Getting into a groove

Hey guys--CAUTION--long blog post

My little Mimi is a month old now. It's funny how sloooooow the end of pregnancy is and how fast the time with your baby flies. She's growing strong and fat :-). I went to a postpartum luncheon this week at the hospital where I delivered. They offer them every Tuesday from 11:3-2 pm. They are run by a lactation consultant and it seemed very well attended. You sit at this large oval table with all the moms eating your free chicken salad and you take turns speaking about issues or questions you have with breastfeeding, or any other concern. It was really nice in a way because all these babies are right around the age of your child, so you can look around and compare sizes etc. From what I gather, these women use this luncheon as a place to VENT about things driving them nuts. Fifty percent of women bitched about their husbands and the other 1/2 bitched about how their babies don't sleep or about low milk supply. By the time they got around to me I felt bad because not only does my baby sleep 9 hours a night with one break, and I have enough milk for 3 children, but my husband is pretty awesome. My husband deals so well with sleep deprivation and stress. I don't know what i would do without him to mellow me out. I'm always afraid to say Mimi is a good sleeper out of fear that she'll revert to prove me wrong! Breastfeeding is also going really well. I usually pump an extra 8-10 oz a day to store plus feed her all day. I could probably pump another 4 oz is I had the patience, but I figure right now 2 extra bottles a day is enough to store. I use the Medela 'Pump in Style' double electric pump, it seems to do the trick. My nipples have been getting a little sore again, but I think it's because I get more and more lax about making sure she latches good each time. I keep my eyes open for thrush in her mouth though, I know that can make my nipples irritated too.

I was watching my usual blogs on youtube, and one girl I follow was talking about her experience with possibly having PUPPPS or ICP and maybe having to get induced early, packing her hospital bag, and last minute items she needed etc. So I thought I would just jot down a few notes on what I did as far as "must have" items and packing my hospital bag. You can check out her vlog also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZaWRw

As far as the hospital bag goes, let me just say up front that I live not more than 10 minutes from the hospital I delivered at, and we had a dog at home that needed to be let out and fed, so running home to grab anything we forgot wasn't' a big deal. I also was having a scheduled c section and new I wouldn't' be going through labor either. So I packed light,the hospital moves you a around from a deliver suite, to a postpartum room etc. So you don't want to have all this crap to tote around. Also, people come and visit you and bring more crap (food, flowers, etc.) Plus, the hospital not only provides you with a ton of stuff, but the send you home with a ton of crap. So I brought:

A pillow from home--put a pillowcase on it that's not white so you can tell it apart from the hospital's

Toiletries--I brought shampoo, conditioner, facewash and a nice smelling bodywash. After I had the baby taking that first shower was like heaven. splurge and get nice stuff for yourself. I also brought the obvious toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant. I brought my makeup but never put it on. I mean, what was I thinking? Getting all gussied up to fall asleep off and on all day?

Eyeglasses--most places won't let you wear your contacts

I brought a comfortable nightgown, nursing bra and comfy shorts. I wore the hospitals nightgowns the first two days, this was just easier because of the IV's and tubes and stuff. Not to mention all the bleeding. I wore comfortable short on unde the gown so i didn't moon my husband or visiting friend every time I stood up. After the first two days, all the tubes, IV's and censors were off me and putting on my own nightgown felt nice. I wore a comfy nursing bra too. I had a bathrobe also, but just a light cotton one, not a gigantic terry cloth one. I had comfy clothes to go home in. Maternity clothes--You still look about 6 months pregnant when you leave the hospital. I never brought slippers, I wore flip flops when I wasn't in the hospital bed. I live in Florida, we wear flip flops 24/7.

I brought an outfit for the baby. Luckily, I brought two, good thing too, the sleeper we brought for her to come home in was newborn size and it was too small :-( The entire time we were there we kept her in the little shirt the hospital had on her, this made it so much easier for diaper changes, plus they have to undress them a lot to do vital checks, etc. The hospital gives you hats, blankets, diaper, wipes, alcohol swabs, babywash, nasal aspirator, etc etc etc. We had our carseat installed and it was in the car.

Take everything home form the hospital that they give you--the peri bottle, pads, etc. It's likely your charged for it anyway.

I did not bring clothes for my husband, he went home once a day for a shower and to feed/let out our dog. He would grab takeout on his way back.

Other than that I had my cell phone and cell phone charger and our camera. I thought about bringing my boppy pillow, but passed, I didn't really need it anyway.

Here is list of baby things I really used the first few weeks:
-Newborn size diapers--we didn't' buy any but the size one were way too big the first two weeks
-birp clothes and receiving blankets
-easy to put on sleepers or gowns
-Wipes
-My breast pump and storage bags for breastmilk--I ended up being quite the dairy cow
-Changing table--my husband actually admitted how handy it was
-We used the bassinet for the first week, then she wouldn't sleep in it anymore and preferred her crib in her room
-extra crib sheets--our baby spits up a lot!
-baby washcloths for sponge baths
-My ultimate fav--the kiddopotomus Snuzzler--this thing is awesome, we put it in her bouncy seat and her carseat-it supports their head, neck and shoulders really well and it makes them feel more snuggled and comfortable
-her bouncy seat--she lives it when we're not holding her or put her in her crib

Things we thought were crucial, but not needed:
-those special swaddling blankets--expensive and not neccessary--get large stretchy cotton blanket--like the ones gap has--my first favorites--cotton receiving blankets, the little flannel ones are great a birp clothes, or to throw over them or cover yourself while nursing, but after about 2 weeks, she wouldnt' stay in the swaddle, she would break out
-the wipes warmer--it dries out the wipes and she screams whether we change her with warm wipes or room temperature wipes
-plethora of adorable ruffled clothes--bought by your family for being cute, but uncomfortable and not practical for newborns--sleepers and onesies are the way to go
-swings--I think this might come in handy later, but for now, she screams it in
-high chair--why buy one now? they can't sit in it for like 4 or 5 months


Other than baby items, I realized how nice it was to have things on hand that you wouldn't think of, because it's hard to get to the store the first week or so. Things like tissues, toilet paper, handsoap, and easy snacks and meals.

What's scary is when I watch other womens' vlogs or read their blogs about their pregnancy, a small part me misses being pregnant and wants to do it again. Then I snap out of it and think "Jesus Jenney, don't you remember how miserable you were the last 10 weeks?! Don't you remember the asthma? the 4 chins? the constant peeing? the crazed hormones?!" Then I think, yeah maybe in a few years. So if you're pregnant, don't wish it away even if you're miserable.