Planet Wise Wet Bag

As my first product review, I am really excited to talk about the Planet Wise Wet Bag.

The first thing that attracted me to these Planet Wise Wet Bags were their designs. I fell in love with the aqua swirl immediately and couldn't wait to own something with that pattern on it. After the initial "love at first site" from the pattern, I did some research and read the reviews. The reviews on these Planet Wise Wet Bags are great. I knew I needed to get one. Another bonus was that these bags are so cute that even when I don't need one for my kids, I can use it as a stylish way to handle all of my wet items, cosmetics, dirty laundry, garbage or basically anything wet/stinky/ or possibly messy. I even used mine to hold my shampoo and other hair products when I went on vacation. Thank goodness I did! My shampoo got squished in my luggage and leaked all over, but the leak stayed in the bag.


The bag is great for holding and transporting anything dirty or wet. Not only is it great for diapers (the bag hides the smell very well), but the bag was great for those lovely blow outs. My daughter can blow out of anything and we often need a place to store her soiled clothes until we could get them into the laundy. These bags are perfect for that. I got the small bag which holds 4-6 diapers. I also now know that it can hold about 4 onsies. They do offer a medium and large size which I will upgrade to when I re-purchase one.

According to Plant Wise, you can fill these bags with water, zip them up and squeeze them and no water will come out. Of course I had to try it and I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't leak a bit! I should have figured after my shampoo fiasco that they wouldn't. Even if you have wet yucky mess inside these bags, they are so easy to clean. I just throw mine in with the laundy and let them air dry.

The bags are very reasonably priced at about $10 - $20 depending on the size. However, consider the earth friendliness of not wasting plastic bags and the cost associated with using zip lock bags. These bags seem like a steal. Not to mention they seem durable enough to last years.

I can't wait to buy another one! I have noticed, however, that they have a wet/dry combo bag that has two compartments. One for dry items and one for wet items...I may have to give this newer version a try and see how it stacks up!

Postpartum Grieving..The Delivery That Didn't Go As Planned

You just had a baby! You should be totally 100% in love and happy right? Think again. Sometimes your birth does not go as expected and you go through a grieving process. Sounds a little crazy at first, but it is the case for many women. I went through a grieving process after my daughter was born.

I was 22 weeks pregnant and my baby was breech. They told me not to worry about it yet, but of course I knew at that point, the baby wasn't going to flip. At 32 weeks pregnant they still told me I had time for her to flip. I still knew at that point she wouldn't, but some small part of me believed that if I tried hard enough and prayed hard enough she would. I tried everything to flip her, from holding a flashlight on my belly, to doing handstands in the pool to putting headphones on my stomach. Nothing worked. I went into labor shortly after 37 weeks and delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl via c-section.

It sounds like things weren't bad right? I should have been happy that my baby was delivered safely and that she was healthy. The problem is, that the entire time I was pregnant and before I was pregnant, I was hoping for a medication-free natural delivery. I felt like it was something as a woman that my body should have been able to do. I went through a grieving process getting used to the idea that my birth was not how I had always imagined it. I was saddened at the idea that my husband did not get to participate the way he wanted and that he didn't get to cut the cord. There were a lot of things that I had set in my mind that would happen that didn't, and there was a part of me that was crushed because of it. Shortly after she was born, I was fine, but the coming weeks I felt ashamed and disappointed. I had to go through a grieving process to let go of what I thought should have happened.

I thought I was crazy being so upset about how things happened. I didn't even talk to my husband because he just kept saying "all that matters is that you and the baby came out of it healthy". Finally I talked to some girls in an online forum I belong to and learned that I was not alone. Many women went through the same feelings and post birth grieving process for different reasons. Some just imagined that the delivery would go a different way, some were traumatized by what had happened, and some just had a bad experience. There were even some women who were just like me, and some women who thought that their baby would come out and they would automatically fall in love. Sometimes that is not the case, and there is nothing wrong with that. Many of us just had to go through a post birth grieving process to get over what had disappointed us or what had gone a different way that we had imagined. Sometimes when you have a vivid idea of what is going to happen, and it doesn't happen that way, it is a huge let down.

Through the grieving process I learned that having a c-section does not make me less of a woman than a woman who delivered vaginally. THAT was my issue. I felt like less of a woman. My grief went deeper than just being sad about a c-section. It also helped me greatly to talk about it. Some people don't understand so don't be surprised if you get some weird looks or strange comments. Find a support group online or in person and talk about it.

Regardless it is completely normal to go through, though it isn't talked about often. It could however, be a sign of postpartum depression if it doesn't get better after 2 weeks of having your baby.

My best advice is to throw out the birth plan and take it as it comes. Of course make sure that anything you have strong feelings about is understood and known by your partner. Try to enjoy your birth for what it is and talk about it if it makes you sad.

My Mother-In-Law is Driving Me Nuts!

We all have those days when we want to scream this from the top of a mountain. I am sure we have all said this a few times...or more. Maybe it isn't your mother-in-law, maybe you want to scream that your mom, aunt, sister, or friend is driving you crazy. Today we are going to focus on in-laws...mother-in-laws specifically. Our in-laws as well as others sometimes get too involved too in our parenting or have too much input and it can drive you nuts! Often it is the mother-in-law that really drives you crazy. I think this stems from the relationship with a mother-in-law. You just aren't as comfortable or as close as you are to your own mother. You can't just tell them to stop intruding without hurting their feelings. This seems to be much easier with your own mother. But really, letting them get to you can make you feel like less of a parent or a bad parent. You should not feel like either. You are the best person to parent your own child.

There is nothing that makes you feel less like a good parent than having your mother or mother in law critique your parenting. Not to mention it drives you nuts and can put a major strain on your relationship.

We have all been there…"Are you going to put her in THAT?", "It is too cold for her", "are you sure you want to do it that way?". We have all heard it at one time or another, and this is one of my biggest pet peeves. Moms are always going to be moms, and they feel like they can step in at any time with their input. It may not even be your mom or mother-in-law. It turns out that when you are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, or have a baby, everyone has input and opinions.

Here are some ways to handle the dreaded opinions and inputs.

1. Listen to what they say, but do what you want. Hear the person out, but it doesn't mean you need to do it. Sometimes getting defensive causes more problems or refuting what they have to say causes conflict and sometimes additional stress that you don't need.

2. Tell them that you appreciate their advice, but that you have your own ideas about how you would like to do things. Mothers and Mother-in-Laws need to respect that you need to experience your life the way you want to.

Sometimes these things don't work, or you are so offended that you snap. Try to breathe and think before you speak. There are many times that if I said what I was actually thinking, I would have hurt my relationship with my Mother-in-law or the person giving me advice. I am one to listen to what they say but do what I want. I allow them to chatter all they want and then do as I please. After all, a mother knows what is best for her own child. Remember to trust your instincts and your feelings, and try to ignore those nagging comments that cause stress in your life.

Getting Pregnant...Relax!

I am not a doctor but I know that your body will not allow you to become pregnant if it cannot physically handle it. I know many women who have had a very hard time getting pregnant and when they stopped thinking about it and gave up, they concieved. Stressing out about becoming pregnant can cause your body to prevent itself from being pregnant. So my advice...relax, don't think about it and just have sex because you love your significant other, not just to make a baby.

Another basic thing that can prevent pregnancy is being overweight. Think about this. When you get pregnant your body focuses all of its efforts on taking care of your growing baby. This takes away from your health. Often, if your body is working extra hard because you have a few extra pounds, it can't focus on growing a baby. Sometimes you just need to loose a little extra weight and poof you become pregnant!

Of course this isn't the case for all women. These are just a couple things that can help. Doing these things doesn't guarantee a baby (nothing does, which yes, sucks). These are just a couple things that I have learned over the years that seem to work for friends and friends of friends. So relax, be healthy and happy baby making!

Bump, Birth, Baby!

After experiencing all these things myself, I found it beneficial to write a blog about all of the lovely things that go along with getting pregnant, pregnancy, birth and babies! I am gradually easing into using eco-friendly baby products as well as eco-friendly products in general. In this blog I will review baby products, pregnancy products, and mom products because I think it is necessary for us moms to stick together. I find that there is nothing better than a good recommendation or a good warning before spending money on something. Eco-friendly baby products and eco-friendly mom products are a few of my favorite topics and I love to share my experiences with others. I love to try out the latest products and I really love to talk about them!

I also find it therapeutic to read that other women experience the same things that I do. I am a real woman and I don't like to sugar coat things. I am always happy to get input and recommendations from others and am happy to discuss tough topics. Here topics including getting pregnant, pregnancy, birth and babies are all open for discussion. Topics including saving money are also discussed. Tips for anything and everything mom or baby related are always welcome!