Baby stuff that has been useful so far...

I see a lot of lists of new mom must haves, and I thought I'd make one of my own. This is stuff that worked for me but might not be for everyone, and I probably shouldn't even say anything is a "must have'. I was reminded very early on that babies around the world are raised in mud huts and do just fine, so really you can get away without a lot of things. I haven't included basic things like diapers, wipes, crib, stroller and car seat. This list is more the stuff I've personally found useful outside the norm. I've tried to make this very practical. Here goes, in no particular order...

1. Nursing Bra - No explanation needed 

2. Nursing clothes - These don't have to be special clothes for nursing, but rather clothes that let you nurse easily. I've found that open front tops are good, but stuff you can lift up is good too. Long shirts and some dresses can be tricky.

3. Baby Swing - Some kids like them, some don't. Little N loves it. Gives me the time to run to be bathroom. And as mentioned in a previous post when crying just does not stop it is like a mute button.

4. Swaddling blankets - Some people choose not to swaddle because of new research out. I tried to follow that and my baby wouldn't make it very long through a nap.Once I tried it, life changed.Try to find something big (i.e. bigger than 40 inches)

5. Aden and Anais Blankets - I didn't understand the hype before I had my daughter. I thought it was over blown but they are really good and very multifunctional. They're good for swaddling while the baby is small, but because they are so stretchy I'm now looking for alternatives. But I like them for lots of other things like blankets in the car seats, stroller covers, play mats and as a nursing cover. They are a bit pricy but if it can do all that, certainly worth it.

6. Play gym - I was given the baby Einstein Ocean Wonders mat as a gift, it took time for little N to get into it, but one things I've learned about baby toys is you have to have patience and let the baby discover it on their own. She just stared at the toys for a while but is now interacting and loves it.

7. Massage Oil - Right now I'm using the Burt's Bees oil because I just had so much from gifts, but I used to use almond oil and olive oil, and I heard grapeseed oil from the grocery store works great too. Little N loves her daily massages, great baby and mummy time.

8. Back pack with big pouches from the Dollar Store - One shouldered diaper bags were not something I thought I could do.My shoulders used to ache in school when I'd try one shouldered bags. I used the pouches and little bags to organize things and bought a Munchkin Changing mat and it's worked well for me. Also if I want to change to a fancier big bag it's an easy switch.

9. Monkey Wrap - My husband and I use this a lot. We used to only put little N in when she was already sleeping but she got used to it and loves it now. I've become an unabashed babywearer. She'll outgrow it soon I'm told, as a lot of people don't like it beyond 15 pounds, so I'm now looking into the Ergo. The Monkey Wrap is great for smaller babies and fits easily into a diaper bag.

10. Books, books and more books! Easy way to keep baby engaged during play time. They love being read to and looking at pics. One that has been a real hit lately is Global Babies. Babies love looking at faces and other babies so this is a double whammy. She also really likes Mr Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

11. Diaper Caddy - I bought this lovely one here, Little N loves the Bee, I think it's high contrast colours get her attention and she always smiles at it. Great for distracting her during a diaper change.

12. Baby Gowns - I like these for night time and at home time, easy to do diaper changes. Dad's particularly like them because no buttons or zippers to fumble with and easy to check the diaper.

12. Onsies - Good for layering and keeping baby warm

13. Rompers - Good for summer months and keeping baby cool

14. Camera - Babies keep changing so take lots of pics!

15. Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle - I used these herbs in the beginning to get my milk supply in quickly and also occasionally use it when I try to increase milk supply.

16. Easy to hold toys - I've found this and this to be a big hit because they are easy to grab with babies tiny hands

17. Nursing cover -  I use the udder covers nursing cover in public because it will stay in place and the plastic u ring at the top allows me to see the baby. They run specials for free covers all the time so just google around and they send it for free after you pay for shipping (which is high but not as high as the cost of the nursing cover, shipping to Canada was about 12 dollars)

18. Car seat neck support - Some car seats come with a neck support but they usually aren't small enough for a newborn. I have to Jolly Jumper one. I would likely classify this as the only "must have" on this list.

19. Bundle Me - Keeps baby warm in car seat

20. Car seat Canopy - Good on cold days to keep wind away from baby. Also good for when you're out and baby is sleeping cause it provides some darkness. Also stays in place well. Similar to the Udder Covers, Carseat Canopy runs a lot of promotions for free items if you pay for shipping.I use the Aden and Anais blankets on warmer days cause it's cooler and I tie the corners up to make it stay.

21. Mommy Hook - These huge caribeners are good for holding on to bags because the bottom part of the stoller is likely full with a diaper bag. Also great if you live in an apartment building and need to bring groceries and baby upstairs at the same time by yourself. It fastens bags to the stroller (just be careful about weight distribution, I'd suggest putting heavy things in the bottom of the stroller so it doesn't tip). I got mine at Toys r Us

Where Lactation Consultants Leave Off and Life Begins...

When little N was about 3 and a half weeks old something unusual started happening. Although the nursing was going well until then, she started developing some funny habits. By the end of each day she was cluster feeding which was no surprise. What was surprising was that she began to get really frustrated after feeding for hours, instead of falling into a blissful breastmilk induced sleep. At first we thought, this must be gas. So we tried gripe water, changing my diet, and some homeopathic remedies her pediatrician recommended. Hmmm...didn't seem to work too well...

Then after doing a little research I found that she might be getting frustrated cause the flow was slowing down. This made sense at the time, she'd been feeding for hours, maybe it was just getting harder to get milk. So I began pumping after feedings or at odd times and giving her a bottle to top her up. It worked a couple of times, but not really. She'd take a bottle and drink almost nothing some times.

I went to the lactation consultant, she also thought this made perfect sense. Babies are well known to get fussy in the evenings and want to feed a lot, they call this the "witching hour". Also, she asked to see little N feed. So we did, and ofcourse she performed perfectly. Like such a beautiful feeding. If she fed like that I would have no need for a lactation consultant! The funny thing was, on my other visit she did the same thing. She's a good performer I figured, that or she was out to make a fool of me....

Then someone suggested to me the E.A.S.Y method. Where you put babies on a routine of Eat, Activity, Sleep, with timings for each based on their weight. The method was listed in the book "The Baby Whisperer". After I started with it, feeding got much easier, which told me, little N was basically just overtired. With all the time feeding and such things take, it was cutting into her sleeping time. When she was upset about being tired, I often mistook this for hunger. Also I just didn't realize how much sleep she needed. When she was first born, she'd fall asleep at her own will all the time, after about 3.5 weeks, she got more alert and was staying awake and was not able to get to sleep on her own as often as she needed to. The naps she was taking was just not enough.

This was one of those moments you realize just what a rookie you are at this, and for now it's working, but I'm told everything will change soon and we'll have a whole new puzzle to solve.

As for why she performed so well at the lactation consultant? the drive and being in the stroller before hand made sure she got some really great sleep before the appointment (is my theory anyways...) and she was able to feed really well cause she was so rested.

Random Thoughts on Life With a New Baby

- Baby smiles are the best thing in the whole world

- It's amazing how something that can leave you so sleep deprived and not let you go to the washroom in peace will be the source of the deepest love you'll ever know

- There are moments of bewilderment, where little N is crying. Where I've tried everything, and nothing works. At these moments her swing is my best friend

- I love how the crook of my elbow is her favourite place to sleep,it's amazing to literally be someone elses safe haven

- Baby sleep makes no sense to me but I'm learning

Its All Good

Throughout pregnancy and childbirth a few annoying things happen that you dread, but one of the things it taught me was God puts good in everything. Two such things that happened in my pregnancy were having an impaired glucose tolerance and my cesarean. My experiences are not at all anything horrible, and much worse things can and do happen during pregnancy, but many women might end up with these issues and they do tend to upset you (believe me) so hopefully this might serve as some reassurance.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Towards the end of my second trimester they did some glucose testing and found that I had impaired glucose tolerance. Even though my results were pretty borderline, this was treated as full blown gestational diabetes. Despite my protests and all my research into the fact that this was all nonsense, I was put on a strict no sugar, low carb diet and was exercising three times a week. With a masters due before the end of the pregnancy, this was frustrating times as it was very time consuming, and tiring. Additionally, I had to monitor my blood four times a day and even minor exceedances would have the endocrinologist threatening to put me on insulin which I was very scared of because of complications that it might introduce into my delivery. Also, I just couldn't have the same kind of fun most pregnant ladies have in terms of eating during pregnancy. And lets face it, that kinda sucked.

In the end though, I didn't gain nearly as much as I know I would have during the pregnancy, and managed to get the weight off pretty quickly after childbirth. Also because I was swimming 3x a week, I didn't get as sluggish towards the end of the pregnancy, which is what allowed to get my graduate studies finished. Also it just taught me about just how much sugar we as a culture regularly consume, and hopefully I'll take that with me and try my best to avoid diabetes in the future.

Cesarean Section

There was no where in my mind I had even considered that I was going to get a c-section. It hadn't happened in my family before, so why would it happen to me right? Wrong. Since nothing about my pregnancy was like anyone in my family, I don't know why this logic seemed to make sense to me. 

 After 36 hours and a total failure to progress beyond 6cm, I was told I needed a c-section. I agreed pretty readily as I was completely exhausted at this point and had no idea how I'd have any energy to push even if I did make it to 10cm. My fear of the c-section was mainly taking care of a baby and recovering. How was I going to do it? I'd never had surgery before, and it sounded extremely painful. And yes, it was. At the end of the day though, I'm grateful to have such a great family that took really good care of me, they helped me a lot and I managed to get through two very difficult things at the same time (taking care of a brand new newborn, and recovering from surgery). What's more is my husband really stepped up, and I like to think it really helped in strengthening the bond between him and little N (our daughter).


Now I just need to figure out the upside of stretchmarks....

Upside Down and Inside Out

About 2 months ago life turned upside down and inside out with the birth of my daughter. I went from defending a masters in Chemical Engineering one week, to delivering a baby the next. Basically it came down to giving birth twice in one month.

I came home with a sweet little girl, a funky new scar, and absolutely no idea what I was doing. Things are going well now, but we take it day by day and try new things until something works.

This blog is meant to go over some of the experiences of a new parent, hopefully give a window of insight for those preparing to become parents, and maybe something relatable to those who are going through it. And I'm sure it will be a barrel of laughs for those who are seasoned veterans in parenthood.