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MyFitnessPal Community

FTM to BTDT Mom Questions....

rubybeach

Hi,

I have quite a few questions that cross my mind from time to time, I thought a thread where first time moms can ask been there, done that Moms would be great!

Mittens for newborns, how many to you recommend?

Are newborn booties needed?

For those of you who used cosleepers, did you keep diapers and wipes next to the cosleeper and change them there during the night?

Was there anything you didn't have during those first few days that you needed (but had no idea you would need)?

Thanks :flowerforyou:

Replies

kellykneppergrundy

You must be getting close, how exciting!

This may be controversial, but with my first the outfit I took into hospital had the little mittens attached and the midwife was horrified and rolled them back. She told us when babies wore them they couldn't use their hands to feel and as babies learn through touch, they weren't a good idea. I had never really thought about it before. Anyway I just kept my daughters nails trimmed and I don't remember her ever scratching herself.

My baby just wore all in one sleep suits until she was about 6 months old and as they have the feet attached booties weren;t necessary unless it was particularly cold (she was born in december), they do get kicked off really easily, and I think we lost most of them.

I can't think of anything we needed the first few weeks that we didn't already have, except we really should have finished the christmas shopping before she came. Make sure there is a lot of food in the house.

rosy003

We also never used mittens- mostly b/c we had never heard of using them. We didn't co-sleep, but both kids did sleep in our room for the 1st 3-4 months so we had a changing table with diapers and everything in the room. We used booties that my mom knit- they were the only ones that stayed on! Both kids were winter babies so they came in handy. WHITE NOISE is the best thing that ever happened to us and we didn't know about it until after we got home. We downloaded an mp3 from babywhitenoise.com (70 min of electric fan) and it really was a lifesaver. I wound up nursing my kids in our bed a few times out of sheer exhaustion and I was glad that I thought to put a plastic mattress protector on to keep milk and poop from staining our mattress.

aprilkida

Mittens and booties do get lost very easily. We ended up not using them. Just keep their nails filed or trimmed. Sleepers were the best thing to where for the first several months. Of course as a FTM I was so excited with all the baby shower gifts that I washed all the clothes and towels and opened and set up every other gift. We found we had more than we needed and there was much we never even used. I wish I had kept more things with the tags on and receipts with them in case I wanted to return for something I did need later on. We didn't do a cosleeper but we had borrowed a bassinet from a friend to use in our bedroom. They are so small they don't last very long and then I would end up taking him to the nursery to change his diaper anyway. I wish I would've just had the play yard with bassinet and diaper changer set up in the bedroom for the first few months. There were many 'convenience' items that were just a joke. They were not convenient and just a waste of space and money. Babies really don't need as much as Babysrus and the like want you to think.

Keeping all that in mind, every mom is different. You may end up being a totally different mom that you think you will be. I best suggestion is to not go overboard, don't open everything, don't wash everything, until you figure out what works best for you.

kelly- I hadn't heard that about avoiding the mittens because it limits their ability to feel but that is a great point!

laurab1217

Those are all great suggestions....does anyone have more suggestions about what items are completely unnecessary??

rubybeach

Kelly- interesting, I've never heard that before and I actually bought some of those shirts, I'll definitely ask my midwife about it too. Thanks for the heads up.

Rosy- I'm sure glad to hear your recommendation about white noise, we sleep with a loud fan every night for the white noise I'd be sad if we had to get rid of it when the baby came! Good point on the mattress cover.....we bought the arms reach cosleeper so that I can breast feed in bed.

April- Thanks, we got way too much stuff and I can see you point on that! I don't even have enough space to store it all!

rubybeach

Those are all great suggestions....does anyone have more suggestions about what items are completely unnecessary??

Great question!

Piggybacking on this question, are Diaper Genie type garbage bins really needed?

obum88

Those are all great suggestions....does anyone have more suggestions about what items are completely unnecessary??

Great question!

Piggybacking on this question, are Diaper Genie type garbage bins really needed?

Worst things ever. They made the room not smell, til you open it to in another diaper or change the bag then you were gagging. We started using grocery bags to individually wrap each diaper then take out the baby trash everyday.

rubybeach

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Worst things ever. They made the room not smell, til you open it to in another diaper or change the bag then you were gagging. We started using grocery bags to individually wrap each diaper then take out the baby trash everyday.
[/quote]

So glad to hear this! This is our plan and we haven't purchased a diaper genie.

rubybeach

QUESTION: at what point in labor did you feel like you needed pain relief?

Did anyone use a jacuzzi tub for pain relief and did it help?

(I know this is subjective and everyone is different, curious as to your point of view)

RBXChas

Mittens for newborns, how many to you recommend?

Are newborn booties needed?

For those of you who used cosleepers, did you keep diapers and wipes next to the cosleeper and change them there during the night?

Was there anything you didn't have during those first few days that you needed (but had no idea you would need)?

I didn't bother with mittens, and shirts/outfits that had the ones that could fold over, I found annoying. If his nails were long, I cut them.

Booties and socks often got kicked off, so I liked footed pants/outfits or PJs. If not, I kept blankets on hand. My son was born in January, so it was winter. The house was plenty comfortable. If we went outside, that was a different story.

We didn't use a co-sleeper, but we did use a bassinet. I slept on the couch in the family room for the first two weeks with the bassinet down there. Then I moved to our bed, and our son slept (nights) in his crib. During the day he slept in the bassinet maybe until he was two months old, and then we retired it. Since our house is two floors, we have a changing table downstairs and one in the nursery. That's still the preferred setup, since going upstairs any time we needed to execute a diaper change and didn't happen to be up there would get old fast.

Other than that, I can only think of things we thought we needed but didn't. Like tons of newborn outfits. Dry sterilizers just take up room. (I used Medela steam sterilizer bags - other companies make these, too - or boiled things the old-fashioned way if I had a lot to do at once.) Bottle warmers are silly (if you must, fill a big mug with water, nuke it, then let the bottle sit in it for a minute or two - it won't get that hot). Wipes warmers are also pretty unnecessary, but if you feel the need, buy one off of Craigslist. I routinely see them for $5-$10, whereas a new one is usually at least $20.

As for diaper pails, we use the Diaper Champ. It uses regular trash bags and is far superior to the Diaper Genies I've used at others' homes. A regular trash can with a heavy lid (to contain smells) and a step-opener will also probably do just fine. Do us all a favor, though, and don't use your kitchen trash can! My brother did that, and every time you opened the kitchen trash to throw something in, you smelled nasty diapers. SO gross.

ETA that the reason I slept downstairs on the couch with the baby in the bassinet is because we are self-employed. If my husband wasn't in the office, we literally had no income, so I had to let him get some sleep. He admitted that he didn't sleep very well (1) worry about us downstairs and (2) because sometimes the baby's crying did wake him. However he definitely got more sleep than I did, which was fine, since I was home with the baby and had no other responsibilities aside from the dogs, who are easy-going.

KerriMx5

Mittens.. My 5th baby used mittens. Yes, my 5th. It seemed no matter how short her nails were she still managed to claw at her little face. I didn't have mittens. we had to go buy them because I had never needed them before. It was very odd.

I will tell you my thoughts on wipe warmers.. The baby might as well get used to room temp wipes because when you are out that is what you will have..

For you, get tucks pads.. Yes hemorrhoid pads but they are a godsend on the stitches you get if you tear just a bit.

I didn't have a fancy diaper pail. Just a simple one. Take it out once a day, fold the diapers up tight when you change and it is all fine.

Burp clothes are my biggie.. and little blankets that can be used to cover your shoulder..

kekevela

QUESTION: at what point in labor did you feel like you needed pain relief?

Did anyone use a jacuzzi tub for pain relief and did it help?

(I know this is subjective and everyone is different, curious as to your point of view)

With my first, I got an epidural when I was about 5 cm. With my second I got into the jacuzzi tub when I was 2 cm, and 20 minutes later I felt like I needed an epi. Only problem was I was 10 cm and it was time to push! Honestly, I preferred the unmedicated birth. The epi made me so sick and slowed down my labor. Plus I pushed WAY longer. It was 2.5 hours of pushing the first time, and 2 pushes with the second. With my third, I am definitely planning to go the unmedicated route again with the jacuzzi tub.

JenniferD83

QUESTION: at what point in labor did you feel like you needed pain relief?

Did anyone use a jacuzzi tub for pain relief and did it help?

(I know this is subjective and everyone is different, curious as to your point of view)

With my first, I got an epidural when I was about 5 cm. With my second I got into the jacuzzi tub when I was 2 cm, and 20 minutes later I felt like I needed an epi. Only problem was I was 10 cm and it was time to push! Honestly, I preferred the unmedicated birth. The epi made me so sick and slowed down my labor. Plus I pushed WAY longer. It was 2.5 hours of pushing the first time, and 2 pushes with the second. With my third, I am definitely planning to go the unmedicated route again with the jacuzzi tub.

Same here, I had an Epi with my first and none with my second and I really feel like it was way easier the 2nd time. Pushing was much more effective cos I could feel what I was doing and it only took 20min compared to the 1.5hrs and assisted delivery I needed from trying to push flat on my back with no feeling!

I had a birth pool ready 2nd time but didn't have time to get into it - hopefully I'll manage this time, it seems like a good option.
I used some hypnobirthing techniques with #2 which helped a lot. Lots of active rocking/swaying/walking helped too.

rubybeach

Thanks ladies for your help and replies! :flowerforyou: you're awesome! I "lurk" on another baby board and the snarky cattiness keeps me from asking questions :frown:

QUESTION: Are Prenatal classes "worth" it? I've had a few people tell me it was a waste of time and money.

And adding on to Kerri's suggestion; QUESTION: what was in your Mommy Postpartum Kit?

So far I have a peri bottle, tucks and huge pads. Do I need dermablast? Throw away panties?

RBXChas

Thanks ladies for your help and replies! :flowerforyou: you're awesome! I "lurk" on another baby board and the snarky cattiness keeps me from asking questions :frown:

QUESTION: Are Prenatal classes "worth" it? I've had a few people tell me it was a waste of time and money.

And adding on to Kerri's suggestion; QUESTION: what was in your Mommy Postpartum Kit?

So far I have a peri bottle, tucks and huge pads. Do I need dermablast? Throw away panties?

I have never even bothered with other sites' baby boards. I have heard way too many stories about way too much drama!

Classes - I took a childbirth class that the hospital offered (same hospital where I delivered) when I was pregnant with my first. We talked about the stages of L&D, and it really wasn't focused on any one method of dealing with labor (ie, it wasn't a Lamaze class or anything like that). We watched a few videos of someone who had a vaginal birth with an epidural, someone who labored at the hospital without an epidural but with the "take the edge off" pain meds and had a vaginal birth, someone who labored mostly at home and had a vaginal birth with no drugs and a rail so that she could squat, and someone who had a c-section. It also included a hospital tour, which we didn't think was all that helpful except to show what the L&D beds are like. I thought the nurse who ran the class seemed really knowledgeable, and she wasn't a jerk to anyone who said they were planning on having a natural birth. Her advice was just to be open to anything and take it as it comes. If you can make it through with no meds, then do that. If you feel you need them, don't torture yourself and just have them. We all get babies in the end, and no one gets a medal for doing things a certain way. Overall I thought the class was the most helpful to understand what "real" contractions were like vs. BH, which definitely helped me because I didn't have BH that time, and so when I actually went into labor I knew that I had to try to walk it off - and that if I couldn't it was the real deal.

Tucks - You may need Tucks (I didn't have hemorrhoids the first time around, nor have I experienced them this time - yet), but I have been told that witch hazel is cheaper and easier. That's what my OB recommended on the postpartum sheet she gave me when I was discharged last time.

Maxi Pads - Seriously, grab all the pads you can when you are leaving the hospital. They are better than what you can buy, but otherwise buy some serious long overnight pads. I had thin overnight pads on hand but didn't like them for postpartum use, personally, because they made me feel wet and gross and like there was a gap between my body and the pad that would lead to leaks, so I bought the big diaper-like ones. I also felt like I needed that cushion when I was sitting.

Panties - The mesh panties they give you at the hospital are awesome (again, grab all you can), but a few women hate them. I liked them because they were easy to just throw away, and I didn't have to think about washing panties. If you happen to hate them, be sure to have panties that you don't mind messing up in case you leak. Like serious cotton cheapies or panties that are old and nearly worn out.

Chux - On that note, while you are recovering, they will have chux on your bed. If there is an extra unused one or two of these in your room, you should snag them as well. They are good for extra backup for when you are still bleeding fairly heavily.

Bleeding - Honestly, the amount you will bleed and for how long will depend on you. Mine was like a REALLY heavy period for about a week, maybe a week and a half. Then it was like a medium-ish period for a few days, then it lingered as spotting for a while. It ended completely at around 4 weeks postpartum. So you'll definitely need heavy pads, but you don't need to buy an industrial size box of them or anything. I think I still have an unopened package of the nighttime pads that I liked for the beginning, so I should be all set on that front without having to buy many more, if any.

Dermablast and Peri Bottle - I Googled dermablast and came up with Dermoplast - is that what you mean? I didn't use anything like that (I had a vaginal birth with one dissolvable stitch, so I was sore but not ridiculously so). My OB's sheet didn't say anything about whether or not it was ok to use something like that. I'd think it would feel a little harsh for that area - stinging is not good! The peri bottle even feels weird in the beginning, especially if that water is cold. (Make sure there's WARM water in there before you squirt yourself with it!) If you can have more than one peri bottle, that's good, if you think you may use more than one bathroom. There's very little more frustrating at this time than being in one bathroom and realizing your peri bottle is in another.

Other than that, I can't think of much else you'll need right off the bat for your own care, other than LOTS of water and food that's readily available and easy to eat with one hand. If you can still enjoy it when it's cold, even better. The hospital where I delivered gave you this awesome 32-oz plastic cup with a handle, a lid, and a straw, and it ROCKS. I knocked mine off a table onto my wood floor during the first week and broke it :frown: so I ended up using one of my Nalgene bottles, which wasn't nearly as easy to drink from when I was holding my son! I liked the cup because I could easily drink from it with one hand and without risk of spilling on the baby, plus it was so big that I could have 2-3 of those a day and know I was drinking plenty of water.

mormonmomma11

As usual, I second RBX! Especially about the peri bottle and tucks/witch hazel.

If you can talk to your L&D nurses before delivery find out what supplies they offer while you are there - they will usually have eveything you need/want there. At my hospital the "set up" for my panties was like this:

1. Spray down with warm peri bottle

2. Mesh Panties

3. IcePack Pad (like these: http://www.amazon.com/MDS138055-Medline-PACK-COLD-14-25/dp/B000K6TF1Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1365019408&sr=1-2&keywords=perineal+ice+packs)

4. Then two or three tucks pads (spread them out across the pad)

It feels super awkward to have so much going on down there for me (I've never been a "pad" user - I much prefer tampons) so it took some time to get used to the pad - and as the swelling went down I moved to the heavy duty hospital grade pads (GRAB ALL OF THEM!) and they were less bulky then the ice packs, but I REALLY liked the ice pack/tucks combo. It was sooooo relieving on my episiotomy.

**Editted to add that I may have had the heavy pad between the mesh panties and the ice pack pad, but I really don't remember. Either way I loved the ice/witch hazel combo.

JenniferD83

I dunno where abouts you are and if you can get this there, but I SWEAR by this stuff called "hypercal". Its a herbal thing made from hypercium (that might not be spelled right!) and calendula, I dilute it with water and sprayed after everytime I went to the bathroom. I had 3rd degree tears both times and the OBGYN and MW who both checked the healing were amazed at how quickly and well I healed. I must get some more for this time round!

rubybeach

Thanks ladies!:flowerforyou:

rubybeach

Hi,

To those who BF and had their baby sleep in their room with them, was there a night light you recommend for middle of the night feedings? The lamp on the nightstand seems too bright.

What about this? Too complicated? http://www.nursinglight.com/

RBXChas

Hi,

To those who BF and had their baby sleep in their room with them, was there a night light you recommend for middle of the night feedings? The lamp on the nightstand seems too bright.

What about this? Too complicated? http://www.nursinglight.com/

It's a neat idea so that you don't have to light up an entire room (especially if you are keeping baby in the bedroom with you and your husband), but I found that sometimes keeping a baby awake to breastfeed was hard! I sometimes had to strip my son down to a diaper to keep him awake!

We didn't keep him in our room, but for the first couple of weeks or so, I slept downstairs on the couch with my son in a bassinet (my husband wasn't a jerk or anything - I just needed for him to sleep, since he was our only source of income). I kept one lamp in the family room on throughout the night (sometimes I would turn it off, but I'd have to turn it on when we were up). I think that lamp has a 60W bulb in it, so not super bright. If I had to change a diaper, I'd use the dimmer in that room. When we moved him to his own room, we installed a dimmer, so I only turned the light on as far as I felt I needed to.

Honestly, if you are all sleeping in the same room, and you'd like to be able to see without turning on a bunch of lights, probably a dim reading lamp would be fine - like something you can clip onto a nook or Kindle, and just clip it on to your clothes, bedding, headboard, or nightstand (whatever works).

rubybeach

Great idea! We didn't I think of that

Thank you!

rubybeach

I'm wondering if anyone has had a LO born tongue tied and had the operation? How'd it go?

I'm tongue tied and never had the surgery and wish I had.

freckledLeanne

I'm looking for thoughts on baby hats, especially with baby coming in July. Are they really necessary?

ehg87

I wouldn't advise buying hats for a summer baby. My son was born the end of July, hated hats and it was just entirely too hot! My daughter was born in Feb, and hats still weren't a go to item for us.

freckledLeanne

I wouldn't advise buying hats for a summer baby. My son was born the end of July, hated hats and it was just entirely too hot! My daughter was born in Feb, and hats still weren't a go to item for us.

THANKS!

aprilkida

My son absolutely refused hats! That doesn't mean that all won't. If your baby is very fair skinned you may want to have at least one to protect LO's head.

RBXChas

My son was born in late January, and we live in SC, which has very mild winters. He only wore a hat for the first few weeks, and generally indoors. Obviously if it was chilly out, he'd get a hat.

This baby is due by the end of the month, so I doubt we'll need any hats, but since we do run air conditioning, I figure I'll keep the hospital hat on hand just in case.

But for outdoor use, don't bother.

samarieL

I never used mittens with my first four and don't think I will with this one either.

I just toss dirty disposables in our regular trash, we're a big enough family at this point that it gets taken out frequently enough that it doesn't smell the house up. But I did this even with my first.

For my first four babies a bouncy seat was absolutely indispensable. They slept in it during the day amidst the hustle and bustle of regular life.

I plan to just get a really dim bulb for the lamp we already have in our room for when this baby comes but I actually mostly just do what needs done in the dark. I have strangely good night vision.

I used the hot shower as pain relief with my only vaginal delivery. It was amazing so I can only imagine how much better even a jacuzzi would have been. Technically I was six cm dilated when I got the epi but I had been 9 3/4 cm before traveling to the hospital.

for mom care dermaplast is an absolute must. I wouldn't have survived recovery from my vaginal delivery if it hadn't been for that and frozen pads, oh man, they were amazing.

I only did hats when we were going out of the house. I never had my babies wear hats in the house. I've had two winter babies, a spring baby, a summer baby, and this one will be a fall baby.

I did find with central air that I sometimes had to dress my daughter warmer than if we were in the hot summer air outside.

SeamsSewWright

Ruby, I got this from Target for $20. It works as a white noise/night light. Still use it for DD at 2 1/2 years old. Need to get another for DS on the way!!

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/homedics-myb-s300-lullaby-soundspa-and-projector?ID=713691&cm_mmc=Google_DMA_Home_Electrics_PLA-_-PLA+Home+Generic+-+Personal+Care_PLA+-+Personal+Care-_-31016214956_-_-_mkwid_mHRJJwEi_31016214956|-|mHRJJwEi

rubybeach

Thanks ladies! :flowerforyou: