It's now countdown time....I've only got 10 weeks left. Yahoo! As I prepare for our little bundle of joy I can't help but think that there are so many things that I have left to learn. So here's a shout out for anyone/everyone to give me their advice. Here are a few questions to get you thinking.(1)What do you wish you had known before your baby arrived that would have saved your sanity.
(2)What product made your life easier for you once the baby was here.
Any other advice or recommendations are gladly welcome these were just the ones that came to my mind quickly.
18 comments:
oh my, where do i start? what immediately comes to mind is that if you are planning on breastfeeding, expect it to be REALLY hard for a while, but don't give up if you can. pacifiers are a life-saver if you can get the baby to take one. develop a sleeping schedule and routine as soon as possible, or else you'll never have one (like us). the little bouncy/vibrating seats are wonderful for the first few months. i'm sure i'll think of more. so excited for you!
Abby - thanks so much! Yes, I am determined to succed at breastfeeding as long as baby and I are both able. I'm so crossing my fingers it will work out the way I want it to. I have a feeling that it will be harder then all the books I've been reading say it will be.
Amen to that. It's hard and really, really hurts for the first little while. It's SO worth it though and just know that you will get to the point when it doesn't even hurt when he latches on. :^)
Yeah breast feeding is hard and I had to stop because my first wasnt latching on. If IF you cant do it its not a bad thing. You are still a good mom and your baby will do just fine.
I wish I knew about the five S but I can only think of four its
Suckling (pacifiers are GREAT!)
Swaddling sorta tight
Swaying (rocking bouncing kind of thing)
last but not least
Shushing like shhh shhh shh like a heart beat on the ultra sound. THey are used to the sound of your heart and it makes it like they are back in the womb.
Its okay to let your baby cry. And its okay to cry yourself but not to the point of loosing your mind. Make sure you tell your Dr how you are feeling at your six week apt.
Lots of people just think they are having baby blues but it can be post pardom depression. I had it and let it go way to long till I got some help. You wont be a bad mom for getting help.
Make sure you go on a date as soon as you feel ready. Have a sitter come and you guys can go out for an hour or two. Its so good for you and your DH to get out to see the world.
RSVP is extreamly dangerous. Dont feel bad about telling people not to visit or hold the baby if they even have the sniffles. You would rather have a hurt feeling then a baby in the hospital with RSVP its not fun at all.
Uh lets see I dont know if I wrote a long enough response. But if you ever want to talk I am here for ya man ;)
E - Remind me of this comment when I call you saying that it hurts so much....
N - thank you so much! I'm going to write this all down in my special things to remember book. You are fantastic!
Well, My advice is... haha.. I have three kids and I should have a ton! The bouncing vibrater chair is the best thing ever.. my babies loved it and would calm right down! Also.. Always carry an extra set of clothes cause, you never know when they will either spit up all over themesleves or poop through everything.. might want to bring you an extra set of clothes too... and Breastfeeding hurts VERY VERY Bad at first but, if you can do it and take the pain the you GO!! I could never do it, and if you just can't do it.. it's ok.. They have formula and it works wonders!!! and.... If you do breastfeed that's super awesome but, word of advice if you and Brandon ever want to go out on a nice date.. start giving them a bottle.. (pump!!) from the very begaining so they wil l take it when you leave them with a sitter! or there will be problems and the baby wont take it.. and... if there is anything else don't every hesitate to call and ask me.. oh.. and if you just cant do it one day.. CALL ME!! :) I will come hold the little guy!! hehehee..
No problem. :^) Do you know yet what time your shower is? I've got other things going on that day too so I need to know ASAP. :^)
Oh, and get a nipple shield! Try your very hardest to only use it maybe once a day but it helped me SO much until that pain went down a little. :^) I know it sounds awful but I promise it really is SO worth it if you can do it.
Wow I didn't know that breast feeding hurt so much for others. I didn't have that much of a problem with it. I second all the advice above! Also skip those wimpy, but cute, burp cloths. Cloth diapers work the best and you never mind getting them dirty. Those vibrating rockers are the best, and I love the diaper Geni. Sleep when you baby sleeps and try to get into a routine as soon as possible, it helps you and the baby sleep better. Ask the lactation nurses at the hospital to help if you have problems nursing, they are great. Get ready for really no sleep for at least the following 6 weeks after birth.
A - for sure I will call you if one day I just can't handle it all. I'm so glad you're such an awesome SIL.
S - thanks, I've been getting scared with all the above comments. I'm determined to succeed and from the books I've read they say it shouldn't hurt. Guess we'll just have to see what happens first hand. I've already visited the IHC lactation specialists and they seem so wonderful. I'm glad someone else had success in this department. Great suggestion about the cloth diapers. Where do you buy them?
I know they havethem at Walmart next to the kids underware in the baby section. Also a word of advice. Buying disposable diapers in bulk is a great way to save a little moola, however don't start buying in bulk until you little boy is at least 3 months old, they grow so fast in the first 3-6 months that they will out grow them before you have used them all. A great way to know when it is time to go to the next size up is if they are consistanly leaking out of their diapers (poop or pee). Try the next size up and see if it makes a difference. Don't use the weight recomendations on the packege. I always have my kids in the next size way before they hit that mark, and they have fewer leaking problems that way.
Sorry I am taking up so much room, but I just remembered something that really helped when I was breast feeding. Find a good nursing pad, not all are the same. I liked the Jonhson ones, but that is because they are soft and don't irritate the nipples. Also the biggest help I found when your nipples start to get a little sore it an ointment called Lanosh(I think). It comes in a little purple tube. I got mine at walmart too, but I also got a sample at the hospital both times. Apply it liberaly whenever you feel tender on the nipples and it will help you so you don't get too tender. It is safe for the baby to injest so don't worry about that, by the time they are ready to nurse again it has absorbed mostly into the skin and the nursing pad.
S - thank you so much! I've already got a pkg of nursing pads, now I'll have to go check what brand they are. Good to know abt the cream. I stopped by Walmart last week and couldn't find it. Hum, I'll try to remember to get plenty of samples from the hospital.
write things down! your sweet baby will change so much and one day both you and brandon and your baby will treasure the memories you wrote down and all the feelings and changes that went on.
and breastfeeding isnt that bad! if you have any questions or problems, let me know. i used to work at the hospital and had to help moms out all the time. there are definitely some tricks that make it easier.
and rest when the baby rests. i know everyone says this...and when the baby sleeps you want to be up getting stuff done, cleaning or doing something for you, but the best thing for you is sleep. with all the hormones and sleepiness it can make everything seem a lot worse than it is...sleep is a magic touch and helps you get your sanity back!
my boys loved being in their baby swing. babies like to see what was going on in their surroundings and they would occassionally take naps in the swing. oh, and BABY WISE is a must read for new mommies. I read this book right before I had Brian, did what the book told me to do, and by the time both of my boys were 8 weeks old, they were sleeping through the night. good luck with everything. you will be a great mommy!!!
C - thank you! Great suggestion about writing the memories down about my thoughts, feelings, and things the baby does. Already I'm forgetting what it was like to only be 4-5 months pregnant - LOL, I thought I'd never forget those feelings. Thank you for being open for feeding support. I'll probably take you up on that.
L - yes, I have to have a swing. I already told DH that we'd absolutly have to buy one. Great recommendation on the book, I'll go check it out on amazon right now....
One more thing on the nursing and I will be quite watch what you eat, sometimes things you eat will cause your baby's tummy to get gassy and cause him pain. It can be something like chocolate or onions or garlic. If he seems especially fussy go over what you have eaten in the past 12 hours and keep track of it. This one is a trial and error.
1). Seriously, just sleep when you can. It makes a world of difference. "Baby Whisperer" is my favorite baby care book and helped a ton in getting my kids onto a routine. It tells you in there what all their little cries and body language mean and was a real help for us. Feeding shouldn't take more than 40 minutes after the baby is a few days old. If they nurse longer than that, they're just sucking for comfort and that's when a binky is a lifesaver! (And some babies only nurse 5-10 minutes and are still getting plenty! Just pay attention to the # of wet and poopy diapers and weight gain.)
2. In addition to what others have said, some of our must-have products include a MAM brand binky-keeper, a boppy for nursing, Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium (helped one of my kids go to sleep easily), lots of spit up rags, Gerber brand waffle-like receiving blankets (perfect for swaddling tight), and gas drops (to help painful rumbly baby tummies). Don't bother with the expensive brand of gas drops because Walmart's brand is just as good and soooo much cheaper!
Good luck!!!
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