Category: Reflections & Lifestyle

I was super impressed by this item when I saw it on the shelf at Babies R Us because I could get two things for the price of one… and for a relatively cheap price. I am pretty sure I paid around $65 for it. I also like the idea that it would cut down clutter on my counter top; I wouldn’t need to find space for a sterilizer AND a bottle warmer.  

However, the charm wore off… pretty fast!

Although it is fast and easy to use I found a few issues with it….

1. We use room temp ready to use formula or we give our little guy slightly chilled formula. He doesn’t mind and it makes being on the go easy since we don’t have the ability to warm formula while traveling. Plus even the “lowest temperature” is SCALDING!
   
2. It’s really small; you can only use it for the small bottles. You can fit one small bottle and it’s pieces in at a time and let’s face it babies keep us busy enough it’s easy to get behind on bottle duty and then you are scrambling to do multiple loads.
   
3. The allegedly “large reservoir” is only good for almost 3 cycles and it reservoir is a total and utter pain to take on and off
   
4. It leaks; or the condensation is not accounted for and they need a collection tray or something because I am constantly wiping my counter and the floor when it drips down.
   
5. The bottles are ALWAYS dripping wet; it’s almost like you need to buy a separate dryer. I have the bottle rack but in humid conditions airy drying takes forever. 

I do not recommend this product! 

I wish I would have bought the larger sterilizer instead. 

I truly loved this idea because I had no clue what I would need and it is just so handy to have a curated selection of must have items. Also, IF you want all Frida products it was reasonably priced considering the individual pricing of the products included. 

On the Frida site it retails for $100. You can also find it on Amazon and at many other “baby stores,” like West Coast kids (however you will pay more!)

The kit includes…
-Peri Bottle for bathroom trips
-4 Disposable Postpartum Underwear
-Postpartum Abdominal Support Binder
-10 Skip The Shower Wipes
-3 Silicone Scar Patches
-A pair of socks 
*It comes in a really nice travel bag!

The kit claims to have everything you need but that is misleading… you definitely need to remember to order PADS! The kit does NOT have pads which shocked me. My lochia was very minimal so I found the pads ridiculously large and overkill (a light to medium maxi pad is all that sufficed) BUT for those with heavy bleeding the pads wouldn’t let you down!

The peri bottle provided by the hospital was much better; in fact I was kicking myself for not liberating one upon being discharged. The one in the kit is cumbersome and the stream is weak. You can buy squeeze bottles at the Dollar Store.

The disposable underwear don’t breath as nicely as the hospital mesh underwear; and my baby was born is a heat wave so I was quite uncomfortable. However, the Frida brand offer good compression. I would suggest buying extra pairs of disposable underwear because 4 will not get you through… you will want 7 (a week’s worth) but then you can make the transition to “regular” underwear. 

The support binder is so large that it was ineffective even cinched up all the way. I liked the idea because then I would have my hands free but in all honesty I preferred holding a pillow to my stomach. I am curious to see what the Recovery Band is like. So that may be worth a try! 

I really liked the inclusion of the wipes because it made me feel a bit more human. However, for the same effect you can buy Aleva wipes for $4 on Amazon and you can get way more. 

To be honest I forgot about the scar patches; which I don’t know if that bodes well for the product. I was told to keep my hospital dressing on for 5-7 days and then remove it and let the incision breathe and of course lightly cleanse it in the shower. Upon examination of my incision; it is very nicely sutured together and already two weeks out the scarring will end up being minimal. Personally, I don’t care if scars are visible and since this is my only baby I am not sure if I want to “eradicate” it. There are also many brands of scars reduction creams available on the market that you could use instead.

I am a sucker for socks and they are nice to have when the nurses make you get up and walk; you definitely don’t want to biff it on the slippery hospital floor. But again “grippy socks” are available from a variety of stores. 

Overall impression: Not worth the cost; make your own care package for a FRACTION of the cost. Let’s just say “they saw me coming” when they were marketing this kit. 

I was safely delivered of our son earlier this month via c-section; he is our first and only child. I prepared –perhaps over prepared for this momentous occasion. Since I’m on maternity leave and awake every two hours I have a lot of time to reflect and savour the moments.

If you are expecting, here are some things that I realized.

1. I over packed for myself and baby! (The understatement of the year!)

2. The hospital we were at provided formula, swaddle blankets , wipes, Vaseline; however they only provided cloth diapers so I was relieved that we brought our own pack of Huggies.
*It is a good idea to Google or call the facility you are giving birth at to find out what is and is not provided so you can lighten your load.  

3. Baby didn’t need any clothes except for a going home outfit; and perhaps 1 extra in case he wet in his home outfit.
*I figured I would be putting him in clothes each day but he spent the the three days in a diaper and swaddle!

4. I sorely underestimated how limiting a c section is; I was literally unable to do any thing for three days!
*My husband was incredible; he did every feeding, every diaper change around the clock for that time (and for almost two weeks afterwards because he genuinely enjoyed it and wanted to make sure I actually took it easy)

5. I didn’t need to pack as much as I did for myself… I ended up staying in the hospital gown the whole time; I was not up to getting dressed until I had to on the last day.

6. I preferred the blue pad & maxi set up the nurses put together over the Frida pads and underwear.
*The disposable underwear at the hospital just breathed so much nicer! However, the Frida ones provide a little more compression. I also found the Frida pads were WAAY too large for what I needed.

7. I never thought I was use suppositories but it works so much quicker and it is 100% true after delivery you no longer care who sees what.
*Before you go home; have the nurse give you the pain medication in suppository form! And don’t try to be a hero and muscle through the pain –take the pain meds if you need them!

8. WALKING I hated it but I needed to do it and definitely brace your belly with a pillow or heavy hospital blanket folded up.

9. I was so scared to have the first bowel movement but to be honest both peeing and pooping were not as scary as I thought although using the bathroom takes and inordinate amount of time! 

10. The bassinet next to the bed was amazing!
*I couldn’t physically get out of bed but being close to baby was great and made us re-think the sleeping configuration when we got home

11. I could not sit where ever I wanted when I got home… that was a shock! 
*We bought the most amazing chair for the nursery but I couldn’t sit in it; and even now I struggle to sit in it and hold the baby at the same time. I spent the first three nights at home sleeping on the couch because I couldn’t get into our bed.

What are some of the things that gave you a “major wake up call” post birth? Please share them below and let’s help out other expectant mothers!