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Hows it going?

Hi there to all you mums out there

Just wondering how you and all your babies are doing!

how have you found your first month?
Any tips on parenting?
Any products/makes you cant do without? or would recomend avoiding?
Hows your babies weight gain going?

i'm due next week and just wanted to see how you all are as i'm very nervous of the whole parenting side of things?

Replies

  • Phoebe is nearly five weeks old now and as a first time mum i was also nervous about becoming a parent and how i would cope but i have to say it's not been as bad i thought. my oh had never changed a nappy before in his life but took to it like a duck to water (p.s. don't take the nappy away too early coz guarenteed there will be more on it's way). When it's ur own you just get on with it because no-one else is going to be responsible for that little bundle of joy. Havn't found any can't live without products yet. I could give you loads of advice but every baby is different so wait until your lo arrives and spend time getting to know them. Problems will arise and a thousand questions will be raised but you have the support of the midwifes, health visitors and all the mums on this web site. At the end of the day it's ur baby so you do what you think is best and don't be influenced by others. We are all here when you need us.
    Good luck hun

    LoublueX
  • Hey there - I agree with loublue, every baby is different and we could all give you lots of different advice but at the end of the day you'll decide whats best for your own baby.
    My friend gave me one piece of advice and said ignore everyone's advice, trust your instinct and ask your mw or hv if you have any questions - believe me, I had thousands!
    This site is fab too and it's so nice to share all our concerns, questions and moans!

    We are first time parents (and were extremely nervous too!). Amy is now 2 weeks old.. As I had to have a c-section my oh is still off work to help out and we're nowhere near a routine - but bumbling through!
    Amy had problems feeding to start with but after an initial 10oz weight loss, she is feeding well and creeping back up to her birth weight.
    I haven't found any products that I could/couldn't live without either.

    All I will say is get as much rest as you can now, as nothing prepares you for the exhaustion that comes with a newborn. I didn't rest (although everyone told me too!) and I regret it. But I love being a Mummy, I can't describe the unconditional love I feel for Amy and all the sleepless nights, bags under the eyes and stretch marks are worth it when you've got your lo in your arms!

    Good luck and enjoy!
    xxx
  • Hiya
    Cole is 18 days old now and it is getting a bit easier - ok so we didn't have a great start to settling in cause we were in hospital for a few days then had to go back in cause of my blood pressure but he is getting better at settling at nights - hubby was up with him for 2 hours last night which is an improvement on each of us sitting up in turns with him!!!

    Definately try and rest as much as you can now, you'll need your energy!!

    The main thing I couldn't live without is the lansinoh nipple cream.. if you are planning to breastfeed and haven't got any then go get some now!!! Also - even if you want to bf, get some of those ready made cartons of formula - we did and used one the other day just because Cole was fussing and hungry and wouldn't feed properly - he took a bottle and settled. Its just not worth having a hungry baby imo! I'm also glad we bought bottles and a breast pump and steriliser in advance - that way we had them handy for the bottle the other day and I've now started expressing so hubby can give Cole a bottle (he likes this..hubby I mean!). I got a steam/cold water steriliser and some milton and I've found it less hassle to just make up the cold water & milton in the steriliser cause it lasts 24 hours and I can take stuff out and put more stuff in whereas steam sterilising stuff only lasts 3 hours before its not sterile.

    We also ended up fairly quickly doubling up on nappy changing stuff - its way easier to have changing stuff both upstairs and downstairs rather than having to carry stuff upstairs every night. Only thing I need to do is get another tub of nappy rash cream for upstairs cause I keep forgetting where I left it!

    If you have a boy, make sure you have some kind of cloth handy in case of weeing during a nappy change..believe me they may only have tiny penises but the wee can go a hell of a long way!!!!!

    Good luck image
  • Hi,

    My little boy is 7 days old now and best advice I can give you is to have loads of muslin cloths as they come in handy for all sorts! Also a small basket with everything you need for nappy changing is really handy to have so you can easily move it around to where you need it.

    Also if you haven't already then fit the car seat now! We were advised this and so glad we did as my oh was messing with it for an hour and it wouldn't have been much fun for him to do when he was supposed to be getting me and the baby from the hospital!!

    Other then that relax and enjoy the end of your pregnancy, you will be totally fine being a mummy it is surprising how naturally it all comes and you will love your lo so much even the sleepless nights will be worth it!!

    Liz xx
  • Oh I forgot about muslim cloths.. I got loads and they are great..whether its for cleaning up sick or wrapping up Cole so he feeds instead of sucking his fingers .. all sorts of uses!!

    I'd also suggest getting a few different makes of things- like wipes and nappies. We had pampers and huggies and found we didnt like the pampers as they stuck to lo's bum.
  • Totally agree with everything already said above, muslins are invaluable (even though i was told not to bother with them), i had huggies and pampers, opposite to kia i much prefer pampers, also try different wipes.

    If you haven't already join as many of the parenting clubs as you can (boots, tesco, morrisons etc) the vouchers come in handy as do the extra points you get.

    Enjoy the last bit of your pregnancy, once lo arrives everything is different, don't worry you will be fine, as liz says instinct will kick in and after a couple of days you'll wonder what you were worrying about.

    Good luck and remember to ask for advice, on here or from your mw/hv even if you think it might be a silly question.

    Obi & Philiip (22 days old)
  • The biggest challenge I have found this time round is the damn dogs! With my other 2 I always had achanging mat on the floor with a baby gym over the top from when they were newborn so if I needed to I could lay them on the floor so I could run and do something...of course now I cannot leave anything on the floor let alone Violet! Like she has just done a poo...so I have to get the baby nest out of the den whilst carrying her to put it somewhere safe, otherwise dogs will eat it and then take her upstairs to change her...I only have a couple of dog free areas, and right now I wish they lived outside as I hate dogs hairs getting on her!

    Also have found when it comes to wipes that some are much drier than others - boots own are fine, but the simple ones are so wet that they are always cold and when you need to do a change in the middle of the night with a sleepy baby the last thing you want is a very damp cold wipe on their bits as it will wake them up! Right off to clear up the poo!
  • yep i've found that with the wipes.. asdas and huggies ones are really cold.. I'll try the boots ones when we run out!

    the basket for changing stuff is a great idea.. I just dug out a basket and tidied the change stuff and my lounge looks so much tidier!!
  • I got the free nappy wrapper from argos with the bounty pack voucher but I can't figure out how to work it! its got a cartridge thingy in it and I can't figure out what to do with it! the nappy bags are far less effort!

    Its handy to have plenty of blankets and towels too - we have 5 towels for cole and 4 of them are in the wash from getting peed and pooped on!
  • I bought a Fisher Price Winnie the Pooh Starlight Projector, it plays twinkle twinkle and 4 "soothing" melodies while projecting lights on the ceiling - it's fantastic!! Philip settled in his cot last night without any fuss & watched the lights till he went to sleep, that was midnight, he woke at 4.30am, but only because i woke him up, this is a record sleep for him, usually 2hrs at night!

    I also got the free nappy wrapper from bounty, put the cartridge in the top bit, pull some through, tie a knot in it and then pull it through to the bottom, well that's what i've done, so far so good but then i haven't emptied it yet, will probably end up with nappies all over the floor when i do!! Not something i would have bought but as it's a freebie!

    Another tip, don't buy too many small nappies, i've still got a couple of packets of size 1 left and Philip has outgrown them, not sure how long size 2 will last him either!

    Cally - dogs are great fun aren't they! Mine has this wonderful trick of shoving her cold wet nose in the moses basket and waking Philip up if i'm not quick enough to tell her no!, She is great for poo patrol though, when she gets interested in his bum he's normally made a deposit at the Nappy Bank for me to clear up! then she tries to nick the dirty one before i can get it out of her reach!
  • I agree with the other ladies - you will find your own way and every baby is different. Dont be afraid to ask for help from the proffessionals from the very start. I was shown how to bath baby first time and how to change the nappy. If you want to try breastfeeding you will find some midwives are more helpful than others so keep asking for help. Lansinoh cream is expensive but whoever invented it should get a nobel peace prize or something its great. I also have a nappy wrapper but i live in a flat and i find it very useful cos i knew we wouldnt take the dirty nappies outside regularly enough. And dont forget you can get an answer fro any question on this chat forum - i couldnt work out how to flatten my pram and found out here! (still waiting for mamas and papas to get back to me!)
    Good luck but i'm sure you wont need it x
  • Yay..I figured out my problem with the nappy wrapper...to get to the cartridge you have to pull the blue bit off from the back!! Sneaky nappy wrapper it confused me!! We'll try the nappy wrapper out - if its useful we'll buy the refill cartridges - it might be better for us than ending up with bags of nappies lying round till we get round to putting them in the bin - stupid wheelie bins mean i can't just lean out the back door and reach my rubbish bin!! I wouldnt have paid ??24.99 for one but free is good!!

    Has everyone else remembered to send off the child benefit forms yet? I started filling the form out but I need to find out if they need the long birth certificate or the short one. I don't really want to have to send the long one off through the post!

  • kia- i only got the short birth certificate and have sent mine off and it has been processed fine.
    have to agree with everything, muslins are great, have nappies and wipes upstairs,dont buy nappy bin you get a free one, keep stuff in a basket is great idea and i put ryans towel on heater for a minute or two while he is in the bath then when he comes out he is quickly warm again- i worry about him being cold when hes all wet and naked!
    xx
  • heres a simple thing we have found useful - i bought some 6inch square double sided (fleece/towelling) cloths from ebay - they are great for pee catching, sticking under cole's bum to dry off after a nappy change, mopping up pee/puke on the floor etc etc. Just ordered some more off ebay cause i keep running out - much better thn using cotton wool to dry off his bum!
  • have pleanty of sheets for cot/crib i feel i am constantly washin rhys' beddin from bit's of sick.
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