After finding out we were pregnant and we chose our doctor and decided on a hospital, we knew we wanted to go on a tour of the hospital so I began making a list of questions I wanted to ask while on our tour of the maternity ward and I also created a list of requests (crazy new mom much?). All jokes aside I do believe it is important to be prepared and to ask questions to know what to expect during your stay especially if your a new momma or your going to a new hospital than your previous births and to make a list of requests so your birthing experience is catered to you and your family, as it should be.

Side Note: These requests will be apart of your birth plan but I wanted to bring some up during the tour to make sure the hospital I chose would be accommodating.


So what were the questions I asked?

Side Note: I also make a list of questions in my phone for our doctors before appointments and it sometimes helps to remember what to bring up to your doctor. As a new parent, we freak out about every little thing but we are also sleep deprived and may be too busy calming our little baby during an appointment, these questions or concerns may slip our mind but if they are written down, you are more likely to remember to ask.

What is the estimated cost of  a natural vaginal birth?

It's good to know in advance how much you are going to have to fork out especially if you need more time to save up to make the payment. Also, ask about a payment plan!

1. Maternity leggings, where have you been all my life? How did I go through most of my pregnancy without thee?? Its crazy, I barley bought these now at 35 weeks pregnant. Don't be me, buy them as soon as you can. THEY. ARE. WORTH. IT. I thought I could get by wearing my regular leggings during pregnancy which I did but they weren't comfortable. And this is an item a lot of women suggest to buy but I didn't want to spend the money when I already had leggings. This is an item I wish someone would have slapped me in the face with and forced me to buy. Now you don't have to go all out and buy the name brand maternity leggings or whatever, since the Wal Mart ones seem to do what they are intended to do and for under $13, well why not. Maternity Motherhood charges between $25 - $30 for leggings, unless you find some on clearance they can be about the same price as Wal Mart's leggings. I purchased my leggings from Wal Mart and I am very happy with them, I was able to buy my pre-pregnancy size and they fit perfectly on me. Again, you do you, if you don't mind spending the extra money for another brand than whatever just make sure you have maternity leggings in your pregnancy wardrobe.

2. A comfortable bra. It doesn't have to be a maternity bra or a nursing bra, just a comfortable stretchy bra. I have had the BCG sports bra from Academy before pregnancy and loved it than but I love it even more during pregnancy. It leaves me with room without constricting my rib cage and making it hard to breath and its affordable (under $17). I have read many articles, blogs, and books that suggest buying maternity bras or nursing bras at the beginning of pregnancy and others suggesting at the end of pregnancy and even others saying wait a few weeks after having the baby before buying a nursing bra. Again, I didn't want to spend the money on bras so I just rotated my sports bras and my regular bras. Sports bras were my favorite to wear as there is no under-wire and the BCG bra has the cami-type straps so you don't have to worry about the straps being visible like with typical sports bras. So whatever you decide to do, just make sure it is comfortable.

3. The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. Most people tell you to buy the What to Expect When Your Expecting book which is also a good book to have but you can easily find the same information on google or a pregnancy app. Most of the time, it was easier pulling up my BabyBump app and reading their short Daily Tip and Weekly Information than it was to read a few pages in the Expecting book. It is basically the same information just condensed in the app but still a good read just not a Must-Have in my opinion whereas the Thinking Woman book is a MUST must-have. I suggest buying this book as soon as you find out your pregnant (under $15). This book goes through all your options during labor and delivery including epidurals, inducing labor, IVs, cesareans, etc. The author Henci Goer, brings the facts, side effects, statistics, etc. about each procedure and lists the pros and cons on everything she covers. It really helps you decided on the best decision and to create a birth plan early on that fits you and your family best. And by getting this book early on and reading it, helps you make an informed decision about the type of doctor or midwife you want to deliver your baby and where you want to deliver your baby. Yes, you can easily ask your doctor about these procedures but most doctors have a set way they like to do things so they will make a procedure seem perfectly normal or harmless to you and the baby whereas Goer shows every side of each procedure. So I say this book is non-negotiable, you have to buy this and actually read it. That's an order. Just kidding but really, the book is very informational and is sure to prepare you to make informed decisions for you and your growing family.

And that my friends, is my version of pregnancy must-haves and each item is actually affordable (under $20). To be fair, I did not list any of the sales prices for these items so you may actually be able to find these items cheaper.

Do you agree with my must-haves? What is on your list of pregnancy must-haves?

Shortly after dinner, I begin to run my bath water while I use the restroom.  Once I am in the tub soaking, I watch my subscriptions on YouTube and this will last for about 20 to 30 minutes before I get restless.

At this point, I enter the shower (I only soak in the tub and do not cleanse while in the tub because its hard to wash my hair so just imagine the whale found on the Galveston shore) and do my shower thing, self explanatory I think. I exit the shower and dry my body off and wrap my hair in the towel, apply deodorant, moisturize my face and clean my ears. I personally don't feel dry even after drying off with a towel so I will sit in front of the fan for about 20 or 30 minutes, sometimes less. After I feel dry enough, I remove the towel from my hair and begin my nightly hair routine.

I than go to the restroom again and will begin the winding down process of getting comfortable. During this time, most nights, Anthony and I will do our relaxing techniques we have been learning in our birthing class which is basically me in a comfortable position and he rubs me down making sure all my muscles are relaxed (before we started this, I use to do yoga poses and stretches which also helped with my restless leg pains, I just have been to lazy to keep up with doing both things but I think I should start my yoga back up). Once I start getting restless again, Anthony gets ready for bed while I go to the restroom again and I will attempt to fall asleep. 

Side Note: I try to go to the restroom multiple times before actually attempting to fall asleep to prevent waking up so much during the middle of the night however if I don't drink enough water (I typically drink 3 bottles and that seems to be the right amount for me) during the day, I try to drink at least 1 bottle an hour before bedtime and that will keep me going to the restroom all night but I don't feel dehydrated waking up. So it's best for me to drink my water throughout the day, way before bedtime, so I only end up getting up once for the restroom in the middle of the night.

And that my friends is my nighttime routine, it typically takes about 4 hours to do but I do everything at a snail pace and sometimes things come up in between each stage like taking dogs out, playing on my phone, working on blog stuff or ebay stuff, etc.

What did your nighttime routine look like when you were pregnant? And what is it like now as a parent? Any tips for this mama to be?

2. Textbroker - This company is a freelance writing company and the one I was most excited about however I was very disappointed. When you apply, you submit a writing sample that will be rated from 2 stars to 5 stars, depending on your rating depends on the pay you receive. The higher your rating the more pay and the more assignments available to you whereas the lower the rating, less pay and less assignments available. Once you have written multiple articles with this company, your rating is based on the average of your last 5 assignments. This is the disappointing part, I joined textbroker in the beginning of November, I was rated 3 stars with my sample writing. I honestly have no idea how I scored low but I pushed through because I can make up my rating by submitting really good articles. There are barley any articles available for 2 stars or 3 stars writers and the ones that are available just don't interest me but I still pushed through so I can boost my rating and write about good content however the editors of textbroker have yet to rate my articles and it has been 2 months. If you get a high rating with your sample writing, maybe you will enjoy this freelance writing gig but I have given up on it. The other thing is, in order to get paid, you do have to submit an IRS form which you do with any job but I wanted to wait until I reached a decent amount of money before submitting personal information and as I only have $3.33, I have not done so, so I cannot say if this company is fully legit. I did read reviews that others have received money from them but they were just as unsatisfied about the rating thing as I was.

3. Receipt Hog - This app is really neat and basically free money. You take pictures of your receipts and earn coins from any store that sells groceries, health items, beauty products, etc. such as Target, Kroger, Wal Mart, Petsmart, Raceway, etc. Depending on the amount you spent at the store determines how many coins you earn. You can redeem your coins for either a PayPal payout or you can redeem an Amazon Gift Card (1000 coins=$5, 1800 coins=$10, 3200 coins=$20 and 4500 coins=$30). Again, this is not a get rich scheme, just a little extra money in your pocket. If you do sign up and use my referral code fot39693 I earn extra spins at the Hog Slots.

4. Ibotta - I really don't have much to say about this app as I only used it for 10 minutes before giving up. I just didn't like the fact of how much effort it took. With Receipt Hog, I just snap a picture of my receipt and I am good to go, Ibotta offers coupons on items but you have to search for the ones you want and you have to submit your receipt and take a picture of the item you are trying to get qualified or something like that. It sounds simpler written down but actually searching their app was difficult. Also, if you do sign up and decide you don't like it be sure to contact Ibotta telling them you want to cancel your account or else you will be charged for inactivity (something else I didn't like). There is not a cancel option, you have to actually contact them via email.

5. eBay - This is where I have had most of my success thus far. I sell items we no longer need or want or have yet to use. Make sure to take good quality pictures as that is what attracts buyers. Also, do your research on shipping cost, its not that hard to figure out but you don't educate yourself on it you can lose money, something I had to learn my first month selling on eBay. The items I have sold range from used clothes (that are still in great condition and are name brand such as Under Armor, Nike, Adidas, etc.) watches, shoes, activity trackers, Pokemon cards, Nintendo 64 games and accessories. Basically stuff we don't use or need that is laying around taking up space.

6. Craigslist - I sell items here, that I am not able to sell on eBay such as old TVs, laptops, furniture etc. I just don't want to deal with trying to ship a 42 in TV or a dresser so I choose to sell items locally through Craigslist.

7. Local classifieds - Same as above and I also list our puppies in the local classifies when we have litters.

8. Blogging - I have been blogging off and on for about 5, maybe 6 years but I have never tried or really knew how to make money with blogging. Its something I am still learning and we will see how much extra income I can bring in by doing something I already do and enjoy.

9. YouTube - Same as above, I have posted videos sporadically through the years mostly of our dogs and just learned you can make money off your videos if its original content. This last litter of puppies we had, I posted daily videos of them before learning about monetization. I have now monetized all my videos so we shall see what kind of income this will bring in for me.

And that folks, is what I have tried so far. Am I ready to quit my day job today? Um, no unless Little Love decides to come early than I have no choice but no I do not. All these extra income jobs, gigs, hobbies or whatever, take time and some only give you extra change but it's extra change you didn't have. So for the third time, these are not get-rich schemes just little things you can do for extra money.

Sharing at: Made In a Day, Remodelacholic  and A Life in Balance