My son was born in March and it was very cold due to it being Detriot and it snowed the day after he was born. He was fine despite the fact that my in laws were over from Pakistan and staying with us and many people came to visit us as well. You would have heating on inside the house so that should be ok, for outdoors, there is a car seat cover thing that is a must for winter babies and we put a blanket over the car seat too. Don't worry, baby shall be fine IA.
And oh, I had a birth plan both times, loved it. And yes, the hospitals did follow it, different hospitals each time.you don't have to have it, but I wanted to.
You can't put the baby in the car seat with those winter suits on. We had a winter baby and the hospital didn't allow us to put the winter suit on as the seat belt has to be snug to the body and the winter suit was in the way.
I have the "Jolly Jumper" car seat cover and it's honestly one of the best purchases I've made for baby. Look it up on amazon.
I also got the Summer infant car seat insert to keep him extra cozy. So what I do now is just strap him in. Put a hat on him and a blanket and then the car seat cover. He stays warm and cozy in this cold weather!
What about medicinal supplies? What should I try to have on hand?
Oh and is it necessary to have a birth plan?
There are so many things...sorry for jumbling up the thread.
Infant tylenol, gas relief drops and tri vi sol are some things you should have in your medicine cabinet. Although tylenol shouldn't be given until baby is 3-4 months old.
If you want a birth plan, write one down for your own piece of mind but don't expect things to go as you've planned. Once you're in that delivery room the plan goes out the window! Also, not all doctors and nurses will follow plans or even look at them.
We brought her home in February....the dead of winter.......and Alhamdulillah we didn't encounter any infections or colds etc.
We didn't really monitor anyone that came to visit, perhaps we should have. And nobody was THAT big on sanitizer then either.
Good advice already given in the thread.....I'm sure you'll be just fine.
Re the birth plan...wasn't sure if it was a practice that should be or should not be done. It seems its more of an optional thing so I'll probably not end up doing one.
I actually already got the BundleMe...glad to know it was a useful purchase!
i bet this was listed somewhere on this subforum and you probably already have it ... but since im thinking of it right now ... im a gonna remind you ...
waterproof mattress cover! ... it really helps save your bed/baby bed ... and is useful from nb stage until the kid is fully potty trained.
stool softener ... for yourself ... start taking it a week before your due date if you arnt already. TRUST ME ... no matter the route of delivery ... you are going to be glad for this one.
Hi!
regarding stoof softener, my nurse told me not to take it…she instead recommended a smoothie made of banana, baby spinach, and baby kale. It looked disgusting and I only drank one glass, and viola! I was perfectly fine! You could give it a try after birth!
Hi!
regarding stoof softener, my nurse told me not to take it...she instead recommended a smoothie made of banana, baby spinach, and baby kale. It looked disgusting and I only drank one glass, and viola! I was perfectly fine! You could give it a try after birth!
sure! its great to use the natural stuff but i am having a c-section and know will be on narcotics (notorious for causing constipation). adequate fiber and fluid are absolutely essential so the smoothie will definitely help but unfortunately wasn't enough to address the issue completely for me with my first baby (also a csection).
I routinely prescribe stool softeners or my own patients (in the latter part o the 3rd trimester or post delivery) and so does my OB. The most commonly used stool softer has only about 0.2% or less absorption systemically (into blood) ... and is not known to be excreted in breast milk.
Regardless ... any/all medication use in pregnancy or otherwise should be discussed with your OBGYN/primary.
I don't think I am going to have a c-sec...of course that's not something I will decide...baby will...but so far I would like to go for vaginal.
yea ... because it takes a few days for stool softeners (this is not the same as laxatives ... that help you poo after the constipation has already happened) to get you regular/constipation free. some women have to take stool softeners fro 2nd trimester onward ... because they are on heavy duty iron supplements (another notorious agent for causing constipation) ... in combination with less then ideal diet.
its not just for c-sections ... child birth period. vaginal birth also leaves you pretty sore and sometimes you end up with hemorrhoids or an episiotomy. All conditions that make it really painful to strain during a bowel movement.
anyhow its just a suggestion ... something to keep in the back of your mind for a potentially miserable condition that can be avoided.
yea ... because it takes a few days for stool softeners (this is not the same as laxatives ... that help you poo after the constipation has already happened) to get you regular/constipation free. some women have to take stool softeners fro 2nd trimester onward ... because they are on heavy duty iron supplements (another notorious agent for causing constipation) ... in combination with less then ideal diet.
its not just for c-sections ... child birth period. vaginal birth also leaves you pretty sore and sometimes you end up with hemorrhoids or an episiotomy. All conditions that make it really painful to strain during a bowel movement.
anyhow its just a suggestion ... something to keep in the back of your mind for a potentially miserable condition that can be avoided.
Thanks ehl! I will definitely keep that in mind...I am actually on iron supplements already but they don't seem to be causing any issues so far. I drink A LOT of water though...I am alwaysssss thirsty for some reason and I guess it helps.
Couldn't agree more with what Aahmed said. More babies are unintentionally harmed because of their bodies getting over heated than cold. Remember depending on how cold it is for us adults & how many layers we are wearing, baby will only need one extra layer of clothing on top of that & if its too hot then one layer less.
Have you looked into a wipe warmer especially for the middle of the night diaper changes? My first born, although being a winter baby never cared for cold wipes so I didn't buy one. Didn't think it was necessary. But my second born doesn't like cold wipes at all so I am going to be buying a wipe warmer soon. Haven't bought one yet because we are extremely tight in our temporary living space. Instead what I have been doing lately is while changing him when I take the wipe out, I close it my hand & hold it for couple of seconds, my warm hand seems to warm up the wipe temporarily so it's not as cold when it touches his bottom.
Also unlike what most Desis do, please don't bathe your baby during the day. Bathe him at night time before putting him to bed. He won't just sleep better but stay nice & warm for the next couple of hours versus him possibly going out in that horrible cold weather & not feeling right. This was a tip one of the nurses gave me at my child's pediatrician's office.
Always remember to increase your home temperature to 79 degrees F 15 minutes before undressing him & putting him to bath. You can put it back 15 minutes after he is out of the bath & dressed. Another tip that I have done/do is toss their towel in the dryer for couple of minutes so when they are done with the bath, they get wrapped in a nice & warm towel. I sometimes do it for my own self too. Nothing feels more relaxing & luxurious than using a warm towel after a shower/bath. Especially in the nasty cold weather.
Always keep the humidifier on in the room baby will be spending more time in regardless of the fact that he is going out & will be back after couple of hours. As long as your heat is on, humidifier should be on. Make sure you unassemble the humidifier at least once a week & clean up the filter properly & let it air dry & then add water & use it again. This will prevent any possible mold formations.
The humidifier I got is a cool mist one...is that okay? Or should it be warm mist?
Someone at Walgreens told me I should get a cool mist one, she had a baby on her hip and looked like she knew what she was talking about. But I've always seen humidifiers give off warm mist?
humidifiers dont cause an appreciable drop (no more then a couple of degrees) in room temp.
cool mist is better if moving/walking/reaching kids are around ... safer. otherwise its really just personal choice.
How dry does it get in your part of the world @Reha? .... I ask because you shouldn't go above 50% humidity. 35 - 50% is the recommended range. Maybe get a hygrometer to measure how dry your home/room is before turning on the humidifier?
Ehl, in my apartment, it gets really dry and this entire pregnancy I have been stuffy with a swollen nose that’s always red. I can’t seem to get rid of my cough either and don’t want to take any more meds. I already went through a z-pac once and now my doc wants me to take cingulair and zyrtec together at night. I am already on prenatals, iron and DHA. Taking more pills is making me super nervous so I am trying other things. Humidifier was suggested by docs so I am trying that now.
Ehl, in my apartment, it gets really dry and this entire pregnancy I have been stuffy with a swollen nose that's always red. I can't seem to get rid of my cough either and don't want to take any more meds. I already went through a z-pac once and now my doc wants me to take cingulair and zyrtec together at night. I am already on prenatals, iron and DHA. Taking more pills is making me super nervous so I am trying other things. Humidifier was suggested by docs so I am trying that now.