An Acorns Milestone

Shortly after starting my journey with Robinhood, I received a celebratory email from Acorns.

I had hit $1000 in my Invest account. I knew this. I am in this app everyday, multiple times a day. But the recognition was nice. It was fun. It is something I should celebrate.

I'm actually closer to $2000, if combining the value of my Invest and Later accounts. So I'm feeling pretty confident with regard to my finances. 2021 will be an exciting year, indeed. I'm poised to pay of my AMEX, as well as my car!!!

If you're interested in starting an account with Acorns, be sure to use my invite link and we'll both get a bonus $5 invested.

2021, Enter Robinhood

I've wanted to explore other investment options for a while. I'm very happy with Acorns, but I'd been itching to explore other investment apps, and conveniently, an acquaintance level Facebook friend was raving about their experience and shared their personal invite link (like Acorns, the invitee and invited both get rewards for signing up using an invitation link).

I bit, and I went in virtually blind. I had done some reading on Robinhood before, but in this specific instance, it took a very minimal exchange from a person I kind of know. I went for it. I clicked her link, downloaded the app, setup an account and got one share of DVAX, or Dynavax, worth a little less than $5, now worth a little more.

I thought the interface was odd. Very dark color scheme with white text. Only to learn when markets opened, it reverses out to a very light and airy interface. Kind of neat from a design stand point. When markets are closed, digital equivalence of lights out, when the markets are open, lights on, so to speak.

Likewise, when you're in the red, the interface uses red tones for graphs and text. When your stocks are gaining, everything is green. You only have to glance at your screen to know where you stand, it's kind of ingenious and very visually appealing.

Now that I was in, I put $50 into my account and played around. As is the fashion with these investment apps, you can buy portions of a share. I now own a twentieth of one share of CVNA (Carvana) and a little over one share of CGC (Canopy Growth [because I'm guessing cannabis will do well under the new administration]). This was a little over a week ago.

This past Thursday, Petco had their IPO. I got a Yahoo Finance push notification while I was in a meeting. At the click of a few buttons, in less than a minute, I added $200 to my account and put it in WOOF. How could I not. No one even noticed I was distracted, on my phone.

Although my experience has been brief, I'm definitely enjoying Robinhood. If you're interested in investing on the fly, be sure to use my invite link and we'll both get a bonus share of stock.

10 Must Have Items for Postpartum Recovery

As we get closer and closer to the girls being a year old, four months and counting, I'm finding myself slowly but surely feeling like I did before. Before two little bodies forever changed mine. Before sleep had become such a scarcity. Before forgetfulness became a familiarity and not just something that happened to other people. There were many things I was unaware I would need, but I took notes and here you go, if you're expecting, add these to your go bag and recovery stockpile.

Nipple Cream

You will need it. Better to have it on hand for when you do, rather than scammer to find a good one when you're already in excruciating pain. Also, use it preemptively, don't wait until you need it. Cracked, chapped, sad nipples were one of the worst parts of my postpartum experience. No one warned me, and it's totally preventable. Out of the three brands I panic purchased, Bella B was the best. It wasn't oily and I didn't have to scoop it out of a pot like the others.

Dry Shampoo

If this isn't a product you normally use, you need to get familiar. Showers were few and far between in the early days. Partly because I was nearly bedridden during the initial healing process. I had a c-section, so standing/showering were delayed anyway, having Batiste dry shampoo on hand made me at least look clean. Honestly, this was a staple up until just a few weeks ago. By the end of the week, I'm so exhausted, my hair game usually hits a wall for the sake of being well rested.

Intense Relief Hand Cream

This is something I STRUGGLED with. The dishpan hands were unreal from the amount of bottles being washed daily, plus the hand sanitizer usage due to COVID-19. My hands were rough. I'm going to be honest, CVS has a store brand version (Blade Intense Relief Hand Cream), and it's great. But, if by the time you read this and a quick pop out to CVS isn't an option, Amazon Prime and get O'Keeffe's delivered to your door.

Stretchmark Minimizing Cream

I used the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion everyday, twice a day during my entire pregnancy. I even brought it with me overseas while I was in Italy for a week and a half when I was only three months pregnant. I'd hate to know what my skin would have looked like had I not used it, but man was I disappointed with how bad my stretchmarks were THE DAY the girls were born. This has been one of the biggest mental hurdles I've had to deal with during what I've deemed The Aftermath. I was convinced my skin was going to bounce back and the weight would drop off and I'd be only a little worse for wear... good grief was I hopelessly optimistic. The weight dropped off for the most part, and I'm starting to exercise more and really lose the rest now, which is making my skin even more sad than it was. The pinkness has entirely faded, which I believe is due to using Belli Correction Cream. I began using it maybe a few weeks postpartum, and I noticed a difference in the discoloration pretty quickly. It smells good and doesn't leave me feeling greasy like the Palmer's did, now I wonder what shape I'd be in if I had used this on a daily basis whilst pregnant instead. I did try a different lotion before Belli, Pipette makes a stretchmark belly butter, but I felt that it had the intense scent of fresh cut grass. Not my thing. It is plant based, but once I tried Belli, I never looked back.

Scar Therapy Gel

The stretchmarks are a good segue to the c-section scar itself. Mine was very sensitive and totally numb. It's common for there to be nerve damage, sometimes the feeling comes back over time, sometimes it doesn't. I've regained some sensation, but I'm still totally numb in some spots around my scar. It's weird. With that numbness came the danger of being to abrasive with my healing scar. I started using Mederma maybe a month after surgery, and I noticed a pretty quick improvement of the strength of the new skin. It looked less peely/flakey and felt hydrated. I also started using this on my more prominent pink spots of my stretchmarks. I bought the .7 oz tube and still haven't finished it. I used it on a daily basis for a while and have dropped down to a couple times a week. I also burned myself pretty good in the baking phase of quarantine, so it was nice to have on hand for general first-aid.

Korean Exfoliating Washcloths

I actually had these Korean Italy Towels on hand already, but really started using them on my stomach once it had healed enough that exfoliating was safe. I figured it would have the same properties as dry brushing, without me needing to purchase another product. Truthfully, I don't know what helped with the discoloration more, the Belli Cream, the Mederma Scar Gel or these towels (or the combination of all three), but I do know the pinkness was totally gone by the time I hit the six month mark.

Thinx

So everyone basically tells you to prepare to have hospital grade pads or adult diapers on hand for the lochia (or to swipe as much as you can from the hospital). I personally am not a huge fan of contributing to landfill waste, but there's a time and a place, so no judgement to those who do. You do you in these trying times. However, I found that "period panties" were a much better solution for me. Thinx makes a postpartum set, which does run a pretty penny, but at least this is one more thing that can help you feel normal while the status is not quo. I actually did not buy the set, I opted for two pairs of the high rise cut, as it I knew I was having a c-section and that my incision site wouldn't be irritated by the high band.

Belly Bandit Compression Wrap

I bought a compression wrap with the intention of wearing it every day for several weeks, starting from delivery day. As with every other aspect of my pregnancy, the plan didn't necessarily work. The hospital actually provided me with a pretty good compression wrap, which I used for the first week or so, and then I transitioned to the Belly Bandit original compression wrap afterwards. You are supposed to wear it 24/7 for 6-8 weeks to really get the results, and you can't start several weeks postpartum. I slept in the hospital wrap, but I found it difficult to sleep in the Belly Bandit. Also, I was coupling it with Mother Tucker leggings, and it really made my back hurt. I'm not sure if this was due to inadequate sizing, but it was a trade off because it really did offer support to my sad and stretched stomach. The wrap made me feel like I could function around the house and be supported.

Mother Tucker Leggings

I bought one pair of the Belly Bandit Mother Tucker leggings before the girls were born, and two additional pairs afterwards, along with some MT bike shorts. I lived in these for the first three months, basically until I HAD to wear real pants when I started going back into the office. Like the wrap, I felt very supported. The compression isn't for vanity, it's for helping you heal and allowing your muscles to tighten back up. Having housed two bodies in my uterus, I needed all the extra support I could get. When I took them off to shower or go to bed, I really felt the difference. The only way I can describe it is that it gave me abdominal strength and security I didn't have on my own yet. Think about how much those muscles got pushed to their elastic limit, while also unable to work at their normal capacity. I needed these leggings more than I knew, I'm very glad I opted to use them in the beginning of my healing process.

Pranamat Eco

I have a friend who swears by this acupressure mat. I actually purchased mine during the Black Friday sale of 2019, planning on using it during my pregnancy to help with the aches and pains. Ultimately I didn't touch it until a few months ago. There is a "consult your doctor if pregnant" warning in the explainer book and I just never followed through with the inquiry. I honestly figured if there was any concern, I could just wait until after the girls were born. I purchased a mat and pillow set and I have to say, when used correctly, and not pregnant, I felt amazing after only 5 minutes. It definitely takes some getting used to if you're unfamiliar with acupressure, but it's worth it if you're willing to try and have the time to use it (and the space to store it so tiny people don't hurt themselves on what looks like a pillow covered in plastic flowers). In addition to using it for my back/relaxation, I've started laying stomach down on just the pillow. I'm hoping this will increase blood flow and help speed the healing of the stretchmark area on my stomach. I'll keep you posted on that one, I may have to do a follow up if I see results in the next few months.

So there you have it, 10 items you need to at least consider purchasing before your due date. I'll offer up some bonus advice, for those of you who read this in its entirety, drink lots of water and keep taking your prenatals. Your doctor will likely tell you the same thing, but I'm going to just throw it out there. Sleep is not something you can count on, so you need to compensate in the areas you can control. Best of luck, Godspeed.