Six months ago there were three of us pregnant at work. One coworker pregnant with her second baby due 8 weeks ahead of me, and another coworker (who sat two desks away from me), due 8 weeks after me.
Now since I have a whole EIGHT WEEKS more experience than my other coworker, I always felt I should impart my wisdom on her. This has continued after delivery as we've been chatting and I've been giving her my advice through my limited experience.
Here it is, the honest, unfiltered advice of a mom with just a little more than 10 weeks of experience on her hands. (Portions of the conversation were removed to make this less boring, but no text was altered)
It all started with this:
"I just wanted to write to see if you have any lessons learned you wish to share...the big day is coming fast!"
Motherhood is better than I imagined and all the pregnancy and labor is well worth it when you see that little face :-) oh and bring your own towel to the hospital- theirs suck.
Those towels must be really bad if that's your only suggestion for the whole process. ha ha.
They were small, thin, rough and after all you've been through you just want a nice comfy towel to dry off with... Also my "Baby" iPod playlist helped me get through the most difficult part of labor and the nurses loved it! Oh and get some nursing clothes/bras now- they make breastfeeding SO much easier!
I like the Bravado nursing bras and tank tops... And the Lamaze sleep bras for night time. Your boobs get huge so no bra is not comfortable... I like the Boobease nipple balm (made of olive oil) and the Bambooboies soothing pads. I haven't had any leaking problems yet but I have the Bambooboies washable pads (heart shaped) and they are super soft. You have to have a nursing pillow, boppy, my breast friend or balboa baby- but you have to have one! Henley style shirts are your best friend.
I ordered in my "post pregnancy size"- up a size from pre pregnancy. Boobs are definitely a bit bigger but pretty similar to their size during pregnancy. I lowered my standards for cute clothes because convenience wins now!
Don't forget to bring a comfy nursing bra ( or two) to the hospital!
I wore a "pull down" tank today and I wasn't a big fan... The shirts with the openings are better and leave you feeling much less exposed if you have to feed without a nursing cover. Nursing tanks (I like bravado) are great for wearing under regular shirts or cardigans.
Did you end up getting one of those post pregnancy belts or anything like that? --Was curious if one was worth buying.
I got one from Amazon and I've worn it periodically, but I don't think it did much... and its uncomfortable. I decided that I don't care enough to wear it, I would rather be comfortable and just hang out with my baby. The pounds dropped off really quickly right away up to having just 10 pounds left... and those don't seem to be budging and I am ok with that for now. I bought one pair of "big" jeans because maternity stuff was too big but I mostly wear yoga-type pants and my stretchy maternity or pre-preg leggings. My "regular" clothes sort of fit but they are still tight... will need to loose a few pounds before going back to work but until then I'm just wearing comfy clothes anyways. Give yourself permission to relax and be comfortable for a few months :-) :-) Once you meet and bond with your baby other things are less important (much more so than I imagined).
After she gave birth, she texted me this: Thank you for the towel recommendation!!!
Hope you are taking it easy! Accept all the help you can get!
Have you had any breastfeeding issues?
Keira wouldn't latch on right after delivery but later on that day we got her on and she's been a big eater ever since. It was a struggle to get her to take a bottle (she doesn't like pacifiers either). I've been going to breastfeeding support group at my hospital and that has been really helpful!
We also met with our pediatrician offices lactation consultant and that was helpful too! Turns out the free insurance pump is a POS and it was making pumping very difficult and painful for me... Now I'm trying to find a deal so I can buy a better one. I had the Ameda Purely yours and that is total POS. I just want to use it now to get her a bottle a day just to get used to it so I am able to be away when needed (I need a haircut!). And then when I return to work ill be pumping a couple times a day. I probably won't so much of a freezer supply since I have just enough milk and mine goes bad quickly (annoying). If you need some light reading, I just got "so that's what they're for!" it's a funny/informative book about breastfeeding helps get you through the tough parts.
Yes my goal is to make it to a year (f breastfeeding)... (Our other coworker) did it while pumping so I'm hoping I can too. We're still trying to figure out child care situation (we are still low on the waiting lists) so I'm going to be out probably for 4-6 months. I'm happy about it!
Are you getting any help or is it just you at home?
Just me! Take the help now because after the first month people seem to stop helping and figure you've got it taken care of! We have kept our cleaning service so at least the house get cleaned by someone else! I'm doing ok on my own so I don't mind. And I've learned to just ask for help now when I need it- occasionally I'll reach out and have a friend bring me dinner.
Conclusion:
That was your sneak peek into the minds of two new mothers... Our concerns and thoughts and advice. The thing I've found so amazing about being a new mom is the amount of support there is- from the hospital's three different groups to other new moms just reaching out a helping hand. It's like being part of a new secret society! Before Christmas I was shopping at the mall and another full-fledged mom (with older kids) saw me with my stroller and have me the secret wink of motherhood, like I was now accepted in... It was cool.
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