For all my preggers!

Can someone check the Chinese calendar and tell me if this is the year of the baby?  I am pretty sure that it is because between October and as far out as people can know that they are pregnant, I know of 27 friends and family members who are pregnant!  I promise that number is NOT an exaggeration (my go to exaggeration number is 17 btw), it's totally the truth.  With that in mind, this post is for my preggers peeps - if you are not with child and don't plan to be, go ahead and skip this post / delete this email.  Oh, but check out the picture of Clay as Buzz Lightyear first - I'll do a Halloween post eventually but here ya go! (Chelsea, this is for you!)

  


The question that I hear a lot is what do I really need to bring to the hospital.  I made the following list for a girlfriend of mine who had the same due date as me just after Clay was born.  I've passed it on to preggo friends in the hopes of making their time at the hospital as comfortable as possible.  Oh and I am also including the names of the two iPhone apps that I found helpful!


There are two apps that I LOVED for my iPhone:  Contraction Master (it keeps track of your contractions and
you use it as the a stop watch & it records frequency and duration - you can also email the record to your doctor or to yourself for the baby book); I also loved Nursing Master - it helped me remember which side Clay nursed on last, how long, and stuff because I would forget and all that - oh and if all else fails, I always had a ponytail holder on the wrist that I'd last nursed on; that way I was ready to pull back my hair for nursing and knew which side he needed to be on).

L & D:
- Mouth Wash
- Comfy Socks (I say this and I am NOT a sock person but they are great should you get the chills)
- Pony Tail Holder
- Bobby Pins / Headband
- Chapstick

- Camera

- Music

- Phone

- Cord Blood Kit - be sure to tell the nurse when you get there that you are doing the cord blood AND then remind your doctor when he/she gets there and have your hubby remind the doctor before the cord is cut 

- The phrase "In through the nose, out through the mouth" - this phrase was a God send for the last hour before Clay was born; Jim said it to me over and over during my contractions (I don't mean this in an ugly way but I seriously didn't want anything else coming out of his mouth because well, he wasn't the one pushing a child out of his lady parts).

- Snacks (for the hubby)

- Phone charger

Recovery at the Hospital:
- Boppy
- Robe

- Nursing Cover- Nipple Cream (NUK makes a stick that is great (don't have to touch
with your hands or anything)
- Shampoo, Conditioner, Face Wash, Body Wash, Make Up
- Breast Pads

At Home:
- Rubbing Alcohol or alcohol pads (You'll use to Clean Umbilical Cord)

- Fragrance Free Vaseline 

- Cotton Balls
- Swaddle Blanket (Ours is Target First Years - it is a blanket that has velcro on it and it takes the guess work out of swaddling until you have your wrapping down)
- Disposable Changing Pads (Paper Sheets - we use on our pack and play
changing table and can just throw them away if they get messy; the best value is at BabiesRUs, it has a picture of the pads being used as a burp cloth.  We liked this size because there were more in a box and you don't really need the ones that are the same length as your changing table)
- Breast Pads (I went through at least 2 pairs a day, I prefer the
washable medela ones)
- Nursing Tanks & nursing bras (you can buy these in advance)

And now for a little bit of unsolicited advice (well, I guess a bit more of unsolicited advice because pretty much this whole post is unsolicited)... Don't let other moms freak you out about labor and delivery.  Every delivery is different so as soon as they tell you some wacky story just smile, nod, and blast your favorite song inside your head.  If you are nervous about things, you are totally normal - I remember towards the end having some pretty un-Erinlike fears and the moment Clay was born, they (mostly) went away - the part that didn't go away was the surreal realization that they let me take my child home when I had no qualifications for doing so - but guess what, love is really the only qualification you need and you will have it in spades!

If you are still nervous, let Dr. Erin prescribe you a regimen of watching "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom", I watched a ton of that while I was on bed rest and finally came to the decision that if they could do it, I could do it.  Sick, I know, but it worked!

Oh, let me say one less superficial thing, a really interesting read that I am loving right now is "Brain Rules for Baby" by John Medina.  It's written by a developmental molecular biologist (in a very funny and surprisingly approachable way - think Gilmore Girls meets psych but with science) and is talks about brain development and practical parenting tips from conception all the way through age 5 - it is fascinating!!!

Finally, my mantra was, is, and will continue to be "If it's to the detriment of the mother, it's not to the benefit of the baby".  So when something doesn't feel right to you and you have nurses, "the Joneses", or some other "well intentioned" soul tell you otherwise, go with your gut.  Do not beat yourself up, you need to do what's best for you so that you can be the best for your baby.

Good luck to all my preggers!  We pray for you and your growing family every night!  Love ya!