First Things First

The Mommi journey is a long one. With a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. Once you find out you’re pregnant I suggest joining the Mommination approved What To Expect (when you’re expecting) app. It’s a great place to learn from and share with a community of women who are going through the journey at the exact time as you! It’s helpful during pregnancy and beyond. My eldest is two and I still check in with that community to see what’s normal, whats not and how other two year olds are developing.

It’s Not the On The Run II, But…

If your hospital offers a tour, take it! At about 8 months we decided, (well I decided and drug Tyrell along) to take the tour. It’s about an hour long but they walk you through exactly what to do when you get to labor and delivery. No matter how trivial this may sound, now, when the pain hits you don’t have a minute for your partner to be trying to figure out where to park or what floor to go to. Either call your hospital’s 1800 number or you may be able to register online. When it was all said and done my hubby agreed it was worthwhile and day of was smooth sailing. Well as smooth as a human coming out of your hoo-ha can be ????

Giving Birth Can Be Expensive

If you’re like me, self employed while pregnant and paying insurance out of pocket. You may want to look into Medicaid for pregnant women. If you qualify it will help relieve the expenses of giving birth and cover babies expenses for the first month or so. Even with pretty good insurance you may have a couple thousand dollars out of pocket. Your OBGYN and hospital may not accept it as a primary insurance but may take it as a secondary.  

Three Diaper Bag Must Haves

Three things you need to have in your diaper bag for sure!

1) Mylicon or some sort of gas relief drops. A gassy baby can be very difficult! You can pat their back for what seems like a lifetime, as they cry and writhe in pain. Gas drops help baby burp easier without ever getting to that extreme discomfort.

2) Thermometer- you don’t want to be in a situation where baby has a fever and you’re guessing how high it could be. It’s always best to know for sure. Plus depending on how high their temperature is, in the first few months of their life, you may have to go straight to the hospital. It’s an  easy pickup. Get 1 for home and 1 that stays in the diaper bag

3) A snot sucker of some kind. You most likely will be up all night watching your baby sleep making sure he or she is breathing. If your baby is born during flu or cold season they may get stuffy early on. A snot sucker along with saline drops can help give your baby some relief, and ease your already worried mind. 

Don’t Lose Your Relationship

Wanting to be the best mom you can, probably brought you here. You’re most likely building an ideology of what motherhood looks like to you daily, and that’s great. But I caution you, I actually demand that you consider and prepare for the changes having a baby brings to your relationship! Get ahead of it as best you can so you can avoid the pitfalls of the unsuspecting woman!  Plan a conversation with your partner to discuss you expectations of each other post baby. Between exhaustion and hormones, chances are your patience will wear thin. Just know that it gets better with each phase. Talk issues through as they arise. Remind your partner that hormonal changes are REAL (show him this blog and tell him Mommination said so!) Be clear and concise about your needs and have patience as he gets accustomed to y’alls new life as well. 

Leaps will make YOU want to Leap, out of a window!

The Wonder weeks app is an absolute must have (There’s also a book). This app teaches you about the mental leaps your baby will go through in their first year of life. Leaps are mental growths that allow your baby to see the world more and more like you do with each one. Without this perspective you may feel like your baby went from happy baby who sleeps well to all of a sudden fussy and not sleeping well. Following along on the app teaches you what your baby is experiencing and helps you meet them where they are. As your baby grows you’ll get to know their leap behavior. Making it easier on them and on you! 

When’s The Right time for Bath time?

I ran across this in my reading prior to having my first son. I hadn’t discussed it with any mom I knew, but once I read it, my mind was made up. Your baby does not have to be given a bath at the hospital. The cottage cheese looking substance on their skin at birth actually helps to moisturize and protect their skin. The sooner you bathe it off the less they benefit from it. I chose not to have either of my boys bathed at the hospital (sidenote: who knows what type of mass purchased, sulfate filled soap is used anyway) and didn’t give them their first bath for a week after. Coincidentally neither of them had cradle cap or baby acne. I’m not saying there’s a correlation because I have no experience with having my baby bathed at the hospital but… food for thought. 

Just In Case…

Breast is best, yes! But it won’t hurt to do some research on the formula you may give your baby in case it becomes a necessity. Nobody told me about the first visit at the pediatrician. They’ll do a weight check on your baby and if he or she has lost too much weight (more than 10% of their weight at birth) they may require that you supplement with formula to get their weight up. Loosing too much weight in the first days of life can be detrimental to your baby’s health.

As a new mom when you’re breastfeeding you have no idea if you’re doing it right or how much milk baby is getting. You’re just doing the best you can. My son lost more weight than they allow and we were made to supplement him in the doctors office before leaving.

I had no intentions of feeding him formula and didn’t know anything about those on the market. We were given Enfamil to feed him while there and some to take home to give in addition to breast. It became increasingly difficult to breast feed as my son preferred the flow of the bottle since he didn’t have to work as hard. Many American formulas have added sugars, corn syrup and other ingredients you wouldn’t necessarily want to feed your baby. While Slade was on Enfamil and Earths best, he seemed to have a hard time digesting it and would often get constipated. Which made for a super fussy baby!

I did some research on German formulas and after confirming with a friend decided to get this! Let me tell you, night and day! He burped a lot easier and was a much happier baby. Also this formula unlike some American formulas does not create a bunch of bubbles when shaken. Plus baby’s poop is much more similar to a breast fed baby (soft, yellow and seedy, as opposed to green or brown) It may seem expensive up front but after comparing buying this formula to Baby’s Only every 2-3 days it actually works out less expensive. I’ve used Lebenswert Organic Formula for Slade and now Shiloh and swear by it 100%. If you decide to give it a try use coupon code SEL10 for a 10% discount.

Who Knew?

Onsies, long sleeve and short with the lap over at the shoulders are made so they can be pulled down, and not over the head, when baby has a blowout! Go figure!  

Cheat Sheet!

Watch this clip of Priscilla Dunstan on Oprah. As a mom you’ll learn your baby’s different cries and what they mean. It takes time though. This clip is a great cheat sheet to understanding what baby needs as they are communicating with you through their cries. I didn’t see this before having Slade but saw if for Shiloh and it actually works!

Mommi friends… what are some tips you’d like to share with Mommi’s to be? Lets add them in the comments and create a robust “go to” for our whole MOMMINATION! Cant wait to learn something from all you amazing Mommis!

Mommi Shari