My top products for mom & baby.

I've seen a ton of lists of "necessities for newborns." Since I have a bajillion friends that are pregnant I decided to throw in my two cents. I'm no expert, but there are some things that have just made my life a little easier the last few months. I suppose the only things that are really necessary are a car seat (since you can't bring the baby home without one), & a place for the baby to sleep. & you know, diapers, cause...ew. Those things are obvious. But there are some things that AREN'T necessary that I'm finding that I wouldn't want to live without.


FOR MOM

1. Dermoplast Pain Relieving Spray.

My hospital gave this to me along with the enormous pads, the ice pads, & mesh underwear (sexy). If you are having a vaginal delivery this stuff is your best friend for the next couple of weeks after. I sprayed a bunch down there every time I used the bathroom (which by the way is a tough thing to do right after you have a baby). If your hospital doesn't give you a can of this stuff you're missing out. Bring some with you. It's great. Especially paired with the ice pads. So good when you've just pushed a baby out of you.

2. Boppy (or other breast feeding pillow).

If you're breast feeding, invest in one of these. & bring it to the hospital. I love my Boppy. It makes life so much easier. While it's totally possible to nurse without it, it's a heck of a lot more comfortable to sit there for 45 minutes with the baby resting on a pillow instead of having to support her in that position for that long. It gets tiring.

3. Baby Connect App

OR something like it. It's an app that you can record everything. I have an android phone, but I know itunes has these kinds of apps as well. You can time feedings, left & right, when you change a diaper, how long they sleep, height & weight, etc... It's all in there, & it's so handy to have all of that info in one place.

4. A breast pump.

I didn't originally think I needed a breast pump since I wasn't going to be going back to work or school. But I'm SO GLAD we got one. Baby girl didn't want to eat anything her first week. It was awful. She lost a bunch of weight & there was talk of putting her in the NICU. But also, when my milk came in when she was 3 days old, my boobs were super engorged (plus lumpy & red...almost mastitis) & hurt sooooo bad. If you've never been engorged, it's not fun. Yes, it makes your boobs huge, but they're like rocks that feel like they're going to explode. It's really handy to be able to pump it out. Sometimes when I wake up engorged, I'll feed baby girl but she won't empty me, so I have to pump the rest out or else I'm just engorged all day. Believe me, it's unpleasant. You can get these used if you don't want to invest a couple hundred bucks in a brand new electric one. We bought mine from a friend of my mom's. I just got all new tubing & equipment for it. Really you're just getting the motor thing used.

5. Breast pads.

Trust me. It's really embarrassing to leak through your shirt at church. I forgot them at night once & woke up with milk around my boob area on the sheets.

FOR BABY

1. Noise maker.

There's an app for that! No seriously. Baby Soother. It has a ton of sounds, including white noise. White noise is FANTASTIC! Apparently it's really loud in the womb so the loud fuzz sound calms them. TV static also works, but it's really handy to be able to put your phone in the car seat with it on. (If you want more information on that, look in to Happiest Baby on the Block. We watched the dvd. The method totally works!!!)

2. Head support.

One of those pillow things that curves around their head for the car seat! Baby girl was really tiny so we actually got an entire body support, but took it out when she was about 10 weeks. Now she just has the head support which helps keep her head from dropping off to the side. That really upsets her. 

3. Swaddle Me Blankets. 

Baby girl loves her Swaddle Me blankets. So do I. While husband & I are excellent swaddlers, she's very wiggly now & manages to get herself out of just a regular blanket. I like the swaddle me blankets cause they're velcro & you can do them up nice & tight. There are also the Halo Sleep Sacks. I've heard great things about those. Anything to help swaddle makes life easier. It calms them. (Again, Happiest Baby on the Block.)

4. Swing/Bouncer.

This is one of those things that I was told was definitely not necessary. Well I'm here to tell you that without a swing or bouncer I wouldn't get ANYTHING done without my baby screaming. We borrowed ours from a friend. The swing is really good at keeping her relaxed & sending her off to sleepy land for nap time. The bouncer/vibrating chair thing is great for when she's wide awake. I can set her up in that, turn on the tv static, & she's happy for at least 20 minutes. It's great! Definitely something I'm glad we have. & if we hadn't borrowed from a friend, it would've been totally worth it to buy the bouncy chair.

5. Front pack/Moby Wrap

If you have a baby that likes to be cuddled, get one. I don't like the Moby wrap. My body is awkward & it doesn't sit right on me. But a friend let us borrow the Baby Bjorn front pack & baby girl loves it. It's hard to carry her around the house all the time, so having her strapped to me makes it easier to accomplish things. Of course, I have to stand funny if I want to see something right in front of me, but it's better than having one hand, or a crying baby that wants to be cuddled. 

The only thing I don't use on this list anymore is the Dermoplast, but my baby is 3 months old so I don't need it anymore. I use everything else on a daily basis. It just makes my life a heck of a lot easier! 

I hope everything goes smoothly for you if you're having a baby!!! & for anyone else, I hope you're well!

That is all.

- Alexa