Product Review: Zerlar Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pumps Milk Pump Suction

So some moms in one of the breastfeeding groups I am in were raving about this product. I decided I had to try it because I just hate pumping, so the idea of just attaching this while nursing and letting it collect milk seemed too good to be true. Because of this I bought this cheaper "knock off" version to try it out. This version and the more expensive one are both sold on Amazon. 

I purchased this item for $12.99 with free Amazon prime shipping. 

The link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EMXN28M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

With my previous 3 kids I struggled to breastfeed, but have been blessed that this 4th time it has been a breeze. I attribute that to situation, support, and education. However those struggles of nursing, pumping, supplementing, etc over and over again left a bad taste in my mouth for pumping. 

Amazingly this product worked wonderfully! I have used it three times now and it is such a simple way to collect breastmilk.

Of special note.. I have not had pain while using this product, but if you are having pain I would stop using it. 

Product Review: Fragrant Jewels Bath Bomb

So again I saw an ad and though, "Ohhh that look's fun." So, of course, I decided to try it out and write a fun little review about it.  The bath bomb alone was $14.95 and I did receive a free ring because I used a code. It cost a total of $22.95 and I did feel that the shipping was a bit on the pricey side at $7.95. 

From the site: https://www.fragrantjewels.com/collections/bath-bombs

I chose to order the Watermelon Bath Bomb. I must say that its presentation was pretty darn cute. It would make an adorable addition to a gift basket in my opinion. The opposite side of the packaging. 

The bath bomb is wrapped in plastic; I assume for extra stability during shipping. It smelled pretty good as well. 

The "free gift" ring was meh in my opinion, but hey...it's just not my style. 

It did some awesome rotations and fizzing after adding to water. 

Of course I have to have my Starbucks with my relaxing bath ;) 

Kind of looked cool towards the end of its life and you can see the surprise ring in the middle. Definitely has a fun factor to it. 

The ring. 

I totally dig the style of this ring. 

I wore it for a week, but unfortunately it turned my finger green at the end of the week. Super cute for a once in a while ring though. 

The jewelry comes with a tag that you enter a code and it tells you what your ring is worth. My rings were "worth" $10. I don't actually believe they are worth that, but maybe you would pay that in store to buy something similar. They also tell you that there is a chance you could get a ring worth much more, but I don't like to take chances on gimmicks like that. 

However after all was said and done I had a mild reaction to the bath bomb. I do have sensitive skin so I would be wary of buying this for yourself if you have sensitive skin. 

In summary, its a cute idea and has some interesting/fun gimmicks. I definitely think it was worth the one time experience, but I don't think I plan to purchase it again. 

Long Overdue Introduction

So in January I announced we were expecting a new little one. He arrived on 2/4/2016. So here is our little guy, William. He has been a true joy in our life and his siblings have been so adorable interacting with him. I never jotted down a long birth story, so here is a blerb I posted on facebook after the fact. 

 I was induced on 2/4 and I started at 1-2 cm. I labored for 6 hours without pain meds. The nurses kept coming in and saying that I "labored beautifully" and I was amazing lol. They kept coming in to adjust my pitocin up and down because they felt I was having too strong of contractions. I must say I felt like super woman up until I hit 6-7cm. I agreed to pain meds because they had informed me this was my last opportunity. In hindsight.. I don't think I needed them. I labored another hour... gained little progress but was in a lot of pain. Ready to be done. I remember telling Richard that I was "Ready to be done now" in a very pitiful tone. The nurse came in and had me flip to my right side, then my left. I needed to push! I had gone from 7cm to 10 cm in 5 to 10 minutes! They made me HOLD HIM IN while I waited for the doctor... Doctor arrived, told me to push. I pushed his head out and a few seconds later his body. Literally he came out in under a minute! Richard told me after the fact the doctor almost dropped baby William because he didn't expect him to come out so fast! During labor Richard was AMAZING! Rubbing my back, holding my hand, and just being there to support me through it. I sat on the ball, I rocked back and forth, I listened to music... etc Richard also snapped some pics..  

and a recent picture of baby William