What have I overlooked/not thought of

Roni.Cedra · May 2011

In getting ready for this baby, I think that I am ahead of the game... you know fairly prepared, but I have this sinking feeling that I have overlooked something.

What are things that you never thought about in terms of preparing until after s/he was here and you were like I WISH someone had told me that!

Lay it on... I don't scare that easily!

maryh01 · May 2011

Make sure you have supplies for yourself! PP bleeding supplies and also BFing supplies like lanolin, breast pads, soothie gel pads etc. I had to seen DH out for some BFing stuff that I wish I would have had. (And seriously...those soothie gel pads are AMAZING!)

tiki_t · May 2011

Stock your cabinet with things like infant tylennol, gripe water and a thermometer.

Make a list of phone numbers and post it on the fridge. Include your pediatrician and the after hour pediatrician numbers. When you are tired, you aren't going to want to have to search for those.

I agree with breast feeding supplies. Have no shortage of nipple cream in your medicine cabinet.

Stock your kitchen drawer with to-go menus from local restaurants in case you or your husband are too tired to cook.

Sign up for a safeway.com grocery delivery account in case you get too tired to drive to the grocery store. They deliver to your doorstep. That saved me more than once but they deliver next day. Again, better than nothing when you are walking around in that haze.You may or may not need it but it is free to sign up for and better to do that when you are coherent.

Don't forget to pack lip balm in your hospital bag. I don't know what it is about hospitals that dry out your lips.

Sit down and make a list of things that you can't live without for at least 3 months and make sure you are well stocked in those items. Things like soap, face wash or whatever it is that is part of your every day life that you'd really miss if you couldn't get out to go get it. I don't know about you, but I can't send DH to the store for specific items and brands. He never gets it right so I just stocked my medicine cabinet with those items.

ladipale · May 2011

Sign up for diapers.com / soap.com - solves the last of tiki's points. Stuff is delivered the next day!

Make a list of the food you like and keep it on the fridge. If someone wants to help, send them to the store with your list.

Make instructions on how to use your washer so others can do your laundry.

Let other people clean your bathroom, both my MIL and my mom have cleaned our bathroom, it freaked John out at first, but oh man, when the bathroom is clean, everything is right in the world

If you have pets, make sure you have enough pet food to last a while.

My.ABC.Life · May 2011

maryh01:
Make sure you have supplies for yourself! PP bleeding supplies and also BFing supplies like lanolin, breast pads, soothie gel pads etc. I had to seen DH out for some BFing stuff that I wish I would have had. (And seriously...those soothie gel pads are AMAZING!)

Ditto!

DandaLion · May 2011

ditto everything all the pp's have said.

Are you going to have any family or friends staying with you or coming by to help?

Depending on your delivery, the recovery kinda can suck. You will be exhausted, you could be in a fair amount of pain, you will be entirely consumed by this new little person that is completely dependent on you...add to that the out of control hormones and it can sometimes feel like a recipe for disaster. Sleep as much as humanly possible. You won't get much, but the sleep you do get will feel amazing. Don't forget to take care of yourself. I swear my quick 10 minute shower was some of the best 10 minutes of my day right after DS was born. Eat plenty, and drink lots of fluids. Its hard when you are sleep deprived, and nursing, but it will only help you.

If people offer to help,take them up on their offer. They asked you for a reason. It may feel weird having people do your laundry or clean your house for you, but it will be such a big help.

We have a lot of family that lived out of the area that wanted to send us something after the baby was born. We had asked for no flowers (I am kinda allergic to certain types), so when people asked, my mom suggested things like calling in a food delivery for us. So nice to get a phone call saying dinner would be delivered and not to worry about anything. We even had one relative hire a cleaning service for a month after SO and my mom went back to work, so that I got that little extra help til I was able to start doing things (c-section made certain things a little tough). That's my new welcome baby gift if I know the mom would need/want it.

Stock up on snacks and easy (sandwiches, cereal, etc) things to prepare. It never failed that at 2am while I was up for an hour nursing I would be starving and we wouldn't have anything for me to snack on.

Good luck! you have gotten some great advice already.

kittylove · May 2011

I love the lists everyone else has but will add to it:

The name of a LC or a BFing consultant, and the BFing supplies listed above.

The moby. Seriously. Make it, buy it, whatever just get one.

Celyn · May 2011

I wish someone would have told me to get a doula and a deep freeze. And to get lactation consultation services early and often. And to insist to my mother that yes, indeed, I did want to her to come stay with us for a few weeks after the birth (apparently, I did not say that often enough or emphatically enough for her to get over her own desire not to have her mother come when I was born). But seriously, what I mean there is accept all help that is offered.

TheMutleys · May 2011

Others have mentioned what I was going to say.
Here's the list I used for my PP care kit.

https://www.sonofmax.com/movable/archives/000110.html

You have no idea how much you will love these things after you give birth. Tucks and dermoplast pain relieving spray were my best-est friends for awhile.

Zeener · May 2011

everything PP have said....and stool softener Embarrassed

ZoeMay06 · May 2011

Zeener:
everything PP have said....and stool softener

Ohhhh yes, definitely this!

Also, I'd highly recommend getting the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD (should be able to find it at the library) and becoming familiar with the technique before baby comes. Those 5 S's worked like a charm for Kyva. And along those lines, maybe a white noise machine if you don't already have one? We didn't get one until she was a few months old and I was terrified I'd burn out the motor on the "magic hair dryer" in the middle of the night and then be screwed. We liked the Homedics SoundSpa Lullaby.

ZoeMay06 · May 2011

kittylove:
The moby. Seriously. Make it, buy it, whatever just get one.

This is another great suggestion. I'd also suggest practicing wrapping it beforehand since there can be a bit of a learning curve at first. Maybe even attend a couple of your local Babywearing International meetings while still pg?

mandy0505 · May 2011

There is a ton of great info from pp, I'm going to have to use some of it too!

The only thing I would add would be cash. Some of my relatives are very helpful but unfortunately they have either lost their job or their funds are just too tight. So if I'm going to ask a relative to go to the store for me, I'd like to have cash on hand to give them to pay for whatever they are picking up. That way they don't have to ask because they don't have it to pay upfront.

DoxieGal · May 2011

Freeze some meals ahead of time, so that you and your DH can easily make dinners for a while. There are numerous sites and blogs with recipes for these meals too.

Like some of the pp said---stool softener and Tucks (buy the large box). Put the Tucks in the fridge, as it helps a million times more. Be sure to take all of the items from the hospital too. The Dermoplast helped a lot and since you get to take the can from the hospital, I didn't have to get another can at the store. Buy some extra pads too and don't be afraid to ask the nurses for some extra before you leave the hospital (same thing if you like the underwear that they give you).

StefandTodd · May 2011

I just want to be able to find this post in a couple months so I'm posting here and hoping google will help me

Good luck!!

legaleagles · May 2011

Stef - I just emailed myself the link for that very reason.

SarahCee · May 2011

I am late on this, but learn how to swaddle. None of the nurses in the hospital taught me, and I never got the hang of it... thus DS ended up hating being swaddled and I hated wrestling him into one.

MsPurple24 · May 2011

There are so many great tips here already. I would emphasize asking the nurse at the hospital for extras of everything they give you for your recovery before leaving. The mesh underwear, pain relief spray, extra large maxi pads, Chux pads, and even an extra peri bottle (mine busted and started leaking because I used it for a whole month!). I didn't have to buy any of those recovery items because I came home with TONS. But make sure you have some overnight maxi pads at home, because even after you're done with the major leakiness, you might still need some larger pads for a couple of weeks...

Ibuprofen. Stool softeners. Yes.

For breastfeeding, definitely buy the Nuk gel pads- they're hot/cold, which is awesome because I needed them frozen when my milk came in and I was swollen, but now I heat them up to help the milk flow faster (because I'm dealing with plugged ducts). Also with regard to breastfeeding, be prepared for some major leaking in the first 2 weeks. I did two things- when my milk came in, I used these to catch the milk that would literally pool inside. After that, I used breast pads, and you can get either disposable or cotton/reusable.

amyfelice · May 2011

I strongly second Happiest Baby and swaddle technique, especially for DH! Mine was swaddling and shushing right from day 1 in the hospital.

Also second the Gel Pads and I loved Mother's Love nipple cream. I bought all these nursing pads and I never leaked, so don't get a ton of anything, you may not need it (except the maxiest maxi pads)

Remember you can send people out for stuff too.

Do you have the Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets? Those were great. I agree with Moby for newborn but I moved onto Ergo pretty quickly.

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