Aww sounds like fun! She looks super cute in her stroller =)

She is just a beauty! I'm so glad you had a great first adventure that wasn't stressful. Taking kiddos in public can be definitely stressful. I LOVE that stroller! It's quite pricey and doesn't come in a double, but what a cool concept, thanks for posting the link to their website.

Yeah, I hear ya on the price. But I can use the stroller base for the

toddler car seat too. So, that helps me justify it a bit. Lol. And who

knows, maybe it'll be around for kiddo #2. My main attraction to it

was: green materials. The rotating aspect was cool, too.

Adorable and what a nice little outing! Hubs and I do that at Barnes and Noble sometimes. I am planning on doing the same thing. I don't think I will leave the house much at all during the whole Winter. Christmas (which is about a month after she comes) will probably be her first outing, unless she comes before Thanksgiving. But I am still a little nervous to bring her out that young. After the holidays though, we have nothing to do but enjoy our little bundle! Can't wait!! XOXO

Hi Kristen! What do you think of the seat part that doubles as a car seat? Is it heavy? Does it mess up the car seat itself (the suctioning)? I was going to get Orbit originally but then read many people complain on forums just how heavy the carseat part gets, especially with the baby inside. Curious to know your opinion Thanks!

It is one of the heavier seats out there, but only by maybe a pound or

two? I think once it's at that point, a pound or two doesn't matter.

That being said, we don't carry the seat much because we put it right

on the stroller. The seat in our car itself is fine. We are loving

it… so far so good!

So how did you deal with the whole feeding in public dilemma? It's something I'm struggling to cope with. It doesn't feel right doing it in public but sometimes it's a must. Have seen big blankets to put baby under but looks a bit scary for a baby under there all alone in the dark!! lol

I kept the outing short so I didn't have to. But, my only issue is

being comfy physically, as in being in a decent chair for it when I

don't have my nursing pillow. So that I'm not flashing everyone, I

have some nursing tops. It's not a public issue per se because I think

we need more moms doing it. If that happens more moms will feel good

doing it, ya know?

Hiya Kristen,

Loved this post! As I've commented before I love that you really waited until you felt it was the right time for you to voluntarily venture out with little Kamea. Maybe its just me but I've found that people are in such a hurry (or even a race) to get back to their 'normal' lives after their babes are born and I just think that it's crazy! Staying home and breastfeeding my baby is one of the main things I am looking forward to when the time comes. As they say babies grow up so fast and before you blink you'll have a hard time keeping them in the house!

I hope everything goes great when you do breastfeed in public for the first time. I think it's ridiculously sad that mums even have to think twice about doing something so normal and natural due to some uninformed, uneducated and ignorant people out there. I learnt a few tips (from mums in my family); mainly to surround yourself with other breastfeeding mums; use a cover or nursing necklace to keep older babies focused effective eaters and always make a fuss or complain to the (highest level) manger of a public building (after the fact if the situation is unconformable) if anyone tries to force you to move to the toilets or exit the venue.

Oh and yay for eco consciously made buggies!! I hope more pram companies wake up and start making sensible material choices for baby gear because it would be lovely to have more choices in designs and price points

Well said on all points, Michelle!

I didn't even read that, that is a great thing to be able to use the toddler seat as well! I'm showing my hubby that after work. Holiday gift maybe??

Your daughter is so beautiful!! I love your videos where she is cooing in the background…so precious!! Quick question for you, does she use a pacifier at all, or do you ever plan on giving her one? What are your thoughts on pacifiers? It seems like every baby these days has one stuck in their mouths…. I always said I never wanted to give my child one, but everyone tells me its a “life saver”. I just wondered what your thoughts were on it?

No, she doesn't use a pacifier. I didn't use one as a child either.

There are some babies that don't like them and spit them out. That's

how I was my mom said.

I've heard it's hard to get them to give it up sometimes. Plus, I've

heard it can cause nipple confusion. If Kamea gets fussy, which is not

often, I simply put her to my breast.

Hey Kristen! Glad your first outing went well! Quick question, I've been searching maca for an estrogen dominance and wondering what you've found in regard to maca and breastfeeding? I have found ALOT that says it's completely fine (and in fact good) and then plenty that say the opposite (of course:). I remember you didn't eat/take maca while pregnant, correct?

That's right, I didn't take it while pregnant. Wasn't willing to risk

it. Same for breastfeeding. I don't see the need to risk it. But,

that's just me.

Thanks Kristen! My mom had 6 kids, and not one of us used one….its good to know that not EVERYONE uses one!

Good for you for honoring your instincts and staying home until it felt right to venture out! I believe all babies, and Kamea maybe even more so due to her super-clean mama and papa, are very sensitive. Sounds like your mama's intuition played a big part in ensuring a successful outing when you were all ready

Kristen,
I am due in 5 weeks and looking at strollers too. From what I've read, they recommend strollers that recline flat for newborns. Apparently spending too much time in the car seat position is not good for their development. Does this stroller recline flat? I looked at the stroller seat on Amazon and it looks very much like a car seat. Right now I'm leaning very much towards the Maclaren Techno XT. I'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks.

The car seat does not go flat but she is only in it a minimal amount

of time. The stroller seat does recline quite flat and we love it.

Hey, Tina, I know this comment is a few weeks old but I just wanted to chime in with some support for you. This is my second baby, and since we go out a lot more by necessity (for her big sister) I am doing a lot more nursing in public. It is a challenge to get used to, but the more you do it I find the more confident you feel. It helps to have someone supportive, like your partner or a friend, just to know that they are there in case you get negative feedback. But no one has ever said anything awful to me, I think most people don't even know you're breastfeeding after you get the baby happily latched!

I use nursing tanks under my shirts most of the time when I know I'm going out, but sometimes just a regular nursing bra. If I am wearing my sling, sometimes I will use the tail to cover my exposed belly and my hand on the baby's cheek helps comfort her and cover exposed skin. You can use the nursing covers if they make you feel more comfortable, or even a receiving blanket or whatever you have on hand, but ironically it might draw more attention to the fact that you're nursing than using nothing at all.

Research the breastfeeding laws in your area (most states specify that breastfeeding is exempt from indecency laws), grab a friend for support, and take your baby out. Be relaxed and comfortable and I hope that you are able to feed your baby without incident!

Hi Kristen,

I hope you don't mind me adding comments/questions to your older posts as I just recently came across your blog. It is SO nice to be able to read about the experiences of another new mom who shares some of the same values I do! In this post, you state that you hadn't really taken Kamea out much before she turned 12 weeks. Our little girl is 9 weeks and I am terrified of taking her out! There are just so many terrible things out there (toxins, pollutants, etc) and I don't want to expose her to any of it! I don't even want to take her to my husband's parents home due to the fact that they use conventional air fresheners. So my question for you is how do you cope? Where do you draw the line between what you expose Kamea to and what you chose to “let slide?” I am driving myself crazy with worry…

Hi! Thanks for writing your comment.

Okay, so first of all, I'm running on mama intuition as my main

decision factor. If I don't feel good about something, I don't do it.

It's worked great to do that! I don't blame you much on the air

freshener thing… I hate those. I always use the excuse they give me

a headache, which they do! Heck… read this and you'll feel good

about your decision not to take your baby around that. http://drbenkim.com/dangers-air-fresheners.html

How do I cope? I'm a mama bear, that's how. I'm protecting my

offspring and feel good about it. The real stress would start for me

if I didn't follow my intuition, and then later down the road had

regrets at not being strong enough to speaking my mind and following

my heart. I'm not crazy with everything. I don't mind her being

exposed to germs someday, for example, but she can get exposed to

those more when she's 6-12 months and beyond, as far as I'm concerned.

There's no need for her to get exposed when she's younger than that,

if I'm not comfortable with it. Again, that's just my intuition for

Kamea speaking and I'm happy to go with that. I'm doing what is

natural feeling for me and at 12 weeks (in the post), I just woke up

feeling good about taking her out. I take it day by day. Some days I'm

up for doing stuff and other days I feel right staying in. If people

give me shit, which they don't really, but if they do, I say, “I might

not always feel this way, but I do today and this is how it's going to

be for now.”

Don't drive yourself crazy with worry. Be confident in your choices

and as her mama.

Hi again!

Got any advice on what to do when Momma Bear and Poppa Bear don't agree on how to protect their offspring? I recently posted a message regarding my fear to bring our little girl to my husband's parents house due to their use of conventional air fresheners. We are supposed to go their house for Thanksgiving tomorrow and I am just sick over it. I asked my husband if we could request that they unplug the plug-ins and refrain from using any sprays or candles while we are there. He doesn't feel like it is necessary and doesn't want to offend his parents. I'm a wreck…Any thoughts?

I can appreciate your frustration. One thing to keep in mind is that

toxins and their effects result (usually) from cumulative exposure.

So, it all adds up over time: air pollution, off gases, air

fresheners, pesticides, etc. To expose your baby for a short period

during a holiday shouldn't be too bad. That being said, if you go,

perhaps you can unplug them a bit from the wall so they're not working

without anyone realizing it, or turn them down. Blow out some candles

when no one is looking – lol. Maybe others wouldn't agree with me, but

I'm just thinking about it… what I might do. Also, they might smell

so bad that they give you a headache – uh oh – and you have to leave

early.

Let me ask my husband if he has any ideas and I'll let you know…