My MUST HAVES for a Newborn!

With the impending arrival of a new little bundle of joy, I've been frantically scrambling to accumlate all the accoutrement necessary for survival. 

O.k, ok., all you really need for a baby is some clothes, a boob, a carseat, and a safe place for them to sleep.  But, I've found along the way that there are a few other items that certainly make life with a newborn a wee bit more bearable. 

Fisher-Price Cradle Swing WITH an A/C Adapter


There are many swings out there on the market, but the one swing that all my mommy friends have reported success with is the Fisher-Price Cradle Swing.  There are a variety of "styles" to choose from.  It can swing both side-to-side (a unique feature particular to this swing, which both of my boys preferred) or front-to-back.  This was the perfect solution for my nap-resistant babies, and the ONLY way I got any sleep when they were going through periods of day and night confusion!  This is one item I honestly do not think I could have lived without!

Back when my boys were itty bitty, they didn't make them with A/C adapters to plug into the wall outlet.  So, we burned through endless batteries.  I donated our old swing and found one for Isla on Craigs List (for $45 - **patting myself on the back**) that DOES plug in!  This new feature is a must!


Dr. Browns Wide-Neck Bottles

I have a love-hate relationship with these bottles.  YES - they do have a gazillion pieces that have to be washed and sanitized.  BUT - I have not found a bottle that vents better than this baby does!  A bottle (if you use bottles at all) with a good venting system is a God-send if your baby is the least bit colicky or has any degree of reflux!  Its worth the extra effort to wash and assemble all the parts.  Trust me.  These bottles are BPA-free as well.
 
I also like the Born Free Wide Neck Bottles, Twin Pack, 9-Ounce, but they are considerably more expensive and have just as many parts.  They are another good option. 




Medela Microwave Sterlizer Bags

Talk about a time-saver!!!  These sterilizer bags are a time-saving way to sterilize bottle and pump parts!  While you don't really need to sterilize all the bottle parts after three months of age, I always continued to sterilize the nipple anyway. 

I also use these bags after pumping at work to sterilize my pump parts.  They fold up compactly and fit easily into my pump bag.  Each bag can be used up to 20 times and takes only 3 minutes to use! 







White Noise Machine

When Carter was a baby, I had this problem where I would put him down for a nap, and he'd be awake again minutes later.  I was ready to gouge my eyes out when I stumbled upon a miracle cure for this problem - white noise.  One day, I just happened to be blow drying my hair near where he was "napping" and discovered that he actually was staying asleep.  As soon as I finished, he woke right up.  So I turned the hair dryer back on and wah lah! he slept soundly the entire time it was on - way longer than he ever slept without it! 

Let me tell you - I burned through two hair dryers and tripped countless numbers of electrical breakers before a kind mommy friend pointed out to me that they actually make devices that replicate this sound for you!  What a life (and energy bill) saver!!!!  Both of my boys sleep amazing well with white noise, and still use it to this day!  This is one thing I recommend to all first-time moms way in advance.  A total MUST HAVE.

A Ring Sling
Babies like to be held.  A lot.   As in, all the time.  I didn't discover the miraculousness of sling-wearing until Bennett was born.  I purchased one in advance of his birth on the advice of experienced mommy friends who said its great for nursing #2 while still attending to the needs of #1.  It turned out to be even MORE useful for me with Bennett because not only did I have to carry around a baby, I had to tote around a heavy apnea monitor and oxygen tank as well. 

The benefits to baby of baby-wearing are numerous - just Google it.  But the benefit to mom of keeping your newborn close, safe, and happy while running around the house, cooking dinner, roaming the store, etc. is something no study can document! 

I should caution you, however, that recently there have been warnings about suffocation risk with the use of slings.  For that reason, I recommend wearing the baby upright (as shown in the picture above), in a "froggy" position - this position is totally safe.  This also happened to be Bennett's favorite position as well!


There you have it - my MUST HAVES for a newborn!  Mommies - what are YOURS???

I Make Milk - What's YOUR Super Power???

Since Super Heros are a pervasive theme in our household at the moment (Carter has declared himself to be Spider Man), I thought this t-shirt was quite fitting!!!!

Bennett is going to be 1 in two weeks from today (sob!!!). I wasn't really sure what I was going to do about nursing after he turned 1. When Carter turned 1, I stopped pumping during the day and just nursed him whenever I was home with him. He continued to nurse until he was 18 months when he decided he was too busy to sit still any longer.


I absolutely loved nursing Carter and was really proud that I was able to nurse him until he was 18 months old. I always assumed I'd do the same with Bennett. But nursing has been SUCH a struggle for us. Because he was born very premature, I wasn't able to even put him to the breast until he was 5 weeks old. Even then, the doctors in the NICU only let us "practice" twice a day for ten minutes at a time. After he figured out how to eat from a bottle, he decided he wanted nothing to do with the "mumsie" and refused to latch until he was about 4 months old. I saw so many lactation consultants and persevered. You see, I lost almost every sense of "normalcy" with my pregnancy and Bennett's birth that usually comes with having a baby - I wasn't about to give up nursing. It was so important to me. When Bennett came off of oxygen completely at 6.5 months old, he miraculously started to take full feedings from the breast! I was amazed, as I never thought it would be possible for him to do so since he suffers from chronic lung disease and horrible reflux. But he did it - and I was in heaven! So, I only really started nursing about 5 months ago. Sure, I've been pumping every 2-3 hours around the clock for nearly a year, and its been totally worth it to give him the best stuff on earth. But...I hate the pump!

So, my dilemma was - do I stop pumping at 1 year and risk losing my supply (which is delicate because he was never a great nurser), or do I forge ahead and suck it up? Well, I decided my new goal is to get until July 11, 2009 - the day when Bennett should have turned 1. I just bought a 3 months supply of domperidone (medicine that helps keep my supply up), and brushed away any thoughts of quitting for now. When I consider how delicate Bennett's immune system is (breastmilk passes mommy's immunities to baby!), and how TINY he is (he's about the size of a 6 month old right now), how could I make any other choice?? So, for today at least - I'm affording myself Super Hero status.

And in honor of T-shirt week - here is my precious Bennett Boo in his "got breastmilk?" onesie my friend Alice Anne gave me!!

I couldn't decide between the two photos :)

I'll also take this opportunity to get on my "Breast is Best" soapbox! I'm not saying that formula is, as a friend put it "the devil's brew" (we have to supplement with formula sometimes), but there just is no disputing the awesomeness of breastmilk. It is THE perfect nutrition for YOUR child! Even when Bennett was premature, my body knew to make milk of the perfect composition for a premature baby. Tell me that isn't amazing! Preemies in particular NEED breastmilk as formula is just too difficult for their immature digestive systems to process and it can lead to a very life-threatening infection of the bowels. In case you harbor any lingering doubts - check out this kick-butt article - 101 Reasons to Breastfeed. The short and long term benefits to both mother AND baby are tremendous. I highly recommend it :)

So fellow Super Mommies - let's give each other a high-five! Post in the comments how many months you've given your child(ren) cumultively any amount of breast milk!

For me: Carter 18 months

Bennett 11.5 months

Total - 29.5 months!