Tidbits of Advice: Packing! ! !

I have to say I don't think we're the best packers in the world. We bought a family van and seem to fill it every trip... with only one kiddo... but, I have learned some things along the way!

*If your kiddo fits in a bumbo, bring it along -- it can be a play area, a chance for your kiddo to have his or her own space AND a high chair all in one!
*I used to try to count diapers to decide how many to bring - but now I just bring a whole package every time. It's not that big of a deal if you have extras but it is if you run out! Plus, we have gone to smaller towns where the diapers are much more expensive... not worth it!
*Always bring a few extra clothes -- you just never know! One time we had all summer clothes for MVJ and the weather turned yucky almost the whole time - the poor girl ended up wearing pajamas like the whole time because they were the warmest thing she had!
*Bring extra blankets -- for one thing you might want to lay them down on the floor (like my parents have hardwood floors and they just get too cold/aren't the softest) or maybe there are pets, etc. that you want to keep your kiddo away from. I've also had to use the "this is MVJ's space" for overexhuberant kiddos when MVJ has had enough!
*I've brought my pump to various places and have ended up using it exactly 1/2 a time - it is tougher than I realized to plan that out in advance. We ended up buying formula when we went to Minneapolis the last time and it was just fine. So maybe you want to have a few backup plans along just in case for food.
*We always bring MVJ's "toiletry" bag -- baby Tylenol, Mylicon, teething tablets, bath/grooming supplies, thermometer, nasal aspirator, etc. -- you just never know and you don't want to have to go searching for it at a store if you need it!

Tidbits of Advice: Traveling with a Baby MVJ

We've done our fair share of traveling with miss MVJ. We don't want to just stay home because we have a baby. We MVJ to be a good traveler when she gets older, and what better way than to expose her to it early on. MVJ has proved to be a good sport in the car, but we have learned a few things along the way.

*Since she is generally beyond the whole spitting up thing, we feed her almost right before we leave.
*We also diaper her right before -- oh and a bath right before is very good too if it can be managed.
*We've found that traveling around her nap schedule is the best thing ever. She will usually take extended naps when she's started out in the car.
*Traveling in the morning seems best for her, but we haven't tried too late at night to compare.
*MVJ once slept a whole five hours in the car and woke up about 15 minutes outside of home. We had to take a longer trip and MVJ screamed about the last whole hour. We knew all she wanted was to get out of her carseat so there wasn't anything we could do besides press on.
*MVJ isn't quite to the age we can distract her with books and toys and things, so sleep is our best ally so far.

Next week: what to pack when traveling with a baby!

Note to self

Don't wear a shirt you enjoy after your husband has decided it's time to feed your baby carrots for the first time... yeah...

I got home from work yesterday and JJ had decided he wanted to feed MVJ carrots. This is her VERY FIRST food (besides boobie juice and cereal). She spit it up a little bit a short time after her feeding. Fine, no big deal, we expected it. About an hour later (at Green Mill), she spit up MORE orange goo. Eewww! We weren't ready for that! About an hour and a half after Green Mill, she spit up MORE (while I was at Bible Study with her). I think we can safely call that stuff throw up -- it had been in her tummy for quite a while! Oh, and she even got it in my pocket! What aim! : )

Tidbits of Advice: Feeding Cereal

We have been feeding MVJ cereal for quite some time now. We started with just a little introduction randomly, but have moved it right into her nightly bedtime ritual. At about 8pm, I plop her in her bumbo on the kitchen table (she stays there during her meal--we haven't gotten the highchair out yet). She loves being my little sous chef. I started out making it quite soupy, but now have been able to make it a bit thicker. I also started out mixing it with pumped breastmilk. Yeah, way too much work for a nightly deal. So I've been using distilled water instead. I warm it up slightly -- she's not a fan of "cold" yet. Then I get the bib out -- my upstairs neighbor (BB) said that cloth seem to better for the "wetter" cereal stage. She has fun baby spoons -- sometimes I let her "choose" the color. She is pretty much a champ. She loves her some cereal and generally eats everything I have made. Sometimes she'll refuse the spoon, turn away, try to grab it and throw it, etc. to let me know that she is DONE. She loves being cleaned up for some reason. She'll grab the little towel and sometimes try to eat it! She usually wants to follow up with some milkies, which is fine by me (fill 'er up so she sleeps longer is my motto!).

Tidbits of Advice: Must Have #3 (A yoga ball!)

Hopefully you've caught on that my must haves are things you may not traditionally associate with must haves for babies. We happened upon this must have when I had decided to drag out my yoga ball to start to get back into shape a few months ago. I was a little bit more ... eager ... back then. Now my back into shape plan consists of breastfeeding (seriously, it's the best plan evah!) and taking long walks. Everything in between consists of eating everything in sight. Whoops! Back to the yoga ball! I found that if I hold MVJ while bouncing on the ball, she enjoys it, calms quickly and can even sometimes get out stubborn burps. Lately, only Daddy is able to put her down to sleep - when Mommy holds her/rocks her at night she just wants to be fed! Naughty girl! So, the yoga baller has generally been Daddy lately.

Tidbits of Advice: Must Have #2 (A timer!)

So, sometimes li'l miss MVJ is a little bugger. Letting her "cry it out" is really tough for me, but JJ helps assure me that sometimes that's just what babies need to do. I do not recommend using that strategy with very new babies. I read somewhere that new babies are learning to trust, so you want to let them know that when they cry, you are doing something about it. But, when they get older, crying is a way they wind down. MVJ is *sort of* getting into a routine. She has a general morning nap, afternoon nap, evening nap and bedtime! Sometimes we are the culprits who throw off her schedule, and then we know when we've pushed it too far and she's gotten overtired. But, anyways, back to Must Have Item #2! Like I said, letting her cry it out is tough for me, so SIL LJ recommended a timer. She said one of her friends set a timer for 10 minutes to assure herself that it really hadn't been "forever". Especially at her afternoon nap, it seems that MVJ cries it out for a bit. I set the timer for 10 minutes, and usually she is asleep by 5. If not, I do go in and check to make sure everything's ok -- does she need a diapey change that I missed? Is she too hot or cold? Usually a small intervention is all she needs and she's back off to sleepyland.

Teefers?

Now, don't be all jealous and stuff, but we're pretty sure MVJ is teething. Ugh. Poor thing! Mommy's wiped out, Daddy's wiped out and baby's wiped out! So, we don't see any white or feel any bumps like other mommies have told me their children have, but here are our symptoms:

1) cranky
2) puts EVERYTHING in her mouth
3) drool monster
4) seems to be running a very slight fever
5) about at that age
6) rejects her paci
7) teething tablets help

Thank goodness for that last one. Teething tablets are awesome - and homeopathic with "no" side effects (which JJ believes to be impossible). We've also tried a few teething rings. We have a few at home, but they seem so big. Luckily, CLJ happened to have some small rings, and one of them was pink. Well, we just know that won't do for little Mr. ACJ, so little Miss MVJ took it off her hands! She'll suck on it (post refridgeration for coolness), but it doesn't seem to be her favorite thing yet.

Tidbits of Advice: Diaper Decisions

So I was going to write some advice about diapering, but I don't think ANYONE would take my advice... I have been pooped on several times after all... but I can tell you what we've noticed about the diapers themselves. First of all, I don't have a huge rhyme or reason for which diapers I buy. I guess I just go where the sales/coupons are! We've bought cases at Sam's club to an emergency pack from the grocery store (don't recommend this -- usually much more expensive).

The two brands we've used the most are Pampers and Huggies. They are the ones with the most coupons/free samples I guess. When we started, we had to buy the preemie ones, then to the newborn, then to size 1, then 1-2 and now we're at size 2's. The preemie/newborn ones were great -- they have the little notch cut out for the umbilical cord. We liked pampers the best for these. We had one pack of pampers that seemed to have a netting-type thing in the diaper, and when we'd change her, the netting would be stuck to her little bottom. We were not impressed with this, but I haven't noticed this in any subsequent pamper diapers that we've bought. Pampers seem to be softer than the huggies. The huggies seem to be a bit thicker/stiffer. We've really enjoyed the huggies pure and natural (and the $3 off coupons I've been finding everywhere for them). They seem softer. Don't buy diapers based on the character design... no matter how cute it just won't be seen by probably anyone but you!

The wipes we've come to love are the pampers ones. They just seem softer and smell the best! : ) Again, I buy wipes based on what's on sale/what I have a coupon for.

Has anyone tried other brands with success... or major problems?

Tidbits of Advice: The Cons

Having a baby is seriously the best thing ever in the world. When I think of that day all I can do is smile. I feel like Wonder Woman and it resulted in this absolutely perfect little thing! Buuuut, it isn't ALL roses and sunshine. Let me tell you the MOST annoying thing about childbirth I have found thus far. I am losing all my hair!!! It is coming out in clumps! SO disgusting! I honestly have to go through my hair before I shower because our drain gets clogged like none other. I could spend ten minutes combing through it with my fingers and still come back with loose strands. ICK! I sleep with my hair tied back because it gets all over my pillow and bedding. I have even found hair strands on my little girl! : ( I sometimes have to pull them out of grip if she's been up to my shoulder because hair strands have fallen on my shoulder/back. I really hope this phase gets over SOOOOON.

Tidbits of Advice: Nursing

Now again I can only use the disclaimer that this is my experience. I know not everyone is able to be home all day or produce milk or even not everyone's baby takes to nursing. Ok, with that said, here are my tips on nursing:

*Try to get that baby hooked up as soon as possible. Miss MVJ was a natural and took to it right away, which probably aided in my milk coming in shortly thereafter.
*Use your lactation consultant! She taught me different holds (what?!), how often I should be nursing, what was normal, etc. She also gave me some samples of lansinoh cream.
*I used lansinoh cream quite a bit in the first few weeks, and now only occasionally because I'm not usually sore very much anymore. (Oh -- that was another thing on our list from our first shopping trip!)
*Prepare to pump -- even in the first few days. I felt just miserable because I was so full all the time. Pumping not only took away the pressure, but also stored up some milk for MVJ's first bottle experience and for when Mommy is out of the house.
*Get a good nursing cover (or two) -- my Mom made mine! They are perfect for feeding on the go or for when company is over. It took me a few tries to get comfortable with it, but now I feel somewhat like an old pro... : )
*So I don't know if this is normal or not, but every time I nurse, the other side starts leaking. So whenever I nurse, I always have to have a burp cloth on the other side.
*There is some debate over this, but I've found that I just nurse on one side until she's done. Sometimes after burping, she'll go to the other side, but sometimes it's just one side at a feeding. You can also do like 5 minutes on one side, switch and keep going like that. Whatever works for you!
*Chi-chi is just getting into a routine, but before she would go two hours at a time up to like five hours at a time in between feedings. It was quite convenient that I could be with her all the time to just be on her schedule.
*Nursing pads : there are the convenient disposable ones or economical/"green" reusable ones -- I have both -- the reusables are easy to just throw in the washer to clean. I use the disposables when I travel. Also, for the first probably two months I had to wear my nursing bras/pads to bed because I was still trying to get in sync with MVJ's needs.

Tidbits of Advice: Post Labor Must Haves!

I was in the hospital for five days, so I had to rely on things JJ brought me from home and things they gave me at the hospital. When we got home, my Mom volunteered to babysit (we really had to twist her arm!) so we could make an "essentials" Target run. This is what we bought (or remembered we needed at some point soon after we were home):

*Easy put together food -- and my dad sent along a huge "vat" of animal crackers from Sam's Club -- these proved to be PERFECT for late night feedings (for baby AND me!)
*Iron Supplements (I needed to whip my hemoglobin back into shape)
*A pack of newborn outfits (who knew our little peanut would be such a little peanut?? We found we prefer snaps over zippers -- for quick diaper changes, you can just unsnap what you need rather than taking off the whole outfit.)
*Batteries for the swing!


Now for the fabulous "feminine" post delivery products!:
*Breast pads (it takes a while to get adjusted to how much the baby needs!)
*Milk storage bags (to freeze pumped milk)
*Cold packs for your breasts (ouch, it gets painful for a few days -- I got ones that could be heated or cooled -- these came in handy later when I developed mastitis)
*Witch Hazel pads (sometimes labeled for hemorrhoids) -- trust me -- it's embarrassing buying them, but they will help heal and soothe your bottom!
*Light flow period pads (it takes a while for the flow to stop...)
*Dulcolax (as the commercial says - it doesn't make you go, it just makes it easier to go... -- you don't want to have to push too much especially if you need stitches, and the iron wasn't helping my numba twos either!)
*Dermoplast (it's a spray that can help take the sting away as your stitches heal --- another quick and easy pain reliever they used at the hospital was to fill a newborn diaper with ice -- the diaper soaks up the water and fits perfectly uhhh... on that area -- JJ still teases me that I had to borrow some of MVJ's diapers)

Tidbits of Advice: Must Have #1 (Shout!)

Feliz cinco de mayo! Or cinco de maja (it's my friend from high school, MFH's bday today too!).

I'm just learning what I actually use/what actually works, so this one will be a work in progress!

I have found one thing so far that I absolutely couldn't live without. A good clothes stain remover!! I really should take before and after pictures sometime. The one I happen to use is Shout - and it is grrrreat! It has a little scrubby head, so I squeeze a little on the poor victimized piece of clothing and the scrub. It can even sit like that for a day or two. Before I started using Shout, I would've thought many of the outfits MVJ pooed on (including some of mine!!) were lost causes.

Tidbits of Advice: Bathtime Prep

My advice is to always put everything out before it's time for the actual bath to go down. I always give her a bath in the morning because she seems to get hyped up from them (not calmed down as I have read a lot --- i.e. "give your baby a bath at night because it will calm her down and she will be ready to sleep" --- but then again my baby seems to go against the grain -- maybe yours won't!). I usually put out her stuff the night before just so that when she's ready for a bath I don't have to scramble.

This is what I lay out:
*her tub -- she has one with a little hammock-type thing for little babies, so she is cradled above the water
*two washcloths (I use one for soap and one to get the soap off)
*baby soap, shampoo, and lotion (we have a little basket for all of this stuff so it's already together)
*whatever you use for diapering (wipes, a clean diaper, "butt cream", powder, etc.)
*a big towel (I put this on the table, folded so it supports her head)
*one of her hooded towels (this is what I use to dry her off and warm her up)
*a clean outfit (don't forget the socks or whatever little item that is easily forgotten!)
*a warm blankie close by so it's easy to warm her up as I feed her afterward

I like to give her a bath just as she starts getting hungry so that I can feed her/warm her up right afterward. Plus -- it does not work for us to give a bath on a full or even semi-full tummy... bad things can happen!

Tidbits of Advice: Labor

This is obviously unique for each person, but here is some quick advice I picked up in the oh, six-ish hours I knew I was in labor.

*Try to come as hydrated as possible. They would not let me have anything to eat or drink. I don't know about eating... I don't think you'd want a full tummy... and... uh... from Jenny McCarthy's book... you could potentially poop while delivering. Obviously unintentional and completely normal, still.... wouldn't want to be in that position.

*Try to have a birth plan in mind. Of course mine went completely out the window in a matter of minutes, but still good to have a few expectations.
*Who do you want with you? (I found that less is more during the actual delivery, but next time I think I'd feel comfortable having my Mom... if it's a "normal" pregnancy...)
*What "activities" would you like to do to help labor progress? (Sit on a yoga ball, go for a walk, etc. were a few of my choices that didn't happen since they wouldn't let me move once I had the magnesium.)
*Drugs. (Let's not revist my desire for an epidural, -k-?) But do know what you want and don't be afraid to let people know. : )
*How can your labor coach (my hubby JJ) help you? JJ was amazing at just figuring out what I needed basically. When I felt a contraction, he was right by my side showing me how to breathe and calming me down. I absolutely needed reasurrance at every step and he was so encouraging. I think it's good to let your husband know how you think he can help you and also let him know that it may change during delivery.

*When they hooked me up to the monitor, I was so glad to see when contractions were happening. I obviously felt them (once I knew that's what they were!), but I loved the little graph going up... and coming down... going up... and coming down... It was soothing to count through them. And of course, BREATHE!

*One of the doctors told me that when I felt like pushing, I would "bear down". No one told me, ok, time to push now (for the first one), it just felt right. And you honestly do push like you're going #2. Pushing was wonderful. It was active. I could DO something with these contractions. To start a "push", I waited for a contraction, breathed in a lot, and then held it like I was going underwater. Filling up my cheeks seemed to help. I was clueless about this step for a while. For some reason it was NOT connecting how to hold my breath. The doctors will guide you about how often they want you to push.

*Then, the head will kind of pop through -- JJ said he saw MVJ's head of hair pretty quickly after I started pushing, but it didn't actually come all the way out for a few more pushes. Once the head comes through, don't forget to keep pushing! I forgot this step. There are still shoulders and whatnot to get through!! But, after the head, the doctor will basically pull the baby out. And ta-da! You've done it! It really is true what they say, you forget about the pain.

*Then, don't think you're 100% out of the woods. Now you have to push out the placenta. There was nothing to this step, but it did feel kind of awkward. The baby's out. And you still have to push out this thing that resembles a bloody jellyfish. Niiiice.

*Lastly, you may need some stitches. At least you've got a baby to focus on to forget about whatever else they're doing to you. : )

Tidbits of Advice: What NOT to buy!

So again -- please add ideas!! I'm a newbie! : )

Since my baby girl was due in March, I hit up some rummage sales last summer -- before we knew what people would send us as gifts and before we knew we were having a baby girl. I bought things that seemed useful, but I've found that some things were not needed, even if they were only $0.05!

Here's my list of what NOT to buy!

*BIBS. Last count I honestly have over 50. Some came with outfits, some as gifts on their own, and some I bought at rummage sales. My girl is a spitter at times, so it has been helpful to not be worried about her spitting up and grabbing a new one... but I did NOT need to buy any! : )

*BLANKETS. We have gotten many as gifts -- and many of them have been handmade making them super special. As Auntie LJ noted - we must really have enough if we're using some to level our carseat base...

*RECEIVING BLANKETS. I don't know how, but we've accumulated a ton. We mostly use them as extra burp rags because we have great things with the express purpose of swaddling, so we don't use the receiving blankets for that.

*PACIFIERS. We've gotten some as gifts and Miss MVJ doesn't seem to enjoy them much... yet anyways.

*BOTTLES. (We're breastfeeding...) We just felt like we would need a ton, and it seems like she'll be using a bottle like once or twice a day at the peak. Again, this is just my speculation... maybe I'll find them superuseful later... ??

*TINY BATH FOR LITTLE BABIES/NASAL ASPIRATOR/THERMOMETER/TEENY TINY HATS. Our hospital gave us all of these things.

*CRIB BUMPER. I didn't realize there was a "controversy" over these things. I guess babies can roll into them and suffocate! : ( But, then I've also heard if you don't have one, baby can get his/her arms stuck in the crib rails. So, I guess you can choose. We'll probably take ours down once MVJ gets more mobile.

Tidbits of Advice -- Pre-Delivery

I'm not a "seasoned veteran" by any means, so if anyone has advice to share, please do!! I have quite a few friends who are having first babies and are looking for advice of all kinds! Know, too, that if things don't go as planned, you'll be just fine! At the hospital, people were so helpful and provided me with things I hadn't brought with me (a toothbrush for instance!).

Pre-Delivery
*My biggest advice here is to plan ahead! You NEVER know when that baby's going to show up! Poor JJ didn't have a lot to go on when I sent him home for "stuff" while I was at the hospital. Even a list would be helpful if you're in a hurry.

*Slippers are nice to have -- they wouldn't let me walk around without nonskid socks/slippers/shoes. Don't forget nursing pads and bras (if you're breastfeeding), and of course stuff for your period (no tampons allowed). You'll want comfy clothes and don't forget shower stuff!

*Have the car seat installed! (And DON'T get rid of the receipt... you never know if your peanut will fit in the car seat you choose!)

*If you can, attend a birthing class(es). At least read the part in What to Expect When You're Expecting... I was dumb and only read up to where I was at... it was like a ritual -- oh, I'm in my 7th month, now I'll read about it. It would've been nice to have a sneak peek beforehand.

*It was helpful to have our baby showers early, so we could go buy the things we didn't receive but knew we needed. As it happened, we shopped/set up the weekend before we had our baby girl! Also, I washed the smallest outfits and bedding so those things were all set up and ready to go!

*I only bought one newborn outfit before the hospital because I heard about babies who didn't fit in newborn and went straight to 0-3 months clothes. Our chica happened to fit preemie outfits and has yet to grow out of her newborn outfits. I guess you just never know!

*Do what you can to organize at home. Friends of mine cooked things to freeze ahead of time.

*People advised us to spend quality time together because time with just the two of you will not happen very often from now on!