But usually not for a long period of time. My body will give me a friendly reminder (like I'll feel a pit in my stomach and it's as though I've been fasting for days, or I suddenly have to pee badly, or baby girl will punch me or give me a little kick) and I look down and I'm like, "Oh yeah." Occasionally, I try to squeeze through spaces that would have been a piece of cake if I were at my normal self. But then my belly bumps into something--or someone--and I'm like darn, I can't make it through those spots anymore. As I mentioned in a previous post, my belly will often rub up on something accidentally, incurring numerous stains over the day. I definitely need to better practice eating over the table rather than over my belly. At least less things fall into my lap, I guess...
I cannot even believe that I'm at 23 weeks. It's going by so fast! And so far, being pregnant is a breeze (compared to what I'd been expecting). I just hope I can have the same attitude as my mom immediately after giving birth. Apparently after having me (without an epidural, too, I'm pretty sure), she said, "I could do that again." I assume that means it went better than she expected. I would definitely call that a reassuring reaction because I'm pretty much expecting the worst (By the way, I'm really not trying to be negative--I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself so that by comparison, it won't be as bad as I'm expecting). Dalin and I just wish she was here already!!!!
In the meantime, I am enjoying thinking about baby stuff and researching online every day. I've even begun a list which you can see below.
Things to buy (or acquire before August) that we don't have yet:
Diapers. 10-12 diapers a day? I think we may need to donate a closet to diapers.
Changing table pad. We aren't buying a changing table but we'll need something soft to put her on.
Baby carrier. Wrap sling or the backpack type? My aunt has one of the wrap slings that always looked extremely comfortable to me.
Stroller. These things get so expensive though, I would almost just rather get a used one.
Nursing pillow. I know I will definitely need one of these--my arm falls asleep after holding a baby for a few minutes...
Lanolin ointment. Is this the best stuff out there or do plain baby lotions work just fine?
Burp cloths. Luckily, the grandmas will probably make lots of these for us.
High chair. When do babies start using these? It seems like not for a while.
Sippy cups, bowls, spoons...Again, I'm not really sure when babies need these, but hopefully I can breastfeed as long as possible.
Pacifiers. I think these are fine and I definitely prefer them to a baby crying in a public place.
Swaddling blankets. I hope my baby likes these.
Bassinet. I know myself and I know that I am not going to be able to get up multiple times a night so having a bassinet by our bed is definitely going to be the best option.
... Baby monitor. Maybe. Chances are, I'll be with her almost all the time at home or bringing her to class with me so I don't know if we need to buy one just yet.
So my question for you today is, what else do we ABSOLUTELY need to buy? I know there are lots of suggestions like toys and whatnot, but I want to know what things are must-haves. What will I regret not buying?
I was sooooo nervous/scared about giving birth, but really it's not that bad. An old coworker reassured me that we're made to do it, so it's not as bad as everyone says. That was actually comforting. And when the time came, taking it one step at a time ie: first the IV and then one contraction, and then the epidural...you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteMost likely they will give you pacifiers in the hospital. We came home with at least 5. We started buying one box of diapers every two weeks to a month before Evelyn was born, just to stock up and be prepared. And she doesn't use 10-12 a day. Maybe half that.
High chair and such can wait for five or six months. I loved having a bouncy seat for Evelyn. I could put her in it when I was doing dishes or whatever. It came in handy a ton! And we don't use ours anymore, so you can have it. We got it from my cousin and she used it, so not the newest, but it does the job.
I wouldn't worry about a baby monitor either. You'll hear her, even with the door closed.
This is great! Thanks so much for that! I mean, I know it isn't going to be fun but I feel like after I'll be like that was definitely worth it. As long as I'm not in labor for like 48 hours...that might diminish my excitement a little.
DeleteSo you use about 6-8 diapers a day?? That's really good to know. 12 sure sounds like a lot...
I would LOVE your bouncy seat if you really don't think you need it. How young of a baby can go in it? Once she can hold her head up? I really don't know a lot about baby development yet...
Thank you for the GREAT advice, Sammi!!
The lanolin ointment is actually for you and not the baby. And it is a must if you're breastfeeding. You'll actually get some in the hospital. Its a cream you put on your nipples to help with soreness, cracks, dryness...that sort of thing. It helped me a lot! And you can wait to get the high chair and sippy cups and all of that. Paisley is almost 7 months and we haven't needed them yet. Although something we have loved having is a Bumbo!! I bet you could find one on ksl or Craigslist for cheap. It really helped her learn to sit up and right now we use it in place of a high chair. Since our apartments are so small it's nice that it doesn't take up any room and we just put her in it on our table (or even the floor) to spoon feed her. As for a wrap...i personally love the Moby or k'tan wrap styles. But they are soooo expensive. I found a great alternative that works just the same as a Moby wrap! You can just buy about 6-7 yard ls of stretchy cotton material and use that! i have a website that sells that kind of material for cheap. So let me know of you want it! Its so comfortable and way easy to use. I love it.
DeleteYou can stick your baby in a bouncy seat the day she's born. They're reclined, so they don't need to be able to support their heads on their own yet.
DeleteTarget has all of their Graco 20% off right now. I'd recommend buying a car seat new (unless you know the person you're getting it from, and trust their judgment on the condition of it), but everything else, check KSL or craigslist. You can find a lot for cheap! Diapers will just depend on your babe. Some babies need to be changed more than others. Don't stock up too much though - my sister ended up having diapers that they didn't even use because of that. And, from my experience with babies, I'd definitely recommend a bouncer or a swing. They're super nice to given your arms a break, however, not totally necessary. Honestly, in my opinion, baby stuff is over rated. There are very few essentials, and the rest is just extra - stuff that can be nice to have, but a lot you can just spend money on.
ReplyDeleteThings you DON'T need to worry about for a while, if ever:
ReplyDeleteBaby monitor (you will hear her - even from outside your apartment!)
Diaper pail - waste of money! If you breastfeed, her diapers really wont stink much at all.
High chair
You will probably NOT go through that many diapers at all! (Do you have a costco membership? If not, you can definitely tag along whenever I go (I go about once a week. They sell HUGE boxes of diapers for a GREAT price! Along with HUGE boxes of packages of wipes for about 19 dollars, I think.)
If you have a stroller, you don't need a sling and vice versa.
Don't worry about sippy cups, bowls, spoon ect. Al least until you are ready to start on solids. We just have a "baby supply" budget for each month, and when a need arises, we look at that budget and see what we can get for that month. Food things like that can wait several months, so you can focus on buying diapers, etc.
Plain baby lotion didn't work for us, but I think it's because I didn't like putting something that had harmful fragrances, etc on my baby - so we just use a plain lotion for her.
NEED:
If you plan on breastfeeding, buy a ton of disposable nursing pads. Trust me, you will need them. Then, after about 6 weeks, you can invest in some washable nursing pads - by that time your body knows how much to produce and your mammary glands will stop acting like crazy milk fountains - haha!
The hospital will give you pacifiers, but if that kind doesn't work for your baby, you can always buy another. But you can wait on that too, if you want.
Swaddle blankets! Gotta love them! But you can use a normal receiving blanket at first, since your baby will be so small, and not strong enough to get out of it in the beginning. I would be happy to show you how to fold them so that they are swaddled nice and comfy.
Olivia,
ReplyDelete~ I love reading about all the questions that you have and also the awesome advice that you are getting. I kinda wish I had a resource like this when I was pregnant with you. The day you were born was the best day of my life, of course when Payson and Donovan were born I felt the same way. My advice is like Emily, you will find out how little you really need especially when you breastfeed.
~ The one thing that I will be sending you was one of my must haves when breastfeeding. They were initially given to me by your Aunt Nina, in Sweden they have something called nursing cups. Basically When you nurse on one side you put a nursing cup on the other breast. It collects the milk as your breast lets down so you won't get soaked. One very important thing I found was, after you are done breastfeeding the baby, try to let your nipples air dry. I did buy disposable pads for when I wasn't at home but, make sure you change them regularly. Doing this prevented sore nipples and breast infections. I only had two breast infections with all three of you but, because they were quite painful I hope you can avoid them with a little extra caution. This may sound funny but both of my infections were both caused by being bitten, because all three of you got your first teeth at 3 months I quickly learned that if you started to bite I would tap your nose gently and you would stop. The bacteria from the babies mouth enters into the open skin and causes the infection. I want you to know that breastfeeding was one of the most rewarding and wonderful experiences that I had as a young mother, and I am so thankful that I decided to do it.
~ This is all for now, I love you and are so excited for you and Dalin! ~ Love Mom