I was supposed to have this published on the fifth of the month, but instead of working over the weekend we took some much needed time off! A mini babymoon night was just what the doctor ordered. It was great to be able to just relax and spend a few moments away to ourselves after such a hectic year. Just wish it was a longer trip!
I am back on my game plan and writing in real time so that I can get you my Starting 5 for the month of April. As a reminder, the Starting 5 is my list of the top of items or tips/tricks that I am loving and would share with you over the water cooler at work or over wine with my BFFs. There was a great response to last month’s list… (Here!) hoping you find some gems in this one as well.
Without further ado… the April Starting 5.
- 2 words: Game Changer. I have experience with these devices as a team doctor and know they can be great. I was trying to come up with a fun Christmas gift for my husband this year and came across an advertisement. I thought he might love it as he gets a little stiff from his workouts mixed with long days standing over the operating room table. So yes, this was actually a gift I bought for him knowing full well I might use it too… #marriage Come to find out, it is a total game changer for me in this pregnancy! I have been using it daily on my hips, low back, glutes etc. My SI joints have been a hot mess since the second trimester and this little nugget has been worth every penny. Note that I did get it on sale for the holiday… so keep an eye out for a deal but knowing how much we both use it I would absolutely pay full price.
Be Well By Kelly Protein Powder
- If you follow me on Instagram (which I hope you do! @sportsdrmorgan) it is no secret I love Kelly Leveque and her nutrition concepts. When she launched her brand of protein powder I needed to test it out. Prior to this, I have used several whey and plant-based powders. Some I still love (Tone it up Peanut Butter is delicious!) but wanted something less processed to use during pregnancy. Enter BWBK Protein. It is extracted in a chemical free manner, is made from grass-fed beef and contains collagen. I choose the vanilla flavor and have been loving it in my morning smoothie. Also, hot tip- you can mix a small amount in almost anything to up the protein. Another current go to: mix a half scoop in all natural PB and spread on an apple as a balanced snack.
- Staying with the pregnancy theme I splurged on the luxurious Hatch Belly Oil. I have been slathering on all the balms and oils and creams I can find to aid in the stretch as my belly grows. Nothing truly prevents stretch marks according to the science, but it sure doesn’t hurt to keep the skin hydrated. The Hatch Belly Oil is pricey, but it lives up to the hype! The smell is soft and pleasant and it dries super fast. I also love applying it because it feels like a little dose of luxury. And in the times of COVID, while pregnant, staying home all the time… there is something to be said for feeling a little luxury in my post-shower routine.
Getting Dressed
- Speaking of little luxuries… getting dressed while pregnant isn’t one of them. Nor is getting dressed during a pandemic! Anyone else switched to a 100% sweats and yoga pant wardrobe? Then one day I got dressed. Nothing fancy, just something that made me feel good to wear. I also put on my engagement ring and a splash of makeup. I don’t usually wear my ring when I am home since the majority of the day I find myself doing chores like laundry or washing dishes. That day I noticed immediately I felt better. Putting a small amount of effort can make a huge improvement in your mental wellbeing. Hopefully this is something I can remember to do postpartum as well! Funny story one day I did ‘full makeup’ for a photo I was taking and when I walked into the bathroom I caught my own reflection in the mirror and literally jumped. I scared myself because I didn’t recognize my own reflection. Haha. Definitely time to step up my day-to-day game for no one except me and my own mental wellbeing.
Outlet Shopping
- It is no secret I love a bargain. I needed new bedding for our a new California King size bed. (bed linked here … I love it!) But I also didn’t want to spend a fortune on the linens. Bedding is important for sleep yes, but my 28lb Frenchie sheds on it. I also needed a few furniture items for our nursey but didn’t want to break the bank. Baby stuff adds up and is expensive! I will do another post on what we bought for the babe, spoiler alert, you don’t need as much as the registry folks want you to think you do.
- After ogling a few of the duvets online from Restoration Hardware I serendipitously found an RH outlet nearby. I did the same for Pottery Barn when hunting for a glider and crib. Here’s the tip. Look for an outlet version of these stores. They sometimes carry ‘scratch and dent’ products, but they also sometimes have perfect returns that cannot be resold.
- While in the RH Outlet I stumbled across a pair of Cal king sheets that matched my aesthetic, but no duvets. I didn’t go to buy sheets. Ugh. I decided to pull them out of the packaging to be sure I didn’t also ‘need’ to buy sheets even though we had just bought two sets… and low and behold it was a DUVET! I was ecstatic. I continued my hunt by searching for shams… but couldn’t find 2 that matched and were the appropriate size. That is until I again opened a package that had been mislabeled. No way, right! The sales lady was laughing with me by the time I finished. She said the product comes in on large pallets and they cannot look through each in detail. So, if you do venture to find a bargain don’t be afraid to ask to look inside the packaging!
- While on my Pottery Barn Outlet shopping trip I had another great experience. I had started my search for nursery furniture online, but to my dismay every glider that I did not find hideous was backordered or special order and wouldn’t arrive until months after our due date. Did you know some of these chairs take like 10-20 weeks to produce, let alone ship? The gestation on the chair is as long as on the actual baby. A friend told me to try the PB Outlet as I could take the pieces home the day I purchased. I found the perfect glider in a neutral gray fabric… and while there saw a crib that would work too. We had initially intended on the cheapest crib possible and had considered one from Ikea. But those looked flimsy in person and I was concerned about function. I also did a deep dive into crib and nursery safety one afternoon (working from home = lots of deep dives into the internet baby space) and I found out about Greengold Certification and the chemical free nature of the products from PB. This was a win win. We got our glider and crib, and I grabbed a stuffed lamb toy to add to the mix. All in all, we saved money and were able to get them set up in the nursery in plenty of time.
