Congratulations! Either you just found out you are expecting, you have little ones already or just want some more baby info… I hope you find something helpful. I’m funny on some subjects, sassy on some others and downright serious about a few too! Mommy-ing is hard. There’s a lot to think about, purchase and celebrate. Here are a few of my thoughts about baby’s first year and yeah… and taking care of you too! Enjoy!
Note to the reader:
I’ll just be honest… I’m not a stickler about brands, new items or expensive stuff. It’s just not the way my family lives. I am the QUEEN of Goodwill and second-hand shopping. My family is always wearing (or using) something from Goodwill. Wipe it off or wash it and get to using it! I know some people don’t do second-hand, that’s ok – just know you are overpaying!
Hey, still here? Great! Let’s get started!
Equipment (just the basics):
- Backpack diaper bag. Easy to carry. Get a neutral color to use for more than one kid.
- Sound machine. The most basic one you can find works.
- Portable sound machine. Just buy it. Put it in your handy-dandy backpack and thank me later.
- Bouncer: that’s all you need. I’m not a fan of baby swings because you are only encouraging your baby to know movement with sleep. Swings and mamaroos sound good, but they are encouraging bad habits.
- Walker – baby will play with the front of it when not walking and then push all around when walking.
- Easy to move baby bathtub.
- High chair: purchasing one that can be attached to a chair saves space.
- Basic activity play mat.
- Pack and Play: use in parents’ room
- Stroller/car seat combo
- Convertible car seat (switched at 7 months, we had a big girl J). Make sure you purchase one that can be forward facing when baby is big enough.
- Plastic drawer containers: label with future sizes when you find great deals on clothes. I also use these for Saralee’s dresser with cute labels.
- You don’t have to get everything at once. It will be fun to purchase items as you need them!
Feeding:
Bottles: Different bottles with different nipples. Baby will decide which one he or she will like. Then purchase more once baby likes a certain one. I’d buy at least 8 for a full day’s feedings. We used Comotomo bottles. Baby’s preference might start to change when he or she gets older because the mouth matures and sucking ability will be change with age.
I bought cute labels (Mabel’s Labels) for my kids’ bottles for school. They have run through the dishwasher many times, tons of cute designs, totally worth it! They have clothing and shoes labels, anything!
Breastfeeding: If you are exclusively breastfeeding and want to have a breastmilk stash, pump after baby feeds to increase supply. Don’t let a freezer stash be stressful. Some moms are literally psychos about their freezers stashes. Don’t start to hate pumping and breastfeeding because your freezer stash is not big enough. It takes the joy and beauty out of nursing.
Breastfeeding is tiring, so be patient with baby learning new things. Drink a LOT of water and eat all the time to keep up your energy and supply. You will be hungrier for sure! Remember BF and latching is new to you both – ask for help. Use a lactation consultant at the hospital. Go for appointments and go with a HUNGRY baby, so you can get the best help.
Buy amazon nursing bras. They aren’t pretty, but they are comfortable and that’s all I really care about now. Buy nipple pads for leaky boobies 😉 and nipple shields if baby is having trouble latching. I didn’t need to use these, but they are definitely helpful for the mamas who need them.
My Kindred Bravely bra literally saved my pumping life at work. I was able to work and pump at the same time – amazing!
Engorgement: My milk came in HARD AND FAST! 5 days after I had her. I drank mother’s milk tea and took the vitamins (milk thistle and fenugreek) 3x/day while nursing. When your milk comes in your boobs will get engorged (like rock hard). This is when a lot of women get mastitis and quit BF all together because they think this is all it is (and because it’s painful). If this happens, take HOT showers and let the water run on your boobs to get the milk to release out. Pump for 20-30 mins (even if nothing comes out) around every 2-3 hours, so that your body knows, YES we want this milk. Put baby on your boob and try to get baby to latch. This may be hard because your boob might be so engorged, baby cannot get a good grip, but still try! Rub aloe on them also, it’s soothing and will help engorgement.
Breast pump: If you want a breast pump, ask insurance if you qualify for a free pump. You should get parts and pump. Don’t pay for the extra backpack, just use a bag you have. I found pumping and working very hard. I hit my 6 month goal of pumping and then did not continue. If you’d like to talk more about pumping during the workday or how I “tried” to make it work, let me know. There’s a lot of cleaning and storing milk, but it’s worth it to know your body is feeding your baby! Tip: put your pump bottles in between pumps so you don’t have to wash every time.
When you leave the hospital, ask the nursery and your postpartum nurse for extras on extras on extras. Ask for pre-filled formula bottles and nursing pads, BF containers, and everything you can!!! Diapers, wipes, all the goodies!!! I also got a plastic sponge thing to sit on for a while because your crotch freaking hurts. Ask them for more pads and the ugly underwear, anything!!!!
Medicine:
- Gas drops: great, but can cause constipation. Keep an eye on how many poopy diapers while giving gas drops.
- Infant Tylenol and baby allergy: can only use after 4 months. Allergy after recommended by a doctor.
- Aquaphor: for anything! Chapped privates, legs and cheeks, spots, diaper rash.
- A&D: best for diaper rash! A little more than you want to spend on this kind of item, but it always takes care of the rash!
- Constipation: depending on what age, you can add some prune juice in a bottle.
Mom’s Support:
Facebook:
- Boobin Ain’t Easy
- Baby Led Weaning
- Respectful Sleep Training
- Carseat Safety
Instagram:
- Loveafterbaby
- Mombrain.therapist
- Mamaguide
- The.breastfeedingmama
- Risenmotherhood
- Mamaknowsnutrition
- The.vagina.whisperer
- Raisinglittletalkers
- Raisegoodkids
- Kids.eat.in.color
- Transformingtoddlerhood
- Mother.ly
- Modernmomprobs
- drtracyd
Apps: Wonder Weeks ($2/app): Informs parents on “developmental leaps” from baby’s birth date. It’s helpful to know baby’s brain is learning and what symptoms baby may be showing in each leap.
Misc: Take parenting advice, but also do your own darn thing! If you think baby’s not right and something’s off, call your doctor, go with your gut! Google stuff, ask friends or the FB groups I’ve shared. Reach out for help, please don’t think people aren’t there for you. If you are overwhelmed and baby’s crying like crazy, set baby in a safe place (crib), walk away and collect yourself, then go back and try to calm baby down. Coming from a mama who experienced some rough days, please reach out to people, ask for help, call a doctor.
Schedule:
This is the most important advice I can give you. Within a few weeks of baby being born, get baby on a schedule of feed/play/sleep. There are many things out there pertaining to this… Baby Wise, Moms on Call, Feed/Play/Sleep method. I used Moms On Call. It’s an actual book, but I would just google the schedule based on age (measured in weeks) and start with that schedule. Babies NEED structure. I started Moms on Call during my daughter’s second month and it has literally changed my life. Schedules benefit in multiple ways – it gives you answers to why baby is crying or unhappy and also helps create good habits for your growing baby.
Sleep:
I did a lot of research on baby sleep during pregnancy and was determined to sleep train by babies well. I recommend using sleep sacks (Halo brand for us!). We started with infant swaddle and went to the early walker size. They are about $20-25/each, but SO WORTH it for sleep. They are basically a wearable blanket and it keeps baby cozy and applies light blanket pressure. We also use a sounds machine and black out curtains. Remember there is no time too soon to start sleep training. For your sanity I recommend doing it early – we started at 6 weeks.
Sleep for you: remember to get it!! It’s so important that you have some sleep too. You will want to do it all, trust me! But please get naps in when baby’s sleeping. For safety reasons for your baby and yourself, sleep when you can. Wash a few bottles for the next round of feeding for the day and then lay down when baby is down. I promise it helps even to lay there and relax even if you cannot sleep.
I am against co-sleeping. It’s dangerous and creates unhealthy sleep habits for baby. It’s the easiest thing a tired parent can do, but it’s the worst, hardest habit to break. A mom and dad’s bed is just that – for mom and dad. That’s all I will say about that.
Food:
I was never a big fan of baby food – it’s gross, somewhat expensive and I was interested in using it… until baby #2 came around and we use it all the time. I highly encourage you to start baby on solid foods around 6 months. I know it sounds intimidating… baby steps… cut foods right and baby can grow to have a great pallet. Introduce baby to fish, peanut butter, eggs. See if baby can try 100 foods by 1!
There’s a few rules and guidelines if you choose to take this route – wait until baby can sit up unassisted, avoid honey and runny eggs. Check out the FB group I mentioned – Baby Led Weaning.
I encourage parents to take a CPR class or at least watch some Youtube videos in case of any emergencies. Again, visit the FB group or google how to cut foods correctly.
Recovery:
It’s worth mentioning that when the baby comes out, all you see are those sweet pictures of the baby laying on the mama’s chest and the daddy proudly looking at his new addition. And because I’m not a fan of surprises, I’m going to tell you that all the junk that was in your belly with baby must come out too. The nurse is going to push on your belly with all her might to push the junk out. She might have done this for a few minutes, but it felt like I just labored again… This is, in my opinion, the WORST. So just be prepared! And yes, the after birth contractions are worse with each baby.
Your uterus grew for baby and now must go back down. I wore a belly band for about a month after each baby to train my belly to go back down. Results you ask? I’m still a little stretchy, but I have two sweet babies to show for it!
So, back to recovery: Put those lovely, mesh underwear on and don’t worry about how you look. Be prepared to bleed and contract for a few weeks. Purchase big, long pads, wear sweatpants and nursing bras while at home.
Remember to shower. It will help your tired, stressed mind. Remember to get a break even if it’s a shower. Talking to a dog and baby all day get old and you need breaks too – more than anyone!
Aw, lovely hormones. They will be bonkers. It’s ok to cry and not know why. Baby blues are normal. What’s not normal is feeling angry or mad at baby or yourself. Be honest with doctors and your sweet hubby. If you are feeling angry or mad and feel you or baby is in danger. Set baby down in a safe place and call 911. Don’t be ashamed about this at all. Your husband, family and doctors are here to help.
Speaking about that sweet hubby, tell him what you need. He has no idea what’s going on in your mind and does not know your needs. You all are both learning this new crazy parenting thing, talk about it. I made many mistakes of resenting my husband when he did not know my expectations or needs as a new mom.
Hope you enjoyed this info! I love talking about mom and baby stuff. Let me know what you think of this article. Have any advice that I missed? Would love to chat!
Raising Youngins 
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