This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are my own.

When I was pregnant I had so many thoughts on how things would be once Crosby arrived. Like every first time mom I only wanted the best for her – the best car seat, bassinet, diapers, wipes, etc. I planned to exclusively breast feed, but sometimes things don’t go according to plan.

Crosby was born tiny (5 pounds 10 oz) and dropped down even lower after we left the hospital. A few days later I found myself in tears with a lactation consultant because my baby was under five pounds! That’s when I knew we needed to do what was best for her.

In those early days our whole world revolved around Crosby growing and we were working around the clock to make that happen. I’d breast feed her for about an hour, but she had issues latching and I had issues with supply so she wasn’t getting that much. Then Jeff would spend another 30 minutes feeding her formula with an oral syringe (baby bird style) while I pumped to try to increase my supply. It was hard. In those early days we never slept for more than an hour at a time. Luckily, a few weeks later, we introduced bottles and it made feedings a lot easier.

Since I only planned to breast feed I never considered how expensive formula would be and how quickly we’d go through it. We were spending $30 just on formula every few days. It really adds up!

Recently I popped into my local Walgreens to pick up some essentials (nail polish remover, cotton balls, gummy bears) and found myself in the baby aisle where I discovered their Well Beginnings™ brand. I couldn’t believe how affordable the products were – a 22 oz container of formula is less than $20!

I did a little search on my phone and found that Well Beginnings™ Infant Formula is rated just as highly as the national brands like Enfamil® and Similac®, but a fraction of the price. Actually all infant formulas sold in the U.S. have to meet FDA requirements and are regulated by the FDA, so the quality of the private label is not sacrificed. Even better, I noticed a $2 off coupon that runs until 8/26 right there on the shelf. And in September the Non-GMO Well Beginnings™ Infant Formula is being released.

I continued down the aisle where I found more affordable Well Beginnings™ baby care items like diapers and wipes and quickly added them to my basket. Both the diapers and the wipes are hypoallergenic and the diapers were even given Good Housekeeping’s Seal for Drugstore Star! They have definitely made me re-think spending lots of money on name brand products, since we go through so many of them! Well Beginnings™ diapers are now offered at an everyday low price of $6.99. I’ve been so impressed by these items so far and know I’ll be re-stocking once we run out.

You can enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a Walgreens gift card, the featured Well BeginningsTM baby care items and other themed goodies! Sweepstakes runs from now– August 25, 2017.

In those early days everyone told me breast-feeding would get easier, and it did a little bit, but we’re still supplementing to insure she gets enough. I’ve learned a lot in the last five months, especially that you can’t plan out how things will be before your baby gets here.


Well Beginnings™ at Walgreens #BestStarts Sweepstakes

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walgreens. The opinions and text are all mine.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are my own.

When I was pregnant I had so many thoughts on how things would be once Crosby arrived. Like every first time mom I only wanted the best for her – the best car seat, bassinet, diapers, wipes, etc. I planned to exclusively breast feed, but sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Crosby was born tiny (5 pounds 10 oz) and dropped down even lower after we left the hospital. A few days later I found myself in tears with a lactation consultant because my baby was under five pounds! That’s when I knew we needed to do what’s best for her.

In those early days our whole world revolved around Crosby growing and we were working around the clock to make that happen. I’d breast feed her for about an hour, but she had issues latching and I had issues with supply so she wasn’t getting that much. Then Jeff would spend another 30 minutes feeding her formula with an oral syringe (baby bird style) while I pumped to try to increase my supply. It was hard. In those early days we never slept for more than an hour at a time. Luckily, a few weeks later, we introduced bottles and it made feedings a lot easier.

Since I only planned to breast feed I never considered how expensive formula would be and how quickly we’d go through it. We were spending $30 just on formula every few days. It really adds up!

Recently I popped into my local Walgreens to pick up some essentials (nail polish remover, cotton balls, gummy bears) and found myself in the baby aisle where I discovered their Well Beginnings™ brand. I couldn’t believe how affordable the products were – a 22 oz container of formula is less than $20! I did a little search on my phone and found that Well Beginnings™ Infant Formula is rated just as highly as the national brands like Enfamil® and Similac®, but a fraction of the price. Plus I noticed a $2 off coupon that runs until 8/26.

I continued down the aisle where I found more affordable Well Beginnings™ baby care items like diapers and wipes and quickly added them to my basket. Both the diapers and the wipes are hypoallergenic and the diapers were even given Good Housekeeping’s Seal for Drugstore Star! I’ve been so impressed by Well Beginnings™ items so far and know I’ll be re-stocking once we run out.

You can enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a Walgreens gift card, the featured Well BeginningsTM baby care items and other themed goodies! Sweepstakes runs from July 24, 2017 – August 25, 2017.

In those early days everyone told me breast-feeding would get easier, and it did, but we’re still supplementing to insure she gets enough. I’ve learned a lot in the last five months, especially that you can’t plan out how things will be before your baby gets here.