July 2018 Moms

Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition

124

Re: Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition

  • I was told by doula about that @runsomewhere and also about the fact that they tend to want to consolidate all the newborn checks for time and potentially rush you - so I was warned to be assertive during what the call "the golden hour". You get 1 hr after delivery for skin to skin/family bonding/BF before you are moved to your room, but the doula was saying that sometimes the baby takes a little more time to wake up and latch, or depending on the birth he may be  a bit "traumatized" so if I feel like the nurses are rushing me I should let them know.
  • This whole golden hour thing is new to me! I remember there being a lot of people in the room when DS was born, and he got taken away pretty quick but I think it was because I was losing my shit with the ute massage bc I retained placenta. Anyway, I'll also have to be a little forceful with the extended time with baby snuggles. 

    Also, @MichelleAG05 thanks for the clarification! that makes sense. 
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  • I had my 2nd doula prenatal meeting today and we talked a lot about the golden hour. I plan to be very adamant about my baby being put on my chest as soon as he’s born and not being taken for at least an hour to weigh and whatnot (but no bath for at least 12 hours if at all). She said she just did a birth at my hospital last week and the hospital staff was really great about allowing the baby to stay on mom for an hour or more, they did all the footprint, vitamin k, blood sugar check etc on moms chest. Obviously this is all assuming everything is fine health wise. The main reason it’s improtant to me is to encourage latching - which will also help with blood sugar since that’s always a concern with a GD baby. My last hospital was also big on the golden hour but I kind of missed out on it because my son was born not breathing.  
  • @zande2016 mine makes a HUGE deal about it, and I think they are good, but the doula was saying the nurses are hit or miss and they want to be efficient. I get it but I plan to be very assertive and also keep baby on my chest as much as possible and delay the bath. Unless like you said something is concerning right away. Looks like we are going for similar experience, and I am sending us both good vibes that we are able to achieve our goal!
  • Ok so I went to the baby basics class tonight and it was good, but it made me want to ask you moms a couple of questions...
    Do you swaddle your baby all day or just when you put him/her down to sleep for the night? The instructor recommended having them swaddled every time they nap at the very least? Seems like a lot to me especially if it's hot, I know the cocoon feeling is good for them but you can also do skin to skin or wear them?

    Secondly, have you given your newborns actual baths (like "immersed" in water) every 2-3 days after the cord fell off? I thought that babies didn't get super dirty and unless they have a blow out a sponge bath is enough in the beginning.

    Sorry this may sound silly. I just feel like at this point I have so much information that everything is starting to get fuzzy and confusing...
  • @kissableviv i cant rememeber on the swaddling since its been 6 years since my son was a baby. However, on the baths- my son had bad bad eczema as a baby so his pedi recommended not bathing daily and trying to stretch his baths as long in between as possible. (His skin would crack and bleed if we bathed too often) so I remember us feeling like we were never bathing our child in the beginning, we mostly lived off of sponge baths and wiping in between. Mostly newborns don't really get "dirty" but personally I always feel better after a shower even on days where I lay around and do nothing, so I always compare to myself and plan to actually bathe our daughter every 3 days as long as her skin allows it for that exact reason. 
  • edited June 2018
    @kissableviv We only swaddled for bedtime and then dedicated naps in DD's crib when we started those around 4 months. Otherwise, she would nap where she lay like in the bouncer or bassinet of the PnP. When she was really small and just snoozing next to me, I might tuck a blanket around her if she seemed chilly too (while I was watching her). For baths, DD also has sensitive skin so up until she started walking (and getting a lot more dirty), we only bathed 2 times a week. Even now, she only gets 3 a week. It also helps to slather them down in a moisturizer. I personally like Aquaphor - it's greasy but really helps eliminate eczema.

    ETA: The most we ever immersed DD in water was about 2 inches in the sink (so basically covering her butt). Even now at 1 year old, we only fill the bath tub about 2 or 3 inches. So really, most of the bathing is done with a washcloth.
  • @kissableviv We only swaddled at night. Partly because DH was the master swaddler. I never got very good at it. Honestly, I do not really remember putting our first down for naps in the beginning, even though I know I did.

    Bath time was a lot of trial and error for us. I do not really remember when we switched to actual baths. We only bathed the baby every 2 ore 3 days for the first few months or so. In the beginning, I just tried to get through baths as quickly as possible. It is so much easier once they can sit up! 
  • @kissableviv we swaddled for all naps and bedtime, unless he was in a bouncer or a swing. We did it for the bassinet in the PNP and boppy naps next to me, etc. I think if it works for your kid, you can certainly hold them or wear them in a carrier-you might end up with a kiddo that doesn't sleep unless being held for naps anyway! My cousin's kid won't handle being put down a lot for naps, but also won't be put in the carrier, so he does sleep on her, no swaddles for them for naps. 

    DS also had sensitive skin, so we bathed only every few days, and even really only in a small amount of water, like others say. Even now, unless DS is a hot mess, he  only gets baths 3-4 times a week and spray downs in the shower if he's dirty from playing.
  • @kissableviv I swaddled all the time when DS was tiny. Once he started developing a schedule he’d only get swaddled for crib naps. 
    We have/had the same eczema issue, DS only really bathed once a week with no soap (especially in the winter) per his ped unless he really needed more. Even now he only gets 3-4 a week, though we can add bubbles and soap now. 
  • @kissableviv i didn't think to add what @TalesOfASocialIntrovert said about the aquaphor. If you don't have any of that on hand it may be a good idea to have a little. That stuff was so amazing for DS eczema and it seems that is pretty common among PP for their littles to have struggled with the skin problems too.
  • @kissableviv we swaddled for all naps they weren’t held for but they were winter babies so it was cooler (I used bamboo A+A blankets to swaddle during the day when I was supervising, Halo SwaddleMe or the SummerInfant SwaddlePods at night. I’m hoping this kid likes carrier naps because I feel like she’s going to be worn a lot lol.

    in NICU hey did baths every other day, once we came home we did once or twice a week. Now we bath as needed at 20m (usually every other day or so depending on how dirty they get or if they have sunblock on). Like everyone else, we did a baby tub or sink filled with a bit of water, they weren’t immersed up to their necks or anything. Even now I only fill it up to their waists or so. 


    run along Pond...2015/12/10

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  • @kissableviv I don't remember swaddling for naps in the beginning only because they don't feel like "naps" in the first month or two.  Newborns sleep all the time so it wasn't like "okay, it's naptime, let's swaddle and put you in the crib!"  For us, baby was being held, worn in a wrap, or laying in the swing/dockatot/bouncer (usually unswaddled in those places) to sleep during the day.  So I only remember swaddling at night to try and keep baby from waking up from the startle reflex.  

    For baths, it was just an every few days thing in the beginning.  If I felt like baby needed one I would do a quick bath and like others said it was just baby laying in the bath seat with a little water.  I felt like the baby's neck would get stinky every couple days if he/she had spit up or something and milk got in his/her neck rolls lol.  Sounds weird and gross but it happens lol.  But I will say, that once I started a bedtime routine around maybe 4-6 months (I can't remember exactly) I did do a bath every night with the lavender bath stuff to signal that it was bedtime.  DS (22 months) still gets a quick bath every night before bed.  He doesn't have sensitive/dry skin though.  My big kids only shower every couple days though unless they are really gross.
    Married 9/19/09
    Me (32) Dx PCOS, DH (32) SA = Normal/mild morph issues
    TTC#5 July 2017 - 3rd cycle TTC = BFP on 11/12/17 at 9dpo Beta #1 = 96 at 13dpo - Beta #2 = 207 at 15dpo
    TTC#1  starting Nov. 2009
    3 rounds of Clomid + TI and 3 rounds of 7.5 mg Femara + IUI before our BFP on 11/8/10 at 12dpiui
    TTC #2 3rd cycle of Femara 7.5mg+Ovidrel+TI = 4 follies = BFP on 10/12/12 
    TTC#3 July 2014 - Metformin +TI = BFP at 9dpo - Twins, one baby lost at 5.5 weeks 
    Macy Annabelle born at 37w4d on 4/29/15.  Diagnosed with Cri du Chat and passed away on 6/6/15.  Forever in our hearts.
    TTC#4 3rd cycle of Metformin + Femara 7.5mg+Ovidrel+TI = 3 follies = BFP on 12/24/16
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @Sarafuss I forgot about stinky neck rolls! Ugh! Reflux + eczema/sensitive skin + chunky baby was the worst combo. 
  • morethanamamamorethanamama member
    edited June 2018
    Thank you all! It was strange because this nurse made it sounds like fully immersed baths (2 in of water) more than sponge baths but I remember reading and having conversations about how sensitive their skin is and how they look more like sponge baths in the beginning. She was also talking about fully shampooing their hair which I'm like...ok, I get the cradle cap but it seems an overkill on a newborn!

    Also thank you for the swaddling info. Turns out in Italy they don't swaddle as much. It's making a comeback but it's not as common. Also my mom told me when I was born they recommended babies sleeping on their tummy!! I think they had not done enough research on SIDS.
  • @kissableviv Whoa, yeah no belly sleeping!! And if you do swaddle, once they can roll to their belly, you're supposed to stop swaddling bc they need their arms to roll back to their backs.
  • @kissableviv and @SmashJam if there is no medical need to rush anything you shouldn't be in a position to have to force and even advocate for anything. Doctors and OBs support the golden hour, placing the baby directly on the breast after birth, all that stuff. 

    On a side note, and this is just MY experience, I'm not saying this is true about your situations, I get frustrated at the attitude of doulas sometimes being very us vs. the OB/hospital staff. OBs and delivery nurses really do have your and your newborns best interest in mind, they're not something that women need to be defended against. I wish the relationship between the two sides could be more collaborative and focused on the happiest outcome for mom and baby not this us vs them thing.

    I met with several doulas when I was pregnant with my DD. I have a lot of respect for what they do and think they are super valuable. I ended up hiring a really experienced, highly reviewed doula that I absolutely LOVED. We ended up not working with her for delivery because I was a scheduled induction (scheduled induction/c section voids the contract if you choose to not use the doula for the induction/c section). She was so annoyed with me when I told her I agreed to the induction at 41 weeks. It made me feel kind of uncomfortable like instead of having my best interest in mind she was mad because the "hospital side won."
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  • As far as the golden hour, I think in some hospitals you do have to advocate for that immediate skin to skin and uninterrupted breastfeeding time.  I've delivered 4 babies at the same hospital and the first three babies were not placed on my chest immediately and were wiped off and weighed first.  (The third was intubated and straight to NICU so that was a different situation).  They changed their policy before my 4th though and we got the immediate skin to skin and they didn't weigh him or do footprints until after the first hour or two.  He didn't get bathed until about 24 hours later.  I'm sure if I had made it clear that I wanted that golden hour with my first two they would have let me but I didn't think to ask for it.  I'm sure that OBs do support that golden hour and bonding time but hospitals train nurses and doctors with a protocol in mind.  So they just get used to checking the boxes of the things they need to get done.  So in some cases, you may need to speak up and advocate for what you want.
    Married 9/19/09
    Me (32) Dx PCOS, DH (32) SA = Normal/mild morph issues
    TTC#5 July 2017 - 3rd cycle TTC = BFP on 11/12/17 at 9dpo Beta #1 = 96 at 13dpo - Beta #2 = 207 at 15dpo
    TTC#1  starting Nov. 2009
    3 rounds of Clomid + TI and 3 rounds of 7.5 mg Femara + IUI before our BFP on 11/8/10 at 12dpiui
    TTC #2 3rd cycle of Femara 7.5mg+Ovidrel+TI = 4 follies = BFP on 10/12/12 
    TTC#3 July 2014 - Metformin +TI = BFP at 9dpo - Twins, one baby lost at 5.5 weeks 
    Macy Annabelle born at 37w4d on 4/29/15.  Diagnosed with Cri du Chat and passed away on 6/6/15.  Forever in our hearts.
    TTC#4 3rd cycle of Metformin + Femara 7.5mg+Ovidrel+TI = 3 follies = BFP on 12/24/16
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @runsomewhere totally agree with you that some doulas are 100% like that. Personally, that was one of the things I made sure to bring up during the interview. My team is basically on MY side. So if I go for an epidural, they'll support me in that decision and try to make my experience the best it can be. If I get induced, they will still be there. If I get a c section, they will allow me to use their services for post partum and breastfeeding (their pp services include help with food prep, sometimes even stuff more similar to a night nurse) . I've seen people in my yoga class having to "fire" a doula because of some crazy stuff they all of a sudden came up with (ie if you don't circumcise your son I won't work with you).

    With that said, I trust the medical community overall but I'm in general a little skeptical on the true level of care they want to provide. Unfortunately in a business driven system it's inevitable. But by all means go science, I wouldn't want to refuse anything that's medically necessary. I also don't want to fall into the "assembly line" though, so hopefully I get good nurses!
  • runsomewhererunsomewhere member
    edited June 2018
    @Sarafuss I think it definitely varies by hospital, also my only experience is with my one prior birth. The hospital where I delivered DD and where I will be delivering this one have you fill out a birth plan or birth wish form. It asks about your preferences on if you want the baby placed on you immediately, when you want the baby taken to be wiped/weighed, etc., if you want your partner with the baby every time the baby is taken from you, all that stuff. They also have white boards in each room outlining basic desires of the mother like "place baby directly on chest." I know so many local moms that delivered at this hospital and I haven't heard of anyone's wishes being disregarded. 

    @kissableviv I really agree with what you're saying. I must say that the doula I originally hired talked about working for ME and having a great relationship with hospital staff so I was a little taken back when she had a VERY negative reaction to my scheduled induction. 

    I also trust the medical community and my OB but have areas where I feel skeptical, my issue being mostly about the constant use of pitocion. I think I'm actually going to talk to my OB about that next time I see him. 

    Edited to say that the nurses are working for YOU. If at any time in the hospital you feel uncomfortable with a specific nurse or just don't like them you have every right to dismiss that nurse from your care team and get a different one. It doesn't have to be anything rude or personal but if you have a nurse you're not clicking with no one will care if you request someone else. 
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @kissableviv and @SmashJam if there is no medical need to rush anything you shouldn't be in a position to have to force and even advocate for anything. Doctors and OBs support the golden hour, placing the baby directly on the breast after birth, all that stuff. 

    On a side note, and this is just MY experience, I'm not saying this is true about your situations, I get frustrated at the attitude of doulas sometimes being very us vs. the OB/hospital staff. OBs and delivery nurses really do have your and your newborns best interest in mind, they're not something that women need to be defended against. I wish the relationship between the two sides could be more collaborative and focused on the happiest outcome for mom and baby not this us vs them thing.

    I met with several doulas when I was pregnant with my DD. I have a lot of respect for what they do and think they are super valuable. I ended up hiring a really experienced, highly reviewed doula that I absolutely LOVED. We ended up not working with her for delivery because I was a scheduled induction (scheduled induction/c section voids the contract if you choose to not use the doula for the induction/c section). She was so annoyed with me when I told her I agreed to the induction at 41 weeks. It made me feel kind of uncomfortable like instead of having my best interest in mind she was mad because the "hospital side won."
    My doulas work really closely and often with my midwife group and they respect each other and work together, not against each other, but I know this isn't always the case. Also my midwives were really happy I had hired a doula. That being said, I think what you are saying is true to an extent, but not generally true across the board all the  time. Many OBs/hospital nurses respect the golden hour and do not need to be defended against. BUT, obstetrical violence is a real thing and it certainly does happen. On the less extreme end of things, many women experience all kinds of interventions and procedures they never gave consent for and had no clue was even happening to them - membrane sweep without even knowing? yup, happens a lot. Doctor coming in and breaking the water without telling/asking mom first? Yes, it does happen. Doctor deciding to give pitocin without discussing it with the mom? Yes, that happens too. The field as a whole is lacking in informed consent. Not always true, but it's out there. Just go look up articles and court cases about OB nurses who have literally HELD IN a crowning baby because the OB hadn't arrived yet. It happens. 
  • @runsomewhere yasssssss! Everyone can use social media to know that, yes, misconduct happens in a hospital setting, and use that as information to make sure you’re making informed decisions. Or you could use that to be scared of the medical community. Misconduct can happen with midwives too. I told a story before about a friend who’s midwife let her not give baby vitamin K after birth and now he has a permanent shunt in his head. He’s almost died a couple times now. 
  • I don't know about this. I agree people use social media to take things too far, but in Italy there was a huge scandal months ago because some of these aggressive practices were the norm in some hospitals otherwise very well respected and women basically thought that what was happening was the norm and that there was no other way . It wasn't until someone started talking about it that people actually started looking at some stats (like the c section rate, unnecessary use of vacuum, episiotomy rates etc) and that's when the hospital started all of a sudden adopting more baby and mom friendly procedures.

    My hospital here is very well known and trusted but they also had issues years ago with the c section rate being one of the highest and now guess what it's almost half of what it used to be and they pride themselves to be baby friendly...
  • I do kind of get what @runsomewhere is saying in regards to social media...we are so connected that within a particular subset of people we can find a lot more instances or something than are really happening, making it seem more likely. Think about how many of us were induced, how many induction stories there are on BC or WTE, it seems like a lot, right? Only 23% of births (according to a fox news story, first stat I found, and a few years ago) required some sort of induction. C-sections are still only 1/3 of births (ish). I can't find the numbers on pitocin usage but my point is that we see all these stories so much more often now we assume its more common...its not, but we see it more often, people can speak out more.
  • @runsomewhere my point was just that these things do happen, and that it's important to be an advocate for yourself in a field of medicine where there's a pretty strong history of it. I'm sure it happens less now in an internet age/social media age than it used to. I don't feel it's fear mongering, more just being aware and on the lookout to make sure it doesn't happen to you. I just felt your original statement that we as women don't need to defend ourselves against OBs and hospital nurses wasn't 100% accurate...in many/maybe most? cases that is true, but it's not always true. I'm also coming from the perspective of having experience in my last pregnancy/birth a lack of informed consent and I never realized it while it was happening to me. 
  • I don't know about this. I agree people use social media to take things too far, but in Italy there was a huge scandal months ago because some of these aggressive practices were the norm in some hospitals otherwise very well respected and women basically thought that what was happening was the norm and that there was no other way . It wasn't until someone started talking about it that people actually started looking at some stats (like the c section rate, unnecessary use of vacuum, episiotomy rates etc) and that's when the hospital started all of a sudden adopting more baby and mom friendly procedures.

    My hospital here is very well known and trusted but they also had issues years ago with the c section rate being one of the highest and now guess what it's almost half of what it used to be and they pride themselves to be baby friendly...
    Hospitals in my county have c section rates around 50%, among the highest in the country. I do believe some hospitals and practices adopt practices and policies that tend to lead to more c sections. Of course c sections save lives and are necessary in many cases, but I still think it's pretty clear that 50% is higher than it should be. 
  • @runsomewhere yasssssss! Everyone can use social media to know that, yes, misconduct happens in a hospital setting, and use that as information to make sure you’re making informed decisions. Or you could use that to be scared of the medical community. Misconduct can happen with midwives too. I told a story before about a friend who’s midwife let her not give baby vitamin K after birth and now he has a permanent shunt in his head. He’s almost died a couple times now. 
    Agree with everything you said, and FTR I definitely wasn't posting what I did to try to make people fear the medical community, but to point out that misconduct does happen and we should be aware of it, not scared of it. Sorry to anyone reading who didn't take my post that way or read it differently. 
  • FWIW a high CS rate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Oftentimes it means that the particular hospital takes on more high risk cases where a CS is or becomes necessary. You’re likely going to see a higher CS rate at a large hospital with a high level NICU, because the cases seen there are more likely to end in a CS for good, medical reason. People (especially the mommy blogger types) tend to look just at the numbers and not at why those numbers might be the case. 
    Definitely true, but I think when some geographic areas have higher rates totally across the board, regardless of NICU, it's something that should raise a red flag or at least warrant looking into. 

    Ugh sorry for making so many posts, I should have read all the comments and made one post instead of all these individual posts. I fail at bumping today. 
  • In regards to my hospital, I read a lot about it, and for the CS rate it also turned out it was also a lot of scheduled ones, which are a choice and I think it has to do with the demographic around here. On the other hand, others did not seem to be a "last resort" or "emergency" C Sections, and that is where there was a little more scrutiny.

    I am not quick to judge numbers and I am sorry if my posts also came across as a generalization of hospital care, I went for a hospital birth pretty confidently when it was time to choose. However, I have seen the difference in care between countries for example (being from overseas) and I can't help but think that a lot of it has to do with the business component and with the fact that it is undeniable that a more "controlled" labor/birth is easier on the staff than a "let's see what happens" type of scenario. This is also not necessarily a bad thing but I think it's up to the mom to be informed (not via blogs but via evidence-based information) and decide what she wants for her body. So it is nice when hospitals are ok with that.

    With that said I have the highest respect for doctors and nurses and I am so ok with doctors making the $$ they make because it is something I would NEVER in a million years consider doing (and this is what I think every time I watch ER, LOL, aka "REAL LIFE DEPICTION OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION)
  • runsomewhererunsomewhere member
    edited June 2018
    I was stuck in a loooong meeting and I was so annoyed not being able to bump and see others' opinions on all this! Last week of work priorities lol. 

    @comealongponds YES! This is such an important piece of information to consider. A hospital with a level III NICU will of course perform more c sections. Mothers with major complications, peterm labor and the similar are often transported to these hospitals and the births are very often c sections. 

    @SmashJam "we are so connected that within a particular subset of people we can find a lot more instances or something than are really happening, making it seem more likely" this is so true.

    Also, regarding social media and research. The two overlap, often with little regard for the who the source of the information is or what their motivation is. I know that the documentary The Business of Being Born is often mentioned during these types of discussions. Does watching this documentary and asking a FB mom group something doing research? To many it does. Does this "research" trump what an OB with 12+ years of schooling decides? I'd hope not. 

    @zande2016 I totally appreciate your posts and where you're coming from even though we don't completely agree. 
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @runsomewhere for me personally when I see or read something, like an anecdote on social media or a  documentary, I research to learn more. Like I don't consider watching the Business of Being Born to be actual research, and if they mention a study, I want to go read it myself. Because documentaries are inherently biased. I do spend a lot of time on the evidence based birth website, which contains scientific studies. When the midwives and doctors are  talking to me about my need to be induced etc., and about risks for me and my baby due to GD, I look for studies about those risks/need for interventions and read about the evidence and try to discuss that with them. When my midwife offered to sweep my membranes, I read all the studies I could find about it, and weighed the pros/cons to decide if I wanted to do it, and I do plan to discuss what I read with the midwife and get her take on it about one particular risk before deciding yes or no. So to me research is part of it but I don't use it to trump what the doctors think, I just use it to try to have a dialogue about it. 
  • I think if anything "The Business of Being Born" just brought awareness around the topic. It is truly difficult for a documentary to not be biased, and I personally get really mad at people who go vegan after watching stuff like "Forks over knives" blindly, for example. Not to mention the most recent "What the Health"...like everything, you need to form your own opinions and take certain things with a grain of salt.

    Regarding the years of experience of a doctor...I don't think experience and being a good doctor often go hand in hand. One of my doctors in Italy was super experienced and educated yet I was never happy with his care. But I certainly don't trust one post on Facebook more than science and years of medical school and education :)
  • +1 to understanding the story behind simple stats. As a trained biologist I am always skeptical of blanket statements based on simple numbers and I know there are usually other confounding variables that people conveniently leave out if it doesn't fit their narrative. I think the c-section rate at my hospital is high-ish, but that's because if you have some issues or baby has issues, that's the place you want to be. In the same vein, it's the same hospital I talked about where they are low-intervention for healthy births, so it's a great place to be.


    Isabella & Julian & and now #3!
  • I think if anything "The Business of Being Born" just brought awareness around the topic. It is truly difficult for a documentary to not be biased, and I personally get really mad at people who go vegan after watching stuff like "Forks over knives" blindly, for example. Not to mention the most recent "What the Health"...like everything, you need to form your own opinions and take certain things with a grain of salt.


    Exactly. I enjoy documentaries and I think that the Business of Being Born is super interesting and valuable. However, at the end of the day it's a documentary with a specific angle and bias, it's not research and I've heard people quote it as fact. 
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • No worries @zande2016 I was more agreeing with run than disagreeing with you! All good points today!
  • Question on humidifiers! Do I need one?? I just got a couple of indoor thermometers since we don't have a thermostat upstairs. Looks like humidity in our house never goes below 40%. It's between 40 and 50% most of the times with rare 60% peaks. From what I read that's a good range for baby (35-55?).

    The only unknown is the AC unit because that will be in our bedroom and I am not sure if it will make the air drier. If I can avoid another purchase until the winter, that would be nice :D
  • @kissableviv we only use ours when the kids are sick. I found it quite helpful when we were all sick and still room sharing when they were small so any time they get stuffy noses or coughs I throw it on in their room. The humidity in our house is crazy (like 45-50%) all the time but the extra doesn’t hurt when you’re all stuffed up! It’s not a must have right now necessarily, but definitely nice when they get their first cold! When we were liv8nb wth my BIL while waiting for our house to be built, I had packed ours (one of the Crane drop shape ones) away and of course the boys got sick so I ended up grabbing the only one they had at our Walmart (a Vick’s one). It works just as well so no need to spend a ton either! 
    run along Pond...2015/12/10

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  • @kissableviv my pediatrician says that cool air humidifiers are the best thing for a congested baby/child.  We have one and use it every time DD appears to be coming down with a cold or cough and it appears to help a ton. I've even used it for myself when feeling congested and it felt nice. I say it can't hurt, I have heard people say they use theirs every night in baby's room and that it can even help baby's delicate skin. I have the one below. I don't live in a super dry climate either but it's a yes from me. 
    Crane Adorable Elephant Ultrasonic Humidifier
    BabyFruit Ticker
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