Top 10 recommendations

Right after Emery was born, I had lots of friends who also had babies or were going to have them soon after. So, I wrote down my top 10 list of advice. I wrote this about 8 months ago when my mind was racing staying up with Emery, but it gets the point across I think! I will post more detailed info on each topic, but for now if anyone needs some advice or wants to add to it, please do! If you have anything that you could not live without the first few months, please share :) Eventually I will post a short summary of my birth story. Maybe you want to add your experience too :)

Here they are:



1- I highly recommend a natural birth! I never thought I could go through labor without drugs, but it is so rewarding!!  Living near the Amish community has really opened my eyes to a whole new world of child bearing!  Tyler and I went through not only a doctor, but we had the help of a midwife and Doula(midwife assistant/labor couch) I believe in it so much, I think I am going to train to become one some day! We had the best child birth classes:
               #1 advice we learned in labor-RELAX, slow deep breaths, movement, and focus! I would do a lot of research on the labor and delivery b/c many women just choose pain meds right away, but I think they are missing out ( unless there is a real need for them I totally understand) God has uniquieIy made us to handle child birth. After all, we are made to do this! If  you are at all afraid of the pain aspect, don't be.(Maybe you are not, but I was) If you go in with the mentality that your body is doing exactly what it is supposed to, then it will help you cope with labor more. We learned that when it comes to pain, your body/mind can only process one thing at a time so if you  focus elsewhere and have your body in the most relaxed state, your mind will process that instead of focusing on the pain! I actually had Emery Standing up!! Gravity was in my favor:)
One more thing to add here: the pain only lasts during contractions which are from 1-2 minutes long, so you do get resting time until about 8-10cm when you get an intense urge to push! If you get a chance, try to use hot and cold packs. it helps with relaxing and pain management. We used homemade rice bags that could pop in the microwave as well as ice packs.



2- I also learned that the after birth and recovery process can be a bit painful and tiring- you may not have this problem, but I did not know so much about the after birth process. You may stretch or tear which takes some time to heal (2 weeks maybe).  A sitz bath really helps and so do witch hazel pads. This may sound weird, but you may have a lot of placenta membrane left to discharge so I highly recommend getting large pads or liners or even disposable underwear for a few days or weeks. I would have them on hand before hand so you do not need to go out and buy them when you need them most. Also, I had no clue that I would look about 6 months pregnant for a few days/week after birth because the uterus is not all the way contracted. You may feel cramping and I thought they were pretty uncomfortable. I was really scared b/c I had no idea what my body was doing!



3- Breastfeed!!! It is free and is so healthy! I recommend getting a breast pump. We got a traveling one and the brand is Medela Swing. It is portable and meant for traveling which comes with the option of plugging it in or using batteries.  I use it all the time!! It is small and compact. It was not super expensive, but well  worth it. We heard that the cheap ones break down quicker and if you plan to use it for more children, investing in a good one is worth it. Some people get the pumps that allow you to pump both sides at the same time, but I am glad I did not get that one because otherwise you have to use both hands to hold them in place and cannot turn the machine on or off! I just do one side and then the other. That way you have a free hand. Breast feeding is also great because it helps you lose your weight you may have gained from pregnancy. Nursing will take a lot out of you. Lots of calories that you need to make up for.
     http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breast-pumps/145/swing-breastpump   I got the pump and shield at Target. You can check out reviews and everything included online.

http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastfeeding-devices/338/20mm-contact-nipple-shield

         You can also freeze the milk for about 3 months! I would get nursing pads (re-usable ones) because you will leak!! You also can make homemade ones out of anything cotton. If you do nurse, It may hurt or be sore for the first week or so, but it will not hurt at all after that! I thought I would not get through. You can have someone buy you a nursing shield which is pretty much a plastic nipple protector that allows you to still nurse, but will help it not hurt so much the first week or so. We were recommended to breastfeed for about a year. That way you can pump and incorporate the milk into rice cereals, etc. as the baby transitions to solids. Plus, it forms a special bond with the baby longer. Breastfeeding is also a good form of birth control. Our doctor said about 70% effective. If you do get pregnant with a second I was also  told to try to wait until the first is done nursing because if you get pregnant again, your milk may dry out or not produce as much. ( just a few interesting facts that I learned about)

4-Get a sling and a boppi. The boppi is this semi round pillow that you can put the baby in if you need to set him/her down while you do something. It is also good for nursing because you will need support. Otherwise, you may have a sore back/shoulders.  We use it all the time and it is great. A sling is great because you can carry the baby in it while you do everyday activities and the baby can have that close bond it needs with you. I recommend a front sling like a moby wrap or ergo carrier. I was told that the baby bjorns are not good because it is not good for the legs to dangle.  It cuts off circulation and is bad on the baby's hip development. I also heard that they can choke them with the way they are made.      

5- If you get any baby clothes, I recommend washing them first because they will shrink and then you know the true size of them. We did not do this at first, and then we were like why is she outgrowing things so fast!!? Also, beware if people buy you things that will not fit during the season they were made for. Example: Emery was born in cold december so when she turns 12 mo. she cannot wear an outfit someone bought her that was 12mo, but made for summer. Some people buy things because they are cute, but then they may not be able to be worn because of size or season. ( hopefully I made sense there)

6- Solid food tips-  Around 6 months is when babies may be able to eat solids. We were told that when a baby can pick something up and put it in its mouth, they are ready ( or you can wait later). I am not sure if you are buying baby food, but making your own may be  much cheaper. My mom suggested making homemade baby food and then putting different flavors in ice cube trays to freeze. That way you have a good portion and you can just defrost it when you are ready to use it. Also, since it is not recommended to salt or spice/season food I heard that it is best to start with veggies or food that is not naturally sweet. I think the theory is that if babies start with sweet things like sweet potatoes or carrots, they may not want to eat peas or other bland foods. Emery never had this problem. I guess it varies for each baby.  I will have another section on more details about baby food for everyone to look at.


7- Cloth diapers!!! I never even heard of this and the ones I did were used for burp cloths, but I highly recommend it. Once I found out about them ( everyone here uses them and they are more commonly used than I thought) I became a huge fan. I am pretty much biased when it comes to them:) There are many reasons why I suggest them.  They will save you tons of money. You may pay about 300.00 up front for a set of them, but it will save you thousands, really. Also, you can wash them and then reuse them for each child. They are super soft on a baby's skin which is way better than the chemicals in diapers that cause rashes. They also help potty train better. They also help eliminate landfill waste. A part of me felt like I should take more care of God's temporary home for us.  We do use disposables for traveling  and for the first few months we had Emery.  I highly recommend at least looking at them and learning about them before you say no.  cottonbabies.com has a bunch of different brands and ways to help get started.

There is a system to it and many handy products to go with it. I attached some websites if you would like, but if you would like more info or have questions, I can send you more links. There are so many brands and types so it may seem confusing at first. I recommend the AOI and ones that do not need a cover. I actually bought used ones online off Craigslist to try each type before I committed to something I did not like. I can even send you one if you like to try it. One more thing to go along with the diapers- Use organic if you can. The baby lotions such as Johnson Johnson have harsh alcohol based chemicals that dry out skin and cause other rashes. If you can get baby wipes and diapers without chlorine, shoot for those. They cause diaper rashes and such. We used regular diapers for a few months because we got them as gifts and noticed once we switched to organic wipes and lotions, etc. the rashes went away.

you may also spend tons of money on baby wipes, but one lady recommend making your own out of cotton cloth. You can wash and reuse them and it saves you money. I have not made a bunch yet, but I use the parent's choice organic wipes. I think they are also biodegradable. I will post a recipe for baby wipe solution also soon. More info later also on cloth diapering.

8- baby meds- your baby may have colic due to an upset tummy or gas. Hylands is a great brand for all sorts of things like teething and colic relief.
Another product good for babies is called colic calm. http://www.coliccalm.com/    buying anything online is always cheaper and you can get better deals on bulk items-even diapers, etc.
These brands are great because they are all natural based products which is best for newborns. Before you buy any medicine, I would check the ingredients because some make the symptoms worse my doctor said.

9- Bathing- I thought it would be easy to bathe Emery in a sink, but babies move alot and can bump their head especially when they are wet. So with that said we bought a bath sponge which can sit in a baby bath or sink. it helps to not slip around and is soft not cold and hard. we got ours at Target.  I also would get nail clippers because baby nails grow so fast and can scratch their faces up pretty bad.


10- sing and read to your baby as often as you can!! They will develop all of their skills quicker and will recognize your voice quicker. You can also start sign language early. Babies can be fast learners.  Also, take time to get lots of pictures. When the baby is a newborn, you tend to not have lots of time to do anything else  and then you get tired. So do not forget to capture precious moments because they will fly by so fast!