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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. mRight now you can grab a Free Subscription to Parents Magazine! The form is quick and easy to fill out and no credit card required! 
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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.  Wow- hurry to Amazon where you can grab 4 packs (108 diapers) of these Cuties Diapers for just $9.59 Shipped if you're an Amazon Prime Member! If you're not, you can sign up for a FREE TRIAL here. Plus, sign up for Amazon Family (which is also free), and get another 20% off making these just $9.59 shipped!
 **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.  Right now on Amazon you can get this highly rated Fisher Price Soothe and Glow Bunny for just $10.99 after you clip the $5 off coupon! My son has this and can't sleep without it- we love ours!! What a great price for a baby gift or birthday gift!
 **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.  Ok, who's tried to give those squeeze pouch things to their toddler, baby and even older kid only to have them all over your floor from being squeezed too hard? Not just me? Ok well these PouchPal holders are AMAZING - I started searching the other day for something I could put the pouches in to give to my 7 month old and stumbled across this product. Got it in the mail today, and I must say I wish I had these with my daughter when she was younger. My baby could hold it and feed himself without getting 3/4 of the container all over himself and the floor!! (Can you tell I'm excited about this!?!)  Loading it is simple. All you do is put the pouch inside and there's a cap-saver spot to put the lid so you're not searching for it later if they don't finish. Then close it up with the child-proof closure and hand it over! Have a thrower? You can put a hair tie or rubber band around it so if it gets thrown it won't break open. Another feature I LOVE is that it will fit down into cup holders! This is great for in the car or strollers.  As long as there's a notch in the squeeze pouch, the pouches will fit. All the ones we currently have fit into it. Interested in trying PouchPal out or getting one for a friend? Check them out here on Amazon. Right now they are offering 2 for $14.95 (regularly $19.99) and you can choose the 2 colors.
  Right now on Amazon you can get this highly rated Graco Nautilus 80 Elite 3 in 1 Carseat for just $152.99 (regularly $199.99)!! (24% savings) Features include:
 It's as easy as 1-2-3!
Click on "Shop Now" and select the Nursing Pillow☺ of your choice in any of the 9 prints! Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "ENBABY" and they will deduct 100% off the cost of your selected Nursing Pillow☺ - all you pay are the shipping fees! Remember: the promo code is "ENBABY" and you can use it more than once. Just open a new browser window each time you do. For a limited time you can upgrade to a super soft Minky Nursing Pillow☺ for only $5! These pillows make great gifts. Selections WILL dwindle quickly, so get yours today! I know this topic is something a lot of people are uncomfortable talking about, but the people experiencing it need to know they are not alone!! When it hit me, I had no idea what I was experiencing was post partum anxiety. I had heard of the depression, but that was not what I was feeling. There was no sadness. #1 Postpartum is not just DepressionMany times, new mothers do not feel sad, so they assume what they are experiencing is not postpartum related. That was the case with me. It started a couple nights after we got home from the hospital. I was exhausted, laying in bed, trying to go to sleep. My heart was pounding, my blood pressure (which is normally pretty low) was extremely high. My heart felt like it was skipping beats. I was dizzy, shaking, light headed, short of breath. I felt extreme terror even though I knew in my head everything was fine. After a few days of this with hardly any sleep, I finally went to the doctor and discovered I was experiencing postpartum anxiety and was having multiple panic attacks a day. This was my 2nd baby, and I did not have any of this with the first, so it was totally new to me. Not to mention I'd never heard anyone talk about postpartum anxiety. #2 It Won't Last ForeverWhen you are going through this, it feels like it's going to last forever and you will never get back to your "normal" self. I began taking Zoloft shortly after and it took about 4 months of adjusting to the medicine, upping my dose a few times, and finally I started to feel closer to what normal had previously felt like. My daughter is now 10 months, I am still on the medication, and I feel NORMAL! It does get better. It takes time, but there are so many options for relief, so don't give up. #3 You Don't Have to Give Up BreastfeedingFor some reason, this really upset me when I realized I was going to have to get on medication. I did NOT want to stop breastfeeding my daughter. Well, it turns out I didn't have to. I did need Xanax a couple weeks to get through some pretty extreme panic attacks, so every time I took a Xanax I had to wait 24 hours before nursing again. That was exhausting. Trying to get my daughter to take a bottle, pumping and dumping, and an hour later doing it all again all while battling the panic attacks. But I made it through those rough weeks and am still nursing my 10 month old. So if it seems like too much trouble to bother with it, but you DO want to nurse your baby, don't give up because you can make it work! #4 Talking About it HelpsWhen you start to feel like this, you feel like there's something wrong with you and the last thing you want to do is talk about it. But let me tell you, once I started talking about it out loud it really helped. Also just knowing that others know what you're going through lets you know you have people there for you and to look out for you. I felt, at times, like I was going crazy, but I had such a wonderful support system of friends and family around me and they got me through it. If you don't have anyone to talk to, I would highly advise going to see a psychiatrist or someone. Don't try to battle it out alone! Or if worse comes to worse, send ME a message. But please just talk to someone about how you're feeling. #5 It is More Common Than You ThinkThe more I talked with my fellow "mommy" friends, the more I realized how common postpartum disorders are. So many of my friends experienced it to some degree. For most, it was actually the anxiety and not depression which shocked me. I never knew they were going through this awful anxiety. But they were such an encouragement to me and more proof that it wouldn't last forever. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. They got back to their normal selves, so I knew I would too. #6 Taking Medication Does Not Mean You Are WeakSome people have the impression that if you are on medication for a mental illness it means you are too weak to handle it yourself. If you have high blood pressure, wouldn't you get on medication for that? If you had an awful infection, wouldn't you take an antibiotic for that? This is no different. You are sick and may need medication to get better. I'm not saying everyone does, but in my case, the anxiety was so severe, I could not keep going on how I was. I needed medication. And I'm SO glad I started it because it helped me. I'm still on it and hoping to start weaning off when my daughter turns a year old. My doctor said a year is when a lot start weaning, and do it successfully. So starting doesn't mean you're going to need it forever either. For me, in order to be the best mom I could be for my children, I needed medication. It does not make me weak, but just the opposite. #7 Taking Medication Does Not Mean You Don't Trust GodI am a Christian and have battled this question before. If I trust in God and his power to heal, then is medication necessary. Well, again, we have pretty much all take medication at some point when we've been sick. It doesn't mean we don't trust God. And I was sick. God provided relief for me by allowing the medication to work. This was such a dark time in my life but I never doubted his goodness and that he was with me. That is what got me through. I clung to his word during this time and knew that no matter what happened, he was with me and I was not alone. #8 There Are Things You Can Do To Help Deal With ItWhile you are in the midst of this anxiety, you may feel like there's nothing you can do until the medication kicks in (which for me they said could take up to 8 weeks!) I didn't want to keep feeling like that for 8 more weeks. I saw a psychiatrist and she gave me some great coping tools to get through those awful panic attacks.
Try some of these things. They helped me and can help you too. If you're experiencing any type of postpartum, my heart goes out to you. It is extremely difficult on top of being a new mom- but you can get through it! Don't give up and don't lose hope! #1 Showing more interest in your phone than your childI am the first to admit I have been guilty of this. Becoming so engrossed in my email, an article, something I'm looking up ABOUT my child, that I totally ignore their desperate cry for attention. Now I know, sometimes we need to check something, and that is totally fine, but what is not is when we constantly push our kids away to the point where they stop trying to get our attention. They are only kids for a short time, and one day we aren't going to look back at what we could have done on our phones/tablets. We are going to look back at the experiences and memories we have with our family. And those memories are being made NOW- it's your choice as to how many you create. #2 The Birthday PartyBirthday Parties- they have taken on a whole new identity in the past 20 years from when I was a kid. What ever happened to having friends over, eating some cake, playing a game or two and opening some presents?! Now it has to involve an expensive venue, 50 friends or more, a full meal, bounce houses, etc. This may not be true for everyone but I am seeing it more and more. And the kids whose parents cannot afford that begin to feel as if they are not as important. Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't do something special for our kids because it might hurt others' feelings, but are these huge events really necessary? Especially when the child is young and won't remember it anyway, you have to ask yourself, is this really for my kid or for me to keep up with what everyone else is doing? I think birthday parties are great, but when they are more low key with close family and friends everyone seems to enjoy themselves a lot more! #3 Preventing FailureWe all want to protect our children- it's a parent's instinct. And sometimes we need to, like if we see our toddler about to fall off a high ledge it's ok to reach out and grab them. But at the same time they also need to learn what will happen when their parents are not there. If we are always cleaning up their messes, fixing their mistakes, paving the way for their success, they will eventually fail when they get out into the real world and don't have you there to do it all for them. #4 Using TV as a BabysitterI definitely let my kids watch TV and am in no way condemning modern technology here, but what I'm talking about is when kids are plopped in front of the TV all day (or any other form of technology) instead of getting out and playing or learning to use their imagination. Kids need social interaction and stimulus other than a screen in front of them. I am all for using the TV when you need to get something done real quick, or when a kid is sick and not up to playing, or as a reward even for the end of the day. But too often I'm seeing kids over exposed during the day, and it's not good for them. #5 ComparingChildren are all SO different. Once you start comparing your kid to other kids, you're in for trouble. This starts from when they are babies. I would find myself looking at a 3 month old saying, "Oh no mine's not rolling over yet, there must be something wrong!" Or when they're toddlers, "Mine is not talking as much as so and so." Kids are going to develop at different rates, and trust me, your Doctor will let you know if there's something you need to worry about. Until then just sit back and enjoy the uniqueness of your child. Don't be in a rush for them to do all those next milestones because it will happen before you know it and you don't want to miss the fun along the way. #6 RushingThis is one of my greatest weaknesses. I've always been a multi-tasker and want to get things done as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I find myself doing this with my kids. For instance when we're trying to get ready to go somewhere, like getting groceries. I find myself rushing my son to get his shoes on when there is no deadline for getting the groceries. This has an affect on our kids and can cause them to feel stressed out, and interrupt them from their creativity. #7 Feeling Guilty When You Fall Short and These 7 Things DO OccurNo one is a perfect parent, and we are going to mess up and just have lazy days sometimes. That is OK. We need to cut ourselves some slack when it doesn't seem like we're measuring up. If our kids are loved and feel supported and safe, then we are doing pretty darn good. We don't have to get it all right all of the time. So if you're reading this, chances are you're someone who doesn't want to be doing the "things we shouldn't", and chances are you're a pretty good parent already!
I must say, as a mom, this has been the most googled topic I have found myself typing time after time. While I'm certainly no expert, I have found a way that worked for my children.
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