It’s really overwhelming to be a first-time mom. There’s so many things to do… find the right care providers, fill up a registry, plan a nursery, take the right prenatals, eat good food, etc etc. It was overwhelming for me, but the one thing that helped was having other moms share what was helpful for them.

I want you to be able to refer to this list as a starting-point for providers and products in case you don’t have that veteran mom in your life to help you. Let me be your veteran mom friend. 🙂 I have personally used (or would use) all of these.

Care Providers

1. Prenatal Care – Birthing Center – The Midwife Center of Pittsburgh. After birthing at a local hospital with my first two boys, I knew I needed something else. The midwives here are incredible, and I really felt like they loved and cared for both my and my baby. I also felt empowered and that I could make the decisions that were right for me and my baby. I wasn’t pressured into anything I was uncomfortable with.
2. Home Birth Midwife – New Mercies Midwifery. I haven’t had a home birth, but if I ever do, I would 100% use Mary Claire. She’s the best of the best.
3. Doula – Golden Lotus Doula Services. Lisa was my doula and oh BOY – I would not have made it if not for her. She was a listening ear throughout all of pregnancy, proactively checking on me. She’s so knowledgeable and caring. Lisa books out far in advance. If you want to use her, text her as soon as you find out that you’re expecting!
4. Chriopractor, Massage Therapist, Acupuncture – LiveWell. It was a bit of a hike for me, but I went here for prenatal massages with Erica and adjustments with Webster certified Dr. Brie. I’m inclined to think that it all helped, because my labor with my third was my quickest (about 1.5 hours after contractions became regular!). They also offer acupuncture and I was able to use our HSA account.
5. Pelvic Floor Therapist – Pittsburgh Pelvic Health. I can’t say enough positive things about pelvic floor therapy. I was nervous going into it, but it really helped me regain pelvic floor strength after my third baby (and quickly).
6. Photographer. Me, of course. Birth photography coverage comes with a complimentary maternity session, and lifestyle newborn sessions are my jam. Don’t make the same mistake I did with my first two. I was too overwhelmed to think about pictures and now I don’t have beautiful pictures and I can’t remember those earliest days. Let me take the pressure off of you by documenting your precious baby.

Pregnancy Products

1. Magnesium Lotion by 8 Sheep Organics. I suffered from horrible restless legs during all 3 of my pregnancies. Literally the only thing that gave me any relief was this magnesium lotion from 8 Sheep Organics. I rubbed this on my legs before going to bed and it made my leg cramps completely disappear.
2. Belly Serum from 8 Sheep Organics. I rubbed this on my belly. While I still got stretch marks (hello genetics), I didn’t have a super itchy belly in late pregnancy.
3. Prenatal. Ritual has a great prenatal vitamin and choline supplement for pregnancy, which is great if you’re like me and hate eggs during pregnancy. Choline is a super important nutrient that supports your baby’s brain health (not a medical professional, but that’s what my midwives told me), so if you aren’t eating eggs every day, consider taking this as an alternative.
4. Pregnancy Pillow. I love this one from Momcozy. Honestly, I miss using this. I sleep so well when I’m surrounded by a giant cushion.

Baby Products

How many baby products do you really need? It’s less than you think. With so many products out there claiming to be the best, and as a mom who has tried e v e r y t h i n g… here’s the ones I LOVE.

1. Bassinet – Newton baby bassinet. My babies were quite large thanks to my 6’7” husband. This bassinet is the largest on the market, and I LOVE that the mattress and sides are completely breathable. The height is adjustable and it doesn’t have a super wide base. The side zips down, which is perfect for sleeping close to your babe. We were able to use this bassinet for several months until he started rolling.
2. Swaddles. None of my babies loved being swaddled, and they didn’t like being unswaddled either. I used these pre
   • Love to Dream. None of my babies loved being swaddled OR unswaddled. I found that I used these the most. It settles the Moro reflex a bit while keeping baby cozy and contained.
   • Lou Lou & Company. If traditional swaddle blankets are your thing, Lou Lou has the best. They’re large and stretchy which makes it easy to swaddle a baby without it coming undone or having baby escape.
3. Crib. There’s so many to choose from and so many different styles. The main thing is to find a crib with a solid back like this one. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to phish a pacifier from the floor between the wall and the crib in the middle of the night when I had a crib with slats on all sides.
4. Crib mattress. I will only use Greenguard Gold certified Newton Baby for this. Their mattresses are ultra breathable which reduces risk of suffocation and overheating. You can remove the cover and wash it, as well as spray the mattress off in the event of spills/addidents/leaks.
5. Sound machine – Hatch Baby Rest. The newest version sits on a base and hold about 8 hours of battery – which is perfect in the event of middle-of-the-night power outages. We’ve continued to use this as our oldest two have gotten bigger. We use the “okay to wake” feature (light turns blue at 7am) and (quiet) white noise for them still.
6. Clothes. Guys, there’s SO many clothes and I have seemingly tried them all. I love supporting small shops. These are my favorites!
   • Jamie Kay. Their clothes are organic cotton and hold up & wash SO well. I usually wait for a sale and then stock up, but I seriously love everything I’ve gotten from here and find myself reaching for these clothes over other ones.
   • Lou Lou & Company. I really love their rompers and blankets the most! I own and use all three different styles of blankets. I have an adult sized chenille blanket for myself and it’s my go-to always.
   • Shop SOVA. As a boy mom, I have a really hard time finding prints that aren’t tacky or ugly patterns. SOVA is seriously perfect for boy moms who want their boys to be stylish. They have baby sizes, but I use their clothes more often for my older boys.
7. Pacifiers. These Ryan & Rose ones. All 3 of my boys preferred the flat nipple over shaped ones. I think they can hold it in their mouths better that way. I love that these are so easy to clean and won’t collect mold anywhere. They offer a starter kit that has different shapes so you can figure out which one your baby likes the best! Some super crunchy moms will say to not offer a pacifier and that it’ll ruin breastfeeding or whatever. Just saying that I’ve found pacifiers to be extremely helpful, especially in the middle of the night.
8. Breast pump. Skip this if you’re exclusively breastfeeding. I always tried to get our babies used to a bottle so that I could be out for an evening if I needed to be (hello friends and owning a business). I’ve tried a couple of different pumps, but I like the Spectra s2 the best. Make sure you apply for a pump through your insurance to save $$!
9. Wipes. Water Wipes – these are the ones that have irritated our kids skin the least!
10. Diapers. Millie Moon has the softest, best disposable diapers. Maybe one day I’ll be crunchy enough to use cloth diapers… eh, who am I kidding, that will likely never happen.
11. Baby bottles. I prefer a glass bottle (goodbye microplastics), and my babies always seemed
12. Baby monitor. We love our Nanit monitor. Their breathing wear line is incredible. I really love their zip sleep sacks with breathing wear. It helps me sleep a lot better knowing that a monitor is tracking my baby’s breathing and will alert me if there’s an issue. I’ve never had a false alarm with this, unlike other competitors (like Owlet).
13. Parenting Books.
    • Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff. This is my favorite parenting book ever. The principles we learned from it have single-handedly helped us to have calm, (mostly) cooperative kids. Michaeleen is a former journalist with NPR who traveled to ancient cultures and documented what she learned about parenting from them.
    • The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson. This book talks about a lot of the brain science and development in small children. This book has helped me approach my children with a lot more understanding and patience.
    • No Drama Discipline. This is the practical follow up to The Whole-Brain Child and offers a lot of practical tips with disciplining your child.
    • Well Considered. The guide on making medical decisions that I wish I had 5 years ago.

There’s SO much more I could go into, but hopefully this will give you a start!