Two and a half weeks ago, I had my second baby, a son, Sven. My first-born daughter, Anika was only born 14 months earlier and I was surprised at how much I had already forgotten. Anika was not an easy newborn and we ended up spending 3 days at Children's Hospital when she was only 6 days old...so needless to say it was the most stressful time in my life. So maybe I just couldn't put anything in my long-term memory banks. So with that in mind, I thought I would take a few notes...to help me remember my experience and answer questions my sister or other friends might have once they start having babies.
Must Have Newborn Items
- Good swaddling blanket – We have a fleece Halo Sleepsack/swaddler. Yes, its summertime, but I've found that this is the only one strong enough to keep his arms inside. The others seem to let him move around too much and then he wakes himself up. I admit I have not tried the Miracle Blanket, but a Swaddling friend of mine swears by it.
- Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers – its hard to tell when newborn babies pee and at this point in their lives, counting the number of pee and poo diapers (besides weighing them) is the only way to ensure that they are getting enough nutrition (well if you’re breastfeeding like I am). These diapers have a nifty little strip that changes color when they pee.
- Infant Scale – I purchased one of these with my daughter when we had troubles with her gaining weight and feeding. I struggled to get her to take a full feeding as she was really sleepy, so feedings were long and I was never sure how much she drank. This was the only way for me to confidently know how much she drank and it also helped me to troubleshoot her crying. If I knew she just had a full meal, then the cry wasn’t for food. (Turns out she had silent reflux, which is a whole other post in itself)
- Comfy rocking chair – We have a comfy (inexpensive) gliding rocking chair. Seeing as I spend 8+ hours a day for many months in this chair, its important that I be comfortable. I never thought I would need the ottoman that came with it, but let me tell you, it is so nice to put your feet up while nursing. I gained a lot of water weight during pregnancy and I thought it would magically disapper with childbirth. Not so! I think I get rid of my water weight with a month long series of night sweats…but I digress. The ottoman is nice because my feet swell due to gravity during the first month post-partum.
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Marc Weissbluth. This is our “Bible.” A friend graciously purchased this book for us as a baby gift with our first and after reading it we really understood the need our daughter has for sleep. We centered our whole parenting priorities around getting our daughter sleep and we reference this book often as she got older and her sleep patterns changed.
- Dr. Jack Newman – He is a breastfeeding expert. He has written a number of books which I did find helpful…but what was most helpful for me were his ‘how to’ videos on YouTube. Breastfeeding was not natural or easy for me with Anika. Getting a good latch, looking for swallowing not just sucking, not using a pacifier, the importance of breastfeeding soon after birth…these are important things to make sure breastfeeding is sucessful. Before I had a baby I was not interested in watching other women’s boobs and how a baby drank from them. After I started having issues, I was devoted to making it work and my squeamishness disappeared.
- Baby Log Book – I created a 3-ring binder for each of my kids. It houses emergency info for any babysitter. It also houses the handouts we’ve received at each well-child visits. Most importantly I log each time my kids wake up, go to sleep, eat, how much they eat…and yes, if you can’t tell by now I’m a little neurotic. So I weigh my new son each time he wakes up before a feed and then after a feed. I know about how much he eats and I get an update on his weight gain. I really only pay attention to that on a daily basis, but it is so reassuring to me to have this information especially after my experience with my daughter’s weight issues. I also record each pee and poo diaper. This is also handy as I bring it to each of the doctor appointments and I’m totally prepared when the doctor has a question.
- Video Monitor – This is a new addition to my arsenal. Maybe not necessary, but definitely nice to have when the baby is making all of his grunting noises. I can just quickly look at the monitor…see if his eyes are open or closed, and assess the situation. This tool will become more handy as Sven gets older for investigating sleep issues once he sleeps through the night.
- Humidifier – So its summertime in Minnesota and our air definitely does not need to be humidified (at least not until winter), but we use this as our noisemaker (we don’t put any water in it right now) to drown out my daughter’s loud cries so she doesn’t wake him up. Initially I did not want to have one of these as a sleep prop for our kids, but find it absolutely necessary if I want to ensure myself some reliable sleep.
Well, I’m sure there are others. These are the main ones right now. They definitely make this newborn experience easier, but its definitely not easy. I can’t wait for the 3 month mark. To me, it marks good nighttime sleep. And when I have rest, I’m a much more reasonable person.
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