bringing home baby: lessons learned

Don't worry, friends. I have not had my little bundle of joy yet. However, a lot of ladies in my pregnancy group are on the verge of it as the time is drawing nearer. This is my second go-around, but there are MANY things I wish I would have had a heads up on when I had Conner. Particularly, things to make the transition home easier. So I've come up with a list of things that were helpful to keep on hand and that I plan to stock up on before Lucas makes his arrival. We'll call this "Bringing Home Baby: Lessons Learned".

I'd like to also add that my first delivery was vaginal. Every birthing experience will differ slightly, so your items may need to be adjusted. Please, add any suggestions in the comments below! :)

-Pads. I can't stress this one enough. I had no idea I would go through so many pads. The hospital provided me with a few, but I needed a ton. I mean, I bled for 2 weeks straight (and some people bleed for much longer). I suggest the overnight size.

-Tucks pads and a squirt bottle. Seriously, it makes clean up after going potty much easier. The hospital gave me both, but I plan to get a few more this time around. **Addition from Sarah V. - Most hospitals also give you a can of medicated spray with the squirt bottle the slightly numbs the area.**

-GOOD toilet paper. The last thing you want is an infected vagina from leaving behind tp!

-Swaddle blanket. Yea, the nurses showed me how to swaddle. I'm not a nurse though, and somehow Conner always managed to bust out of his. Swaddle blankets with velcro helped so much.

-Snacks. Especially if you are breastfeeding. It makes you hungry (and thirsty!) so having fast, healthy snacks on hand helps a lot. Stock up a little basket of granola bars, apples, bananas, 100 calorie snack packs. It'll be a lifesaver at 2am.

-Water bottle. A nice, big one. I have one of those insulated ones, so the water stays cold for a while. Fill that sucker up and keep it by your bed.

-Stool softeners. If you've never experienced the unpleasantness of the first poo after having baby, just trust me. These will help it not be such a painful experience.

-Extra memory card. I took A LOT of pictures of Conner the first few weeks. So many, that I had to have 2 memory cards because I didn't have enough time to upload and clear them from my camera every day lol.

-Batteries. Check what size batteries you need for your bouncer, swing, etc. Nothing is more terrible than having a fussy baby who will only stop if he's in the swing and then the batteries die and you have no extra.

This is my second child, but will be my first time breastfeeding. Hopefully I can get it to work out for me, as it's something I really want to do. A few other items I will have on hand and ready-to-go for this are:

-Nursing bras. I already have a few, as the underwire in my regular bras are terribly uncomfortable even in pregnancy. Plus, they are nifty and just snap right down for feedings. How cool is that?

-Disposable breast pads. At least for the first week. I hear that until your body adjusts to your baby's feeding schedule, you leak a lot. I have some organic, washable breast pads, but I'll be saving those for when my supply has evened itself out.

-Lanolin. Cracked, sore nipples? No thanks. This stuff is safe to use after every feeding and helps prevent or help heal those sore boobies that are bound to happen regardless of any precautions you may be taking.

Hopefully this post will help some momma-to-be's out a little bit. If you have any 'must have' survival items for the first week home, please comment and let us know! I know some of the prior mentioned things are kind of gross, but hey.. pregnancy, birth and children are both beautiful AND disgusting. At least I'm giving you a heads up. :) Keep a look out for my 'what to bring' post coming in a few weeks. Remember, second go around = lessons learned from the first time!