My baby advice

My husband and I were talking about all the advice we were given, and what advice I might in turn give to others expecting their first child. . .  I thought I'd write it down, so if anyone wants some advice from me about babies. . .

Before you have the baby:

• Don't buy anything until after baby shower - expecially clothes, that's the main gift I received at my shower, not the actual things I needed off of my registery. Now I'm sure to buy things off of other's registery, even though it may seem moring, those are the necessities. That way they don't have to buy the necessities themselves
• Wash all clothes and blankets ahead of time 
• Arrange clothing by what size they look, not necessarily what it says on the tag. Different companies size their clothes differently, (hey, just like adult clothes). I had a cute onsie that said it was for 6 months, and if I hadn't noticed that it was way short, I would have missed out on it fitting Stella at 2 months!
• Take a breastfeeding course through the hospital - This was the only class recommended by my doctor. The lactation consultants are kinda nazis though in their philosophy (they want you to offer yourself instead of a pacifier every time the baby cries), so be flexible in what your expectations are
• Don't listen to anyone's horror stories! I had an amazing labor & delivery!! In fact, the very day I had my baby, I was holding her in my arms saying that I had such a great experience with the pregnancy/labor/delivery that I couldn't wait to do it all over again!
• Enjoy every spare minute you have alone, after you have the baby, even taking a shower is a luxury

To Pack for the Hospital

• Bathing Suit Top - it KILLED the first time I showered. and I ended up wearing it every time I showered for the first month
• Camera & batteries
• Nipple Cream
• Bring your own Depends, the underwear the hospital offers is completely worthless

At the hospital:

• An epidural doen't make you any less of a hero
• Labor is much more of an ab workout than I had expected
• I found a birthing mirror quite motivational. I requested a mirror because I wanted to see her, it was great motivation! The hospital staff probably won't think to offer, so you'll have to ask if you want it.
• Make sure you get plenty of photos: http://www.lilsugar.com/Must-Take-Pictures-Babys-First-Day-18610522
• Don't be afraid to let the nursery take your baby during the night. I told them to feed her by bottle once and then bring her back to me the next time she was hungry. it got me a 5 hour stretch of sleep that I wouldn't get again for a long time.
• Use a lactation consultant: I called in a lactation consultant every time I fed her the first few times to make sure I was doing it right. if they are at the hospital, USE THEM!

When you come home:

• Be prepared to be in pain and extremely sore for the following two weeks. For some reason, nobody wanted to warn me about this, I heard a billion horror stories about childbirth, but nothing prepared me for how I would feel afterwards
• Be prepared to bleed for the next few weeks. I think I had a heavy flow for the first 2, yet continued to spot until week 5.
• Ready baby wise - I read this while I would breastfeed. It doesn't make much sense to read before you have the baby, because you can't even act on some of the principles until your baby is a few weeks old. Best advice is the cycle it calls for: eat - awake - sleep

What I couldn't live without

• Velcro Swaddle Wraps - These are amazing wraps for your baby to sleep in that they cannot wriggle out of. We used these for Stella until she was 4 months old.
• Bouncer Chair - Because I work from home, I am unable to hold my baby all day, Stella loves her bouncy chair. We received ours as a hand-me-down, and it works just great.

This is so true!!!

42 Things That Change When You Have A Baby
My favs:

The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night
You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule
You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one
You learn that taking a shower is a luxury
You have to quit watching the news because you see every story from a mother's perspective and it breaks your heart.
You can have the most wonderful conversation using only vowel sounds like "ahhh" and "oooo."