Alyson Hannigan

It’s been a banner year for Alyson Hannigan — to say the least! Nominated for a People’s Choice Award for her work on How I Met Your Mother, the 35-year-old actress became a first-time mom as well, to 8-month-old Satyana Marie.

With so much going on it’s no wonder Alyson is looking for ways to save time, and she’s found a great one in Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs. Convenient and efficient, the tiny tabs eliminate the need to pre-wash dishes before loading into the dishwasher, buying Alyson a few extra minutes with baby girl and husband Alexis Denisof when there is rarely a minute to spare.

She recently chatted with Celebrity Baby Blog about her homebirth, the inspiration behind Satyana’s name, balancing family with work, and more. Click below to read our interview.

It has been a big year for you personally and professionally. What tips do you have for other working moms?

Yes, working and being a full-time mom can be very difficult to balance. For one, I keep a calendar with all of my appointments and commitments, whether they are work related or personal. It helps me to avoid schedule conflicts and keeps the importance of my family life on par with my work life.

Also, to save time and energy, my husband and I invest in effective household products that go a long way. For instance, we only run our dishwasher when it’s all the way full. Cascade ActionPacs are no fuss — we toss the little packet into the dishwasher dispenser and our dishes come out clean the first time.

Lastly, since I’m on the topic of kitchens, I keep a white board on the fridge so I can write down groceries as I run out so my shopping list is completed before I even go to the store.

Congratulations on your homebirth! Was it something you always knew you would pursue? Did you ever waver on that decision as your due date neared?

It wasn’t something I knew I was going to do before I got pregnant, but once I was pregnant, I did more research and I watched The Business of Being Born and that sealed the deal.

It’s not the right choice for everyone, but it definitely was for me. I never wavered on it. I knew if I needed to go to the hospital I would, but thankfully everything went well and it was a magnificent experience.

Can you tell us about Satyana’s homebirth? Was it what you anticipated?

It was a great experience — we did it in a birthing tub. Never once was I unhappy that I was not in a hospital. I was very grateful that I was in the privacy of my own home.

What has been the biggest challenge of motherhood thus far? The biggest surprise?

The biggest surprise is how much stuff babies need. First of all, our house has 2 dishwashers and I thought, why would I ever need two dishwashers, but between the breast pump parts, the bottles and the dishes, I’d consider getting a third dishwasher!

Can you tell us some of Satyana’s latest milestones?

She rolls over a lot now and she has her first two teeth. She’s been saying mama and mom for the past couple of months, although I’m not sure she knows that mama is me. She usually says it when she wants something—and it works.

What was the inspiration behind Satyana’s first name, and would you share her middle name with our readers?

The root of her name means ‘truth’ in Sanskrit, and we added the ‘ana’ to make it go better with my husband’s last name, which is Russian. Her middle name is Marie after my aunt. We often call her Sati though.

What baby gear, if any, have you found most helpful?

Wow that’s a good question. The stroller is essential — I really like the bassinet part of the stroller. Sometimes she rolls over on her belly in the stroller and peers out to see where she’s going.

If you could give an expectant first-time mom just one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t believe the people that try to freak you out about the birth. The best advice someone gave me was that giving birth is not like ‘I broke my arm pain,’ it’s more like ‘I’m running a marathon pain’ — all about endurance.