What's a helpful tip youve heard from experienced mommies?

76f8797ba fam123
By: fam123
Member since Oct 06, 2010
Posted: Sep 04, 2011
(whew...my auto correct changed mommies to ninnies! Glad I caught that)
Some tips I've heard:
-Get a portable crib with a built in changing table
-If you're going to breast feed buy nipple balm!
-if you delivery vaginally make sure to bring home the squirt bottle from the hospital!
EDD: Mar 01, 2012
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REPLIES
Avatar stxcwgrl87
By: stxcwgrl87
Member since Sep 04, 2011
Posted: on Oct 20, 2011
If you breastfeed make sure to have nipple cream and pads to change in your bras everytime you go somewhere you don't want to have sore or dry much less leaky nipples!!!
EDD: Mar 07, 2012, Houston, TX
63bbfd150 VeeJa
By: VeeJa
Member since Apr 16, 2011
Posted: on Sep 04, 2011
Those r good tips!!
EDD: Mar 20, 2012
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MommyEs...
By: MommyEst.09
Member since Aug 07, 2011
Posted: on Sep 04, 2011
Read Harvy Kemp's book The Happiest Baby On the Block.

That was suggested to me during my last pregnancy, and it really helped.

Dr. Brown's bottles. They are a pain to clean, but really help with sensitive tummies.
EDD: Mar 22, 2012
557633b29 HMarQuin
By: HMarQuin
Member since Aug 07, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
I was just informed that nobody ever tells you this, but if you deliver vaginally make sure you get pads bc you will bleed for 2-3 weeks!

I have actually been told this by several women who said they never knew before...
EDD: Mar 23, 2012, Cleveland OH
💙💙It's a boy!!💙💙
7910f07e2 dmstretto
By: dmstretto
Member since Jul 19, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Take home the stretchy hospital undies they provide!! So comfy when you don't feel like squeezing into regular ones.

Bring a robe to the hospital so you can walk without hanging out. Bring your own pillow, too.

Have carseat base installed by police or fire dept a few weeks early! You never know...and you don't want hubby winging it.
EDD: Mar 14, 2012
B4fb4ea3f MommaManda
By: MommaManda
Member since Aug 04, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Swaddled blankets (the kind with the Velcro tabs) are life savers. happiest baby on the block is a great method.
You have a say in everything at the hospital, just speak up. If you don't want the baby to leave you, say so. No formula, no pacifier, etc.
Keep diapers and wipe stashed around the house. Don't assume you'll always go to the baby's room.
I love my moby wrap. Baby wearing is fantastic. Experiment with different slings/wraps/ carriers that your friends have. Use a baby doll. Do it sooner rather than later so you don't have a big tummy to contend with.
EDD: Mar 19, 2012
Avatar mamacha...
By: mamachantal
Member since Sep 05, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
I am pregnant with baby #4. I always buy & wear depends right after I have the baby instead of dealing with those pads. I know this is gross, but if you don't use depends, just plan on ruining several pairs of panties. I wear them for several days after giving birth & it makes things so much easier!
76f8797ba fam123
By: fam123
Member since Oct 06, 2010
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Oh man. All awesome tips!! Thank you ladies!! You do not get any of this info in books.

I've also heard from friends to take the time for sitz baths. They help you heal faster.
Also invest in the Boppi. It's great for tires breast feeding mommies!!
Oh and start taking colic/stool softener a few days before you deliver so going bm isn't so scary and painful after birth!!
EDD: Mar 01, 2012
Avatar cmsol
By: cmsol
Member since Aug 21, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Take everything (diapers, hats, breast pump parts, pacis etc) from the hospital bc your insurance has paid for it. We took home a lot of great stuff when my son was born!
Avatar cmsol
By: cmsol
Member since Aug 21, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Another good tip I used was about crib sheets. Use the "plastic" protectors between the fitted sheet and mattress, but put two sets (of sheets and protectors) on. This way when a tiny lo has a leak in the middle of the night all you have to do is strip down one layer as opposed to remaking the entire crib.
C4bb1477a BabyInT...
By: BabyInTheCorner
Member since Jul 03, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Def take home the water bottle and any spray/meds they give you for down there. Make sure bf you leave the hospital ask for extras.
Take a stool softener after you give birth. Also if you have gas the best thing to do is walk around.
If you are having a hard time breastfeeding and your nipples are in extreme pain ask for a nipple shield. It will save you from giving up and it's so much easier for baby to latch on. Also use the crap out if the nipple cream.

I'll think of more....
EDD: Mar 08, 2012
6ac667316 jkbatchos
By: jkbatchos
Member since Jun 25, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Buy the vaccine book by dr sears, explains what is in each brand of shot as some
Brands are better than others and why each shot is really needed and when.
EDD: Feb 28, 2012, Kalamazoo
Walk by Faith
1aef2479c tannyat
By: tannyat
Member since Jun 03, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
Definitely take everything the hospital gives you, especially the spray bottle. You can't wipe yourself down there at all. Also if breastfeeding a button down shirt is helpful. Slippers are helpful. Also bring plenty of pads. I didn't know this going in to the hospital, when I left I got the long overnight pads.:-).... And definitely a robe to walk around in.
EDD: Mar 01, 2012, Georgia
D4c9787b8 erinwh
By: erinwh
Member since Jul 20, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
I think this is the best post I have seem on here! I agree with all the stuff already said. You need pads even if you have a c section. Breast feeding can be hard to get used to but totally worth it. You will live in a bra 24/7 so buy some comfy ones that still make your boobs look good. Nursing pj's are great too. Don't bring anything nice to the hospital cause they just get gross. Totally ask for help from the nurses. That's what they are there for. Video monitor is a total splurge but save me from running into the nursery every 5 mins at night. Best of luck to us all!
EDD: Mar 24, 2012
Avatar bsrs02
By: bsrs02
Member since Jul 27, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
get dermoplast with ladocain. it is an antibacterial spray if you get it with ladocain it will numb down below. with my first i had a third degree tare worked wonders used it with my second one and plan on using it with this one too
7910f07e2 dmstretto
By: dmstretto
Member since Jul 19, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
For those first timers who ate thinking they can just use the pads provided....they are a thousand times bigger, bulkier, and more uncomfortable than the store brands! Get extra large ones and as the previous poster said, c-section and vaginal birthers both need them :)

If you plan on using cloth or natural diapers/wipes then bring them!

If you plan on using a pacifier straight from the gates and you've got a brand in mind, boil them and bring them because our hospital only had soothies brand.

This might sound lame but the nurses told me that the most common thing left behind were cell phone/iPod chargers. When you plug your cord in tie a Mylar balloon or a dick around it to make it more noticeable.

If you are having a girl and you/significant other is changing her diaper don't wipe away all of her discharge. Evidently, it needs to be reabsorbed. Our nurses were very clear about that.

Bring a journal to keep track of sentimental stuff as well as eating, pooping, peeing, etc.

If you are a foodie then research the areas restaurants so you don't have to rely on hospital food.
EDD: Mar 14, 2012
Avatar Jules7508
By: Jules7508
Member since Jul 17, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
I had my mom run out when my daughter was 1 day old to get me the "my breast friend" nursing pillow. I had borrowed the boppy from a friend and hated that I had to contend with a pillow slipping and moving around while I was trying to nurse my floppy, delicate little newborn. My breast friend straps around your waist and stays put while you nurse. It was fabulous with a newborn and worked great as my daughter grew too! It is soft enough for baby's head to lay on but firm enough to support them. HIGHLY recommend this pillow!!! (Especially for first time moms!!)
21f3265b6 3girls
By: 3girls
Member since May 08, 2011
Posted: on Sep 05, 2011
For the first few days following the birth take pain killers about half and hour before breast feeding. The feeding stimulates your uterus to contract - and it REALLY hurts!
557633b29 HMarQuin
By: HMarQuin
Member since Aug 07, 2011
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
Bump bump bump

I love this post!! So much great advice...more please!
EDD: Mar 23, 2012, Cleveland OH
💙💙It's a boy!!💙💙
Avatar nfpm2b
By: nfpm2b
Member since Aug 12, 2011
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
pack & plays are a waste of money if you plan on traveling. they are bulky & heavy.
with pacifires & bottles, don't buy a whole set till you know which ones Lo will like.
C4bb1477a BabyInT...
By: BabyInTheCorner
Member since Jul 03, 2011
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
Pampers has a line of diapers. Think they are the sensitive ones. The sizes are newborn- size 2 or 3. Anyway they have a yellow strip that turns green then the baby pee's. It helps take the guess work out.

**this is not for everyone- after the baby is two months, if they only have a wet diaper (and it's not full) in the middle of the night, you can skip a changing. It helps baby and you fall back asleep faster.
Within the first few months it helps to change baby's diaper, in the middle of the night, before feeding. It wakes them up so they will eat more.
I also put diaper cream on baby before bed to help with diaper rash.

Hope that makes sense.
EDD: Mar 08, 2012
Avatar addiesm...
By: addiesmom649
Member since Jun 21, 2011
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
Def agree- my breast friend pillow was WAY better than the boppy for nursing. And def bring your own pads, and buy some cheap comfy BIG undies for after delivery. Bring slippers to the hospital! Grab an extra burp cloth for the boob you arent nursing from bc you will leak for a few weeks while your milk supply adjusts.
76f8797ba fam123
By: fam123
Member since Oct 06, 2010
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
I'm making a list now. This is great. Thank you ladies!!
Just two questions: why do you need pads after a C?
And someone mentioned tying a dick around their iPod recharged...I always leave mine behind but what's a dick? I mean I know what it is in the US but I'm assuming it's something different somewhere else? ( like a rubber is an eraser in Australia... Or at least it was about 30 years ago when I went to school there)
Thanks again to everyone. Every tip has been noted and I'm going to follow ALL of them!!!
EDD: Mar 01, 2012
Avatar deemom8
By: deemom8
Member since Aug 15, 2011
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
Fam123--you bleed even if you have a c-section. Also, I am STILL laughing about the "dick"--I live in the US and I'm PRETTY sure that had to be a misspelling but it's cracking me up!!!
All of these tips are SO true and I can't think of anything to add--it's a great post for FTMs.
Avatar artist
By: artist
Member since May 06, 2011
Posted: on Sep 06, 2011
lol, I was dying of laughter from the "dick". that would definitely make it more noticeable!!! Hahahaha what a good laugh, I needed that! keep the great tips coming ladies, Ty!
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