6 Month Baby Update | Must Have Products for 6+ Months

March 24, 2020 Channing Hanneman

Hey Guys!

I can’t believe Luke is 6 months old already! I feel like being pregnant was a lifetime ago. I can’t even imagine what life was like before Luke came along.

I wanted to share my go to products that I am still using and have started using for Luke. But first, here is a bit of an update on him.

He is so big and becoming such a little ham. His personality is starting to shine through and I love it. He loves to watch all the action and definitely gets FOMO very easily. He laughed for the first time and I started to cry. It is my favorite sound in the world. He is sitting up, and we also started on our Baby Led Weaning journey. This means he eats whatever my husband and I eat. We skipped baby foods all together. He is doing amazing and loves food! His favorite so far is cucumber and pulled meat.

We are still going strong on our breastfeeding journey. When I decided to breastfeed I gave myself a minimum goal of 6 months. I was going to try my hardest to do it for 6 months and if it was still difficult I would have stopped. But I am happy to report it is going amazingly. I am not going to lie, the first 4 months were extremely difficult. From latching difficulties, to oversupply issues, to hunger strikes and everything else under the sun, Luke and I had a tough start to our journey. Then one day when he was 4 months old he weaned himself from the nipple shield we used every day, and went from eating for 40 minutes every time to less than 10. Now we have more time for learning and playing.

My husband and I also decided to sleep train Luke at 4.5 months. He went through a terrible 4 month regression and I spent months 3 and 4 basically sleeping in his rocker with him in my arms. Once we realized Luke didn’t want to be swaddled anymore and was capable of going all night without waking up for feedings (per the pediatrician) we decided to sleep train him using a gradual cry it out method. He caught on fast and by night 2 he has been sleeping for 11 to 12 hours. He is still doing this but I know a 6 month regression plus teething is coming so I hope it doesn’t affect him too much. I still hold him for all of his naps mostly because I miss the snuggles and I know that when I have my next child I won’t be able to snuggle like I can with Luke. But I do plan on nap training him in the next couple of months.

He is literally such an easy going angel boy and I can’t believe how lucky we are to call him ours.

Scroll down for the products that I swear by and have been using for months now.

-Halo Sleep Sack- We have been using these since Luke was in the hospital. We had a newborn size and now have 3 of the bigger sizes. We had some fleece ones for when it was colder out and have switched to cotton. These made transitioning from being swaddled so easy since you can have their arms in, 1 arm out and then both arms out. Luke is about to outgrow this and then we will move to the traditional sleepsack without torso compression.

-Haakaa- Since I am still on my breastfeeding journey I am still using and loving my Haakaa. I don’t pump anymore because I hated it. I just use this to catch my letdown on the opposite side Luke is nursing. I usually get 2 to 3 oz a day just from doing this. Since I rarely leave Luke this is the perfect amount to freeze and store when I do leave him.

-Binky Holder- This thing is a lifesaver for my binky loving bug. He loves his binky and this helps to keep it attached to him at all times and off the floor. It also has silicone beads on it that he loves to chew. I put it in the dishwasher and it cleans well. Plus it looks so cute.

-High Chair- We set up Luke’s high chair around 4 months so he could sit at the table with us and watch and observe us eating. This is one of the things to do to lead up to Baby Led Weaning. He loved being apart of meal times and saw us chewing and eating properly. This chair from Ikea is super inexpensive and so sleek looking. It is no fluff and easy to clean and you can buy an insert for when they are small to help prop them up. I also purchased a wooden footrest for the chair off of Etsy since this helps him have good posture and helps them not to choke since they are sitting up straight. We love it!

-Splat Mat- Since Luke is a messy eater, I use this mat to put under his highchair. It helps with easy cleanup. Since we have a smaller dining room I fold it up and put it away between meals. But it is cute enough to keep out all the time if I had the room. It also comes with a smock bib which we love for keeping food off of Luke’s clothes

-Activity Center- We also set this up when Luke was 4 months and he loves it! We call it his DJ booth haha. It is nice because it transitions as they get older from sitting in the middle, to being able to stand and play and then using it as a table with chairs.

-Diaper Genie- We have been using the Diaper Genie since Luke was born. I love that it is sleek looking and comes in a variety of colors to match the nursery. Ours is grey and blends in so nicely.

-Tummy Time Water Mat- Luke isn’t always a fan of tummy time. He usually would rather sit or stand with help. But this water mat keeps him occupied for a while. He loves hitting it and watching the fish move around inside.

-Overnight Diaper Pads- When we were sleep training Luke the problem we kept running into was leaking diapers. Since he was going 12 hours between a change I wanted to make sure he was dry and not leaking. I found these pads for his diaper and they are a game changer. He wear 1 regular diaper with the pad inside, then I slather on a thick layer of diaper cream and then put an overnight diaper on top. In the morning he is dry and the moisture is pulled away from him and he never has diaper rash.

-Drool Bibs- Since teething has started Luke is a drooling mess. Withing 30 minutes of me getting him dressed he will soak through his shirt. I bought this pack of drool bibs and they come in so many patterns and wash great. I love them!

-Portable Sound Machine- We use this when we are in the car, grocery shopping or when Luke takes a nap at his grandparents house. Since he sleeps at home with his sound machine, this one is perfect to create that mood anywhere.

-Sound Machine- Speaking of sound machines we still love our Hatch. We use it for every nap and nighttime sleep and I can’t live without it.

-Huckleberry App- This app is amazing for tracking feedings, diapers and sleep. It will then calculate the best time to put baby down for the next nap. Helps me make sure I am hitting the correct wake times for Luke. It also adjusts for his age and lets you know when you should start to transition to fewer naps and when to go to bed.

-Stretch mark Lotion- I didn’t get any stretch marks on my belly during pregnancy but I did get them on my thighs and love handle area. I used this cream everyday since giving birth and the marks are gone. I mix it in with my regular lotion and I am amazed at the results.

Newborn Must Have Products| Luke's 1 Month Update

October 24, 2019 Channing Hanneman

Hey Guys!

Today I wanted to share my go to products that have helped me a ton this first month with my newborn. I use all of these products daily and they all come HIGHLY recommended.

Check out my Birth Story HERE

First I wanted to share with you a 1 month update on Luke. This first month has obviously had it’s ups and downs. From bringing home my first child, to postpartum healing, learning to breastfeed, and lack of sleep it has been difficult. The first 2 weeks were the hardest. I felt like I couldn’t get everything done, I was in pain, and I wasn’t sure if I was doing anything right.

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Luckily 1 month in, we are all settling into our new routine. Not every day is easy, and I know that things will change, but we are all getting used to having a baby around and slowly forgetting what our lives were like before Luke came along.

Luke lost more than 10% of his weight after we left the hospital since my milk took a bit to come in so we have had some difficulty with feeding. He has to use a nipple shield since his tongue wasn’t working properly when he was born but we are slowly weaning him off of that at the moment. He also had to be supplemented with formula to help him gain weight and I am happy to say after a week and a half of supplementing we haven’t had to go back!

I have been doing the Baby Wise sleep training method since the day he came home from the hospital and so far it is working. I HIGHLY recommend checking out the book HERE. It basically sets them up on a routine/ schedule to help them get the most sleep possible since this helps their brains grow and also helps teach them the difference between day and night. Luke has been pretty good about the routine and pretty much wakes up every 2.5 to 3 hours on the dot to feed, play then go back to sleep. He is only a month old so I am not super paranoid about keeping the schedule and sometimes he just wants to sleep on Mom during the day and I let him. He is only little once and infant cuddles are the best.

Our dog Bruce has adjusted nicely to having a baby around. At first he was very curious and would get anxious when Luke would cry but now he just ignores the cries and loves to check on his brother when he sneezes, coos, or is just hanging out on the couch.

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As for products, see below for the ones I swear by and links to purchase if you would like.

Haakaa: The Haakaa is a silicone suction device that you put on the opposite breast when you are breastfeeding and it catches the letdown that naturally happens. This letdown would otherwise leak into your breast pads or bra. On average during a feed I catch between 1 and 2 oz! It is amazing! I either feed it to Luke in a bottle if he is fussy after eating or I freeze it and add to my freezer stash. It is literally amazing and I will get it for every new Mom that is breastfeeding.

OXO Tot Space Saving Drying Rack: My kitchen is small and has limited counter space, so with bottles and pump supplies constantly being rinsed and cleaned throughout the day I needed something that doesn’t take up a lot of space but is also sleek looking. This drying rack doesn’t stick out a lot so it doesn’t take up a lot of my limited counter space and it has plenty of space to dry multiple bottles at a time. Even if you don’t use bottles, this is good for pump supplies and storage as well.

Kiinde Bottle Warmer: Since I had to supplement with formula I had to use a bottle warmer. This one heats the bottle up in 5 minutes and is so easy to use. You just fill it with water once and when you turn the timer on it circulates the water evenly so there are no hot spots in the bottle. Plus I love the sleek white design.

Halo Sleep Sack: The hospital that Luke was born in used a Halo Sleep Sack for swaddling so we decided to purchase a couple when he came home. He loves them and they are so easy to use! All you do is zip them up inside and wrap the 2 Velcro sides around and BOOM you have a perfect swaddle. I don’t have to worry about wrapping him perfectly and the zipper can zip from the top or bottom so it makes middle of the night diaper changing a breeze. Luke loves it and instantly falls asleep in it! I am linking the fleece one since I live in a cold climate at the moment but they also come in lightweight cotton. They also come in multiple sizes as well. We have a newborn size as well as a size small at the moment. Also, the patterns they come in are so cute!

Boppy Pillow: I took my Boppy Pillow to the hospital because a lot of people told me it would help with learning to breastfeed and positioning. I am so glad I brought it. I love the Boppy pillow because it can grow with the baby. You can use it for feeding, propping baby up, and tummy time. Plus it comes with many different cover options. I currently only use it for propping Luke up as it is a bit bulky for using in the chair that I currently nurse in. Once I get more comfortable nursing in other places around the house, I will probably start using it for feeding again.

My Brest Friend Pillow: This is the pillow I currently use for nursing. I like it because it isn’t as bulky so it is easy to use in my rocker chair. It has a flat top surface and clips around the waist for easy adjustment during feeding. It is made from super soft but firm foam and the cover is removable and washable. I am so glad I have this and the Boppy. This also has a pouch on the side to hold you phone, snacks, or a water bottle.

Hatch Baby Light and Sound Machine: Luke sleeps in my room but when we nurse we go into his room. At night I don’t like to turn on lights to wake him up too much so every night before bed I turn this light on in his room along with the white noise. I keep it on all night that way I am not fumbling around in the dark. The Hatch Baby is awesome because it can connect with an app to your phone so you can turn it on with your phone before you enter the room if you want. You can also have different programs with different lights and sounds, as well as adjust the brightness. Right now I currently have it with the white light that is dimmable with the white noise and when I am rocking Luke back to sleep I turn it off and have the white noise on a bit louder. When Luke naps in his crib, I also turn it on with just the loud white noise and it helps him sleep better.

Portable LED nightlight: Since I have to walk from my room to Luke’s room during the night, I use another nightlight. I keep this one next to my nightstand and what I like about it is that it is rechargeable and wireless. All I do is double tap on the top and a dim light comes on. If you touch and hold the top the light can get brighter or dimmer depending on your preference. This is perfect for using to check on the baby or walking to another room at night because it is lightweight, small and you don’t have to turn on any harsh overhead or lamp lights. Once I am in Luke’s room with the Hatch light on, I place this one on his changing table so I can see what I am doing while changing him but also not blinding him with light. This would also be great for traveling as well since it is small and doesn’t need to be plugged into a wall.

Washable changing pad: I HIGHLY recommend skipping a changing pad with a cover and getting this one. I know that covers are cute but honestly, 9 times out of 10 your baby will pee when you change its diaper and getting that on a cover and constantly having to wash it just sounds like a pain. I like this pad because it easily wipes clean and is waterproof. The only downside to not having a cover is that it gets cold and babies don’t like that but I just put a paper towel under Luke at night and he seems to fuss less. Honestly I am fine with him being a little cold since it means I don’t have to constantly wash a changing pad.

Those are all my current Must Have products for my Newborn. Let me know what you recommend I get for each new stage in Luke’s life. I am always open to suggestions!

XOXO Channing

Luke's Birth Story| My Labor and Delivery Experience

October 16, 2019 Channing Hanneman

Hey Guys! Today I wanted to share my labor and delivery story with you!

Check out my trimester recaps below:

1st: HERE

2nd: HERE

3rd: HERE

My due date was September 21, 2019. I was always convinced I would go 2-4 weeks early. My Mom went a month early with me and since I had a few health complications during my pregnancy, I was convinced. When I went in for my 36 week checkup, I was 1.5 cm dilated and my Doctor predicted he would be here in about 2 weeks, so 2 weeks early! I was excited and nervous!

Well 2 weeks passed, and at my 38 week checkup I was barely 2 cm so it didn’t seem like he was coming very soon. My doctor offered to do a membrane sweep to “speed things up” but I declined. I wanted my Son to come when he was ready.

Well, 2 more weeks went by and a couple days before my due date I went to the Doctor again and I was still only 2 cm dilated. She wasn’t worried and again offered a sweep but I declined. Since it wasn’t medically necessary I decided to let nature run its course.

The day before my due date I had a ton of cramping that felt like menstrual cramps. I thought they were contractions but they went away and on the day of my due date I felt fine. I guess Little Man was nice and comfy inside my belly.

My husband and I took the weekend to finish up any last minute things before he would come along. We did a lot of walking and resting and just hanging out with us and Bruce our dog. Any random pain I would get I would start Googling to see if it was the start of labor. My husband said he wishes he could ban me from Google lol.

Finally things started to progress. At 3 am Monday morning I woke up with cramping again. This cramping felt different though. It would start in my back and wrap around my abs really tight for a few seconds every 10 minutes or so. It wasn’t painful, yet, but definitely uncomfortable and very different then the cramping I had before.

Since it wasn’t super painful, I decided to just sleep on the couch as to not disturb my husband and see if they would go away on their own. When he got up around 6 am they were still happening. They weren’t getting worse pain wise, but also weren’t getting better. I sent him off to work and he took Bruce to boarding just in case this ended up being it.

I googled what contractions felt like and these seemed to be real. They start in the back and circle around the abs and get really tight then the pain goes away. It was nice since in between contractions I could rest and not be in pain.

At about 11 am everything stopped. I got a burst of energy and cleaned my entire house. I guess this is normal for some people and is part of nesting. My husband decided to come home around 1 and the contractions started back up again. They still weren’t painful but the tightness would stop me in my tracks.

We decided to go on a walk to help speed things along. I am not sure if it helped but it was nice to get out of the house and enjoy a beautiful day.

At about 5 pm, things started to get more intense. The contractions were coming about every 7 to 8 minutes and building in intensity so my husband and I decided to make and eat dinner just in case this was real and we would run out of time to eat.

By about 7 pm, they were getting pretty intense. I called the hospital and they told me to wait until the contractions are 5 minutes apart for 1 minute in length and for over 1 hour. By about 8:30 they were 6 min apart and lasting 2 minutes but the hospital still told me to wait. Finally at about 10 pm I had had enough. The contractions were so bad and painful I called and said they were 5 minutes apart and they told me to come on in.

Luckily we had our suitcases packed already (check out what I packed HERE) so we loaded up the car and hit the road. As soon as we got to the hospital they took me into the triage room where they are supposed to check and monitor you for about an hour to see if you really need to be checked in.

I barely got into the room and got checked and even though I was only 3 cm dilated the nurse acted like I was going to give birth soon so she rushed me into our room and called the anesthesiologist for my epidural. I got hooked up to the machine and the anesthesiologist came in.

They didn’t give me the option to wait as they said I was progressing quickly. I was actually pretty terrified to get the epidural because a needle going in my spine made me uncomfortable but honestly I didn’t even feel it. Within 15 minutes I couldn’t feel anything from my waist down and it was amazing. I felt awesome! The contraction pain immediately went away and I felt relaxed and warm.

The epidural for some reason slowed down my progression so I wasn’t dilating as quickly. This was at about midnight so the nurse set my husband and I up for the night and told us to get some rest. Since I couldn’t feel any pain I got a couple hours of sleep.

The only thing that kept going wrong was my blood pressure kept dropping and my heart rate kept racing. I have low blood pressure before and during pregnancy and at one point during the night my blood pressure was 88! My husband also didn’t get much sleep since the first night they only gave him an uncomfortable chair to sleep in. Luckily the next 2 nights they brought in a bed for him.

At about 5:30 am, I sent my husband to eat some breakfast, even though I couldn’t eat, and the doctor came in to break my water to speed up the process. At this point I was still feeling good but I was very hungry.

At about 10 or 11 am the scariest thing happened. I was about 9 cm dilated and preparing to start practice pushing and I could feel every contraction again. I started freaking out because it was very painful. I told the nurse something was wrong and the epidural must not be working and she at first didn’t believe me.

They checked my back and it was still in so she didn’t understand why I was feeling so much pain. Finally after insisting something was wrong, they checked my IV bag that the epidural medicine was hooked up to and saw that it was unhooked and had leaked all over the floor.

This must have been going on for hours because after I gave birth, I couldn’t feel my legs or anything for at least 4 hours. They called the anesthesiologist who rushed in to give me another bag and I felt relief again. Although after that scare, my husband and I were paranoid it would happen again so we would constantly check the connection every minute.

Finally I was 10 cm dilated and it was time to practice pushing. At this point I hadn’t eaten since 5 pm the night before and it was now noon. I was so hungry I didn’t have any energy to push. I also started throwing up. This meant I had to receive medicine and take a break from pushing. I took a little nap and at about 1 pm woke up ready to push again. But again I started throwing up and had to receive more medicine. I was begging for just 1 bite of food but wasn’t allowed.

Finally at about 1:30 it was time to get him out. I was feeling less nausea and I got the urge to push that they talk about. I started to push but since I had the epidural, I couldn’t really feel if I was pushing the correct way or not.

They offered a mirror for me to see and at first I didn’t want it since I thought it would be crazy to look at and make me more anxious but finally I said OK. You only have the mirror there for the practice pushes not the whole process and honestly it was amazing. I could see his head poking out along with his hair and it was so amazing to see. It helped motivate me for sure!

After about 45 min of practice pushing I couldn’t do it anymore. I was tired, hungry, baby’s heart rate was dropping, and I needed an oxygen mask. I physically couldn’t do it anymore. The nurses and doctors were so motivating and my amazing husband helped me push him out. When I felt the urge to push, I would curl up my entire body and my husband would put his arms around me and pull me up so I could push. It was a team effort and I don’t think I would have been able to do it without him.

At this point it was about 2:30 pm and my epidural beeped that it had less than an hour left. The nurse informed me they wouldn’t be refilling the bag so I mustered up all my strength and forced that baby out.

At 2:58 pm, my baby boy was born. Honestly that moment was a blur. There was no pain, but when he came out I fell like I blacked out. They placed him on my chest and my husband and I cried. After 36 hours of labor he was finally here and he was perfect. 40 weeks and 2 days later, my Luke Michael was finally in my arms.

My husband informed me of the next bit of information since I was so out of it. He said Luke had an abnormally long umbilical cord which I later found out could have caused a lot of complications but I am so thankful it didn’t. We also found out the reason it was taking so long was Luke was crooked and coming out crooked and finally turned at the last second as he was coming out so his head was a bit crooked but thankfully this went away within 2 days.

He also was a big boy at 8 lbs. 7 oz. I measured small my entire pregnancy and had to have an extra ultrasound to make sure he was growing correctly. I figured he would be barely 7 lbs. so having an 8 lb. baby was a shock! Since he was so big and came out crooked, I did have a 4th degree tear which is apparently the worst. Once I heard this I was a bit upset but I figured there was nothing I could do about it.

After we tried feeding and had about 2 hours of skin to skin, they wiped him off and swaddled him and I could finally order food to eat which made me very happy.

We stayed in the hospital for the next 2 nights as I tried to get the hang of breastfeeding as well as healing from my tear. I could barely move or stand up and my bathroom routine lasted almost 10 minutes each time. This made my husband and I extremely stressed to go home as I would obviously need to be able to move when I got home. I also started googling 4th degree tears and the results didn’t help much.

I must say after about 5 days I felt pretty much back to normal. I am 3 weeks post-partum today and still have a bit of bleeding and cramping but nothing compared to those first few days after birth.

I will have a blog post up about my post-partum must haves soon so stay tuned for that.

Now that we are 3 weeks in everything is starting to feel normal. I went to the doctor today and have lost 17 lbs and have about 13 more to go. I am not focusing on the numbers but how I feel and look and I feel like I look pretty great!

There are obviously highs and lows, and I cried more the first week than I had my whole pregnancy, but each day it is getting better. My husband is back to work full time, and I stay home with the dog and baby. I don’t know how Moms find the time to do everything each day such as feeding, pumping, taking care of themselves, eating, and socializing but I am determined to find the balance.

The other random thing that I have noticed since giving birth is my appetite is gone. I have a very high metabolism so I am used to being hungry and needing to eat every couple hours but since Luke’s birth I haven’t had much of an appetite. I force myself to eat but would rather sleep.

Overall, the experience was definitely memorable and I am so thankful that my baby and I came out happy, and healthy. I do miss my big old pregnant belly though and can’t wait until I have one again!

XOXO Channing