TotLogic Diaper Balm #review and #giveaway, part of the Bringing Home Baby Giveaway Hop!! #BHbaby US only, ends 9/23

Is there anything more precious than welcoming a new baby into your life? In celebration of the joys that come from having a new baby we are celebrating by joining the Bringing Home Baby Giveaway Hop hosted by The Frugal Greenish Mama and Life as Leels! Each blogger participating in this giveaway hop is offering a fabulous prize for Mama or Baby valued at a minimum of $25. Be sure to hop around and enter them all, including our two Grand Prize packages valued at $274 and $557!

Two of our readers will win fabulous prize packages!

The first grand prize giveaway package focuses on all things baby! Who knew something so small could need so much? This amazing package includes an Ingenuity Washable Playard with Dream Center in Sahara Burst, Boba 3G Carrier, Tiny Love Gymini Bouncer, Svan Child Totseat, Moraki Cloth Diaper, Rockin Green Laundry Soap , a pair of adorable Pediped Originals shoes, Lillie by Bebe au Lait Hooded Towel, 2 Red Hens Rooster Diaper Bag, Dolphin Organics Travel Set, MAM pacifiers and teether and a Halo Sleepsack Swaddle.

The second grand prize package focuses all on Mama! It is valued at $274 and includes a set of nursing clips from Glamourmom, a $35 Lamaze Intimates gift certificate, $25 Pink Blush Maternity Gift Certificate, a Loving Moments Nursing bra, Milk Makers & Bumpboosters cookies, Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover, Earth Mama Angel Baby Postpartum Package and a way for Mama to have a few moments free with an Automatic Bouncer from Ingenuity!

Go Enter the Grand Prize Giveaway Baby Package & Mama Package now!

I started entering baby and mama-themed giveaways when I was pregnant, and one of the first things that I won was a big tub of TotLogic Diaper Balm back in January. When I received it, I tucked it away with all of the other baby stuff I was accumulating. I ended up giving birth to my daughter this past May 29th, and she was gorgeous and beautiful and healthy (a wonderful newborn baby :) ). Unfortunately, she ended up having high bilirubin counts from Day 3 of life until she was about ~2 and a half weeks of age. It was quite a stressful, trying time for our family, as we were so worried for little Valentina. I have been breastfeeding her since she was born, so I was on order from her doctor to breastfeed her on demand.

My little girl in her going home outfit that was too big for her. 

You can see she's pretty yellow from the bilirubin :(

Of course, when you are feeding a baby on demand, your baby is making dirty diapers more often than she would if you had her on a scheduled feeding. My daughter's doctor had recommended to use petroleum jelly or Desitin cream to prevent diaper rash, but she ended up getting it anyway. We then had to utilize prescription diaper rash cream on her to help keep the rash at bay. While it did prevent it from spreading, it didn't do much to make it go away.

Valentina was about a month old when my sleep deprived brain remembered something important that was packed away in the many tubs of baby stuff in our house. The TotLogic Diaper Balm! The balm that is filled with loads of natural ingredients, is safe for sensitive skin (and although we were using disposable diapers at the time, is also cloth-diaper safe!) and has a nice scent and feel to it. I found it and immediately started using it on Valentina at every diaper change.

Well, it didn't take me and my husband long to become believers in this amazing product. It is FANTASTIC. It cleared up her diaper rash in only a couple of days and it has not come back! I can't make any claims that it actually cured the diaper rash, but I do know that her condition improved once I started using the diaper balm regularly. It goes on smooth and cleans up great, unlike the other petroleum and zinc oxide based creams that so many use on their little ones. What's also fantastic about it is that it can be used on any parts of the skin, even mamas with dry hands! I am telling you... this product is absolutely amazing.

I actually ended up writing to the owner of the company to partner with them to hopefully make another individual a true believer of this wonderful company. So TotLogic and I have teamed up to offer one lucky winner a tub of TotLogic Diaper Balm!

Enter below between now and September 23rd!!

Disclosure: The Frugal Greenish Mama, Life as Leels and the Bringing Home Baby participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.
Furthermore, while this review was based on a product that I received as part of a giveaway I won back in January, I was offered another free product from Logic Product Group as described in this post as compensation for hosting this particular giveaway.

Entry-Form

Happy Mommy Labor & Delivery Gown from Butternut Designs Giveaway! #readytopop US only ends 9/18

We've decided to celebrate Labor Day this year in a totally fun way – by celebrating those Mamas and Babies who have done some of the hardest labor out there! Welcome to the Ready to POP! {a Labor Day Giveaway Hop} hosted by So Easy Being Green, According to Jenny, and Viva Veltoro!

 Each blogger in this Hop has a fabulous Mama or Baby prize for you to enter to win – so be sure to hop around to them all, including the Grand Prize!

As many of you already know, I gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl back this past May after 22 hours of long, arduous drug-free labor! While I labored in my own clothes for many hours of it, I ended up changing into a hospital gown when I was getting into the heat of my labor (close to transition). My baby girl had to be monitored closely throughout my labor since I had pregnancy-induced hypertension, so it was essential that I had something on that allowed me to have the fetal monitors on me at all times. Throughout my intense labor pains, I never felt completely comfortable in the hospital gown since it didn't fit good and it wasn't really on me very well as I wiggled and braced myself for each contraction. Now looking back, I think to myself, if I could do one thing different, it would be to make sure I had comfortable clothing through the ENTIRE labor process, not just before transition. Thankfully, Kristen from Butternut Designs on Etsy has put her talent to good use in making custom gorgeous, custom sized labor and delivery gowns that follow strict hospital guidelines with easy arm and back access. With beautiful black lace trim and a stylish sash for a more fitted look, Butternut Designs' Happy Mommy Labor and Delivery gowns (ARV: $55) will not only keep you comfortable throughout your labor, they will give you a sense of style for your first pictures with baby that a hospital gown just can't compare to!

Talk about stylish! Check out this gorgeous Happy Mommy Labor and Delivery gown in black with black lace trim!
BUY IT
You can learn more about the Happy Mommy Labor and Delivery gown and all of the other great maternity clothing that Kristen from Butternut Designs offers by checking out her Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButternutDesigns. WIN IT One lucky winner will receive a Happy Mommy Labor and Delivery gown with black lace trim in the gown color, size and sash color of their choice! 

Entry-Form

Now, be sure to hop over to enter to win the  amazing Grand Prize for Ready to POP!

One lucky reader is going to win an adorable 2 Red Hens Diaper Bag, a fabulous set of Buttons Diapers – an All-in-Two Cloth Diapers System, and an absoutely beautiful CatBirdBaby Pikkolo Baby Carrier! 

What are you waiting for!?  Go Enter Now!

According to Jenny, Viva Veltoro, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Ready to POP! participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

My first class without my daughter

Your Hosts

Shannon at GrowingSlower

Jennifer at Every Breath I Take

Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama

Christine at African Babies Don't Cry

Melissa at Adventures of Captain Destructo

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new semester for me. I am an adjunct college professor at 2 area colleges, and will be teaching epidemiology and nutrition to formidable, undergraduate minds. This is my 3rd semester teaching college, and this one is much different than the previous two. Yes, the excitement is there, but (thankfully) a lot of the nerves of how I would be as a teacher aren't. There is also one more notable absence that I can't stop thinking about, however. Tomorrow is the first class I will teach without my daughter inside of me.

The first class I taught, August 29, 2012, was actually when I was 2 weeks pregnant (and even though I wasn't officially preggers at that point, we all know that the first day of pregnancy begins with the first day of your LMP). The last day of the spring semester, which I spent feverishly grading my class' online finals, was also 2 days before my due date (and 5 days before I actually gave birth to my little girl). This past year, I taught in East Harlem, and the commute from where I am to where I teach door-to-door is about 2 hours. Every step that I took, every song I listened to on the train ride, every thought that crossed my mind while passing by all the towns so beautifully placed along the Hudson river, my daughter was in my belly. She was the frequent subject of my thoughts, especially because I didn't find out her gender while I was pregnant.

The bigger I got, the more I enjoyed looking obviously pregnant. The more I enjoyed teaching thinking to myself, "Wow, I wonder if she is absorbing any of this!" and "I bet this will make her one smart cookie!" It was especially fun when I would feel her kick or move around when I was teaching - she never liked when I wasn't talking so she would get active if it was too quiet for her liking!! There was just something so special to me about experiencing the journey of being pregnant for the first time and teaching (almost) every single week while pregnant.  I got to foster a love for epidemiology in my students and watch them grow, and they got to see me grow as a professor and of course, quite literally as a pregnant person :).

But tomorrow, there will be no sweetheart in my womb. She will be at grandma and grandpa's house, having fun with them as well as her godmother/aunt (our blog co-writer, Sara). I am trying to just embrace my enthusiasm for teaching this class, as it will be the first time I am teaching at this particular college. While it may be hard to forget the emptiness of my womb, it is easy to recall how full my heart is with love for my little Valentina. That's an occupation that will never leave :).

~Tia

Maternity Hospital Labor Gown Giveaway, ends 9/1! US only, Part of the Great Expectations Blog hop!

Welcome to the great expectations giveaway hop hosted by princess among superheroes!

The great expectations giveaway hop is a fun way to not only celebrate belly3.0, but also get all the things a new mom/dad could want in one place! All participating bloggers have secured awesome prizes worth at least $25 fit for a baby shower! Don't forget to hop around and to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE sponsored by  project pomona, daddyscrubs, buttons diapers and tiny love worth over $200!

Great expectations bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

Think back to your baby shower (or a baby shower of a friend or family member if you've never had one)... do you remember the types of gifts that you/that person got? Most of the time, people get a lot of clothing for the baby, diapers and other very useful stuff, but don't often think of getting something for the mama-to-be. It's important to be comfortable in your remaining days of pregnancy, ESPECIALLY while giving birth!

That's why I have teamed up with Prazequilts on Etsy for offer a giveaway for one lucky reader to win a pink and blue maternity hospital labor gown to give birth in both comfort and style! This gown has velcro closures on the back and shoulders for easy access for monitors or medication, to nurse your baby or for the very important skin-to-skin contact postbirth. I mean, why wear an ugly, thin and uncomfortable hospital gown during a time where you want to be comfortable while you work hard to get out your baby? :)

Don't delay! Enter for your chance to win now through September 1st!

Entry-Form

Please remember to check out the other great giveaways as part of this awesome giveaway event in the linky below. Happy winning!

~Tia

Awesome Pretty Mommies Products Giveaway from the Blogging Mamas Network! Ends 8/25, Open US/CA!

Pretty Mommies is the #1 physician recommended maternity skin care line on the market.

Although it's aimed at those who are pregnant or nursing - it's natural, safe, skin care that's great for ANYONE - men included!.

It's a simple three step system - Cleanser, Skin Brightener, and Sunscreen - it'll cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, brighten, soothe, provide high levels of antioxidants and anti-aging properties, as well as, physical broad spectrum sun protection. If you're curious about how these products work, be sure to check out the review on According to Jenny.

There are lots of new things happening at Pretty Mommies. If you're a Zulily fan then you might have noticed them pop up there this past week! Not only are they now reaching their target audience online, you might also see Pretty Mommies in your OBGYN's or Midwifes office. And if you're in China - you can now get Pretty Mommies there, too!

Pretty Mommies feels so deeply about educating women on the importance of safe maternity skin care that they've created a campaign on www.causes.com to raise awareness of this important issue. You'll also soon find them offering up educational resources on http://safematernityskincare.com/ and they support an open forum for Q&A for anyone who has questions about skin care during pregnancy, nursing - or just in general.

To celebrate all these new and exciting events (and their newly redesigned website) Pretty Mommies has partnered with the Blogging Mamas Network to answer your questions about safe skin care and giveaway LOTS of Pretty Mommies products!

Giveaway is open to US/CAN, 18+, and ends on 8/25/13

**Ready to purchase Pretty Mommies for yourself?? Use code pretty20 at checkout for 20% off through 8/31/13!**

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Tia's Sweeps Go 'Round, The Blogging Mamas Network and participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Participating bloggers did not receive compensation for this post, although they may be eligible for a reward upon completion.