I was given a lot of advice during my pregnancy (of course, I was looking for a lot of advice), so I thought I would document what I’ve discovered.

  1. Shirts w/mittens – I didn’t think these were all that special when the hospital put Ian in one when he was born. Since then, I’ve come to love these. Ian has a tendency to claw at his face when he starts screaming and he has even started pulling on his own hair. The mittens actually help prevent him from doing this. These things around ingenious and I wish I could find more of them. They are actually really hard to find.
  2. Boppy – While I’ve been told that your standard pillow works fine for nursing, I have to disagree. I’ve tried using a standard pillow but it doesn’t work as well. The thing the Boppy has going for it is that it’s a lot thicker than a lot of pillows. Breastfeeding is not luxurious, it can literally be a pain in the back. Holding an 8lb baby up to your breasts will get tiring after awhile; so you’ll get in the habit of bending over a little so you can rest him on your legs or knees or on the pillow. I found that I was having to bend over more so Ian could eat and I could still be comfortable. The other nice thing about the Boppy is you can still use it after you have switched over to formula. It can also be used for tummy time and as a recliner.
  3. Tummy Time & Toys – You can’t forget about tummy time. When I was registering stuff for Ian, I never once put any toys on it because I didn’t think he would appreciate them just yet. However, the doctors will tell you before you leave the hospital to make sure you put your new child on their tummy at least once a day. I found this mat/boppy set that helps Ian be on his tummy and he seems to enjoy it. It has a couple of toys attached to it that “try” and get his attention, but he’s still working on that. Just make sure that you have something to play with. He may not be able to focus on it right away, but he’ll be able to do that sooner than you think.
  4. Electric Pump – Don’t get a manual pump unless you don’t plan to pump. I originally wanted a manual pump because I didn’t want to waste the money on an electric. I’ve sinced come to realize that it is not a waste of money to get an electric. I mean, when using the pump, you have to maintain the same speed at your breast or it doesn’t work as well. After two minutes of trying to keep the pump going, my hand was getting tired. If you’re going to pump a lot, you’re going to get sore awfully quick. So don’t get a manual, go for the electric. (on a side note, we now have an electric pump so if anyone wants to borrow it after we’re through, it’s here. Although, you do have to get your own kit to go with it.)
  5. No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley – I’m still reading this book, but I do recommend it. While I haven’t gone through the actual solution, there seems to be a lot of general good advice that should be common sense. Also, she even admits that this system may not work on newborns, but it’ll help you once your child leaves the “newborn” stage and can begin getting on a schedule. Check back for my review of the book later.

In an effort not to make this a huge post, I’ll stop here for now.