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I really can't believe i've been a Mama for a whole month already. I thought i would share my little list of life savers that helped me, especially during those first two weeks when it felt like i was just trying to stay afloat.
These Swaddle Blankets. Even though my sweet nurse Gloria showed me how to swaddle Felix using a regular blanket, i was paranoid i wouldn't be able to do it tight enough and she would come out of it in the middle of the night. I loved that with these blankets you can just velcro your baby in.
a co-worker gave me this WubbaNub Teddy Bear Pacifier at my baby shower and I'm pretty sure it will now be included in any baby shower gift i give. I was one of those who swore she wouldn't give her baby a pacifier until we got breastfeeding down. Clearly, i didn't forsee the meltdown Felix would have the second night in the hospital were she cried all night and the only thing that worked was a soothie a nurse hunted down for me.
I love the bear because she can explore it with her hands and sometimes even hold it in place.
My little sister Maddie gave me a personalized Baby Diary by May Books. Easy way to track feeding/sleeping schedules (including which breast you nursed on during a feeding), pediatrician notes, and logging dirty diapers those first few days.
i am so thankful and blessed my parents gave us the Graco Pack 'N Play. We placed it near our bed and it's where she sleeps (the music and vibration features help a lot!). The napper station is great for middle of the night diaper changes.
things that helped with breastfeeding
My best friend Maria praised the Medela Freestyle Breast Pump saying it was worth every penny. Lovies, i am so glad i went with it because it's user friendly and so fast (and there i was thinking i could get away with the manual pump i ordered thinking i wouldn't need to pump since i wasn't working. the things you learn).
I'm still trying to figure out this whole pumping thing (how much, when, storage etc) so if you have any tips, i'd love to hear them! also, for those of you who do breastfeed, do you feed on demand or try to stick to a schedule?
Mamas, what products would you add? or better--if you've posted a product love list before, leave me the link in your comment so i can check it out.
13 comments:
You're doing so great already, and I'm so glad that you've had a lot of support from your family! Breastfeeding is the area of baby-care that I obviously know least about, but I do know that the more milk you can stockpile in the freezer, the better (if you're only using breast milk), b/c for example, Cari and JJ were able to go away for a couple days when Jude was only 4 months old b/c she had enough milk in the freezer for me to feed him while they were gone.
Please send me more pictures of Felix--I want to see her as much as possible since I won't be able to hold her till January. xoxo
Hehe I'm not planning on being a Mummy any time soon, but I just love reading about how you're doing and whats helping you, isn't that odd.
I can't believe how fast the month has gone but I will say that I knew you could do it :) your little Felix is very lucky to have you as her Mummy x
Haha I haven't got any tips unfortunately but I really love reading about your tips. I love to read updates about Felix and you. These products sounds great and I will have to remember for the future :)
i am taking all this tips in and making mental notes.
i don't really have any tips myself unfortunately but if i hear of anything i will let you know :)
Look at you all mama and all!
My baby is six already so I haven't used any baby products lately lol!!
I am proud of you that you succeeded at breastfeeding...I didn't :/
I manually pumped my milk three months for Sophia and for Xavi I used an electric pump for six months. The latching was the problem :/
If you are not working I say feed on demand! If the baby is hungry she is hungry! Kisses to both of you!
That first week of Felix's life was hands down, the single best week of my life. I'm so blessed to have been there to watch you and your baby learn each other and fall in love! It was one of the most magical weeks and the most hardest. And you were so strong! So strong when you wanted to crumble because it hurt so bad when she wasn't latching on correctly. I'll never forget feeling so helpless watching your face and just feeling so emotional with you. But when it all clicked, it was the best feeling! Those were the most precious moments seeing you two bond ;) You were such a natural so quickly! You are so beautiful when you're nursing your baby <3
Chip was such a pro at swaddling from the very beginning! haha even with the velcro it took me awhile remember? And I LOVE burritos! haha Esp a Felix burrito! ;)
I miss holding her so much! I miss her looking at me so sweetly and curiously :) I even miss changing her diaper. Well kinda ;) just kidding! I miss you both so much!!
I have baby fever!
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pumping: i bought freezer storage bags. i would pump right into a baby bottle until i was empty on both sides. then i would measure 4oz and pour the 4oz into each bag and freeze. this is so that you can defrost small amounts instead of pouring the whole thing into a bag, freezing it and then have to defrost the whole thing only to use a bit (wasted breast milk makes me cry considering how much time we have to put in to get it!). make sure to write down the date on the bag before you freeze it.
you can't refreeze BM and it can't sit out too long which is why it's better to freeze smaller amounts in a bag. you'll have a BM factory up in your freezer but it's worth it since you can quickly defrost multiple bags if you need more.
as felix gets older, begins eating more and you know approx how much she eats per feed, you can begin to increase the volumes you freeze ie. 6oz or 8oz. this helped me a lot and i wasted very little BM.
i used an online tracker for feeds/sleeps/changes etc. it is called trixie tracker. the paid version gives you full functionality (including toddler feeds for solids, what she ate etc) but it gives you a free 2wk premium trial so you can try everything out.
ps - i'll email you must-have list of baby items that saved me!
I can tell that you're such an amazing mom already! Thank you so much for sharing what has worked for you so far. I'm sure your suggestions will be helpful to me in the very near future!
that manual pump came in handy for travel! i didn't make enough milk to store much, though. and it's been 6 years, so my memory is a bit hazy ... that, and i was pretty sleep deprived!
LOL!!! You KNOW why I am laughing you lil mama you!
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