Smartphone Apps for New Moms

In this day and age of technology there are apps for everything! Here are a list of free apps* that have made my life much easier:

1. iBaby. This app tracks all the activities your pediatrician will ask you in the first months of a baby's life, like feeding, peeing, pooping, and sleep. It also gives you week to week general information of where your baby should be on the growth and development. This app was a life saver for me, because I could never remember if it'd been two hours since I'd last nursed or how many pee diapers I'd changed in one day. This is a must have for all new mamas.
2. White Noise. Sleep gets majorly disrupted when baby arrives. Anything to help you get back to sleep between feedings or for a nap is golden. I used this app so many times for myself, but also for my daughter. It proved to be a lifesaver when I traveled with my daughter and she needed a nap. This allowed her to nap anywhere.
3. 7 Minute Workout. Once you're approved by your medical provider to begin exercising, this app is a great way to sneak in a workout when you feel like you can't hit the gym or don't have time to take an exercise class. It doesn't sound like much, but the first time I tried the 7-minute routine, I had my ass handed to me...
4. Skip Deep. This app is a great tool to checking how safe are the baby products and cosmetics you may be using. You can scan the bar code on the product and it will tell you give you a rating on the level of toxicity. We want to protect our families!
5. Red Cross First Aid. There are many Red Cross apps for each disaster, but downloading the First Aid important. Sometimes when an emergency situation comes up, having a quick reference can save a live. Since I live in earthquake country, I have the earthquake app on my phone. It notifies me when there is seismic activity in my area and if there should be a big one, it will notify where the nearest shelter is to my location. Plus Red Cross offers tips and how to plan for emergencies. Never hurts to be prepared.
6. Netflix. When you are stuck in the rocking chair with a sleeping baby at your breast, you'll be happy you've got access to your favorite shows.
7. Kindle or Nook. For the same reason you need Netflix, an e-reader app is a sanity saver for a new mama. No pages to turn and perfect for one hand use. 

 Go forth and be smart with your smartphone!

*All the links are listed for Android phones because that is what I have, but these are also available for iphone too. 

Captured Beauty

The last week has been really hard on me. Been functioning on 4-6 hours of sleep for almost two weeks while dealing with final edits for Urban Goddess Mama-to-Be (coming out at the end of this month!, working full-time through a new database conversion, and life in general. When life gets crazy like this, it's hard to remember the good stuff. Thank goodness my husband is a photographer and captured these precious moments of beauty.
Half of the time I feel like the shittiest mom on the planet, but then I see these pictures and am encouraged. Maybe I'm not so terrible. They inspire me to be the best that I can and not worry about the rest. As Mother's Day approaches my heart swells with love when I see the captured beauty in these photos. Enjoy.