As I’m well into my third trimester of my third pregnancy, I can’t help but notice all the differences between the first two boys and this third baby boy.

Rock n Plays – I LOVE Rock n Plays. They were these portable bassinets/cribs. They folded up nicely, both of my boys slept in a rock and play for quite some time. It was especially handy after my c-section when I wasn’t comfortable going up and down stairs on my first few nights at home. This rock n play got hauled to grandma’s house, upstairs, downstairs, EVERYWHERE. They have now banned rock and plays since Gannon was born in 2019 because babies were dying in them. They again, for safe sleep purposes, only recommend a flat sleeping surface so I had to buy a new bassinet that is totally flat. I’ll miss my good old Rock n Play but safety first!

Hands Free Breast Pumps – FINALLY! I can remember in the hospital with Carver when they first wanted me to pump. They knew I was a nurse so they just kind of brought me the supplies to my Medela pump (because there really only was one option) and expected that I knew what to do with it! I was so confused – you have to HOLD these bottles on your boobs the whole time??? I can’t eat? Or hold the baby? Or scroll through my phone? Not only that but I had to do so within three feet of a plug in? Soon enough my sports bras all had holes in them so I could try the “hands free” pumping which really ended up just tanking my milk supply because I couldn’t fully let down.

Now there’s an entire market of hands free breast pumps – not only hands free but CHORD free! I ended up getting the Elvie Stride pump and I’m so looking forward to using it! Carver wasn’t great at breast feeding but I didn’t give it much of a try. Gannon was pretty good but once I went back to my 60 hour work week it wasn’t sustainable. Now with the formula shortage, our finances are much better, I’ll be able to take the time off to really work on nursing, I want to give breast feeding all I’ve got!

No Visitors Policy – This is one I’m so excited about. There’s a lot of education floating around the instagram and tik tok world about how insane it is that there are SO MANY visitors and people in the first week, heck even the first DAY after the baby is born. I can remember with BOTH deliveries having to entertain guests in the hospital when I was totally wiped out, totally not photo ready, totally not ready to socialize. At the time, it was NORMAL and expected to host family and friends to meet the new baby.

Now, there’s a huge shift of giving the mother some dang time to recover! It’s not all about the baby! We will be adopting a little to NO visitor policy in the hospital and the first week(s) at home until I feel totally ready to welcome guests, especially if my delivery results in a c-section. I’m prioritizing my needs and baby’s needs first, everyone else can wait, baby isn’t going anywhere. Both times I was in the hospital, I felt totally overwhelmed with visitors and the pressure to be “on” and can remember crying in my room after everyone left.

Please also note, there’s a HUGE difference between VISITORS and SUPPORT. A visitor comes with the sole purpose of meeting the baby and getting their picture. Support comes with food, they clean the house, they take Carver and Gannon for a few hours, they watch the baby while I nap and take a bath and I’m comfortable doing so around them.

Finances – I mentioned earlier that our finances were in very poor shape after Gannon was born. We were drowning in debt, I went back to work part time 3 WEEKS after my C-section because we just needed the money. We are in MUCH better shape financially this time around and have a great deal of savings. I plan on taking my longest uninterrupted maternity leave, the length is still TBD. Hopefully once I go back to work and get things lined up, we will take that savings account and throw it towards our remaining debt! It’s comforting for all of us to know that we’ve got a great big safety net to take care of whatever may come up in the next few months.

Carver and Gannon – This is an obvious difference, but Carver will be 6 and Gannon will be 3.5 years old when the baby comes. That’s SO MUCH more manageable than when Carver was 2.5 years old and we had a new born. Carver has chores, he can run and grab something for me, and BOTH BOYS WILL BE IN SCHOOL while I’m at home with the baby which will be GREAT! This will make the biggest difference in those first few weeks!

We are so excited for little man to join our crew! We are mostly ready, I placed my last big amazon order to finish off my list of things that needed an upgrade. Time is flying by and the end of September will be here so soon!

Hungry for more? Check out my latest posts!

• Friedman Family Update – March 2023
• ONE MORE MONTH!
• PROUD MINI VAN OWNER!
• Gannon Update – Genetics 🧬
• Friedman Fam Update – January 2023

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