Sage Wylder is a month old?! It makes me so proud and so sad at the same time because I know he will never be this little again… Taking care of a newborn, especially as a single mom, is not easy but he is thriving! He gained 2 pounds and grew 2 inches at his one month wellness check, which makes me feel like I am doing a good job as a momma. I always felt I would be in my heart and now I feel validated lol! I’m going to credit it all to the breastfeeding and of course mama’s love 😉 Anyway, I wanted to take some cute photos in the desert to celebrate his first month of life!
Introducing my baby boy Sage Wylder! Sage was born at 12:27 am on January 31st via C-Section at Chandler Regional hospital after 3 days of labor. I am so thankful that he is here, safe & healthy. He is an Aquarius and I’m a Cancer so we are both water signs! I never thought I would have an Aquarius and I can’t wait to see what his personality is like in the upcoming years. Sweet baby boy was in the NICU for 3 days and after a week of recovering at the hospital, we were able to come home. I finally got the chance to shoot some newborn photos of Sage at 2 weeks old! My mom helped me shoot a lot of these photos and the rest I shot myself. I love how sweet he looks and I will definitely cherish these photos of my baby forever!
I couldn’t resist doing a Valentine’s Day themed photo shoot with newborn baby Sage. He was only 12 days old when my mom shot these photos of us, such a little guy! I wanted to keep the photos simple so I picked up this $4 Valentine’s balloon from Safeway as a prop and we drove around till we found a white wall. Sage wore this rusty adorable jumpsuit his abuelita bought for him at a boutique in Eastern Washington and I wore a coordinated, retro style look with new pieces from Sezane. We had about 15 min to shoot before baby boy get fussy which was just enough time to snap a few cute photos that we will have forever. The perfect way to remember our first Valentine’s Day together!
At 41 weeks of pregnancy, I still wasn’t dilating or having strong contractions. My doctors wanted me to be induced before 42 weeks, so they scheduled me for an induction on Sunday January 28th at 10 pm at Chandler Regional here in the Phoenix metro. I was disappointed because I really wanted to be able to go into labor naturally, but I was also worried about waiting and any complications that could arise if I did. So my mom and I packed up the car and headed to the hospital with as much positivity as we could muster. I was excited to know that at least we would be leaving with baby boy. Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong with my labor, delivery, and everything that followed after, did… In this blog post I am sharing a recap of our birth story!
I thought I would share what I packed in my hospital bag with all the other new moms out there! My momma friend sent me her checklist and I watched some YouTube mom’s videos as well to perfect my hospital bag checklist. Even though I ended up having a C-section, I still used almost everything on this list, except for half the things in my Frida Mom Labor & Delivery Postpartum kit unfortunately. I hope you momma’s find this checklist helpful in those last few weeks while you are getting ready to head to the hospital to deliver your baby!
Something I really wanted to do during my pregnancy was to capture my baby bump growth each month with a photo, that way I would be able to see/look back on my full pregnancy transformation. It definitely wasn’t easy to do some months, especially as I grew more and more exhausted but I’m so glad I made it happen. The transformation of pregnancy is truly incredible, beautiful, and empowering. I know I will cherish these photos for years to come and maybe baby boy will love seeing them someday too!
15 Outfits I’ve Worn During My Third Trimester
By Esperanza on January 23, 2024I would say the third trimester is the most challenging trimester to dress for because during the first and second trimester I could wear a lot of the clothes I was wearing pre-pregnancy but by the third trimester there was no way I was fitting into some of those pieces. I thrifted some maternity pants which really opened up a lot of options for me! Linen pants with stretchy waist bands and stretchy dresses became my goes to as well. I thought I would share some of the outfits I wore during my third trimester with links to similar and exact pieces in this blog post!
I recently visited this beautiful salon Lady & Wolf Salon in Scottsdale for a hair makeover. I really wanted to get my hair done before baby arrived and it was just the refresh/pick me up I needed! I found Lady & Wolf while researching salons in Phoenix and it looked like a dream salon. It’s located right in Scottsdale’s Old Town, a tourist destination in Phoenix. The salon interiors are impeccably designed and make the space feel super airy, chic, and inviting. The salon owner is super sweet and Grace, my hair stylist, was just the best! They really made my experience amazing.
I have been using clean beauty products for years, but when I became pregnant I wanted to be extra careful about what I was putting on my skin, hair, etc. because it directly affects baby! I immediately went through all of my products and with the help of this website called 15 Minute Beauty, verified what I could continue to use and what would have to be put away until after pregnancy. I also used it to make sure any new products were pregnancy safe before adding them to my beauty routine. I thought I would round up my favorites for any new mommas out there looking for recommendations on beauty products that are clean and safe to use during pregnancy.
Third Trimester Update: Pregnancy Symptoms & Must Haves
By Esperanza on January 21, 2024I am writing this blog post the day before baby boy’s due date (January 22nd), which is so crazy to say! Although he must be quite happy and cozy in there because I hadn’t started dilating at all yet at my appointment last week. We’ll see what happens this week! This pregnancy has felt so long, especially because of everything I have been dealing with in my life. My partner of 10 years was really struggling with mental health issues when we had to part ways over halfway through my pregnancy. Four months later, he is finally getting the help he needs which I am so thankful for and gives me a lot of peace of mind going into the birth of our son.
Hi! I'm Esperanza, a lifestyle blogger & content creator with a background in interior design. I currently live in Phoenix, AZ with my newborn baby boy, Sage Wylder! The Urban Darling is a lifestyle blog dedicated to style, home, travel, and more.