Friday Follow and Andrew's First Sweet Potatoes

Its Friday (hooray!) which means its time to connect with other bloggers via Friday Follows. This week I'm participating in the following bloghops...



In other news... Andrew is really enjoying his sweet potatoes these days and we're looking forward to starting him on other foods (including homemade purees) soon. As promised, here is my little boy with potatoes to match his hair smeared all over the place.

Enjoy your Friday!

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Please help baby Sam

Please click HERE or on the button at the top of the right-hand column to help out baby Sam, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in April. Sam was given a 30% chance of being cured and his family is struggling to pay their COBRA bill on top of that terrible diagnosis.

And please post about this funds drive on your blog! I'm posting about Sam because of a post by NinjaPanza; if you could post about him because of me and we can keep the chain reaction going, hopefully we can reach the $7500 goal for the Sartin family's COBRA bill by June 11th.

You can keep up with Sam and the Sartins and offer your prayers at their blog HERE. God bless the family for their strength and let's all wish for a miracle.

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Product Review: Johnson's Disposable Nursing Pads

I use Johnson's Nursing Pads because, frankly, they're the cheaper of the two disposable pads offered in my neighborhood CVS! Around $8.00 for 60 pads (a month's supply) seems quite reasonable for nice disposable nursing pad such as these. They are really soft, hold a lot of leakage, and have an adhesive backing strip if you choose to stick them to your bra. (I tend not to stick them on, though, as they always pop off when I fold my bra down to nurse.)

There are, though, a few negatives: 1) the pads leave fuzz on your nipple which you have to wipe off before feeding baby (annoying) and tend to stick to wounded nipples (painful!) 2) They have a center indent meant to allow breathing room for sore nipples, but which actually makes the pad visible under certain clothing. And, 3) I keep thinking about how I could save myself a little money by just buying reusable pads!

When my current box of disposables runs out, I'm going to try out some super cute washable pads I just purchased from Etsy shop MyBellaBaby (I paid $5.50 for these 4 pads). They are made with flannel, fleece and cotton, so I'm betting they're comfortable, absorbant, and hopefully do not stick to or leave residue on the skin. They're machine washable too for those of you blessed with a washer/drier (like this Queens mama is not!)



I'll be sure to write a review of MyBellaBaby's nursing pads soon! I also purchased these amazingly adorable "soft little washies" from the store and can't wait to try and tell those as well ($7.95 for 5).

 

Oh my, have I started you on an Etsy shopping spree today? :)

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Product Review Revisited: Leading Lady Molded Stretch Pad Nursing Bra

You might remember my glowing review of the Leading Lady Molded Stretch Pad Nursing Bra. I still love this bra for its fit and value, and wear them almost exclusively, but I've just noticed that one of mine is falling apart. Despair!

I guess you could expect this from a $20-ish bra that I have been throwing into a laundromat washer and drier, but I was still sad to see the front of one bra cup separating from the molded pad beneath after 4 months of (heavy-duty) wear. Then again, most bras do fall apart over time--even the fancy $40+ ones from Victoria's Secret that I wore before Andrew commandeered my boobs. So, I'm glad that I didn't spend much on these and can actually afford buying a replacement.

I guess there's a lot of bra hand-washing in my future. One more bra will not be murdered by my laziness!

3/10/13 UPDATE: I've purchased and am wearing a bunch more of these while breastfeeding my second child and--while they are still the most normal looking nursing bra I've found--I've noticed they are prone to having the underwire pop out at the center of the bra as well! No, I haven't been handwashing the bras as promised above. But it seems handwashing really is a must with these. 

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