You may have guessed why I have been away from the blog for so long. Yes, you guessed it right the baby is finally here and has kept me on my toes since his arrival.
We welcomed our little rockstar on 28th October and its been one hell of a roller coaster ride since then :)
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| Our little Rockstar |
One may have this false sense of comfort that you are adequately prepared to welcome the baby but you have absolutely no IDEA what is about to hit you. I mean seriously no clue. I don't no where the last two months have gone. YES my lil one is two months old and its only now that I have found one hour in my life to write this post :)
Life changes, it almost does a 180 degree flip.
Those nine months are all about you that is the mommy.
How you’re feeling?
What you would like to eat?
Are you getting adequate rest?
How do you look now? Is the bump visible yet?
But all that changes the minute your lil prince/ princess arrives.
Now its all about
Why is the baby crying?
Is he or she hungry? When was she last fed?
When was the diaper last changed?
Did she poop today?
And the only way to cope with this change is to be somewhat prepared. Now when I look back, I would have done a few things differently to make life simpler for myself.
Get that baby bag ready: I wasn't due for another two weeks so I was sitting pretty and didn't have the baby bag ready until the very last minute. But it would really help if you have this one thing sorted at least a month in advance. Once you are in the ninth month you never know when the baby decides to say hello to you. So in a hurry I managed to pack a few things and I obviously missed a few. However here is a list of essentials that I feel one must have in the baby’s bag
- Sheets/ small blankets to swaddle the baby, I would suggest you pack at least two
- Clothes for the baby. Be careful with your choice of clothes since babies cant tolerate extreme cold or heat. I would recommend onesies as they keep the child comfortable and warm. You could go for cotton onesies in summers and fleece onesies in winters.
- Mittens for the baby
- Cap for the baby
- Bibs since you may not be able to feed the child immediately. So bibs come in handy when you wish to formula feed the baby
- Diapers or nappies (the choice is yours) I chose diapers since my little one was born in winters. If you choose nappies, I suggest you also get nappy liners.
- Baby wipes ( I prefer Pigeon or Johnsons)
- Small napkins to wipe the baby after they burp or throw up
- Burp towels (these are long napkins that you can keep on your shoulder when you burp the baby. It protects your clothes from getting soiled)
- Small pillow for the baby
- Blanket
- Bottle or Paladai to feed formula to the baby. I chose to use the paladai as my doctor recommended the same. My paediatrician was not in favour of a bottle as that can cause nipple confusion in infants. So if you want to breastfeed your child, he felt it was best to avoid a bottle
- A diaper changing sheet/ Macintosh
Apart from a baby bag, I suggest you also prepare a bag for yourself which must contain the following
- Maternity gowns: After spending a day in those hospital clothes you would want to change into your own clothes. Hence I suggest you carry a couple of nursing nightgowns, these would be comfortable for you and also allow you to feed the baby. I forgot to pack these and requested an aunt to purchase these for me when I was in the hospital.
- Cotton panties (one size bigger would be more comfortable) that you can use and throw since they may get soiled on account of bleeding during the initial days. You may not be comfortable in the disposable panties that the hospital provides hence it helps to carry your own.
- Sanitary pads
- Toileteries; Although most good hospitals provide this, it would help to carry your own to make you more comfortable
- Hairbrush and make up essentials to make you look presentable when you are discharged from the hospital
- Clothes to wear home when you get discharged. Choose something comfortable
Also don’t forget to pack that camera and mobile charger to capture the first few moments of your little one.
Get some help at home: I made the mistake of believing that I could do everything on my own. Please accept it that you are no superwoman. Although the baby is the centre of attention and needs all the care it can get, one must not forget that the mother’s body has also undergone significant wear and tear and is in the process of healing. So while it is important to look after the baby it is equally important that the mother looks after herself. So solicit the help of some family member. If it is not possible for the family members to help, hire domestic help. A newborn can be very demanding & hence it helps to have someone around to help. Even if they can help take care of the infant for a few hours which allows you to get the much needed rest or sleep, things would be a lot better for you as a new mom. Remember your baby would be happy and healthy only if you are happy and healthy.
Preparing your house for the newborn: Decide which room you are going to keep the baby in and clean and sanitise that room. Keep a bottle of hand sanitiser next to the bed and request anyone who comes to meet the baby to use the same before they touch the baby. This may seem rude to some but its better to be safe than sorry. Babies can catch infections easily hence its essential to be careful. In case any of your relatives or family members have a cold, ask them to stay out of the baby’s room (you don’t want your little one coming down with a cold).
So work towards prepping for the baby and enjoy the little one’s company once he/ she decides to grace you with its presence :)