Tips for new moms!

amb2013

I'm almost 6 weeks into this journey and wanted to share some new mom tips I wish I knew before I forget!

1. If your baby is under 8 lbs, you will need new born clothes. And if you can get sleepers that zip and have built in mittens. They are the best and will save you time and energy during changes! You will need at least 5 sleepers. Also, they have t shirts that side snap with mittens, get these to use with the sleepers that don't have the mittens.

2. Buy several pacifiers if you plan on using them, our little guy only likes nam newborn pacifiers. And I bought then on a whim. He loves them and it helps soothe him. If your bfing check with lc first

3. Breastfeeding is hard! It can hurt badly especially before milk comes in. Also, be prepared for it not working out for you. Most people it does, but a lot of the reasons I suffered from IF came back to haunt me unexpectedly when trying to bf. and I took it hard. I have pcos and a pituitary adenoma, both cause issues with milk supply and I have basically no milk, even went to a doctor who specialize in bfing and she prescribed meds etc...just didn't work out and it took me by surprise. Just be prepared, wish I was. Best advice I was given was try as much feels right. I personally had to know I tried everything. And the decision to stop or to not start needs to come from you. Surround yourself with supportive people. Girlfriend who have bf and those who didn't etc. and then if at anytime you are worrying too much about how your providing nutrition to your baby outweighs enjoying your baby, it may be time to stop. Just some things I wish I prepared for better!

4. Get a rock n play! Awesome, he loves it. It keeps him feeling safe. He doesn't like to be swaddled and this kind of give the feeling and he's upright so good if they spit up have reflux etc...

5. Don't take the tags off things until you are ready to use. Especially clothes.

6. Keep boxes and packaging for everything. Surprised by how many things we got at baby shower that I don't need, returned and got a very nice credit.

7. Start an excel list of everyone you would send a birth announcement to. My friend gave me this advice and it really helped. Get addresses from your parents and his now, your husband, coworkers etc, and put them all in an excel sheet so you can later make labels. Then you can save this for baptism if you're having one, bday invites, holiday cards. You will have no time to do this later. Especially the first few weeks.

8. The first two weeks is hard and you will be exhausted and hormonal. It's a crazy combo! We were bombarded with guests and visitors and that made me even crazier! You may want to have a visitor policy if you have crazy family like we do! Especially in the hospital if you are learning how to nurse. I almost had to learn to use a breast pump in from of my father in law....omg it was out of control!

9. Diapers dot com has been a lifesaver

10. Get the hospital nurses to teach you everything! Like how to take rectal temp, swaddle, bathe, use snot sucker...everything. Even if you think it's silly. They are super helpful and it helps build your confidence which I was surprised I needed, a confidence boost because leaving the hospital can feel scary but more you ask and learn better you feel.

Hope this helps! I keep peeking in here to check on you all. Such a great supportive board. I need to give back when I can.

PhillyJ33

Thank you!!!! I have a dumb question... Is newborn the same as 0 to 3 months? I got a ton of stuff in that size as gifts but maybe one newborn outfit- just trying to figure out if I should shop for NB or not at this point!

amb2013

@phillyj33 newborn is smaller than 0 to 3. Our little guy was 6 pounds 11 oz at birth and is now 6 weeks old. Not sure how much he weighs now but he's in this stage where newborn is now tight (fits bit snug) and 3 month is big. I wish I had more 0 to 3!

PhillyJ33

Good to know- thanks! I guess I should get a few more NB, just in case! I was expecting a larger baby with GD but so far, he is measuring in the 37th percentile.

Congrats on your little guy- I hope you are enjoying every minute (minus the BF part- I am really nervous about it!)!

lincoln79

This is such a great post! Thanks so much!

Even though we are just 7w0d today, mh and I are thinking a lot about the time with baby because I am not pregnant (we are using a gestational carrier).

Thanks again!

drjwj

Thank you so much! I am starting to worry about things like this so this wS super helpful! How do you pre-wash everything if you leave the tags? I don't know how big she'll be yet to know how much newborn stuff to get.

amb2013

@drjwj I knew my baby would be under 8 pounds from ultrasound. Even of you don't know just wash a few things. Then when you get home, start washing. Washing clothes won't take long. I was surprises how stores like bbb and babies r us will accept things without receipts as long as there are tags on there. Also get some detergent like dapple and the stain remover. I like dapple. I use a lot of stain remover, everything gets stained around the collar especially if you formula feed. I feel like none of my friends could remember the newborn stage..,so I'm trying to give advice while it's fresh!

amb2013

My typos are terrible I apologize!

xtina78

Thanks this is an awesome and helpful post!

BBColt78

Can I add something too?

I found out at the hospital from Lactation that some people will have supply issues from undergoing IVF. This I didn't know. I could never get a supply for breastfeeding, even after three weeks. So, that might be good to know.

FWIW- including me and three friends (IRL) who have had IVF, two of us couldn't breastfeed and two could.