Once again I’ve resurrected my old college blog to keep family and friends updated on my life on the Palouse. I figure that Facebook is probably the easiest place to put pictures of Max and our daily life BUT I’d like to have a place to post pictures where random aquatints will get annoyed with me for talking about our baby so much and always sharing pictures of him, etc. This place will be a no-apologies outlet where I can talk babies and diapers to my heart’s content!
I’m also hoping that having this blog will encourage me to take more pictures with my camera and perfect my photography skills, since they are rusty and not so great at the moment.
TO DO LIST BEFORE MAX IS HERE:
- Get appropriate diaper laundry detergent. What kind? I have no idea…
- Wash all cloth diaper covers and inserts in order to make them more absorbent and ready to catch all the pees and poops that I don’t want to leak and explode all over Max and myself.
- Go to Spokane and check out their cloth diaper store for any good deals on used covers (sounds gross…but it’s not! They’re extra washed and don’t have residue on them. Plus, they’re a couple of dollars a diaper, which is the best price you could ever get!)
- Get a changing pad cover, or make one, and clean off the changing table of all the clothes!
- Figure out how to organize the diapers.
- Get a dirty diaper trash can and wet bags and develop a theoretical system of how I’m going to handle dirty diapers while at home and away.
- Pack my hospital bag! Included in that is to figure out what exactly goes in a hospital bag…Figure out what I’d like to wear while laboring and afterwards.
- Make a playlist of songs I think I’d like to listen to while laboring. Calming music? Amy Grant? Instrumental? My favorite songs to keep my mind distracted?
- Buy a long robe to have at the hospital for when I walk around, so I don’t moon everyone!
- Get a bassinet to put by the bed in case.
- Finish reading my breastfeeding book and childbirth book.
- Write down a list of ways Matt can help me during labor that he can have as a resource.
- Organize Max’s clothes a little and sort through the hand-me-downs to figure out what I should keep and what should be donated to St. Vincent’s.
- Finish those sewing projects and hopefully finish a blanket for Max….something! Anything!
- Install the car seat correctly and get it checked by the hospital to make sure it’s good.
- Stockpiling food in our freezer to make sure we have easy, warm-up-able meals for the first few weeks after Max is born. Maybe we need to invest in a small deep freezer to make room for everything.
Is that it? I’m not sure it is, but I’ll leave it at that for now. Any other recommendations? Of course there’s the regular cleaning and organizing that I have to do, but that’s a boring list and only makes me happy!
1. I have some recommendations on cloth diaper detergent (I've literally used everything). Shoot me a message on Facebook and we'll set up a time to talk on the phone!
ReplyDelete2. I'm SO SO SO SUPER excited that you are cloth diapering. What kind of diapers have you purchased? Don't worry too much. I've done both disposable and cloth and can HONESTLY tell you that I had WAY more blow outs with disposables than cloth. WAY more.
3. Used cloth is awesome. I'll send you mine when Grady is potty trained in about 10 months!
5. We stuff ours as soon as they come out of the dryer (or off of the line if you are so inclined). They are then stacked on a shelf on our changing table, no special order or organization.
6. Skip the dirty diaper trash can and buy 2 XL wet bags. I LOVE Paddle & Quack from ETSY. They have super cute designs, good prices, and the ones that I have have LASTED longer than the big name brands that I paid out my rear end for. Also get 1 small or medium wet bag for when you're out and about. ALWAYS pull the dirty insert out before you put it in the wet bag, even when you're out and about. Unless, of course, you have some Smartipants diapers. Those don't require unstuffing because the inserts wash out in the washing machine. Plus, brand new ones are SUPER cheap compared to other brands (Smartipants are my FAVE, especially for out and about).
7. IF you plan to go drug-free labor, pack some honey straws. I got mine at http://yourdoulabag.com/item_39/Honey-Sticks.htm Take a tennis ball for Matt to rub on your back while laboring. Pack an iPod and speakers, or a CD player to play during labor. Make sure to pack something COMFY but cute to wear home with the babes. Take personal care items that you'd use at home. Other than that, the hospital will provide much of what you need. I always took WAY too much to the hospital.
8. The hospital will require that you wear one of their horribly ugly gowns unless you buy a hotmama gown or something similar. BELIEVE ME. You will want to be COMPLETELY naked when you're in labor. Take a stretchy cotton gown with a V-neck (for easy nursing) to wear after baby is born.
9. MUSIC! I don't usually like instrumental music but for my labors I did. I had all 3 without drugs and my choice of music really helped me focus on relaxing through each contraction. If you haven't yet, try to read some information on hypnobirthing. I used Lamaze with Styles and wanted to kill myself. I used hypnobirthing with Madilyn and Grady and had the most relaxing, quick labors in the world. I recommend hypno to EVERYONE I meet. The main focus is on relaxing through each contraction and VISUALIZING your uterus opening up and relaxing to let baby move out naturally. It works. Back to music...Get something slowly rhythmic and flowing that you can breathe to. New age-y kind of stuff is good. (not something I typically like but is great for labor)
9. YES on the robe.
10. HIGHLY recommend an Arm's Reach CoSleeper. ESPECIALLY if you are breastfeeding. You will get so much excellent sleep and so will Max. Biorhythms will help you know if he suffers from apnea, and will keep him breathing. IF you haven't read about the benefits of co-sleeping, definitely do (co-sleeping is different from bed sharing)
ReplyDelete11. Breastfeeding is amazing but not always easy. If you need help or a supportive shoulder, let me know. I've breastfed all 3 babies to at least 1 year and Grady is still going strong. I'm SUPER passionate about it and would love to help. :)
12. Tell Matt to PLEASE not talk to you when you're going through a contraction. You should have a sign for him to look for. I put my head down in my crossed arms and when it was done, I looked up with a smile and a "thumbs up". Kyle was SO good at reading the signals but it's good to discuss them beforehand. Also, standing up and dancing with your hubby will help baby to move down and will help to move the contractions along. It is also a great way for him to hold you up during a contraction. Make sure he knows some good massage technique. I had a massage therapist (my best friend) for my last 2 labors and she relieved a lot of pain for me and allowed me to focus on visualization.
Definitely go through Max's clothing before he comes! You will want to snuggle him all the time once he's here.
I know I numbered those wrong and I don't care :) I'm SO excited for you. Please call me if you need anything, or someone to talk to. I'm all about natural parenthood and it sounds like you will be too! You can even talk to me about the taboo subjects like bed sharing (we did it). GASP! And nipple pain (it might happen). I'll be praying for you. You have those child-bearing hips like me so I'm going to pray that your labor is as fast as mine have been too! xoxo