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3rd Trimester
ttarnold23
member
2nd time moms, what are some "not so obvious" preparations?
ttarnold23
member
I'm sort of freaking out, what are some things that a first time mom needs to know preparation-wise? My mom just reminded me this morning that we need to start washing the baby's clothes, I had totally forgotten about that. Do I need to be cooking and freezing meals? etc. ????
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Re: 2nd time moms, what are some "not so obvious" preparations?
You definitely want to wash all the baby stuff. I even washed the carseat covers, etc. but I'm sure some people don't go that far. Make sure you use a free & clear detergent, the dyes and perfumes can irritate their skin.
I'd get your hospital bag together, diaper bag, changing station at home including diapers. I'm freezing as many meals as possible so I'm not stuck eating pizza every night. I'm personally freezing things in 2-4 serving sizes so I can make a handful of recipes but not have to eat the same thing multiple days in a row.
Pads, lots of them. Other post partum care items, there are a bunch of posts about that right now, just scroll down.
LO#1 - 19 cycles, 3 IUIs, 1 m/c, gonal-f, ganirelix, ovidrel, progesterone
Totally worth the wait!
Getting ready for #2
Back on Met, PCOS diet, prepping for treatments 1/12
Good luck to the wonderful ladies of 3T
Always cheering on my girls Gymnst1013 & MrsJohns
My Chart / Info for Newbies
I had to get the nursery ready and buy baby boy clothes, swaddles and blankets. I also stocked up on nursing pads, milk storage bags and diapers and replaced all of the nipples on the bottles. I bought new bibs and burp rags since the ones we used for DD were kind of gross. I washed all of the covers from the car seat, swing, bouncy chair, high chair, PNP, etc. Made arrangements for SIL to watch DD when I go into labor. Pre-registered at the hospital.
I didn't cook and freeze anything last time and I don't plan on it this time either. My mom and MIL went gorcery shopping for us several times in the first month. Every time we had visitors they always brought us meals. We had dinner brought to us every night for the first 3 weeks. Honestly after the first week or so we were fine cooking meals on our own so it wasn't a huge deal. I know some people find it really helpful so if it sounds like soemthing you'd benifit from then by all means start cooking:) You could stock up on snack items that you like for when you get home from the hospital. That way if you don't have an appetite for a big meal (or the time) you can grab your favorite snack foods.
You should always pre wash clothing but I wouldn't wash all of the clothes you have in each size. You don't know how big the baby will be so you don't want to wash 20 newborn outfits only to find out your LO only wears that size for a week. Wash some of each and that way if you need to exchange for different sizes the tags are still on the clothes you don't use. Wash all of the bedding as well.
I pre ordered my birth announcement envelopes from tinyprints.com. They came in the mail before the baby was born so I could address/stamp them all. Once my dd arrived we got a picture we liked and added the details (birthdate, weight, etc) to the announcement we picked and they were shipped within a week. All I had to do when they arrived was stuff them into the envelopes. I did it again for this baby and I'm almost done addressing all of the envelopes. I spent so much time writing thank you cards for gifts we recieved once dd was born that I was glad the birth announcements were taken care of. You could also make sure you have thank you cards and stamps for the gifts you recieve after your LO is born.
This one might be a bit much but I'm a planner when it comes to these things. I looked ahead on the calendar and made sure I had birthday cards and gifts for any of my friends or friends kids that had birthdays coming up right after I was due (I looked 3 -4 weeks out). I knew in my sleep deprived state I was not going to remember birthdays or have the energy to pick out a gift right after the baby was born. I made sure I had those things in advance so that all I had to do was remember to send them or gift them a gift when they stopped by to see the baby.
You're going to be just fine and everything will come together. I remember how overwhelmed I felt the first time and I feel that way again but I know it will all work out.
Clomid M/C 8 weeks 2/08 *IVF #1-DD born 3/09
*Surprise BFP-T18 baby lost at 13w 1/10 *FET #1-DS born 2/11
Don't get yourself all worried. It's a good idea to freeze some meals, especially if you don't have family around to help, but it's not the end of the world if you don't. We never did that and we managed to survive.
Honestly I can't think of anything for the first week that we needed other than diapers and warm clothes.
The first week was spent doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and changing.
That's still pretty much all that happens.
You've probably heard it a million times but I'm now a firm believer that all you NEED is food, clothes, something to catch poo, and a safe place for LO to sleep. You won't be doing anything else for at least the first week.
I would DEFINITELY be cooking and freezing things in small portions, so that both you and DH can eat something healthy when you actually feel hungry. Don't do casserole-sized meals- the leftovers will go to waste!
Get the diapers unwrapped and put them in several places. We have diapers in the nursery, in a drawer in the living room and in all the bathrooms. Nobody wants to haul baby across the house when it's time for a change. We also keep boxes of huggies wipes in every room - the dispensers keep the wipes wet for months and we use them for everything!
Wash as many burp cloths and cloth diapers as you have and get them stacked and into handy locations - babies are pretty gross when it comes to little cleanups, and you'll use them for BFing and burping as well.
I strongly suggest packing a "diaper box" for the car. Newborns are notorious for blowouts from the top and bottom, and you can't possibly be totally prepared with a diaper bag. Keep a changing pad, nursing pads, extra shirt for mom, extra outfits for baby, burp cloths, receiving blankets, diapers, extra wipes and pacis, to start. It'll lighten your load tremendously and rather than deal with a screaming baby AND a giant diaper bag, you can whisk baby out to the car to deal with the big stuff. (Ever notice 2nd, 3rd, 4th time moms carry less? They just figure out what to leave behind ahead of time!) Make sure the box has a top so that it can bounce around in the back of the car, and check it often. Once baby is bigger, you'll be able to swap the nursing/feeding stuff for snacks, sippies and bribes.
I would also make sure that your nighttime routine is ready - you'll do a lot of half-asleep diaper changes - make sure you've got a RED nightlight or lamp close by to give you enough light to see - red light will help you get back to sleep faster and keep your body closer to the right rhythms. From my own experience, I would suggest making sure that you've got swaddling blankets ready and keep a few extra near baby's bed, in case of diaper messes and whatnot. If you're BFing, make sure you've got a spot near your bed or feeding place to stock water, nursing pads, and magazines.
If you're going to be BFing, get those gel pads into the fridge so that they're cold as soon as you get home. The first couple of days of BFing are pretty easy and painless, but coming home tends to coincide with the pain of BFing starting. If you can be prepared to walk right through the door and concentrate on nothing but nursing and diapers, you'll be in good shape!
DD arrived at 34 weeks- nothing was washed, frozen, prepped, made, tidied, unpacked, assembled, purchased, etc. and we made it through just fine. You will too. Ditto other suggestions to not wash every newborn outfit (they probably won't even wear most of them), having diapers and wipes in lots of spots, and having most of the items you need in the car instead of lugging them around.
I would also add that now is a good time to make sure you're stocked up on the other essentials- pads, toilet paper (baby isn't the only one pooping), garbage bags, toothpaste, shampoo, dish detergent, etc. The stuff that you need but forget about because of baby until you run out and then you're stuck improvising because, let's face it, your needs can wait until you've had some sleep.
Go buy Baby 411, it'll answer lots of questions.
LO#1 - 19 cycles, 3 IUIs, 1 m/c, gonal-f, ganirelix, ovidrel, progesterone
Totally worth the wait!
Getting ready for #2
Back on Met, PCOS diet, prepping for treatments 1/12
Good luck to the wonderful ladies of 3T
Always cheering on my girls Gymnst1013 & MrsJohns
My Chart / Info for Newbies
Also, I've heard babies are really finicky about pacis and bottles, do you just buy some for the beginning and see how they do? Yes. I'd get one or two of each at first and then keep trying until you find the one that clicks.
Do you freeze breast milk for storeage? Yes.
Can you microwave breast milk for warming or does it destroy the nutrients? No microwaving BM.
Do you sterilize all bottles and nipples after every use or just once and then regular wash? Yes- you can run them through the wash or wash them by hand or boil them but they need to be completely cleaned out and dried between each use.
I remember prepaying all my bills because I thought I wouldn't be able to handle anything. My son nursed every 90 minutes for the first 3 months of his life and by 10 weeks I was ready to go back to work part-time. There is a ton of down-time with a newborn and if you have someone helping (like a SO) I would not worry. It's really all about sleeping, pooping and eating. For you and baby