For Your Weekend :: Baby Edition

Tomorrow will be the 38 week marker of this pregnancy.  And since it’s my fifth baby, and most likely my last, I thought I would share some things that I find to be essential with a newborn.

1// Diaper Bag.  Lately I’ve been using my purse to carry Mason and Jennavieve’s diapers/wipes, and the occasional snack.  But now that a baby will be added to our morning therapy visits, a bigger diaper bag is going to be necessary.  I have my eye on this one, and haven’t quite decided if it’s worth the cost, but something larger would be helpful.

2//Nursing bras.  With Mason and Jennavieve I finally splurged and bought some attractive looking underwire nursing bras.  It made me feel a little bit more normal, so I think it’s totally worth the extra money.  In addition, I also have separate nursing bras to sleep in.  These are a lifesaver, especially in the beginning if you leak or tend to get mastitis (like I do, every.single.time).  My advice:  don’t buy a lot in one size at the beginning because you’ll find that your bra size will change every few weeks or months as you continue nursing.

3//Pacifier.  I like the kind they give you in the hospital, so I went ahead and purchased a couple for this baby.  All three of my girls became thumb suckers early on, so we only used a pacifier for a few weeks.  Mason never really used either, but I always like to have one on hand, just in case.  It’s nice to be able to at least have a few seconds of quiet when needed.

4//Breast pump.  With my first two children I had this manual one, and I still used that with my third and fourth babies.  But a friend gave me her electric breast pump when Mason was born and I loved it.  I tend to be overly productive right away, and need to pump in order to stay comfortable.  With Jennavieve, it was necessary as she was in the NICU and I couldn’t feed her for several days.  The nurses in the NICU teased me because I could have fed all the babies that were in the NICU with my milk.  Our insurance company now provides these free of charge, so I purchased a new one and I know it will help tremendously.

5//Long sleeved onesies.  Obviously, this is a seasonal thing.  But I do love the Carter’s onesies best of all, short or long-sleeved.  I was planning to buy some and then my sister gave me some hand me downs that included plain white ones, so I’m set for the beginning.  My babies always wear onesies under their clothes and I like the extra protection from blow outs and the warmth that it provides during the winter months. *Carter’s is having a 50% off sitewide sale right now, so these are a great price*

6//Nursing Cover.  I don’t like to hole up in my room forever and by necessity I’ll be out and about early on with this baby, so a nursing cover is essential.  I use it around the house when we have non-family visiting, and also in the church nursery or other public places when I have to nurse.

7//Burp cloths.  We always go through a lot of burp cloths and for some reason I had gotten rid of all but three of mine.  After some research, I finally decided to buy these organic cotton cloths made by Burts Bees Baby.  They are super soft, and all the reviews said they were also absorbent.  I ordered mine from Amazon and got 10 for $29.95.

8//Baby Wise.  This book has been a life saver for me with each of my babies.  I wrote a post a few years ago on how I get my babies to sleep through the night, nap during the day, and get onto a good feeding schedule.  I realize this is not for everyone, but it has always worked for me and I’m hoping that this baby will follow the pattern just as well as his/her siblings.

These are the items that I know I’ll use right away, but there are also other things that I find to be essential in the later months.

I used a baby gym similar to this one for all of my children and they loved it.  But, I got rid of it, so I’ll be looking for a new one in the next couple of months.  This wooden one above is by far my new favorite!  My sister and her husband just opened an Etsy shop, selling these handmade wooden baby gyms.  AND, they are offering a discount right now.  Click here for all the details.

Some comments I’ve received lately:

“You look like you should have had that baby yesterday.”

“Oh, that baby has DEFINITELY dropped since last week.”

“Wow, you got big….you look miserable.”

And, then at the mall the other day, I just want to yell a very loud THANK YOU to the woman who passed by me and said, “You look SO cute!”

This is my sixth pregnancy, the fifth one I’ve carried to term, and it still shocks me the things people find appropriate to say to a pregnant woman.  And what’s even more surprising is that these comments come from OTHER WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD BABIES.

My sister Sherri had her first baby this summer, and shortly after she wrote down some of the things people said to her throughout her pregnancy.  I think you’ll enjoy reading the comments she received.

I thought I would close out today’s post with a post from the archives about Mothering.  I know that adding another baby is going to be challenging in many ways.  God’s grace is always there, and I’m confident that if I trust in Him and lean into Him, He will give strength.

May your weekend be full of leaning into Jesus, depending on His strength, rejoicing in Him, and receiving whatever gifts He chooses to give.