I've been thinking about the things that made life easier when Lillie was first born and what is working this time. Some of them are the same, some are new and I can't imagine how I survived without them before.
New discoveries ....
Baby k'tan - life saver!!!
I'd seen lots of people using Moby wraps and such but they seemed so overwhelming and complicated. Then I came across this and it was wonderful. It already had alot of structure built in. I can put it on in less than a minute even when Josie is squirming and fussy. I've used it to get around easily when Lil is at the playground or playing in the yard. I can carry Josie when she's fussy and I'm trying to get a meal prepared. It is almost guaranteed to help her calm down or fall asleep when she is fussy/ generally inconsolable. I don't know how I survived the first time around without this. I love it!
Apps - There are 2 that have been huge. First I used one to time my contractions. I was able to click it when one started and again when it ended. The app calculated how long they lasted and the interval in between. It was so much easier to deal with the contractions and last minute packing/ getting things ready for Lil because the app did all the thinking about time for me.
I also used an app called "baby feed". With Lil I tried to keep a paper chart of diapers, feedings, and how much I pumped. It was crazy and complicated and a hassle. The app did all of that for me and made life so much easier for those first few bleary eyed weeks. It could track which side I fed on, how long she fed for, when a diaper got changed and what kind of diaper. It would give reminders every few hours which helped identify a reason quickly when Josie started getting fussy and helped me to notice patterns when I looked back through. You get a free 30 days with the whole app (lots of bells and whistles like syncing with multiple devices and retaining all input) after the 30 days you can only retain the last week of info and it won't be able to. sync anymore unless you pay for the whole app. I was the only one using the app so didn't bother with the pay version but see how it would be helpful if you wanted to sync phones or retain records for longer. I used the whole program for the first month, then just the feeding part until we hit 8 or 9 weeks and felt comfortable with the schedule Josie had fallen into.
Nursing wear - I'm not one that is terribly comfortable nursing in public. I'd much prefer to bottle feed if we're out or have people over but I am a lot more comfortable with it this time. Part of that is due to simple necessity (I can't hide in my room with a 4 year old to entertain) but part of my comfort has to do with clothing. I've picked up a few quality pieces of clothing that allow me to still feel covered when I'm feeding and look like regular clothing when I'm not. I particularly like my tank tops from bun maternity and my dress from milk nursing wear.
Things I still love....
swaddling blankets - the first month Josie could fall asleep anywhere anytime. Now she has difficulty staying asleep for long unless she is wrapped. She tends to hit herself in the head and wake herself up if she's not. We love the miracle blanket for sleeping at night and tend to use the halo and summer infant sleep sacks The day because they are quick/ easy to get her into and out of.
carrier and frame - we are using an infant carrier and stroller frame again. We found that the regular stroller part of the travel system is still huge, even with a larger car so the frame just lives back there to get used as needed.
boppy - it multi tasks as a nursing pillow, comfy travel pillow, and a way to prop Josie up a little when she gets fussy laying flat on her back.
Things we haven't used (yet) this time that we couldn't live without with Lil ...
sleep sheep - we used this every day with lil until she was at least a year old. It was then a huge help whenever we home because it helped to keep a sense normal when we traveled. This time ... It has sat on a shelf untouched.
my breast friend - we borrowed this from my sister law last time and she gave it back. By the time I thought to ask about it I had already worked out a few comfortable nursing positions so it got relegated to the closet because it was in the way. It was definitely worth having the first time add I tried to fund those comfortable positions and feel confident that I was supporting my baby well/ it took some of the stress off my back.
No comments:
Post a Comment