Hmm the thought hasn’t even crossed my mind about the bottle nipples. I probably have a dozen bottles from DD, should I be buying new nipples or is it ok to reuse the ones from her?
@katie121209 FTM here, but with the twins I have absolutely no intention of keeping track of who used which nipple/bottle when (unless they have different bottle preferences). I don’t see how it would be any different from an older sibling, as long as they’ve been washed.
@katie121209@laceybee522 I'd replace ours cause it's been 5 yrs. i don't know what kind of condition they'd be in after being stored away. They started looking gross at that point. And sometimes he'd chew on them so the 'speed' of the nipple might not be what it once was etc. If i had 2 feeding off them at the same time, I definitely wouldn't keep track of who had which, unless it was a preference thing like you said.
me:35 DH:34 DS: born oct 2012 TFAS: BFP #1 aug16. miscarriage sept16 BFP #2 nov16 MMC dec16. d&c jan17 BFP #3 sept17 EDD 5/31/18 fingers crossed for our rainbow baby
@silvergreen We used comotomo with DD. I think we have 6ish of each size (5oz and 8oz), because they are definitely pricey. It allowed us to have a days worth that we could wash at the end of the day. DD didn't use the 8oz until i think around 6 months, and then wasn't that consistent with it until 8 months or so. You could probably get away with just buying the 8oz, but i did find the 5oz to be nice when she was small. The markings are a little easier to read than on the 8oz because of the curve.
@katie121209 I will be using the same nipples for this LO as DD. I'll definitely be cleaning/sterilizing them well, but don't have plans of buying new unless they seem like they "went bad"
Me: 28 | Husband: 39 Married March 2016 DD: born 7.22.16 DS EDD: 6.23.18
@katie121209 I actually asked that on my other BMB. I'm going to steralize and check the ones I have, but don't plan on buying new unless (a) they are cracked, (b) they leak, or (c) they just look bad.
Speaking of bottles....my friends made a baby bottle bowling thing for our shower yesterday. They put some epsom salts in them to keep them weighted down, but otherwise they are brand new. I figure running them through the dishwasher a couple times and maybe dipping them in boiling water should be ok? Also, they are the Parent's Choice brand from Walmart, but are actually rated pretty well. Any thoughts on them being ok to use and anyone use the brand?
@bearmoons I'd think so! Especially if you're going to run through the dishwasher a few times AND boil. You could always take a bottle scrubber to them in between washing and boiling to loosen it all up. Or let them soak!
@katie121209 - for DS2 we bought new nipples because with repeat sucking, the nipple holes get stretched out, so essentially you'd be starting out with a faster flow than you would with new nipples, which may be a bit much for a newborn.
As far as bottle sizes, it really depends on how much your LO is eating. DS1 never ate more than 5 ounces, and was fine with the Medela bottles I used for pumping, so I never bought bigger bottles. With breast milk, the milk and calorie content changes as your LO gets older, so it's not as necessary to make bigger bottles. With formula, I think you do get to bigger bottles faster.
With DS2 though, I bought bigger 8 oz bottles. That was because I was overflowing a bottle with my morning pump (due to oversupply issues), and nothing sucks worse than suddenly having milk overflow the bottle and drip all over you if you weren't paying attention. He drank from 6 oz Avent bottles though.
First Son - born 2013
Second Son - born 2014 - Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV). First open heart surgery at 5 days old. He's had 3 open heart surgeries and several other procedures and is currently doing amazing. Third Son - due June 9, 2018
@katie121209 We got some used nipples from a coworker that her daughter used and they're in good condition. I had the same wonder since some second hand thing are a 'no no' She said to sterilize them, but to go through the nipples to ensure they're in good condition {she went through them ahead of time, but always good to have a 2nd look}
Thanks for the helpful replies! Walgreens currently has two-packs of Comotomo bottles on sale for $18.79 for the 8oz (couldn't find them cheaper anywhere else online). I've heard so many good things about Comotomo that I took the plunge and ordered a dozen, so fingers crossed. I have two other bottles that came with my Spectra pump to try if Comotomo isn't the one. I figured they'd be easy to sell on if baby isn't interested. Even SIL was surprised to see I had them on my to-buy list as she went through several brands before finding her LO only liked Comotomo, so I'll take that as a good sign!
Now that I've brought out my newborn gear I can chime in and say we had 6 newborn/smaller bottles, but one was a different brand and we rarely used it unless we were hard pressed for a clean bottle. I think we had 5 or 6 larger bottles toward the end, but like @mytinc mentioned some of the nipples were stretched out and I'm pretty sure we were only rotating four of the big bottles when we weaned. Our routine was bottle washing by hand every night. We used plastic tubs, Dawn, and a bottle brush used only for that purpose.
We did buy new nipples and pacifiers for this one just because nipples get worn out. I'll sanitize these used bottles when we're ready for them and definitely use them again. All of our bottles except one are the Phillips Avent. We really like them. We have one of the Muchkin Latch newborn bottles that came in a giftbag and we almost never used it because DS wasn't that into that one.
Yep - definitely cheaper to buy new nipples vs. entire new bottles just to get the nipples @Austenista
First Son - born 2013
Second Son - born 2014 - Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV). First open heart surgery at 5 days old. He's had 3 open heart surgeries and several other procedures and is currently doing amazing. Third Son - due June 9, 2018
Adding the the bottle size debate here... lifestyle will play a huge role here too. With DD I didn't go back to work until she was 9 months old. By then she was eating solids like a champ, and didn't need as much milk during any one feeding, so the 4-5 oz bottles were fine. We had a couple 8 oz bottles from multipacks that we used when she was with my parents/MIL/friends the few times we went out or nights when DH would feed her. Around 11 months my supply was pretty much done for- so we switched her to whole milk and was told not to give more than 16 oz a day, so that was split into 4- 4oz bottles. I found the smaller bottles worked better with most lunch bags. With this LO he will be going to daycare around 15 weeks old- so I'm sure I will need more 8 oz bottles, since we won't start solids until he is 6 months old. I also bought a few more nipples in different sizes for this little one.
For some reason I though the nipples had to for sure be replaced between siblings. Now I will just check mine out to check their condition. DS hardly used bottles, so if I don’t have to replace them, that would be pretty cool. (I know replacing the nipples doesn’t cost that much, but hey! That’s money I can use on something more fun and a lot cuter. Haha)
For context, I breastfed our son. We supplemented with formula the first month because breastfeeding was really hard for us and it took a while to get going. Once we built up to 100% breastfed, I'd pump regularly and freeze milk so my partner and grandparents could do feedings now and then - and to keep baby boy used to the bottle.
Our bottle supply: - 2 small bottles for the newborn stage. You could probably do a larger-sized bottle here to save money, but at first you're talking such tiny amounts that I think I'd be afraid of more air bubbles using such a small amount of milk in a big bottle (and therefore tummy trouble). However, that fear might be unfounded. - 3 big bottles that lasted him until weaning. Daycare kept 1, and we had 2 at home for days my partner or someone else was home with the baby. Most of my milk was stored in plastic bags, so they could just top the bottle up as needed throughout the day. (Which was OK because it was breastmilk - you probably can't do that with formula.)
Cleaning regimen: During the newborn phase (0-3 months) we sterilized all the bottles and pumping equipment we used every day, often multiple times. After 3 months, we'd just wash them daily and I'd sterilize my pump parts and the bottles every week or two. By that time, I didn't bother washing bottles or pump parts more than 1x a day, as breastmilk is antibacterial anyway. And I'm lazy, so...
I plan to reuse all the bottles and pump parts, except for a couple of little silicone pieces on the pump that help with suction (they were kind of warn down at the end anyway). Will double-check that everything looks clean and good to go, though.
So I went in yesterday for my follow up appointment for the blood pressure issues that started manifesting over the last few weeks. If I have one more documented high BP reading and if the protein number continues to get higher, then they’re going to diagnose pre-e. Because another high BP reading is likely between now and the end of pregnancy, my OB proactively scheduled my induction for 37 weeks (OMG!).
DH and I have the option to deliver at two hospitals (same network, hospital family) in the area. We have been planning to deliver at the one closest to our home (about 10 min away) because they renovated their L&D area recently and the rooms are huge and nice! Plus close to home. The other hospital is 20ish minutes away, recovery rooms are older and very small. Like no more than two people at a time can fit comfortably in there. But they have a highly specialized NICU in the building just in case baby would need extra help. My doctor doesn’t foresee any problems with baby but she mentioned delivering at the older, farther away hospital just in case since he will be 3 weeks early. She told us to think on it.
TL;DR: Which hospital would you deliver at? Closer to home, big rooms, same level of care but no NICU “just in case” or farther away, tiny rooms, but NICU just down the hall.
@aharv77 Honestly, I would pick the farther away one with the NICU. As long as everything else checks out, other than the rooms, I am a firm believer in planning for the "just in case," because honestly you just never know. It is definitely a personal decision, though, and you have to do what you feel is best.
Me: 28 | Husband: 39 Married March 2016 DD: born 7.22.16 DS EDD: 6.23.18
@aharv77 - I'm with @sunshineandwhiskey. If I were you, I'd go with the one farther away with the NICU just in case. I'd rather be prepared and not need to have LO admitted to NICU, then not be prepared and have to be separate from them during that time.
I don't know if you live in the city, where a 20-ish minute drive could turn in to an hour long one, but the hospital I'm delivering at is about a 45 minute drive for us, so 20 minutes doesn't strike me as that excessive.
I echo @sunshineandwhiskey . I'm planning for that "just in case" scenario too by delivering at the hospital 30 minutes away with a fantastic NICU versus the closer hospital (10 minutes away) with just a nursery. If something should happen, I don't want my baby to be transferred to a different hospital for care while I'm stuck at the one I delivered at. What would make YOU most comfortable? Bigger rooms = more people. Do you want a ton of visitors? Would having the NICU there give you piece of mind?
@aharv77 in the grand scheme of things, peace of mind having the NICU right there will probably make you feel more comfortable than a new room....plus, I agree 20min isn't so bad...I'm almost an hour away from my hospital when I'm at work.
I delivered DS1 at a hospital with a Level 2 "special care nursery". I was induced at 38 weeks on the nose. He was fine and we were discharged at 24 hours post birth. With DS2 I delivered at a hospital with a level 3 NICU and he was taken there immediately (as was planned due to his heart defect) and then transported to Children's Hospital an hour after birth (as was planned) which was about 10 minutes away. DH rode in the ambulance with him and I didn't see him again until I was discharged 24 hours after birth. But that was the plan all along, so it wasn't a shock to me.
Are there any issues you're anticipating LO having? I forget if you're team pink, blue, or green, but at 37 weeks babies are considered full term and most (not all) shouldn't have issues with lungs or anything else. Baby boys sometimes have weaker lungs, and there's always the possibility for bilirubin issues, which would require a longer stay. I'd double check if there is no NICU at all or just not the highest level, like @doxiemoxie212 said.
First Son - born 2013
Second Son - born 2014 - Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV). First open heart surgery at 5 days old. He's had 3 open heart surgeries and several other procedures and is currently doing amazing. Third Son - due June 9, 2018
@aharv77 Friend of mine {who I've mentioned before and due any day now} was told by her dr that if she went into labour before x-date then to go to a further hospital since it had an NICU out of precaution
@aharv77 my understanding is that 37 weeks is considered "early term" and full term isn't until 39 weeks. I would probably also go with the hospital with the NICU just in case. But I also don't plan on anyone being at the hospital besides my husband, so the smaller room wouldn't be an issue for me. And our hospital is about 25 minutes away so that doesn't seem too bad.
@doxiemoxie212@mytinc There is truly no NICU at the closer hospital. If there was issues, they'd transfer him down to the one 20 minutes away. It's a Level 3 NICU that's affiliated with the Children's Hospital of WI.
We fully expect a healthy baby boy. He's been measuring big and strong on ultrasounds all pregnancy (96th percentile) and have no reason to believe that anything would go wrong or be wrong at all. I hadn't even thought of delivering at the farther away hospital until she mentioned something yesterday. She did say that if he needed oxygen support or bilirubin lights, they do have that available at the closer hospital but if it was anything more serious than that, he would need to be transferred and then they would transfer me right after as well.
The distance isn't really a big deal in the grand scheme. I feel a little guilty even having the debate with myself about where to go but we got the tour of the closer, bigger, updated one last night. I'd feel much more relaxed/comfortable recovering there but IF (big "what if") something went wrong, I'd be so mad at myself.
@aharv77 I would go with the NICU then. I actually don't know if I would feel comfortable delivering at a hospital without a NICU in general just because you never know what could happen in delivery that could change things. Like, babies end up inhaling meconium, etc., who knows (obv that's unlikely with you guy since you'd be inducing early, but still).
@aharv77 hospital with the NICU. I was all for closer bc where I live 3 miles can easily be an additional 30 minutes at the wrong time but only if they had some sort of NICU. We’re delivering in the medical center at the best women’s hospital in the state, the best children's hospital is merely a couple blocks away, so this isn’t a concern for our area really. All the best hospitals for everything are in one neighborhood.
Does anyone know any good pelvic area/butt stretches? With the baby getting bigger I usually have pelvic pain but this morning I woke up feeling like I pulled a muscle and I’m in so much discomfort. It’s hard to walk right. Just looking for some relief. Thanks!
@aharv77 I'll be the odd one out here- I delivered my first two at a hospital with no nicu. Our hospital here on post doesn't have a nicu either. If something does happen, they will fly baby to nearest nicu (in our case it's 2 hours away). I'm not concerned at all.
Side note - my son was born at 37 weeks and all Drs we've talked to consider that full term. It's not generally considered early.
@May14th2011 ACOG actually recently updated their consideration of "full term" (https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/what-is-full-term.aspx) -- it's now 39 weeks. I think this is probably because most babies born at 37 weeks without induction are essentially full term with minimal to no complications, but there has been some (still a small amount) evidence of babies skewing more toward pre-term if they are induced at 37 weeks.
@aharv77 - I would go with the NICU hospital, since it will be an induction. If you went into labor on your own at 37 weeks, I would say closer hospital. But since it looks like it will be an induction, I would go for the NICU, personally.
My question ~ Where do we stand on moving to a more private area (like FB or elsewhere?). We are starting to near our due dates and I am feeling like we are getting close to the point where some of us aren’t going to want to post certain stuff on such a public board (maternity pics, birth stories, pictures of the babies, etc). So I hate to be “that person”, but I’m wondering if it might be time to start seriously considering a move?
And as I type this, I am paranoid that the move has already happened and I just didn’t make the cut
@aharv77Of course the hospital tour would come right before you have to make this decision. It's like trying on a wedding dress that's out of budget -- it's so much harder to make the "right choice" (and by that I really mean the more conservative choice of having the nicu; I'm not sure there's a real right/wrong here -- you do what makes you most comfortable!) once you see what could have been.
If you choose the nicu hospital, I still hope your delivery is smooth and uncomplicated and you're home so fast the less swank rooms are practically a non-issue
Re: Questions? [4/1]
DS: born oct 2012
TFAS: BFP #1 aug16. miscarriage sept16
BFP #2 nov16 MMC dec16. d&c jan17
BFP #3 sept17 EDD 5/31/18
fingers crossed for our rainbow baby
@katie121209 I will be using the same nipples for this LO as DD. I'll definitely be cleaning/sterilizing them well, but don't have plans of buying new unless they seem like they "went bad"
Married March 2016
DD: born 7.22.16
DS EDD: 6.23.18
As far as bottle sizes, it really depends on how much your LO is eating. DS1 never ate more than 5 ounces, and was fine with the Medela bottles I used for pumping, so I never bought bigger bottles. With breast milk, the milk and calorie content changes as your LO gets older, so it's not as necessary to make bigger bottles. With formula, I think you do get to bigger bottles faster.
With DS2 though, I bought bigger 8 oz bottles. That was because I was overflowing a bottle with my morning pump (due to oversupply issues), and nothing sucks worse than suddenly having milk overflow the bottle and drip all over you if you weren't paying attention. He drank from 6 oz Avent bottles though.
First Son - born 2013
Third Son - due June 9, 2018
She said to sterilize them, but to go through the nipples to ensure they're in good condition {she went through them ahead of time, but always good to have a 2nd look}
Married March 2016
DD: born 7.22.16
DS EDD: 6.23.18
We did buy new nipples and pacifiers for this one just because nipples get worn out. I'll sanitize these used bottles when we're ready for them and definitely use them again. All of our bottles except one are the Phillips Avent. We really like them. We have one of the Muchkin Latch newborn bottles that came in a giftbag and we almost never used it because DS wasn't that into that one.
First Son - born 2013
Third Son - due June 9, 2018
With this LO he will be going to daycare around 15 weeks old- so I'm sure I will need more 8 oz bottles, since we won't start solids until he is 6 months old. I also bought a few more nipples in different sizes for this little one.
BFP#4- 9/26 edd 6/5/18
For some reason I though the nipples had to for sure be replaced between siblings. Now I will just check mine out to check their condition. DS hardly used bottles, so if I don’t have to replace them, that would be pretty cool. (I know replacing the nipples doesn’t cost that much, but hey! That’s money I can use on something more fun and a lot cuter. Haha)
Our bottle supply:
- 2 small bottles for the newborn stage. You could probably do a larger-sized bottle here to save money, but at first you're talking such tiny amounts that I think I'd be afraid of more air bubbles using such a small amount of milk in a big bottle (and therefore tummy trouble). However, that fear might be unfounded.
- 3 big bottles that lasted him until weaning. Daycare kept 1, and we had 2 at home for days my partner or someone else was home with the baby. Most of my milk was stored in plastic bags, so they could just top the bottle up as needed throughout the day. (Which was OK because it was breastmilk - you probably can't do that with formula.)
Cleaning regimen:
During the newborn phase (0-3 months) we sterilized all the bottles and pumping equipment we used every day, often multiple times. After 3 months, we'd just wash them daily and I'd sterilize my pump parts and the bottles every week or two. By that time, I didn't bother washing bottles or pump parts more than 1x a day, as breastmilk is antibacterial anyway. And I'm lazy, so...
I plan to reuse all the bottles and pump parts, except for a couple of little silicone pieces on the pump that help with suction (they were kind of warn down at the end anyway). Will double-check that everything looks clean and good to go, though.
DH and I have the option to deliver at two hospitals (same network, hospital family) in the area. We have been planning to deliver at the one closest to our home (about 10 min away) because they renovated their L&D area recently and the rooms are huge and nice! Plus close to home. The other hospital is 20ish minutes away, recovery rooms are older and very small. Like no more than two people at a time can fit comfortably in there. But they have a highly specialized NICU in the building just in case baby would need extra help. My doctor doesn’t foresee any problems with baby but she mentioned delivering at the older, farther away hospital just in case since he will be 3 weeks early. She told us to think on it.
TL;DR: Which hospital would you deliver at? Closer to home, big rooms, same level of care but no NICU “just in case” or farther away, tiny rooms, but NICU just down the hall.
Married March 2016
DD: born 7.22.16
DS EDD: 6.23.18
I don't know if you live in the city, where a 20-ish minute drive could turn in to an hour long one, but the hospital I'm delivering at is about a 45 minute drive for us, so 20 minutes doesn't strike me as that excessive.
Me: 30 | DH: 34 | DSS: 14 | DS: 4
PG #2, EDD 10/12/2023
DS: born oct 2012
TFAS: BFP #1 aug16. miscarriage sept16
BFP #2 nov16 MMC dec16. d&c jan17
BFP #3 sept17 EDD 5/31/18
fingers crossed for our rainbow baby
Are there any issues you're anticipating LO having? I forget if you're team pink, blue, or green, but at 37 weeks babies are considered full term and most (not all) shouldn't have issues with lungs or anything else. Baby boys sometimes have weaker lungs, and there's always the possibility for bilirubin issues, which would require a longer stay. I'd double check if there is no NICU at all or just not the highest level, like @doxiemoxie212 said.
First Son - born 2013
Third Son - due June 9, 2018
DS born 9/24/2020
We fully expect a healthy baby boy. He's been measuring big and strong on ultrasounds all pregnancy (96th percentile) and have no reason to believe that anything would go wrong or be wrong at all. I hadn't even thought of delivering at the farther away hospital until she mentioned something yesterday. She did say that if he needed oxygen support or bilirubin lights, they do have that available at the closer hospital but if it was anything more serious than that, he would need to be transferred and then they would transfer me right after as well.
The distance isn't really a big deal in the grand scheme. I feel a little guilty even having the debate with myself about where to go but we got the tour of the closer, bigger, updated one last night. I'd feel much more relaxed/comfortable recovering there but IF (big "what if") something went wrong, I'd be so mad at myself.
TTC: 08/2017 EDD: 6/11/2018 FTM
Side note - my son was born at 37 weeks and all Drs we've talked to consider that full term. It's not generally considered early.
And as I type this, I am paranoid that the move has already happened and I just didn’t make the cut
@aharv77 Of course the hospital tour would come right before you have to make this decision. It's like trying on a wedding dress that's out of budget -- it's so much harder to make the "right choice" (and by that I really mean the more conservative choice of having the nicu; I'm not sure there's a real right/wrong here -- you do what makes you most comfortable!) once you see what could have been.
If you choose the nicu hospital, I still hope your delivery is smooth and uncomplicated and you're home so fast the less swank rooms are practically a non-issue