Pregnant & Need Advice!

Lounge By lecrn Updated 31 Aug 2008 , 2:39am by michellenj

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seasonsmoke Posted 25 Aug 2008 , 12:55am
post #31 of 40

Oh it will be very exciting for you and your husband. God Bless.

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TheDomesticDiva Posted 25 Aug 2008 , 1:24am
post #32 of 40

I have another thing for you to add to your list of things to take to the hospital for YOU...FLIPFLOPS for the shower!! I always got a $5 pair from Old Navy to take with me. If you think about how many other people have been in that shower before you, and you know what their bodies are going through at that point, there was just no way I could stand in there barefoot!! And having my own pillow from home also helped me sleep.

Something that was a lifesaver to me after I got home was this stuff called Dermaplast. It is this numbing spray that they gave me at the hospital, but I ended up getting another can of it after I got home. It really helped with the pain of all the stitches, if you end up needing them.

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ChristianCakeBaker Posted 25 Aug 2008 , 3:06pm
post #33 of 40

i have a 10 month old, so baby info is at it's peak with me...lol.
if you are on a tight budget these are the absolute necessities that you WILL need.

-a carseat
-atleast 5 onesies
-atleast 5 pairs of socks
-burping cloths
-a blanket
-diapers
-wipes
-diaper bag
-a bouncer
-a passifier
-some baby bath wash
-baby q-tips
-rubbing alchol pads -for the umbilical cord... the hospital might have some-
-a crib -OR a bassinet-

if you are breastfeeding then you will need
-nursing bra
-breast pads
-a boppy pillow
-atleast one nursing nightgown
-a breast pump -quality counts-
-breastmilk storage bins

if you are formula feeding you will need
-atleast 3 bottles
-formula
-a bottle washer sponge

a few extra things that make life easier
-a swing
-some cute outfits
-a changing table
-a rocking chair

and most importantly things you will need for YOU
-if you deliever the baby and dont have a c-section... then buying some underwear a few sizes too big helps out when you have to wear those jumbo size hospital pads
-a friend that can help you clean and cook
-i used to sit on the boppy pillow after giving birth because i had stiches... and the hole in the middle of the pillow relieved the pain
-a camera to capture every second
-buy some long super pads because you will be wearing them for atleast six weeks
-comfortable loose clothes, because after having the baby your body is at its most awkard size... so loose clothes will be most comfortable

thats pretty much it.... but i probably left out a ton of stuff...

about the diapers, what i did for my shower was put on the invitation this saying
"to add a little extra glee
and help the parents-to-be
please bring a little extra
fromt he heart.
an unwrapped pack of diapers (any size)
to give them a good start"
i got TONS of diapers at my shower... i didnt have to buy any diapers until my baby was 5 months old. that really helped out.
good luck and God bless you and your little miracle icon_biggrin.gif

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lecrn Posted 25 Aug 2008 , 5:29pm
post #34 of 40

That's a great idea about requesting the diapers! I think that I will be having 3 showers. One of them will be out of town & @ a place that doesn't have either stores that I plan to register. It may be a good idea to have a "diaper shower"? Would it be rude to request a specific type of diaper?

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margaretb Posted 26 Aug 2008 , 9:16am
post #35 of 40

You know what, try not to go overboard needing every item on the baby market. Some of the things that people said were wastes I liked, and some of their essentials were wastes for me. And then there are things that were essential with one of my kids but I didnât use with others!

Here is a big waste for me â baby towels. I had the cheapo thin walmart ones, and I had to use them double so the baby wouldnât get cold. I finally clued in and just used a nice big regular bathtowel. I did get one decent sized and thick one from somebody that I used a lot when my second baby was still quite small.

Sleepers -- make sure they unsnap or unbuckle down both legs. I HATE the ones that only go down to the crotch because you have to bend the baby to get him in or out and also, sometimes you are not sure if they are poopy and you want to get a leg out and actually look.

Newborn diapers were a waste for two out of three of my kids because they were over ten pounds.

Crib â my kids all ended up co-sleeping, so I really only used the crib as a place to change them or to set them once in a while when I needed to shower, and a playpen would have worked just as well. Luckily, our cribs were hand me downs. If you do co-sleep, get a waterproof mattress cover because your child WILL throw up in your bed at least once. My five year old just started knowing to run to the bathroom to throw up this past winter. There is a waterproof cover on every mattress in our house.

With my first, I only liked pants that had snaps so you didnât have to take them off. With the others, I decided I preferred loose pants that were easy to take on and off.

I had two spring babies but my third was a winter baby and I probably would have liked a wipe warmer for him. However, my change table is a mattress thingy on my dresser, and I can reach my bathroom sink from there so I just took a handful of wipes and soaked them with warm water. And always pull out several wipes before you start changing poop because they always get stuck in the container when you have a poop emergency. And if itâs a boy, put a wipe over his penis (can I say that on this forum?) because he WILL fountain pee on you. Many times. When it gets in his own face, remember pee is sterile.

Diaper bag â Iâve used a couple (most recently a free one I got for registering with one of the baby companies), but currently I use my university backpack and I think it is my favourite of all.

Loved my receiving blankets, but I mainly used them as burp clothes or to lay the baby on. Youâll probably get lots of these as baby gifts.

Iâm kind of doing this list in between reading the other posts. People keep mentioning alcohol for the umbilical cord, but the info I got was that alcohol kills the helpful bacteria that get the umbilical cord off. I only used water on a Q-tip and all three lost their umbilical cords in less than a week. Also, that was good advice about breastfeeding taking a month to get into a good rhythm. I so wanted to give up with all of them, but we got through it. And I supplemented before my milk came in. And used a soother. Some people will be really fanatical about what you can and cannot do, but you just do whatever it takes to get you through. It took four and a half days for my milk to come in with my first, and I donât care what they say, he was HUNGRY. With my next two, I supplemented on the second night (before milk came in) because that is when they started waking up to nurse every hour. Also, donât assume that the nurses are giving you good nursing advice. With my first, my nipples ended up really badly cracked. The nurse would ask how it was going, and I would say it hurt. So either they would look and say it looks like a good latch or else they would say it shouldnât hurt. It wasnât until baby was a week old and I had decided I was going to give it until the end of the week and then give up nursing that I saw my regular public health nurse (out here, they come for a home visit when you get out of the hospital, but for whatever reason they had sent the nurse from a different town the first time). She took one look at me and made two little adjustments and it was the first time I had nursed without pain. Apparently he had a good latch BUT he wasnât on far enough so he was nursing on the end of my nipple instead of further back on the boob. Weâre talking a fraction of an inch difference. So the hospital nurses were all correct, but they didnât help me.

Everytime I see my grandmother, she always says, âoh, you have such nice things for children these daysâ. She had nothing â no stroller, no car seat, no crib. Really, the baby doesnât need much (obviously a car seat these days). I loved the idea of walking around the store with someone who will give you the dirt on what is good and what isnât. Technically it is rude to register for any present or request anything because a gift is always optional. But letâs be realistic â these days, people like to know what you want/need, and chances are people will be asking what to get you, so sure, have a list or tell your mom so you can let them know what you prefer.

Now, here is my little lecture for you. I found myself very overwhelmed for the first few months with my first baby. I was that typical first time mom who wouldnât even have had a bite to eat or a shower until 2 pm. Take some time to take care of yourself. Feeling overwhelmed is normal, but you are doing a good job. Baby will be okay if he wakes up from his nap and cries for 5 minutes while you finish your shower. If you think you didnât get anything done in the day, remember you have already done a full dayâs work in feeding, burping, changing and dressing baby. Plus you will want to spend some time just holding baby and loving him. If you wonder why you canât get a load of laundry in or a dish washed, thatâs because you have been doing a more important job all day.

Good luck!

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mommachris Posted 27 Aug 2008 , 5:53am
post #36 of 40

The kids came one at a time and my skills had to adjust with each one. No matter what anyone tells you 'works like a charm' each child has their own way of doing and responding to your care. It is just a matter of finding out what works for you and this particular child.
The mothering thing is a total learn on the job experience. I didn't know anything about caring for babies when Holly came along in 1990.

As for the kids...I was 24 when I became a mom. I'm 42 now.

Holly is almost 18 and just started her second year of college.
Amy is almost 16 and is in the 10th grade...she is taking Spanish at the local community college.
Aaron is in the 9th grade. He is 14.
Evelyn turns 10 next month.
Zebedee turns 8 this week.
Melody is 5 1/2.
William is 3 1/2.
Melissa is 20 months
and the new baby Tobin Joseph is due on September 8th. He will be delivered by c-section....my third time.

I'm not sure if our doctor will allow us to continue so this may be our last child. I'm at peace with that. I've had four miscarriages so to end on a happy note will be a blessing.

If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to pm me.
God bless you and Dh.

christyann

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mkerton Posted 29 Aug 2008 , 4:48am
post #37 of 40

I wanted to second the dr. brown bottles......LOVE them......... and also mention a product called Burt's Bee's....their baby bee buttermilk lotion smells soooo yummy on a baby, and I love the baby bee hair and body wash as well, yes its a bit pricier, but I like that its all natural. I get compliments all the time about how good my babies smell! The only other thing I will mention is KNIT CRIB SHEETS, yes I know most often they are not that cute, they are only available in solid colors, but it makes changing the baby bedding so much easier..... and they feel so soft too!

The funny thing is, I was so arrogant this second pregnancy, I sailed through my first child's infantcy relatively easy (now I am not sailing through his 3rd year so easily LOL) and boy did I get knocked on my butt with my second baby (3 months old on the 30th).... she has acid reflux, already had a blocked tear duct eye infection, thrush, and she has a hemangioma (strawberry birthmark that appeared around 2 weeks of age)... I swear during the period of thrush, eye infection with her "normal" reflux, I was a mess, I mean it seemed totally wrong to have to medicate a child 9 times a day (2 doses of acid reflux meds, 4 doses of thrush meds, 3 does of eye meds) UGH...... not to mention how scary two trips to the ER were for particularly awful bouts of reflux.... I only bring this up to tell you that you that I felt like a brand new mom all over again, the things i thought I really "knew" were all thrown out the window. My son slept in his crib from the day we got home from the hospital, my daughter cannot lay flat and even with a wedge in the crib, its still not enough so she sleeps in a portable fisher price swing (I LOVE IT)......in my bedroom...something I said I would NEVER do. What works for one child clearly does not make you an expert on child rearing, boy have I learned that the hard way. I apologized a number of times to the nurses and doctors at my pediatricians office for becoming one of the mom's I swore I would never be this time around. They just chuckled and said hey every baby is different and new, and boy that is no lie!

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nickshalfpint Posted 30 Aug 2008 , 4:54pm
post #38 of 40

I just bought the basics and then If they needed something we got it. My first child had EVERYTHING, and hardly any of it got used. The last baby shower I had someone gave me a bunch of batteries. When I opened it I thought it was a joke, but they really came in handy. A lot of their toys and stuff require batteries. I thought it was a pretty good idea. Good luck and congratulations.

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foxymomma521 Posted 30 Aug 2008 , 6:10pm
post #39 of 40

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but organic (make sure it's organic, apparantly some brands contain caffeine) Gripe Water was a blessing with my 3rd. He had a sensitive tummy, and whenever he was fussy or had the hiccups it really helped! I found it the cheapest on www.iherb.com
Good Luck and God Bless!

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michellenj Posted 31 Aug 2008 , 2:39am
post #40 of 40

I forgot to say a couple of things.

Don't destroy the packaging of your baby monitors before you use them. With all the cordless phones around, and baby monitors in neighbors houses, you might get a lot of interference and humming, and need to return your set. Ours had a phantom baby that cried in it all the time! I liked how it had a battery function, so that we could clip it to our belt and do yar work, or go to the neighbor's house for a sec.

Also-I really enjoyed having a "travel system". It's much easier to be able to click the baby carrier out of the car and into your stroller. Otherwise, you have to unbuckle them, move the baby, then rebuckle a pissed off, sleepy baby into a stroller. Eentually, you will want ot go to the mal, or Michaels, and the baby will fall asleep in the car. (The car was about hteonly place mine slept.)

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