Pregnancy
1. Constipation... 1st/3rd trimester... Miralax....ahh, once a day "produces" relief.
2. Gift registeries... you don't really need EVERYTHING they recommend for babies. Think of who the recommendations are coming from - lists made by store... duh, they want you to buy more. Rule of thumb, start with the basics and then get more if you think you need more.
examples
- 1 thing that makes motion for the baby (unless you will need them in different rooms- bathroom so you can shower, kitchen so you can cook). The baby can only be in one at a time, remember that.
- you wont need 16 thousand sheets. 1 on crib, 1 in wash, 1 back up incase of accidents.
- buy disposable changing table pads, cut them in half, and keep one on the changing table. When the mess happens, you can replace the disposable and not have to change changing table sheets. 2 boxes of 10 pads lasted me 6 months.
- bottle warmer- if you warm milk baby will always want it warmed. We just got the chill out under the faucet with hot water (when she did have a bottle). This allowed Cecelia to eat room temp when we were out and about.
- Avoid Target at all costs. Return policy sucks donkey balls... oh, I'm sorry you got 4 of thoses. Our computer system must have been broken. Oh, you want to return 3 of them, do you have the gift recipts. Oh, you don't. Maam, I'm sorry they are on clearance now so I can only give you $2.50 for each. Unless you contact who purcashed them for you and get the recipt or credit card statement.... ARE YOU KIDDING ME.......
3. Take a picture of yourself. You may feel like a cow, and don't want it remembered for posterity but you'll thank youself later.
4. The size your "girls" are 4 weeks prior to due date is pretty close to what your girls will be size wise after birth. If you need to go bra shopping. (See note in chapter one regarding bras.)
Labor
5. Bring pillows. Hospital pillows suck. Bring the Boppy/nursing pillow too!
6. Don't make a full blown "birthing plan." know the basics of what you want/don't want. Then you can't be upset when you plan doesn't go the way you wanted it to. no expectations of the event mean no heartbreak.
7. drugs, yes please.
8. outline for relative who you do/don't want at the hospital to see the new baby. Yeah, baby adorable, but... who do you really need to see (that can't wait 2-3 days) until you can sit up right and get a shower. (Example- MIL's new boyfriend who you've never met before.....)
9. hemorrhoids, stiches, etc... yes please, I'll have that stood softener. Better make it 2!
Post Partum
10. hemorrhoids- if you are lucky enough to have them- "hang" around for a couple of months. Just when you think they may have gone away one "straining" porcelin bus session can make them rear their ugly heads again. Miralax once a day for first three months, necessary. (see number 1)
11. Nipple cream- lanolin.... may uses other than intended...1 tube lasted me a year (even after all the uses you'll see below!)
- lip balm (best stuff ever- Erica actually went out and bought her own tube once she tried mine)
- apply to red/dry nose when you have a head cold
- apply to chapped/cracked hands from washing too much during H1N1 season
- apply under babies nose (thin layer) when they have a runny nose so they don't get that big, raw red mark
- apply to legs in winter (ahh, bye bye winter scally skin)
---- to be continued... I am constantly finding more uses
(squeezed some into carmex like jars and have one in my car, my purse, my desk at school. don't leave home without it!)
12. baby monitors- invest in a good one. Cecelia was 6 weeks old, second night in her crib in her room and our monitor failed. We had a mid range Fischer Price monitor. We didn't know it wasn't reading the signal from the other end. Woke after 4 hours wondering why Cecelia hadn't woken to eat.... heard a faint screaming from her room... still feel like the worst mommy ever.
-next morning we bought one that has a green light on it when it is "linked" to the other end. for the next 4 months I could stare at the green link light knowing that it was working. I thought those monitors where you could see baby were a joke...now I know why people buy them. You NEED comfort of knowing you can go to the rescue when baby needs you. Spend money for that comfort. Being able to wake up in the middle of the night, roll over and see the green light "linked" on is the best comfort you can imagine. You'll sleep better. You won't be disappointed.
13. pumping/storing- when you store milk, after baby is 6 months or older I wouldn't store in any more than 4 or 5 oz. Depending on how old they are and how much they are eating, when you thaw milk, you don't want to have more than you need. Better to have to take out 2 packages to get enough ounces than to have to waste some.
- let milk freeze laying flat in bag. When frozen you can stack more bags this way. I then put them in big freezer bags in the deep freeze with dates. I've heard other people who store in soda can box-upright ( you can read dates and store a lot in a small space). Laying flat lets them thaw quicker too because you don't have one big ice chunk. Hot water can get at larger surface of milk thawed faster.
- pumping- once baby is on a schedule don't elimiate the feed you were doing before you went to bed. pump that one. Once you let it go your body won't want to produce more milk than the baby is eating. Once Cecelia was sleeping 6-7 hours, I would pump before I went to bed and set my alarm and get up and pump the feed she would have had but was now sleeping through.
--- lots more advice in this area. I was able to pump and store enough milk (and pump at work) to get Cecelia to 13 months before having cow's milk. I went back to work when she was 12 weeks (but had July and August off of school). She will have her last stored bag of milk tomorrow (14 months 1 week old- boo hoo) and still nurses 3 times a day... having a bfing mentor helped alot.
-- no one will appreciate breast milk more than you. others will dump down the drain when baby doesn't finish without a second though... ahhhh. They don't understand the time and emotion involved. know that they never will and try to set it up so NOTHING ever has to go down the drain.
-- have a plan incase you get pulled over pumping.... yes, possible to pump and drive!! I had a quick abort plan!!!
14. Halo sleep sacks... best ever. Come in every size from newborn to 6x (after 24 months they start making feet holes in the bottom!). Don't have to worry about baby not covered, or suffocating on blankets. Babies r Us has them on sale a couple of times a year for buy one get on half off. Good deal. Any sacks under 9 months you need two of. They can still get caught in a middle of the night mess. You need a backup!
15. Storing baby clothes. Wash everything and sort it according to sizes. Store in those jumbo (could fit a small child inside) ziplock bags. You can label the outside of the bags with sharpie. They fold up and disappear when you are using that size clothes (those big rubbermaid totes are always there, even when emtpy). Know if you filled a bag, you are probably good on that size and don't need more. When size is done, put everything away clean and you'll be ready for baby number 2!!!!!!
I'll leave this for you to digest.... I am sure I'll think of more.
Lots of love, until next time.... Nat
2. Gift registeries... you don't really need EVERYTHING they recommend for babies. Think of who the recommendations are coming from - lists made by store... duh, they want you to buy more. Rule of thumb, start with the basics and then get more if you think you need more.
examples
- 1 thing that makes motion for the baby (unless you will need them in different rooms- bathroom so you can shower, kitchen so you can cook). The baby can only be in one at a time, remember that.
- you wont need 16 thousand sheets. 1 on crib, 1 in wash, 1 back up incase of accidents.
- buy disposable changing table pads, cut them in half, and keep one on the changing table. When the mess happens, you can replace the disposable and not have to change changing table sheets. 2 boxes of 10 pads lasted me 6 months.
- bottle warmer- if you warm milk baby will always want it warmed. We just got the chill out under the faucet with hot water (when she did have a bottle). This allowed Cecelia to eat room temp when we were out and about.
- Avoid Target at all costs. Return policy sucks donkey balls... oh, I'm sorry you got 4 of thoses. Our computer system must have been broken. Oh, you want to return 3 of them, do you have the gift recipts. Oh, you don't. Maam, I'm sorry they are on clearance now so I can only give you $2.50 for each. Unless you contact who purcashed them for you and get the recipt or credit card statement.... ARE YOU KIDDING ME.......
3. Take a picture of yourself. You may feel like a cow, and don't want it remembered for posterity but you'll thank youself later.
4. The size your "girls" are 4 weeks prior to due date is pretty close to what your girls will be size wise after birth. If you need to go bra shopping. (See note in chapter one regarding bras.)
Labor
5. Bring pillows. Hospital pillows suck. Bring the Boppy/nursing pillow too!
6. Don't make a full blown "birthing plan." know the basics of what you want/don't want. Then you can't be upset when you plan doesn't go the way you wanted it to. no expectations of the event mean no heartbreak.
7. drugs, yes please.
8. outline for relative who you do/don't want at the hospital to see the new baby. Yeah, baby adorable, but... who do you really need to see (that can't wait 2-3 days) until you can sit up right and get a shower. (Example- MIL's new boyfriend who you've never met before.....)
9. hemorrhoids, stiches, etc... yes please, I'll have that stood softener. Better make it 2!
Post Partum
10. hemorrhoids- if you are lucky enough to have them- "hang" around for a couple of months. Just when you think they may have gone away one "straining" porcelin bus session can make them rear their ugly heads again. Miralax once a day for first three months, necessary. (see number 1)
11. Nipple cream- lanolin.... may uses other than intended...1 tube lasted me a year (even after all the uses you'll see below!)
- lip balm (best stuff ever- Erica actually went out and bought her own tube once she tried mine)
- apply to red/dry nose when you have a head cold
- apply to chapped/cracked hands from washing too much during H1N1 season
- apply under babies nose (thin layer) when they have a runny nose so they don't get that big, raw red mark
- apply to legs in winter (ahh, bye bye winter scally skin)
---- to be continued... I am constantly finding more uses
(squeezed some into carmex like jars and have one in my car, my purse, my desk at school. don't leave home without it!)
12. baby monitors- invest in a good one. Cecelia was 6 weeks old, second night in her crib in her room and our monitor failed. We had a mid range Fischer Price monitor. We didn't know it wasn't reading the signal from the other end. Woke after 4 hours wondering why Cecelia hadn't woken to eat.... heard a faint screaming from her room... still feel like the worst mommy ever.
-next morning we bought one that has a green light on it when it is "linked" to the other end. for the next 4 months I could stare at the green link light knowing that it was working. I thought those monitors where you could see baby were a joke...now I know why people buy them. You NEED comfort of knowing you can go to the rescue when baby needs you. Spend money for that comfort. Being able to wake up in the middle of the night, roll over and see the green light "linked" on is the best comfort you can imagine. You'll sleep better. You won't be disappointed.
13. pumping/storing- when you store milk, after baby is 6 months or older I wouldn't store in any more than 4 or 5 oz. Depending on how old they are and how much they are eating, when you thaw milk, you don't want to have more than you need. Better to have to take out 2 packages to get enough ounces than to have to waste some.
- let milk freeze laying flat in bag. When frozen you can stack more bags this way. I then put them in big freezer bags in the deep freeze with dates. I've heard other people who store in soda can box-upright ( you can read dates and store a lot in a small space). Laying flat lets them thaw quicker too because you don't have one big ice chunk. Hot water can get at larger surface of milk thawed faster.
- pumping- once baby is on a schedule don't elimiate the feed you were doing before you went to bed. pump that one. Once you let it go your body won't want to produce more milk than the baby is eating. Once Cecelia was sleeping 6-7 hours, I would pump before I went to bed and set my alarm and get up and pump the feed she would have had but was now sleeping through.
--- lots more advice in this area. I was able to pump and store enough milk (and pump at work) to get Cecelia to 13 months before having cow's milk. I went back to work when she was 12 weeks (but had July and August off of school). She will have her last stored bag of milk tomorrow (14 months 1 week old- boo hoo) and still nurses 3 times a day... having a bfing mentor helped alot.
-- no one will appreciate breast milk more than you. others will dump down the drain when baby doesn't finish without a second though... ahhhh. They don't understand the time and emotion involved. know that they never will and try to set it up so NOTHING ever has to go down the drain.
-- have a plan incase you get pulled over pumping.... yes, possible to pump and drive!! I had a quick abort plan!!!
14. Halo sleep sacks... best ever. Come in every size from newborn to 6x (after 24 months they start making feet holes in the bottom!). Don't have to worry about baby not covered, or suffocating on blankets. Babies r Us has them on sale a couple of times a year for buy one get on half off. Good deal. Any sacks under 9 months you need two of. They can still get caught in a middle of the night mess. You need a backup!
15. Storing baby clothes. Wash everything and sort it according to sizes. Store in those jumbo (could fit a small child inside) ziplock bags. You can label the outside of the bags with sharpie. They fold up and disappear when you are using that size clothes (those big rubbermaid totes are always there, even when emtpy). Know if you filled a bag, you are probably good on that size and don't need more. When size is done, put everything away clean and you'll be ready for baby number 2!!!!!!
I'll leave this for you to digest.... I am sure I'll think of more.
Lots of love, until next time.... Nat
#Momlife Series
Chapter 1: Things People Were Too Scared to Tell Me About Motherhood
Chapter 3: Nipple Cream: How I Love You, Let Me Count the Ways!
Chapter 4: Feeding A Toddler: Mission Impossible
Chapter 5: Pregnant Again, How Easily One Can Forget
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