My Pregnancy Uniform: Aurora

image of My Pregnancy Uniform: Aurora - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy

We are so pleased to introduce you to Aurora for our latest My Beauty Uniform Installment. Aurora is a model, blogger, and first time mama who resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. We just love her swoony style and have loved watching her pregnancy journey via her Instagram.

Read on as she discusses pregnancy through a refreshingly honest lens and why she thinks her little one may come out a mini Leslie Knope!


What is your daily beauty routine? What products do you use?

My routine is actually pretty basic, I prefer to let my “natural pregnancy glow” shine. 😉 In the mornings I just wash my face with water, and I use a Neutrogena moisturizer. The only makeup I wear on a daily basis is Anastasia Dip Brow, mascara, and a little bit of bronzer to define my cheek bones, now that my face is filling out!

image of My Pregnancy Uniform: Aurora - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy

Do you have any beauty rituals you adopted since becoming pregnant?

Since becoming pregnant, I definitely pay more attention to the skin on my body that’s not on my face! I know that you can’t really prevent stretch marks topically (my midwife says eating a balanced diet is the key to avoiding stretch marks!), but I still moisturize my tummy almost every day. I use whatever is closest to me when I’m getting ready, honestly, so on any given day it can be any of the following products! Bath and Body works satsuma body butter, my Neutrogena moisturizer, or I recently got a stretch mark preventative oil in the mail that I’ve been trying.

What has been your go-to style during pregnancy? Describe your favorite outfit you’re wearing these days?

Leggings and a sweater, almost every day! Haha. I somehow have managed to still fit into all of my pre-pregnancy leggings, so I’ve avoided buying any maternity leggings. Now that I’ve got less than two months left I’m thinking it may be time to invest in some that fit over my belly, though!

image of My Pregnancy Uniform: Aurora - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy

Are there any particular food or drinks you love to keep you feel good and glowing?

I constantly crave breakfast foods! I swear, this baby is going to come out a Leslie Knope! One of my absolute favorites, and I make my husband make it for me almost every morning, is toad-in-a-hole (toast with a hole cut out and an egg over easy cooked inside) with bacon and a cup of coffee. I’m sure I’ll never want to eat it again after my pregnancy, because it’s been my breakfast of choice for the past 3 months at least.

What wisdom do you hope to pass down to your little one?

I just hope that I’m able to instill self-love in my son, and show him to be a kind and respectful man, like his father.

image of My Pregnancy Uniform: Aurora - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy

What advice would you give to other pregnant moms about feeling like themselves and enjoying this time?

Pregnancy is really hard, and I hate it when people pretend that it’s not! It’s not all pregnancy glow and cute little fluttery kicks. There’s a lot of puking and charlie horses in your butt while you’re sleeping and feeling like you can’t breathe when you sit down. So my advice is to try to cherish the time you have with your significant other before baby gets here, and no matter how insecure you feel about your growing body, take lots of pictures! Not only will you regret not having those photos eventually, but your kids are going to love seeing them someday! You’ll never be pregnant with this child ever again, so no matter how hard it is, document it.


Thank you, Aurora! We’re so grateful you shared your experience with us.

Want to learn more about Aurora? You can visit her website right here.

The 50 Most Popular Baby Names of 2016

Image of the most popular baby names top 50 baby names of 2016 - Mama Bird Box Blog - Gifts for Pregnant Moms

Choosing a baby name or have on ready for when baby arrives? We were curious what the most popular baby names of 2016 were. Especially with one on our team expecting her first, we have baby names on the brain over here.

We turned to the trusty folks at Baby Center who rank baby names by true popularity every year. Below you’ll find the top 50 names!

Image of Top 50 most popular baby names of 2016 - Mama Bird Box Blog - Gifts for Pregnancy

Is your baby name on the list?

My Pregnancy Uniform: Courtney Miller

Image of My Pregnancy Uniform - Courtney - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy

We spoke with super mom, Courtney Miller, about her self-care routine during pregnancy. Boy, are we so glad we did! Courtney is mom of two darling girls with a third little gal due any day now

What is your daily beauty routine? what products do you use?
With two kiddos and another on the way, I don’t have a lot of time to spend getting ready in the mornings, so I have a pretty laid-back beauty routine. But I do love to make sure my skin is taken care of and feeling fresh! So each morning I rinse my face with water, then I apply Beauty Counter’s Nourishing Day Cream with a few drops of their Lustro Face Oil No. 3 – this leaves my face feeling perfectly moisturized and balanced, and it’s not at all heavy. If I plan to leave the house, my must-have is concealer! I love Eye Duty Triple Remedy by First Aid Beauty – it’s the perfect consistency, and has a cool (literally cool!) metal applicator to help minimize puffiness. After that, it’s a little bronzer and I’m set!
I’m a night showerer, and my shampoo is my one totally non-natural non-organic splurge, but I love it. I use Clairol’s Shimmer Lights – it’s a super fun bright purple color and it helps keep the blonde parts of my hair from getting too brassy. I follow that with Morocco’s Argan Oil Conditioner, and for body wash, I use Method foam. I alternate between two face washes – Beauty Counter’s Nourishing Cream Cleaner for normal skin days, and their Charcoal Bar for days when I want that squeaky-clean feeling.
After my shower, I use Beauty Counter’s Citrus Rosemary Body Oil all over. I’ve found that you either get stretch marks or you don’t, and no specialty product is going to prevent them – but, you can help keep your stretching and itchy skin comfortable, and the Body Oil is perfect for that. Then I apply a light layer of Beauty Counter’s Nourishing Cleansing Balm all over my face and leave it on overnight for extra hydration.
Image of My Pregnancy Uniform - Courtney - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy
Do you have any beauty rituals you adopted since becoming pregnant?
 For me, this third pregnancy has meant less time and energy, which has meant more of a simple routine – which I love! With each pregnancy I’ve learned to be more content with my body, with my time constraints, and to be kinder with my expectations of myself. That being said, the two rituals I’ve focused on this time around are working out and caring for my skin. I’ve found that if those two things are covered (even if my hair is in a top knot and I’m in workout clothes all day), I generally feel great!
What has been your go-to style during pregnancy? Describe your favorite outfit you’re wearing these days?
With my first pregnancy, I loved to wear skinny jeans and fitted tops, but my body has changed over the years and that just doesn’t feel comfortable to me anymore. These days, I love black Lularoe leggings (they feel like butter!) and a long, flowy tee or tank paired with sneakers or ankle booties. When I need a dressier look, a shift or fitted dress with my lightweight cargo vest, wedge booties, and a long necklace is my favorite! And of course – having my nails painted is always a must!
My Pregnancy Uniform - Courtney - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy
Are there any particular food or drinks you love to keep you feel good and glowing?
During the first 16 weeks of this pregnancy, I was so sick and could eat nothing by crackers and dry toast, so I feel like I’ve been trying to make up for that ever since! Carbs are my very favorite, but I try to keep them limited to dinner and eat plenty of fruit and veggies during the day. I mix Amazing Grass Green SuperFood into a glass of water – it’s a fantastic way to make sure I’m getting my greens! I’ve also started taking a collagen supplement at night, and I love what it’s doing for my skin. And of course, coffee!
5) What wisdom do you hope to pass down to your little one?
We try to teach our daughters that their true beauty lies in who they are, not in what they look like. We always hope to lead by example in this way, so I never comment about my appearance in front of them. We give them complements on their beauty, but strive to combine those with complements on their hearts and minds as well. We try to remind them daily that loving God and loving people are the most important things we can do as humans – and I hope to pass all of these things along to our third daughter as well.
My Pregnancy Uniform - Courtney - Mama Bird Box - Gifts for Pregnancy
What advice would you give to other pregnant moms about feeling like themselves and enjoying this time?
Keep it simple! We don’t have to lose our identity completely to pregnancy, but it’s so important to give yourself lots of grace to make adjustments as you go. Sometimes you’ll be too tired to work out, or feel too crummy to eat a salad, and that’s ok! Find the one or two things that help you feel like yourself – whether it’s blowdrying your hair, going for a walk, drinking a smoothie every morning, or throwing on concealer and mascara – and stick with those basics. Your baby will be here before you know it, and your whole world will change in the best way. In the meantime, enjoy your beautiful changing body and be kind to yourself!

Thank you, Courtney! We can’t wait to meet baby #3!