Embracing the 4th Trimester

This post is sponsored by Ergobaby. Thank you for supporting brands that support this blog!

There is a lot of focus put on pregnancy and childbirth, but those three months after baby is born (aka the 4th Trimester) are just as important as the first three trimesters!

The Fourth Trimester is a time of recovery and bonding. You’ve just given birth so there is a period where you are spending a lot of time in bed and a lot of time feeding baby. Keeping baby close and skin-to-skin contact is very important during this time – for both mom and baby. Skin-to-skin contact releases oxytocin (the “love” hormone that promotes bonding) and also helps regulate those postpartum hormones!

Babywearing during the 4th Trimester

One of the best ways to keep your baby close during the 4th Trimester is to wear your baby! Babywearing allows you to have that closeness with your baby while keeping your hands free. Which is great if you need to get some chores done or chase after another child! One of the things I was worried about with transitioning from one to two kids was how I was going to be able to watch the new baby while running after my toddler!

Thankfully, babywearing is pretty popular now and there are a ton of options on the market – wraps, slings, structured carriers, soft carriers, etc. I had the opportunity to try out several types of carriers with my first baby. I really wanted to like the wrap baby carriers but I realized that it was just too much work to take the loooong piece of fabric and wrap it a million ways around your body and the baby. The sling was a little bit easier but I still felt like it took too much time to get the adjustments right. I realized I preferred the structured carriers where you could adjust the straps and then buckle them into place. I used a structured Ergobaby carrier with my first baby and it was great! I mainly used it to run errands and during travel because it felt sturdy and comfortable.

Why I Love the Ergobaby Embrace Carrier

Then I tried the Ergobaby Embrace Carrier and fell in love. It has the comfort of a wrap and simplicity of a structured carrier so I feel comfortable wearing it around the house as well as running errands. What I love most is that you don’t have to mess with wrapping and tying lots of fabric. I was able to adjust the straps the first time I put it on and then it was pretty much good to go for subsequent wears. The fabric is really soft and slightly stretchy so it feels similar to wearing a wrap, which is nice. But unlike a wrap or sling carrier it has a supportive waist belt and buckled straps that feel more secure. The Ergobaby Embrace is great for newborns but also works for older babies. I was using the Newborn Mode with Christian but he’s a little too big now so I’ve switched to Baby Facing In Mode. You can also use this carrier with your baby facing out and up to 25lbs!

Like I said above, the Ergobaby Embrace carrier is my favorite carrier out of all the options I’ve tried. It feels so comfortable – for both me and baby Christian! If Christian is fussy and wants to be held all the time, I put him in the Ergobaby Embrace and he calms down almost immediately. A couple more minutes in the Ergobaby Embrace and he falls asleep. It’s kind of like magic! I’m able to wear him around the house while I’m picking up and running after my toddler! Even if you are a first time mom and don’t have another little one to run after, the Ergobaby Embrace allows you to go hands free so you can get stuff done!

Swaddling for a Better Nights Sleep

Having a newborn is full of sleepless nights. Newborns naturally just wake up a lot! Plus, you have to feed them every couple of hours. But I’ve learned that having a good swaddle is a MUST for better sleep for babies – and mom! Before having my first baby, I really liked the idea of swaddling with a muslin blanket. However, after having my first baby I realized swaddling with a cloth is an art that I couldn’t really master. Babies are little escape artists! I had the hardest time keeping my baby’s arms in the swaddle. And I really didn’t like waking up in the middle of the night to re-swaddle the baby!

Ergobaby Swaddler

That’s why I love the Ergobaby Swaddler. It has unique “escape proof” arm pockets to keep those strong baby arms secure! It also has a patented hip positioner to keep baby comfortable throughout the night. I also love that you can do diaper changes without taking baby out of the swaddle due to the pouch design. All of these features mean that baby can sleep soundly and hopefully for longer stretches of time. And this swaddle gets bonus points for cute patterns to choose from!

Ergobaby is offering you a special deal! Get 20% off when you bundle Ergobaby Embrace and Swaddler!

Don’t Forget to Ask for Help

The newborn stage can be rough! Keeping baby close for lots of snuggles and making sure baby gets the best quality sleep definitely help. But even with all the right baby products the 4th Trimester can be really difficult. If you find yourself struggling don’t be afraid to reach out for help!

This post is sponsored by Ergobaby