Handy Tips and Hints for Pregnant Ladies!

Sarah Bear

Anybody got any tips on what I need to buy clothes wise for baby? I dunno if I'm buying too much or not enough!

pwurple

For newborn... 8 vest and 8 baabygros. Size 0-3 months.
We were given size 'newborn' and our newborn 8 pounder couldn't fit into them!

Chattastrophe!

Also you need more babygros than vests. I have packed away 0-3 size vests without even using them; however I cannot have enough babygros!

Sarah Bear

pwurple wrote: »

For newborn... 8 vest and 8 baabygros. Size 0-3 months.
We were given size 'newborn' and our newborn 8 pounder couldn't fit into them!

Think I may have bought too much.... :P

Are sleep suits and baby grows the same thing? I'm such a noob :P

How Strange

H&M do lovely vests for newborns up to 3 months they have poppers so you put them on like a shirt rather than over the head. Very useful for taking off when they poop all the way up to their neck.

lazygal

Don't buy anything that has to go over the head or up over the hips. Mothercare does packs of wrap vests and only buy button up the front babygros which are sleepsuits! I'd buy a couple of up to three months until you know what size and shape baby is, different brands are suitable for different babies. I found Next washed and wore the best.

How Strange

Wrap vests! That's what I was trying to say

dubstarr

How Strange wrote: »

H&M do lovely vests for newborns up to 3 months they have poppers so you put them on like a shirt rather than over the head. Very useful for taking off when they poop all the way up to their neck.

You do realise why they have such wide necks,you just pull them down.Rather than over their heads.

How Strange

Ha ha! Dubstarr would you believe I didn't know that for a long time so there were quite a few poop disasters with my son. I felt quite silly when I saw someone doing it. I naturally pretended like I knew that al along!

Chattastrophe!

Oh and don't buy a babygro without built-in scratch-mitts!

I don't usually even use them, but it's a pain in the arse if he starts clawing at his face in the middle of the night and you've to go changing him into a new one, which will of course totally wake him up. (I don't like using separate scratch mitts at night, cot death hazard.)

Boots babygros (and Boots baby clothes in general) wash ridiculously well, and are often on 3 for 2. Mothercare ones are brilliant too, more expensive, but you get the wear out of them.

lazygal

If you see a snow suit which has two zips at the front buy it. So much easier to get a baby into and cosy for going home.
More tips: practice getting the car seat in and out of the car and how to fold and unfold the buggy or pram. Don't buy any outfits for baby, you'll get them as gifts and won't really use them. Make sure your partner has your back and knows to speak up firmly about your preferences in hospital. My husband had to be really firm about not giving formula or water.

implausible

I don't know if I'll be in this boat any time again soon, but from my two, I have three tips

1. Exercise

Keep properly active, I thought chasing around after the two year old and walking the corridors at work was plenty, until I got pelvic girdle pain near the end of my 2nd pregnancy. It was horrendous, physio recommended pilates to strengthen my core. I'm convinced if I'd kept up swimming and walking, I could have prevented it.

2. Sleep

When you can, anywhere you can, because what they say is true - you won't get to when baby is born and after-work powernaps are a rare luxury on number two.

3. Fibre

It's easy to get anaemic, but the iron can have an unpleasant side effect - piles. If you're taking iron, exercise, water and fibre will prevent the f*ckers.

MissFire

pwurple wrote: »

For newborn... 8 vest and 8 baabygros. Size 0-3 months.
We were given size 'newborn' and our newborn 8 pounder couldn't fit into them!

I'm a newbie at this too.. Will I get the vests with the short sleeves or without the sleeves.. Baba due in June if that makes difference.. I went to Tesco the other night and just stood staring at all the baby stuff like a complete dummy not knowing... Not exactly something you wanna ask your pals in case they laugh in your face for being so clueless...

Neyite

MissFire wrote: »

I'm a newbie at this too.. Will I get the vests with the short sleeves or without the sleeves.. Baba due in June if that makes difference.. I went to Tesco the other night and just stood staring at all the baby stuff like a complete dummy not knowing... Not exactly something you wanna ask your pals in case they laugh in your face for being so clueless...

Up to 3 months, they were the same amount of layers as you, plus one. So if you are wearing a top and cardi, you put baby in vest, top and cardi.
after that, the same amount of layers as you.

And always add a hat outdoors -either a cosy one for warmth or light one for sunshade depending on the day. I also would always have baby in socks and or soft pre-walker shoes unless it was roasting (which was rare in Ireland) I used a cellular merino wool blanket while out an about, removing it /adding it as needed.

to check that they are warm enough /too warm, feel their chest /torso rather than hands or face as they can have cold hands but be actually the correct temperature.

Dont overload layers on them- overheating a baby is not advised.

kandr10

MissFire wrote: »

I'm a newbie at this too.. Will I get the vests with the short sleeves or without the sleeves.. Baba due in June if that makes difference.. I went to Tesco the other night and just stood staring at all the baby stuff like a complete dummy not knowing... Not exactly something you wanna ask your pals in case they laugh in your face for being so clueless...

You can't go wrong with short sleeves (or indeed long!) in Ireland. I'd start there and if you felt in the summer that sleeveless would be better you could pick them up later. I did exactly the same as you by the way when I was pregnant! Got totally confused looking at packs of stuff :-) best advice I could give is that less is more and you can pick up stuff as you need it.

Chattastrophe!

MissFire wrote: »

I'm a newbie at this too.. Will I get the vests with the short sleeves or without the sleeves.. Baba due in June if that makes difference.. I went to Tesco the other night and just stood staring at all the baby stuff like a complete dummy not knowing... Not exactly something you wanna ask your pals in case they laugh in your face for being so clueless...

I got tonnes of long-sleeved vests as presents, but hardly ever use them. It's just awkward to put clothes on over them! Nearly all the time, I use the short-sleeve ones.

Also ... I'd say, invest in a room thermometer! We have two Gro-eggs, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Our house is actually too warm most of the time! Makes me feel not as bad for not using the long-sleeve vests ...

kandr10

There's a lot that's down to personal preference alright. For sure you'd use short sleeve vests though. Also important to get used to what's normal for your baby.

madeinamerica

comongethappy wrote: »

For when you're not big enough for maternity and you're trousers are getting too snug, loop a hairband through the button hole and use the remaining loop over the button. Just wear a looser top.My manager in work told me about it! Great for my jeans, but my word trousers are all tab closure so had to buy a maternity pair.

this is brilliant! I just started doing it today, as I'm probably not big enough for maternity clothes but my jeans are a biteen tight when I sit in work. Thanks!

Neyite

madeinamerica wrote: »

this is brilliant! I just started doing it today, as I'm probably not big enough for maternity clothes but my jeans are a biteen tight when I sit in work. Thanks!

Especially when you get essentially a square of elastic with a button at one end and a loop on the other and they sell them for €17 euro in mothercare for 2.

When she told me the price I just went :eek: and she then had the cheek to say it was cheaper than lots of maternity trousers. Eh, yeah but I've millions of hair elastics at home that I was using.

I got to nearly 7 months with the hair elastic and my regular jeans.

Merkin

For fireball nipples, one of the kind ladies here recommended Lansinoh HPA Lanolin Cream 40ml and it has been an absolute God-send. My nipples have been uber sensitive but also quite painful at times and this stuff is great. I bought it on Amazon but I also spotted it in Mothercare at the weekend, very soothing when they are painful and tingly.

olaola

Neyite wrote: »

Especially when you get essentially a square of elastic with a button at one end and a loop on the other and they sell them for €17 euro in mothercare for 2.

When she told me the price I just went :eek: and she then had the cheek to say it was cheaper than lots of maternity trousers. Eh, yeah but I've millions of hair elastics at home that I was using.

I got to nearly 7 months with the hair elastic and my regular jeans.

I bought these bloody 'baby belts' or whatever they're called. What a waste of money, they just stretch out of shape and the elastic is crap. WAY better off with a hair bobbin or a decent elastic band.

livinsane

My advice would be to just look after yourself before and after the pregnancy. Don't worry too much about the baby as their needs will always be met, but you will neglect yourself to the point where you are forgetting to go to the toilet or to eat. Many women end up back in hospital after giving birth because they are pushing themselves too hard. If you get a lot of stitches, don't even think of walking anywhere for two weeks. Have a box set ready and plenty of homemade meals in the freezer. If you are breastfeeding, take a supplement and keep bottles of water in the fridge.

Also, for casual visitors who ask in advance before calling, suggest they call four or five weeks after the birth. Be honest with them, you'll really appreciate their company more once the initial rush of visitors has petered out.

Merkin

For anyone who has been afflicted with the horrid carpal tunnel syndrome.....I'VE FOUND A CURE!! I did some research and found a wrist splint on Amazon which is not particularly attractive but my God does it work! I wore it to bed for the first time last night and am miraculously symptom free of the usual thumb pain this morning!!

Can't recommend it enough. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007M291HM/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It did make me look like a creepy cross between Keith Lemon and Michael Jackson so I entertained Mr. Merkin and myself by moonwalking and singing "I'm Bad, I'm Bad, you know it, I'm Baaaayaaaaad....jamone" across the bedroom which eased the creepiness somewhat.

lazygal

When baby arrives take advice from others with a pinch of salt, especially from your own parents. What was considered good advice 20 or 30 years ago isn't applicable now, such as putting baby rice in bottles, weaning from three months and putting baby to sleep on their tummy. Don't second guess yourself when someone says "What? In my day we smoked the whole time/had you weaned at six weeks/left you outside the back door all afternoon and not a bother on you, what are you worried about that for". My mum is a very practical woman but some of her hints and tips weren't appropriate and I sometimes worried myself, even though I knew I was doing the right thing.

dubstarr

Yes now is the time to perfect the nod and smile.And do your own thing anyway.

FurBabyMomma

This is my first and I've mainly been adopting the head-in-the-sand approach so this thread has terrified me! But thanksto everyone, I imagine all this advice will come in very handy soon :-)

Cherrycola

High strength arnica for after the birth, helps with bruising and healing. I swear it helped me have no issues with my stitches, and I didn't even use the high strength ones, just the normal dose from the health shop.

olaola

OH!! Meant to say, esp during winter. Two single duvets on the bed (Austrian style), you're tossing and turning more often and you can use the duvet as support underneath your body too. We're total converts to this all the time, and I was just thinking this morning if I had to share, I'd go crazy.

nikpmup

Cherrycola wrote: »

High strength arnica for after the birth, helps with bruising and healing. I swear it helped me have no issues with my stitches, and I didn't even use the high strength ones, just the normal dose from the health shop.

Arnica passes into breast milk though, so be careful if you plan to breastfeed.

thesultan

What exercise would yee recommend for someone who is experiencing back pain ?