BR&Bébé

All things pregnancy & newborn!

Good morning, readers! As I near the end of my third pregnancy (due with baby boy #3 at the end of April), I thought I would answer some of the most frequently asked questions from my DMs in one place. I try to keep mom content to a minimum on Instagram because I am no authority (and definitely no mommy blogger!) and want to make sure BR&B stays heavy on the B.R.A.D.s and light on the breast pumps 🤪.

So, this newsletter will serve as the landing page for all my pregnancy and newborn favorites! I’m covering pregnancy must-haves, what’s in my hospital bag, things that get me through the newborn months, and, of course, books. I also tapped Elizabeth Czapski, my editor and a mom of two, for some of her recommendations!

As with anything I recommend, but especially baby stuff, I am no expert! I have no qualifications besides having three kids in quick succession. These are just my opinions! Please comment if you have questions, want other specific recs, or need clarification. I am happy to help!

I feel like you only get to see me from the neck up on Instagram—here I am today!

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Pregnancy is magical, and it often sucks. And you will probably experience both emotions every day. Either way, no one deserves a little treat more than you!

• I watched a TikTok in which Sofia Richie shared her pregnancy favorites, and she raved about this pregnancy pillow so much, I ordered one while pregnant with baby #2. It is my obsession. I love it so deeply, I never stopped using it between baby #2 and baby #3!

• My understanding is that stretch marks are largely hereditary, and it’s not totally proven that any product claiming to combat them actually does anything. I have not yet gotten stretch marks (and I gain twice the recommended weight each pregnancy), so I don’t know if I have my mom to thank or this Hatch Belly Oil that I am religious about applying every night after the shower. Truly—I apply this from the day I take a positive pregnancy test to the day I am in labor.

• From Elizabeth: On this note, I have to recommend this magnesium Sleepy Body Lotion. A friend gifted it to me during my first pregnancy, and it is the most soothing thing to use on an achy back or feet before bed—and even better if it is applied via a massage from your husband.

• I am no doctor, but this antacid blows Tums out of the water in terms of taste and results.

• Drinking water is essential while pregnant, and sometimes it’s the last thing you want to do. Reward yourself for hydrating with a cute water bottle.

• I am sure all belly bands are created equal, but this is the one I have. It just helps hold your big belly up in your late third trimester and makes a big difference if you feel a lot of pressure on your pelvis. For what it’s worth, I have the cream color and wish I’d gotten black instead, so it would blend in better with my clothes.

Maternity Wear

• If I only bought maternity gear from one place, it would be Beyond Yoga. Their butter-soft material is SO good, and I feel my best and most comfortable in their activewear! My three go-tos are their leggings, crew pullover, and short-sleeve tee.

• Basic Tees:

  • Skims makes a really tight but long maternity tee that will cover your belly. The long-sleeve version was probably my most-worn tee this pregnancy. I spent a good chunk of time looking for a dupe with no luck!

  • I like Quince maternity tees for a looser fit.

  • H&M’s maternity ribbed tees are also excellent (long-sleeve | short-sleeve). I also like the tanks.

• For denim, I like the Paige Anessa Maternity Wide Leg Jeans (I am curious about these Paige jeans, but I’m too late in my pregnancy to try them). I also wear these DL1961 Patti Straight Maternity Ankle Jeans a lot. I know those are pricey—I used to love this H&M option, but by the end of the pregnancy, they were so saggy and falling off my hips. Might just be me! I take my pre-pregnancy size in Paige, size up in DL1961, and size down in H&M.

• Hatch’s Bodyflex Perfect Pants are basically sweatpants that look a bit dressier. If I was still working in an office, I would wear them every day.

• Quince makes great maternity overalls—take your pre-pregnancy size.

• If you’re in need of a dress for an occasion, the Scarlett Nap Dress is not maternity, but I find it to be super flattering while pregnant. Honestly, Hill House Home has so many great dress options that work all pregnancy long.

• If you treat yourself to one thing this pregnancy, let it be Lake maternity pajamas. They double as nursing PJs, and I wear mine long after having the baby. I am all for wearing your husband’s oversized shirts and sweats, but nothing beats the feeling of a matching set! This is my favorite style, but the kimono style is a close second and really convenient for the breastfeeding days. If you are looking for non-maternity PJs that will work for you through your pregnancy, I really love the Negative Whipped Track Pants. I do find them to be a little see-through, so I recommend choosing a darker color.

  • From Elizabeth: I must second the Lake maternity pajamas! I wear mine pregnant, postpartum, and well beyond—but they’re what I’m wearing at least 75 percent of the time (night or day) during the first few newborn months. You just can’t beat the comfort and convenience for nursing! I have and love both of Katie’s recs, but gravitate toward the nightgown in the earliest postpartum days. I actually wrote a story about the brand during my first pregnancy, and its origin comes from the founders’ own sweet, sleepy season of new motherhood.

• I wear this black bra by Thirdlove almost every day. It gives you a good lift without the torture of underwire!

• By the third trimester, I can’t tie my shoes. Rothy’s clogs and On slip-on sneakers are my saving grace.

• Compression socks are a must for long car rides or flights, and Bombas are my top pick.

People have lots of opinions on how much or how little you should bring to the hospital. Don’t let anyone make you feel any particular way about it—pack what makes you feel comfortable, and know there is no wrong decision! This is what I will be packing for baby #3.

• Everything goes in a duffle bag, and this is the one I brought for my last trip to L&D.

• A portable white noise machine—so I can sleep! I have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and that lifestyle is white noise roaring in my ears.

• I bring my stroller fan, and I blast it in my face during birth and beyond when I am hot in the hospital room!

• I use this little egg night light for middle-of-the-night feedings at home and take it to the hospital to avoid the dreaded 2 a.m. overhead light.

• An extra-long phone charger.

• Two outfits for baby. This will be one of them.

• A baby blanket. I like Little Giraffe and Barefoot Dreams.

• I’m packing this Eberjey nightgown and this Target dupe. Eberjey is nicer and what I bought for baby #1, but the Target version is very similar and what I bought for baby #2. I like having fresh PJs each night of the hospital stay. Changing into clean PJs is like a religious experience.

• An eye mask for all the light in that dang room (if you’re worried about losing your BR&B eye mask, Quince makes a great one for $19).

• A blanket for comfort from home.

• The Boppy nursing pillow. I cannot breastfeed without it (I mean, I can—but I don’t want to!).

• My toiletry bag with supplies for face washing and tooth brushing—and that’s it.

• Flip-flops for the shower. Just find the cheapest ones possible, as you’ll want to toss them after!

• Aquaphor for the lips.

• My trusty water bottle.

• A going-home outfit for myself. Last time it was these Vuori joggers with this zip-up hoodie.

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• I got a SNOO bassinet for my first baby (I found it at the Crate & Barrel outlet!), and I really have nothing positive or negative to say about it. I know people have strong feelings—I am just not one of them! I used the rocking feature for baby #1 and never turned it on for baby #2. One thing to note is that you can also rent them.

• I have taken the hospital classes, watched many videos, and still cannot swaddle a baby. These are all that have worked for me.

  • From Elizabeth: I think swaddling is an undoable urban legend. I also think I tried every swaddle/sleep sack on the market with my first baby, and I am an evangelist for these two if you find yourself with a maniacal little escape artist: ergoPouch and Happiest Baby

• I use Hatch for white noise. I normally hate when there’s an app for things that feel like they don’t need an app (I am looking at you, dishwasher!), but being able to remotely turn off the white noise when it’s time for baby to wake is a game changer for me! This is what I got for baby #3.

• I love my Nanit baby monitor. It uses WiFi, and you can access the video feed via the app on your phone and iPad (it does drain the battery) or with this little touchscreen display they just came out with that I bought immediately. If you want a non-WiFi option, Infant Optics is great. I originally registered for this, but then I succumbed to the desire to be able to check the baby on my phone. Infant Optics is so easy for travel, though, because you don’t connect to WiFi. You don’t need both—I am just not fiscally responsible!

• The SlumberPod is the most controversial thing on this list, if you ask my mom 🤪. It is essentially a tent that goes over a travel crib so your baby can sleep, and you don’t have to silently stumble around in the dark if you’re sharing a room. We have used it for every single trip (I even check it in a bag for air travel!) since having kids. It fits over pack-and-plays and even mini cribs.

• I am really passionate about the Doona. It was great for my first, but it especially shined with baby #2 because it made getting out of the house so much easier.

• In terms of strollers, my number one rec is a jogging stroller. I haven’t jogged in a decade, but I live near a lot of trails that really require a jogging stroller. The ride is so much smoother for mom and baby. I have this double Thule, and I love it. I use the bassinet attachment when baby is little.

• I am also obsessed with my Nuna travel stroller. It is so easy to fold, and I think it’s more comfortable than other travel strollers out there.

• I typically use a diaper bag only for the first few months of baby’s life, and then I transition to a big tote with a bunch of pouches inside. My husband, however, wants a diaper bag when he has the kids. We have the Dange Dover diaper backpack. I just got the Beis backpack (look at this cute paci holder) and the stroller caddy to try. Will report back!

  • From Elizabeth: I also got tired of carrying around my diaper bag (though I do still love it!) after a while and returned to my large tote purse with this insert.

• The more kids I have, the more I wear the baby. The Solly Baby wrap has a bit of a learning curve, but it’s the best for newborns, in my opinion. I splurged on an Artipoppe baby carrier for my first and love it to this day, but I’ve heard great things about the Mabe carrier, which is just as cute and significantly more affordable!

• The Lovevery Play Gym is a huge hit at our house. My babies have the best time flopping around on it. I also really like the Play Kits subscription for the first year. The toys are so well made, and it’s fun to get new educational things for them to play with every month.

• The only way I shower for the first months of baby’s life is the BabyBjorn bouncer and its accompanying activity bar.

• From Elizabeth: I was very devoted to the Hatch Grow app with both my babies. You can track feedings, diapers, sleep and more—and it’s free! It connects to the Hatch Grow Smart Changing Pad and Scale, which lets you easily record baby’s weight during diaper changes and can really help with peace of mind in the newborn days.

• I will be doing a partnership with Nutrafol, but this is not an ad! I spent years thinking hair supplements were just good marketing, but after losing a lot of hair with baby #1, I tried this out with baby #2 and saw a marked difference. This will give you back the hair you had before pregnancy. I started taking it in the hospital and continued until I was about nine months postpartum and had no issues weaning off it.

Feeding Favorites

I’ve breastfed both of my kids for a year, so I feel like I know what works breastfeeding-wise for me, but it is SO personal. I totally believe fed is best, and a big reason I breastfeed is because I am too lazy to wash a lot of bottles!

• This is my favorite lounge-around-the-house nursing bra. FYI, it is just a nursing bra—not a pumping bra. I love Spanx’s nursing bra (it gives a great lift!), but it seems they might have discontinued it. Could this be true!?

  • From Elizabeth: I discovered the Larken X nursing and pumping bra when my second baby was around seven or eight months, and I almost didn’t buy it because I wasn’t sure it would be worth trying something new in the time I had left breastfeeding her. IT WAS. This bra was life-changing for me as someone who both nursed and pumped most days. It is so comfortable and not clunky and ugly—all feats for a combo bra.

• The Amma nursing cover is my go-to. Quince has a similar, less expensive one.

• As mentioned above, I have, love, and travel with (when roadtripping) the Boppy nursing pillow. (From Elizabeth: I even haul mine on the plane!)

• I use the Spectra S1 breast pump. This is the rechargeable version, so you aren’t tied to an outlet the whole time you’re pumping. I lug this thing everywhere (like when I interviewed Justin Baldoni about It Ends with Us). In my opinion, it is the most powerful portable pump on the market.

  

• From Elizabeth: For the early breastfeeding days, I swear by this nipple butter, these gel pads for in between nursing sessions (store them in the fridge so they’re extra soothing), and nipple shields (they get some hate but were the reason breastfeeding worked out for me after a lot of struggles). I also have to recommend the Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro. I got this with my second baby, and even just using it for pump parts (it fits Spectra S1 parts) and the occasional bottle, it was such a game changer. If you’re bottle feeding at all, I consider it a no brainer! It is an absolute behemoth on the counter, and we had a very small kitchen at the time, but I had no regrets.

• I have tried so many apps, but my favorite—and the only one I still pay for—is Solid Starts. It’s so easy to use. When my kids were learning to eat, if I had a cucumber in the fridge, I would type “cucumber” into the app, and it would tell me exactly how to serve it based on baby’s age!

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I honestly didn’t do a lot of baby-prep reading before having kids. Instead, I went to the baby classes at my hospital and took a Taking Cara Babies online sleep course! This more hands-on prep really helped my husband and me, who knew virtually nothing about babies between the two of us. Here are the books I did read:

• Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman is a quick read from the perspective of an American mother and journalist who had a baby in Paris. It’s a fun and refreshing parenting book where she shares what she learned from observing French parents and their children. I took what worked for me and left the rest! Find my review here.

• After having my first, I started to finally understand all the conversations I had heard about women’s mental load and the invisible labor of running a household. I picked up How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn because, honestly, I loved the title—but lucky for me, the book was packed with actionable advice, and the author’s writing style was enjoyable with good humor. Find my review here.

• I then went on to listen to Fair Play by Eve Rodsky, another book about dividing up domestic responsibilities to avoid the pitfall of a “shefault” parent. There’s even a companion conversation card deck!

• A good friend of mine gave my husband Home Game by Michael Lewis. Known for Moneyball, The Blind Side, and many more gripping nonfiction stories, Michael wrote this parenting book back in 2010, and it holds up today. My husband loved it.

• Poems of Parenting by Loryn Brantz is funny and relatable through the newborn days and beyond.

  

  A Loryn classic!

• The poems in Same by Hannah Rosenberg touch on parenthood, friendship, and more. I sent a copy to my cousin right before she had a baby, and she keeps it in the nursery so she can thumb through it.

• Moms on Call by Laura Hunter and Jennifer Walker: This was a great framework for expectant moms like me who felt they knew absolutely nothing about babies. I didn’t follow any of the schedules stringently (though I have friends who swear by them!), but it was a good general reference guide to have on hand. (Like Katie mentioned above, we also did a Taking Cara Babies course and loved it! I’m a big fan of wake windows compared to the strict schedules of MOC.)

• Good Inside by Becky Kennedy: I’m sure most of you are at least somewhat familiar with Dr. Becky at this point! I like her overall parenting philosophy that prioritizes connection and communication. This book was packed, and as Katie said about Bringing Up Bebe, some worked for me and some didn’t—but it definitely had some helpful takeaways.

• How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber and Julie King: This was actually published back in 2017 (with an original for parenting older kids dating back to 1980), but a lot of the advice mirrored Good Inside as far as a focus on respectful, empathetic communication. Again, I’m not endorsing everything in it, but I felt like I got a lot out of it.

• Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley: I recently mentioned this one in January’s Bubbly Bulletin! It does have a Christian framework, but even if that’s not something you’re looking for, it is so full of basic but eye-opening, practical parenting wisdom. The chapters cover daily family routines from waking to bedtime—some hit on habits you know you should have, but with compelling and logical reasoning you might not have considered, and some were new-to-me ideas. It’s all rooted in getting beyond the chaos of daily life and creating meaningful habits ultimately rooted in love.

• Modern Motherhood by Riley Sheehey: I got two prints from this series inspired by Delft tiles and the sweet everyday moments of motherhood for my daughter’s nursery (a beach scene and a reading scene, actually!). Shortly after, Riley came out with this book of the whole collection, so I ordered it immediately. Katie generously gifted me a copy too, so I then gifted mine to my sister who was pregnant with her first at the time!

• Memory books: On a slightly different parenting bookish note, these are the two photobook apps that have given me easy access to so many memories of life with our kids!

  • The Short Years: I randomly hate the act of writing anything by hand (maybe it’s a lefty thing?!), so I loved this baby book app with daily prompts for info and photos that printed and shipped chapters directly to me as I completed them. The pages come hole punched and ready to go in a pretty, personalized linen book.

  • Chatbooks: Their Monthbooks subscriptions are such a simple way to get consistent physical photos in your hands! My first got both TSY and these monthly books. My second has only gotten these so far 😬.

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• Newborn eyes love high-contrast books!

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?: Two classics and a couple of my kids’ favorite books.

• The Little Blue Truck series: Great illustrations and the sweetest stories. We read one every single day!

• The Pout-Pout Fish: So fun to read and soon to be a movie adaptation.

• Giraffes Can’t Dance: Funny, heartwarming, and stunningly illustrated.

• If your kids are anything like mine, their number-one goal when they reach a certain age is to tear all books apart. These indestructible books are the best! The Sesame Street ones are our favorite.

• I love the colors in this Peekaboo book, and the babies love the flaps and mirrors.

• Tiny “library” board book sets: My kids have spent so much time with this one from the The Very Hungry Caterpillar world, and I recently found this beautiful set I gave to my sister with her baby shower gift.

• Baby Belluga, Down by the Bay, and Wheels on the Bus: All three of these are classics in our house! They love that the books can be read or sung, and especially loved the singing as babies.

• Good Night Our World books: I love collecting these editions that feel specific or special to our family—places we’ve lived and things everyone loves.

• Maisy books: We discovered these at the library, and I eventually had to buy every one we checked out because my kids couldn’t bear to part with them. Their top picks include Maisy’s Recycling Truck and Maisy’s Ambulance.

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BR&B Kindle cover from page.

I hear from so many moms who get in a reading slump after having babies. It makes sense! You’re exhausted, sleep deprived, and feeling all out of whack. My first tip is to avoid putting too much pressure on yourself! Find a show you love and binge it—you will return to your reading ways when the time is right. If you are in the mood to read, I find that having a Kindle really helps, as it makes it easiest to feed and read at the same time. For me, every middle-of-the-night feeding in those early days is a party of three: my baby, my Kindle, and me! When I’m in a phase of feeding nonstop throughout the night, I sometimes save a book I’m very excited about and only let myself read it at night—as a little treat to look forward to.

In terms of what I normally read postpartum, I am nuts and like a mafia BRAD or any sort of BRAD with a crazy premise. I need it to be wacky enough to keep me entertained and awake without requiring too much brainpower. I also love recommending Sarah Adams’ books for the postpartum days, because they’re normally light romances that don’t deal with any subject matter that gets too heavy (if that piques your interest, check out more on her here!).

Inspired by Elizabeth, who thought it would be fun to share the specific books we actually read immediately after having our babies, I looked back and found my first three reads that followed baby #2:

• The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley: The perfect escapist European vacation. Find my review here.

• Wild Love by Elsie Silver: Such a good BRAD (book one of the Rose Hill series). Find my review here.

• Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver: The unhinged follow-up to the even more unhinged Butcher & Blackbird. Find my review here.

If you’re a first-time mom, my reading history should give you comfort. You remain who you are after the baby arrives! I remember getting on Instagram and talking about how I didn’t even know who I’d be/what I’d want to read after having my first kid. I think I imagined myself exchanging my BRADs for Brene Browns (love her, but I am a BRAD girl at heart!), and I take both pleasure and pride in my reading history.

Elizabeth’s Postpartum Reads:

• Baby #1- Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (Katie’s review here): This is Katie’s favorite Alice book, and though I am a HUGE fan of the author, I’ve always thought of this as one of my lesser favorites… Well, perhaps that is because it was the first book I read as an overwhelmed first-time mom! At that time in my life, I was a pretty exclusive thriller reader, so I don’t remember it bothering me emotionally (I did accidentally pick up a few in that first month or two that were not thoughtful selections for myself, including A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (didn’t enjoy), Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier (excellent book, just poor personal timing), and The Push by Ashley Audrain (probably crazy at any time, but especially postpartum—this one really sticks with you). Now that I read much happier books, I would definitely recommend steering toward light and fun in this stage!

• Baby #2- People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (Katie’s review here): Leading up to this movie release, I was confused by how vague my memories of reading the book felt, even though I knew I’d read it fairly recently. I started my Emily Henry journey with Happy Place when it came out in 2023 and read the rest of her books that were available at the time throughout that year. This was my final outstanding one, and it is apparently what I started right after having my daughter. So, while this seems like a better postpartum choice than a crazy thriller, maybe it doesn’t really matter what you choose because it will be relegated to the hazy abyss of your sleep-starved postpartum brain! I will say that I started my holiday reading just a couple weeks later and do have wonderful, cozy memories of that (specifically of Snowed In by Catherine Walsh and The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart), so the memory loss is short-lived!

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That’s all from me and my baby tips! Take what helps and ditch the rest. Whatever you’re doing/buying/reading is already perfect. You are (or will be) a great mom!