Hydrate
There is debate in the nutrition world about whether or not this actually can increase your milk supply. Whether or not more water directly effects your milk, taking overall care of yourself never hurts. The better care you take of yourself, the better shape your body is in to provide nourishment.

Second Helping of Fruits
I try to limit my fruit intake to 2 servings a day but I also make the effort to actually get my 2 servings in. Whether it's the carbohydrates or the insulin spike, I'm not sure but I've found that if I eat more fruits than normal it seems to help me produce more milk.

Oatmeal
I'm currently not eating any grains but before I cut them out, oatmeal was my go-to when I was low. Mix it with a nut butter and you're good to go. For me (and I imagine everyone is different) oatmeal was an overnight success when it came to increasing my milk supply. I'd have a bowl at night and by the next morning I could tell a difference. No joke.



There you have it. I know most of you probably couldn't care less about me and my milk (it's still strange to me that I even have any) but for you nursing - or soon to be nursing - moms out there, I hope this helps. The most important thing you can do for you and your baby is to take care of yourself! Eat real foods, exercise, and go get some (natural) Vitamin D!