When planning for the birth of a baby, you could be forgiven for spending all of your time, money and ideas on products for the new arrival - pram, car seat, nappies, crib, cute clothes etc etc... but there is one very important person in this journey who must not be forgotten, and that's YOU, the parent. I'm not talking about the little luxuries such as mother-to-be massages, smelly candles, bubble baths, chocolates and flowers (as appreciated as they are!) I mean the absolute bare essentials that as a first time parent you may not have considered but you will be grateful you have ready!
I am currently within the first month of my 3rd baby's life and here are the 5 things I could not have done without this time around:
Water Bottle with an easy flow straw
Staying hydrated is essential when you have a new baby, especially if you're breastfeeding! Even if you're not sacrificing the majority of your fluids to make milk for your baby, you'll need hydration to help your body heal and to keep you focused throughout the night feeds and the sleep deprived days. The amount of times you may get stuck under a sleeping baby will be countless, or just stuck in a room with them whilst they cry or spit up and you may feel too anxious to leave them in case they choke (this happened with all 3 of my children regularly and one even had to have their tummy aspirated in hospital).
Having water to hand is key, and ideally having a water station or table set up both upstairs and downstairs will really help. Make sure it is replenished regularly (you can give this task to your partner or older children). Having a straw with a good free flow of water will make it easy to drink a good amount, and will lessen the risk of you tipping/spilling water on your baby's head.
Long cable phone charger
Believe me, you WILL be grateful for this. You will spend hours scrolling through your phone on night feeds, day feeds, winding sessions and attempts to soothe your baby. You'll probably also be taking a million pictures and so your battery will diminish quite quickly. You don't want to be stuck on the sofa unable to reach your charger. Buy the longest one you can get your hands on and have it set up next to your bed and also next to your favourite chair downstairs.
Snacks
This point ties in with those above, and largely relates to the fact that you will get stuck soothing or feeding a baby and you will need easy to access snacks to keep you going. Breastfeeding mamas need some extra calories to help with making the milk and keeping hunger at bay. Tiredness can also make you extra hungry and making your way to the kitchen to prepare a meal will at times be impossible. Make sure you have plenty to keep you going, especially in the early days. Have a snack tray set up ready each day within reach - again, a partner or an older child can help you get this ready! Make sure you include both healthy snacks such as fruit AND treats such as chocolate or biscuits... we all know that if you miss the treats out you'll just end up going looking for them anyway! Its okay to treat yourself, you've just had a baby!
Pillows
Sounds obvious, but I'm not just talking about your bog standard bed pillow, I'm talking about a whole plethora of pillows to keep you comfy for every eventuality! Maternity pillows to support you in bed (not just whilst you sleep but also whilst you're at up feeding), neck pillows to support you during night feeds, feeding pillows to help support baby, pillow for between your knees, extra pillows to prop you up, bolster pillows for under your arms whilst on the sofa etc... you'll be thankful for them all.
HUGE maternity pads
I only found out that these existed after having my 3rd baby. For my previous babies I just bought the standard maternity pads from the supermarket but this time I ordered some very large pads online and they were an absolute game changer! They may be bigger than your baby's nappies and look like the size of your head, but they will offer SO much more protection from leaks, especially at night time. Let's face it - you've got enough to contend with having a new baby without having to worry about your pads not being good enough. Get the biggest you can find!
So there we go, 5 simple but very essential items that you will be glad to have ready once your bundle of joy arrives!
