In this picture I'm about 28 weeks and sporting my new $6 maternity khakis
from the DI. Sorry it isn't a great picture... :) Baby is about 2 1/4 pounds and 14.8 inches
long as estimated by Baby.Center.com (or likely somewhat smaller). I still get comments
and disbelieving looks after I tell people how far along I am, but I am very used to it now.
We are super-excited and have been enjoying my being pregnant. The other day she had
a major dance party in my belly. Her movement had never been so consistent for so long.
It had also never been so many strong movements for such a long time. I felt her on both
sides of my belly at the same time several times too - that was my favorite.
Occasionally I think of all the things we need to do, get, learn, etc. and I feel a little
anxious. But I've been writing things down that I need to do, get and learn (especially
because I forget even more now) and working on it here and there.
Some of my mom-friends have given great advice and suggestions and I have really
appreciated that. If anyone has something to share, please do. I'm in collecting-info
mode so I can sort it all out and figure out what works best for me.
9 comments:
Wow, you do look really good for being so far along. You'll slim right back into your regular pants in no time! That's so exciting to feel your baby move so much! Enjoy it b/c I miss that part sometimes.
My ideas for what to get etc is: Diapers & wipes (LOTS), warm blankets to wrap baby in, the socks that come up to their knees (helps a lot when they learn to grab their toes & pull their socks off) a small bath tub with one of those reclining things so their head isn't in the water, burp cloths, desitin (or any butt cream), something to lay the baby in like a swing or bouncer that plays soft music or vibrates, baby tylenol, baby thermometer, gas drops, nail clippers, etc. Pretty much the basics. I clipped Parker's nails the day he was born! They are so long & grow so fast! Using socks for scratch mitts works well too.
My other suggestion is if you're going to let your baby sleep in your room for a little bit before placing her in her own room, only do it for a month. I realized as soon as I put Parker in his own room I was waking up for the littlest things, & as soon as he was in his own room he & I both got lots more sleep.
Let your baby determine her own schedule. It will be hard at first b/c she'll probably think day is night & night is day, but once she figures that out things are much smoother. Don't freak out if she sleeps 4-6 hours between feedings at night. She's fine & will wake when she needs to eat, so take advantage of sleep.
Take lots of baby pictures b/c they grow fast & I'm sad I didn't get mother baby shots of Parker when he was a week old. Even if you find a friend to do that for you, they will be great!
Don't buy lots of small sized clothes. Really like 7-10 outfits in each size: newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, etc b/c they grow so fast & I didn't even get to put Parker in some of his smaller clothes before he outgrew them & now that he's bigger we're scrounging for money to buy clothes that fit.
Colder months are fun to put your baby in the full length bag-type snuggly coat that they sell for babies. If you can't find a cover for your car seat, make one! It's so easy! It will keep your baby covered when it's raining/snowing outside & will make you feel like a better mom if your baby isn't getting all wet & cold. If you haven't already bought a carseat/stroller combo (travel system) I would buy Chicco brand or Combi. Combi is compact & very nice. Chicco has an adjustable strap for the car seat's seat belt that is so easy to adjust. I have an evenflo travel system & the seatbelt is hard to adjust & the stroller is huge, although has lots of space when you go strolling, but is hard to fit in the car.
I'm sure I'll think of more, but I hope this wasn't overwhelming. Hope this helps! Have fun in your last trimester!!!
I am going to advise against lots of diapers. I have found that Aiden can only use one kind and Josh was the same way. It must be a family thing. They both got horrible bum bleeding rashes with the wrong diapers.
The combi stroller carseat is very light and compact and inexpensive but not very turnable. Actually very few strollers turn well. We decided with this baby to actually spend a good amount because we spent 2 years having a mediocre stroller.
Buy a good breast pump. This may sound crazy, but I started pumping a few days before Aiden was born. It helps to induce labor and I could get use to the pain so breast feeding wasn't as big of a shock.
I have said this before but you have much more time now then you will in the future. Spend some time reading books about what to do when they get here. You have no time and are always exhausted and wondering what you should be doing.
Time goes by so fast! I'll be the one asking you for advice!
You look amazing Lina! You are going to be such a good mom! So I agree with Amber, I have the Combi travel system and I LOVE it! I think I like it mostly because it is small and compact. I have the single stroller and the double and i keep both in our small trunk all the time and I can still load groceries in the trunk too. Most regular stroller take up the whole trunk and I hate the big bulky things. I hope you are having a baby shower and I really want you to send me an invite! We miss having you guys in the ward up here!!!
A few things I LOVE:
Chicco Travel System
Moby Wrap
Boppy Pillow
Medela Breast Pump
Avent Binkies
Gerber Sleepers
Born Free Bottles
I agree with the getting a breast pump, even if you're not planning on working- stay at home mom's tend to find they need one too. I was so engorged a couple days after Grace was born I was crying. It hurt to nurse and she couldn't get much milk out. Pumping helped to get my milk flowing. We had to run and get it around midnight because I hadn't gotten one ahead of time, though I had priced them out just in case. I use the $70 generic brand and it's fine. Of course I think the $175 & $200 ones would be a lot nicer, but it works and I'm glad I was able to save some money because having a baby sure adds up cost wise!
BOUNCERS- most inevitably your baby will have a blow-out, often. I found a Winnie the Pooh bouncer at walmart with detatchable toys (those can get really dirty if they're just cloth, and you can't wash them) But the best feature is the seat cover is removeable and washable. That has helped a lot due to her blow-outs.
CLOTHING- Someone advised us once to get shirts and pants, because then you can just change pants after a blowout. I found that her blowouts usually go past her pants anyway, but I don't like that the shirt comes up and shows her belly when she moves, or if I pick her up. Onsies, are a pain to take off when they are poopy and such, because you don't want to smear up their back and over their head as you take it off. So I like the simple front snapping outfits, or that just zip all the way up. ALSO, I never invested in one of those newborn outfits that tie w/ a string at the bottom. You see them at DI all the time, & I wish I had gotten one. Many nights as a newborn she would scream while I snapped up a few buttons after changing her, and it would take forever to do w/ her moving, etc. I bet if I had had that I could've held her & put her to sleep sooner/better.
FINGERNAILS: Grace's were long, but skin was too attached, so it scared me to cut. The DR. said to wait 6 weeks anyway cuz they break & fall off. Was glad I did. I use the nail clippers now while she's asleep. :-)
NOISE: Having a little fan helps while she's napping, or she'd wake up at every slight noise. If Grace is tired but having a problem sleeping, I hold her in front of the fan (rocking) and she'll be out w/in 5 min. usually.
SLEEPING: Some book told me to do 30 min. activity w/ her after eating, then put her to sleep. She never would sleep & it made life sooo hard for me. So I let her pick her own schedule and things were MUCH better. She has always needed about 2 hrs after waking up, before going down again. (during the day)
BURPING- I learned a trick from someone that's amazing. Remind me to show it to you sometime!!!
Boppy Pillows: totally worth it!
Good luck w/ everything!!! We are excited for you!
Sorry just remembered more! Soaking baby clothes in BIZ gets out poo stains you'd never think it could- and I had to get more than 7-10 outfits in some stages because she'd go through 4+ a day and I didn't want to wash every two days. You'll know to get more if you need to.
Kid to Kid is a great place to get used (anything) & clothes in good shape. They have some cool policies,so you can get store credit by selling them your own items.
Also, I tended to have to give Grace a bath during inconvenient moments, after blowouts etc. w/ her crying. I learned to keep all her bath stuff, a diaper, and an outfit all together so I could do the bath routine really fast when I needed to.
P.s. My Dr. never told me that birth control pills/rings etc. prevent breast feeding. I tried herbs to get it to come back when I called about it, but they didn't work. Although, formula feeding helped w/ her acid reflux and choking issues for some reason. It also gave me a little more liberty when out doing errands.
Holy cow, I wish I had advice to give you... it's usually me asking you for advice! :) You are so sweet to tell me those things on our blog. We think that of you guys-- we are lucky that you are our friends!!
And going back to the pregnancy advice thing, I would imagine that you have already read, are reading, and will continue to learn things about pregnancy, parenting, and mothering for the rest of your life! (Which is one thing I love about you! You are always seeking to be better!)
Anyways, I agree that we need to get together more. Hopefully David's schedule will be more flexible and definitely in December I will have Saturdays open (the Temple will be closed).
We love you guys!
Hi Lina,
you look great and I'm glad you're feeling good. I think we have your wrong address on our invitation list and we have a thank-you note to send to you guys. Can you either give it to me here or you can email it to emilyannbingham@gmail.com
Thanks!
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