Sahar, my mom also couldn't nurse any of us siblings.
I was mashaAllah able to successfully nurse my daughter and did so for 18 months. Just remember that its very very important to condition your nipples all the time with Lanolin cream and air-dry (if possible), also buy nipple shields.... they help a lot as friction against your bra can cause irrirtation and sore nipples. Hot compresses also help with milk let-down and its easier to nurse (just dampen a clean towel and heat it in the microwave, then apply to your breasts right before nursing) And again, do keep numbers of lactation consultants handy.
Don't think too much about nursing yet, i worried myself sick over it and it really didn't matter. me and my siblings were formula fed as well because my mom went back to work after 2 weeks after each delivery. even at times now some people make me feel bad about not breast feeding, but oh well I am doing the best I can :-)....Do what you are happy with.
oh I forgot about the diaper genie, it has been a God sent here in my house..i would recommend you get it....after a while those diapers aren't very pleasant to be around....I keep it in the upstairs bathroom mine as somebody said if you have a 3 level house it can become much of a hike but i got used to doing it. besides a new mom can use a little work out :D
As for bottles I really didn't want to keep boiling on the stove or get a sterilizer takes to much counter space so instead we got the Medela steaming bags....just put the bottles in the bag and pop it in the microwave it for 3 min and you are done. I do rinse them afterwards with cold water though. the bags have been really handy especially if we are visiting family etc.
I don't know how cold it is in your home, but sometimes it can be cold, so I have a small electrical heater on the changing table that I turn on when changing the diapers, it calms her down and she has never cried when changing diapers.
Many ppl here have given good advice.
i have a preg prego P3 pramette, that I am using for the second child and its still so good as new.
I think we went to almost every shop that sold baby ithems and compared price, quality and bought it then, so i would not buy something at first glance.
You can do as much as investigion but only when the baby is here and somethings it will reject and somethings it will love, and its different from baby to baby, buy the necessary stuff and leave somethings for later.
Oh you would need tons of cotton cloths nappies for the spitting and spilling of milk that newborns do and some nice blankets, as 1 is not enough as they get dirty and need time to dry, if you air dry them.
You can tell ur hubby to get the formula and bottles if you find out in the hospital that you cannot nurse, so I would not really buy them before, plus it will motivate you to nurse if you know you have nothing at home.
Sahar, just a motivational tip, my mom also couldnt nurse me when i was born and supplemented with formula but Alhamdulillah i have been able to exclusively breastfeed my daughter so far (its been 7 months Alhamd: she doesnt like formula at all). That doenst mean it wasnt ever hard, there were a few weeks in there that she didnt wnat to eat at all but it was not related to breastfeeding. So inshaAllah you will be able to do it too. Just take breastfeeding classes if you can (to be honest i forgot all the info they gave after the baby was born but hubs remembered). Also keep the lactation consultants' no handy. I had to call them several times with questions and also went in one time to have them see my baby's latch etc. At the hospital i delivered, they didnt charge at all for outpatient visits.
Whichever car seat you get, have the base(s) installed in your car(s) well before baby comes. You can go to a local fire house and they will help you install it and give you recommendations.
Get enough onesies, PJs, burp cloths, bibs, and receiving blankets so that you don’t find yourself doing laundry every other day.
Avoid clothing with snaps if you can get the same with a zipper, trying to line up snaps in the middle of the night after changing a diaper is extremely frustrating.
For bibs, avoid the cutsie bibs that have little cartoons and stuff on them because the material that the art is made of is not absorbent, get bibs that are made of towel material and have no art/cartoons/cute messages on them. If you get bibs that people give you that use a lot of the bib real estate with cutesie crap, have the baby wear the bib facing the back of the bib front.
Find/buy water proof, washable, cloth pads. We took about a dozen from the hospital, you’ll see them used for laboring women, they’re typically pink. These are VERY helpful to put on your changing table as there will be a lot of accidents and it’s easier to remove the pad and put a new one on than to remove the changing table pad.
If you’re going to nurse and get a boppy pillow, get two if you have an upstairs and a downstairs. You will find it highly inconvenient to run up and down the stairs everytime you have to nurse.
Breast feeding, this is a toughie, when you’re in the hospital, meet with the lactation consultants, ask them questions, ask them ANY time, that’s what they are there for, they help you. You might have to forget modesty for a while, you will have random strangers grabbing at your breasts trying to show you how to do this.
For breastfeeding you’ll need some stuff, bra pads, cuz you WILL leak, and they have some creams that help with the pain.
You might want to invest in a breast pump if you’re going to go back to work eventually.
Get a “hooter hider” (look it up), this is a cloth that you can wear like an apron and covers you while you nurse. You can legally breastfeed anywhere in public WITHOUT one, but it might be a bad idea.
Initially breastfeeding is hard, you have to commit to it, it’s painful, but after 6ish weeks, it’s easier to breastfeed than to make a bottle, warm it up, etc. Stick with it, it’s DIFFICULT but it’s worth it. From a guys perspective, I was my wife’s cheerleader for breastfeeding, always helping, always around, “YOU CAN DO IT”, “GOOD JOB”, “I’m PROUD OF YOU”, these things help. Studies show that the man’s role in breastfeeding is quite important.
When you do baby laundry, don’t bother folding his/her clothes, just have different drawers for different things, a drawer for onesies, one for bibs, etc, you will save a LOT of time by not bothering to fold and instead just dumping them in drawers. I used to open all the drawers, line up with the laundry basket and then throw basketball shots of clothes into the drawers, a lot of fun.
Stock your changing table. We got little wicker baskets that had different things in them, a big one with diapers, one with wipes, one with creams and moisturizers etc, one with Ibuprofen Tylenol Vicks, etc.
For your baby registry, recognize that it is an overwhelming experience to try to register. Get in touch with friends who’ve had babies in the last 6 - 12 months, ask them to go with you to register. Go with one friend today and another friend next week and yet another the week after. Different parents will have different perspectives. Do NOT try to go it alone, you’ll buy crap that you don’t need.
Buy a practical diaper bag, not because it’s cute and has winnie the pooh on it. You will be carrying a lot of crap the first few months. Keep a little thing of Purel in your diaper bag and at least two changes of clothing along with diapers/wipes/bibs/etc.
When you put your crib together, put the mattress at the lowest level possible right off the bat otherwise you will find yourself lowering the mattress in 6-8 months, it is a HUGE pain in the ass to do it, and you don’t really have any advantage in having the baby a little higher initially.
Get a glider with a gliding ottoman, it’s good for snuggles with the baby.
I’m so excited for you, I miss having a baby sized baby, now I have a little girl, which is great, but she’s growing up too fast
You know what I found really convenient and useful for my son? They sell these nighties (even for boys) at The Baby Gap. It’s basically like a long dress (he looked like the pope in it ), but it’s really convenient for changing diapers and it keeps the baby warm too. It goes way past their feet, so it’s very long. They sell them for girls too. It’s quick, easy to put on. Sometimes, babies squirm and it becomes uncomfortable for them to move their limbs around and put them into a sleeper. I used the nighties regularly for the first two months, especially at nighttime. You can put warm leggings/pants on them seperately if you want to as well.
Thank you, all, for the advice! I really appreciate the time you're taking to respond to my crazed queries.
We did our first day of baby browsing yesterday (didn't end up buying anything -- but the paint for the nursery!)
We've decided on an intense yellow ("Glorious Gold") for the nursery and white furniture most likely (we may switch to espresso, but I think we'll do white).
For carseats I think we're going to go for the Chicco Key Fit 30, which seems to be really highly ranked for safety. It's one of those car seats that has a snap base that you can easily take in and out of the car. That's awesome. It can also be part of a travel system with a stroller, but people seem to be cautioning against those. Any other thoughts on strollers vs. travel systems?
I considered that we should just get a stroller frame initially; those aren't too expensive. And that way we can wait until we have a better idea of what we need. But hubby wants to get the proper stroller now since he feels we'll need to eventually. And he fell in love with one fancy one the sales rep showed him.
We're excited to order our glider and ottoman. What's a decent price range for those?
This is such a helpful thread.
Although we haven't started any shopping or window shopping as of yet but still it feels a bit overwhelming and I really am dreading the day I will make the first trip to a baby store and end up with impulsive shopping.
Our only limitation is space as we live in 2 bedroom unit and the room we will be using as teh nursery also serves as the study and a guest room when needed.
Yesterday was our first day shopping. I had been hesitating to start because I didn’t have a plan in mind and was afraid I’d just go crazy and buy everything.
We went to “Great Beginnings,” which is apparently the largest baby/kids’ store in the US. And it just happens to be 15 minutes from our house! I know people who have come from far away to shop there. Anyway, it is big, but INCREDIBLY well-organized and well done. The customer service is AMAZING. Even if we don’t necessarily end up buying everything from there (tho I think we will register with them), it helps that the staff is so friendly and knowledgeable. We didn’t really need to ask for help – they saw our confused looks and came right over :D. I feel like I have a much better sense of what to get and why, thanks to them. If you have a store like that near you, go there if only to get advice and guidance. It made a world of difference for us. And when you’re ready to register, they will do it by appointment so you can have a staff member accompany you in case you have questions or need advice.
The only downside to Great Beginnings is that it’s local, so people who are far away can’t go there to decide what to buy. BUT they can still order online and off the registry, as with most places. The website is pretty basic and the design isn’t great, but the place itself is so wonderful, that we’re fairly certain we will register there and Target and that should be sufficient for most folks.
It sounds like a great place but as you said its local so I cant visit it in person.But I'll sure love to browse through their website.Thanks!!
I am also not sure if I will want to register or not.Mainly because we hardly know that many people here where we live so I think registry wont work for us.
I was going through car seats' reviews and gosh I got so confused :(
But still I am really looking forward to the time I can go baby shopping...soon Inshallah...
Let us find out what we are having Inshallah in just 2 weeks.Can't wait!!
Oh thanks!I never thought about that.
My husband subscribes to it too and I have gotten pretty useful info from there in the past.It can be really helpful!
:)
Sahar, the only downside of the travel system in my eyes was that it was too bulky. I go out without my husband often and id idnt want to have to deal with a big stroller and huge wheels all by myself. Plus, sometimes stores have small isles or tight spaces and it would be hard to manuever the travel system's stroller. Thats why i love the stroller frame.
Also, for big ticket items, i read alot of the reviews online and *then *went to the store to check them out in person. If we liked it, we put it on the registry.
Also, if you think its allright, buy the absolute essentials now and once you have the baby, then get the otehr stuff. You will have a much better idea of what your baby likes or doesnt like. For example, we waited till after Kanzah was born to get the stroller frame, the swing etc.
gliders are a life saver for a new parent....esp for feeding and putting the baby to sleep. I wasn't really able to move a whole lot right after the c-section and I wanted to feed my kid but the glider made my life so much easier. I got mine from sears and it was around $300
have you seen the mutsy transporter? its a brand from the netherlands and is a travel system, but weighs only 17 lbs with the seat on, and 12 without! you can attach a car seat to the frame, and also the seat and bassinet, if you need it. its a high-end stroller brand but retails for under $500 currently. mutsy | products | transporter | options
most strollers i’ve looked into for my bff are about 19-22 lbs. any higher is considered too heavy for everyday use, esp. if you’ll be lifting it in and out of the car trunk, but it also depends on how big you are (which you’re not haha). my bff is also tres petite so she really needs something lightweight.
the glider/rocker i’m totally hearting right now is also $1000 (eep!) so i don’t think my bff will be purchasing it anytime soon, but its soooo pretty!
Glider and ottoman, i forgot to comment on. We got our rocking chair+ottoman from walmart for around 120 bucks. Its really comfy and works well. I used it quite a bit in the begining when nursing her, but hubs uses it wayyy more than i do, to put her to sleep etc. I love the fact that the fabric cover comes off and is washable because once she threw up on it and it was a lifesaver to just take it off and throw in the washer.
^ Yeah, we saw some $600-700 ones at the baby stores, and then browsed Target ones -- pretty nice and under $200. That way we can get one for upstairs and one for downstairs :D.
SGC -- thanks for all the links! I'll browse when I get home.
), but it’s really convenient for changing diapers and it keeps the baby warm too. It goes way past their feet, so it’s very long. They sell them for girls too. It’s quick, easy to put on. Sometimes, babies squirm and it becomes uncomfortable for them to move their limbs around and put them into a sleeper. I used the nighties regularly for the first two months, especially at nighttime. You can put warm leggings/pants on them seperately if you want to as well.