10 Registry Items I Loved, Plus a Bonus!

There are so many lists out there, so I will just touch on a few of my favorites that might not be obvious to the FTM (first time mom).

1. Thermos – If you are planning on pumping, you might want an easy way to warm a bottle on the road. Choose a Thermos with a very wide mouth so you can stick the bottle down into the warm water for a few minutes. I like things that are not unitaskers!

2. Lingerie bags – You might be familiar with the mystery of where missing baby socks have gone. I keep three lingerie bags handy. One for tiny baby socks. One for bras to keep them from getting tangled up. One for bibs with Velcro that can tear up your other clothes. I stick the Velcro together, but sometimes, it just comes apart. I chose the mesh bags with the larger holes, rather than the fine holes because the Velcro really gets stuck to the fine mesh.

3. Exercise ball – My childbirth prep class suggested one for a comfortable seating choice during the third trimester, a tool for early labor at home, and an option to bounce a fussy baby to sleep.

4. Baby towels - The idea of microfiber is nice, but I find it to be nonabsorbent and any fingernails that aren’t cut perfectly get caught in the fibers.  (Cold shiver! Gross!) Plus, they get insanely staticky. (More cold shivers and goosebumps!)  I like the hooded towels made out of the regular old towel material! 

5. Sleeping gowns – I loved these amazing gowns! The elastic bottom allows you to pull the gown up and down quickly for a diaper change. I only would suggest the newborn and 0-3 month size. After my baby got more active, she’d run her feet up the inside of the gown and pull down hard, stretching out the neck.

6. Circo Brand Sleepers – Sold in 2 packs, these zip from top to bottom, which means that you zip up just as far as you need to in order to change a diaper, keeping baby’s top half clothed.  I’d register for the newborn size all the way up to the largest size offered!

7. Swing – AKA the only reason I was able to completely get myself ready for the day almost every morning and do a load of laundry. Look for these two things: 1. A plug. (Batteries get expensive, and you really don’t want them to run out of juice in the middle of something.) 2. A high weight limit. I put my darling in the swing one morning and she was just too heavy. It stopped swinging, she wouldn’t sleep, and my lovely mornings ended.
8. Car seat – Duh. My husband and I could not agree on this for the longest time. Here’s a piece of handy advice for you: If your husband cares enough to work on the registry with you, respect his opinions! I’m a weakling, so I was looking for the most lightweight car seat. He is a protective daddy, so he was looking for the safest. We went with the safest, and I built up the muscle to carry a sleeping 23 pound baby into the house without waking her up.

9. Dye-free Baby Tylenol – It’s so stressful the first time the baby gets sick. You want to have this on hand before the baby actually gets a fever. Be sure to ask the pediatrician for a dosage chart so you know how much to administer.

10. Nose Frida – I was going to use the bulb the hospital provided, but guess what… it’s opaque, so I had no idea if it was working! A Nose Frida gives you a lot of control over the suction and is so easy to clean.

Bonus item: Keurig and Decaf K Cups – Well, maybe you shouldn’t actually register for this one! My husband bought one for me when baby was two months old and I needed to accomplish most tasks with one hand throughout the day. Of course, be ever so careful drinking a hot cup of coffee near a baby!

My L and D Playlist

I developed my list by listening to Christian radio over the course of 9 months. I looked for gentle Jesus music that would help keep my focus on love and calm rather than pain and fear. Using the app SoundHound, I’d let my phone listen to identify the title and singer, which also kept a list of my searches. Then I downloaded the songs onto my iPhone at a convenient time. I also plugged my most favorite songs into Pandora and found some similar songs that I loved that way, too. When I went into labor, I only had a little over an hour of music, which isn’t really enough, so I’ve been adding to the list for next time. I avoided drums and live versions for labor music – you might like the applause for your pushing music, though! I decided not to use Pandora for L and D because the ads are loud and distracting, plus I wanted very specific songs. If you wanted to use Pandora, I would make sure that you got the ad-free version.

Jesus Paid It All by Fernando Ortega

Doxology by Fernando Ortega

Give Me Jesus by Fernando Ortega

Set My Hope by Grace Church Worship

Lead Me to the Cross by Hillsong

Oceans by Hillsong

Touch the Sky by Hillsong

Cornerstone by Hillsong

This I Believe by Hillsong

Man of Sorrows by Hillsong

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

In Christ Alone by Sarah Reeves

My Hope Is In You by Aaron Shust

One Thing Remains by Passion

You Never Let Go by Passion

Your Great Name by Natalie Grant

I Am Not Alone by Kari Jobe

10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman

Fully Devoted by Life.Church.Worship

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

Breathe by Jonny Diaz

Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban (my wedding song)

Welcome to Our World by Chris Rice

O Little Town of Bethlehem by Fernando Ortega

Winter Snow by Chris Tomlin featuring Audrey Assad

Here With Us by Joy Williams
Sing Over Me - the whole album has lullaby/worship songs perfect for the occasion!
You Are Good by Nichole Nordeman (on the previous album, but love, love, love!)
What do I Know of Holy by Addison Road

What are some songs that you have used or would like to use for such a special moment?

My Best Breastfeeding and Pumping Tips

1. Unfortunately, breastfeeding will initially hurt for a while. Like, I would have to suck air through my front teeth for about 10 seconds when baby first latched on. Be strong! This feeling will not last forever! Power through it, and soon you’ll be at the stage where every once in a while you’ll have to check to be sure baby is still latched on because you can’t even feel it!
2.  It will get easier! I went out to eat with several other nursing mothers, and one was astonished how quickly I was done nursing. It wasn’t that my baby and I were any better at it. We were just a little further along in our journey. At first, you’re feeding a floppy baby and neither of you really know what you’re doing. After a while, baby gets really efficient at getting the milk out, and they are able to support themselves in the correct position with you using one arm rather than two. Eventually, they can even independently unlatch and relatch.
3.  Lanolin is great! Use it liberally, especially right before a shower. It is, however, hard to get out of your bra. If you spray a bunch of Shout on it, though, it will come out. Or use nursing pads. I would only buy one small tube. You’ll only need to use it for a month or so, then nursing will feel completely normal.
4. Change baby’s diaper before you nurse the baby.  With some new babies, they’ll tell you to keep them upright for 30 minutes after eating if they spit up a lot. You can’t change baby’s diaper while holding them upright.
5. Along those lines, go pee before you nurse the baby.
6. Babies are people, too! We have routines, but exact schedules, not so much. Sometimes you eat dinner at 5:30, sometimes you’re not hungry until 7:00. Give yourself and baby a break if she’s not acting interested. Also, if she’s not “scheduled” to eat for another hour, but she’s going nuts for milk, feed her! Think about it: do you always eat when you’re super hungry? Sometimes, it’s because you’re dying for some fried chicken or chocolate cake. Same with baby. My favorite “comfort nursing” was when my sweetie would act desperate to eat, eat for 1 minute, then let out a huge fart and not be interested in eating anymore! Ahh, that’s better! She would also nurse for a minute until she pooped or fell asleep. It’s all normal!
7. If your baby is a major spitter like mine, you’ll end up with chunky milk everywhere wondering where to start the cleaning. (I mean the kind of mess where your clothes, baby’s clothes, the couch, and the carpet are soaked.) I took home a bunch of the hospital receiving blankets and used those as burp cloths. When she ate, I covered her with one. If she spit up during or after, I just sat her up and let the mess go all over the blanket. Then I tossed it into the laundry.
8. Bibs are great for baby spit up, too. Change a bib instead of an outfit!
9. Vitamin D drops – If the pediatrician recommends them, get the single drop kind. (They sell it at Whole Foods.) It’s just too hard to get a baby to drink a vial of colored liquid. Set an alarm on your phone that reminds you to give it. My phone chimes, “Prenatal vitamin, Vitamin D!”
10. Nursing/pumping takes up a huge chunk of time.  It’s great for mom and baby to sit quietly and gaze into each others’ eyes. It’s nice to watch TV or get on your phone to text, get on Pinterest, etc.  I like the Duolingo app, which helps me improve my German skills and makes me feel like I actually “did something”. I also spend quite a bit of time planning meals and making grocery shopping lists.

Pumping Tips

1. If struggling to get baby to use a bottle with pumped milk, try starting with freshly pumped milk instead of reheated or cold.
2. If you’re doing a lot of pumping, get a nursing tank top (like a Glamour Mom tank) that is tight and has holes in it that will hold up your pump stuff.  With hands-free pumping, you can more easily hold and entertain baby, type on the computer, balance the checkbook, etc.
3.  I have cats, which means that they get on the countertops. At first, I would wash and sterilize the pump parts, then hear my cats batting the parts around on the floor five minutes later. (Insert weeping or angry face here!) I learned quickly that that wasn’t going to work for me. I cleaned out a shelf in the cupboard, put down a cloth, and put pump parts directly onto the cloth to dry after pulling them out of the microwave. Problem solved!
4. Don’t waste pumped milk! If you don’t end up using it, find a Mother’s Milk Bank and donate. When I found out that the smallest premie babies can’t digest formula and that their mothers have a hard time producing milk, I realized that I could spend a few minutes every day pumping and feed those precious little ones!

Bonus Tip: Okay, so this worked for me, but it might be a strange fluke. (But it’s so worth a try!) Anytime I feel like my period is coming back, I spend a few extra minutes that day on pumping and the feeling just fizzles out. Also, she still nurses at night, which might have a lot to do with it.  I haven’t gotten a visit from old Aunt Flo yet, and little LB is going on 10 months!

Why You Should Avoid Reading “TERRIFYING THINGS NOBODY TELLS YOU!!!” Articles

When I was pregnant, I read everything I could about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.  I’m sure everyone sits in the OB office and up in bed at night fearing the pain and suffering, and a certain extent of knowledge will help.  But the stuff that turned out to be not-so-helpful was the “brace yourself” style of fear-mongering blog posts, articles, and comments from people who seem like deep down they just can’t wait to see you have the same painful/embarrassing experience they had.  So, here are some good reasons to click the little X in the corner when what you’re reading or hearing makes you ask Siri where you can get a DeLorean so you can go back in time and hide your razor, replace all your underwear with granny panties, and sprinkle garlic powder all over your dinner.

Things I was told to be scared of that never happened…

1.       “They won’t let you leave the hospital until you poop.”  Ha, wrong!  (In my case, at least.)  With a quick wave of the hand, my doctor granted me permission to leave the hospital.  In hushed tones, I whispered, “But I haven’t gone to the bathroom yet!”  She explained that I would as soon as I was in the comfort of my own home, and she was right!

2.       “Pooping was the worst experience of my life!  It was worse than having the baby!”  Wrong again! (For me.)  I took the stool softeners I was instructed to take, and I felt absolutely no pain whatsoever.  Thank God!

3.       “Try to relax, but the catheter will hurt pretty bad!”  After giving birth, I hadn’t peed in a looooong time.  My back started to hurt, and they figured out it was my over-filled bladder, but the pee just wouldn’t come out!  Not only did I not feel a thing when I was catheterized, but my back felt ten times better instantly!  Yay!

4.       “You’re going to get hemorrhoids and it’s going to be a pain in the butt for the rest of your life.”  (See what I did there…) Not me!

5.       “You will spend a lot of time trying to get baby to latch.  Then, you’ll just end up with pumping or formula.”  Lucky for me, my baby was born ready to eat!  She needed a tad bit of help getting her mouth open wide enough, but she caught on quick!

6.       “Once your milk comes in, it will be squirting everywhere all the time like a wet t-shirt contest!” I leaked sometimes for maybe two months, but nothing a nursing pad couldn’t handle!  I never had an embarrassing leaky moment. And think about it… have you ever looked at a woman in public and noticed that she was leaking milk?  Me neither!  (Either because people just don’t notice, or because it rarely happens!)

7.       “Be prepared for people to make comments if you nurse in public.”  Nobody has ever said anything negative to me! When I went out without my husband for the first time, the only seat I could find was next to a mom and her young son.  I was worried she wouldn’t want me nursing where her son could see, so I asked her if it would be okay if I sat there and fed my baby.  She got really stern with me and said, “Don’t you ever ask anyone that question again!  Sit down and feed your baby!”  So I did.  Then her son asked, “Mom, did you use a cover when you breastfed me?”  The two of them sat there having an open, candid discussion about breastfeeding in public.  I can honestly say that I haven’t had a single concern ever since!

Now, by no means did I have a 100% happy, painless, embarrassment-free experience.  But just remember how many women have more than one baby!  Naturally, we all have legitimate fears and concerns, so surround yourself with the wise council of women who will encourage you while answering your questions honestly.

Hilarious Baby Shower Game

I've seen lots of "Bride or Groom" or "Mommy or Daddy" games to help people get to know you at a shower, but I think my version takes the cake!  I was always known to be a goody-goody good girl, but secretly I always know that I am just good at hiding the weird things I've done.  So, I have invented a party game to play with my siblings... It's called "Confessions" and all you have to do is to get everyone to confess something embarrassing that they've done in their life.  I'll be frank.  I had no idea what freaks I spend holidays with.  Sorry guys, just sayin.  I thought I had a doozy when I admitted one of my deepest darkest.  At a family Christmas party, (I stress as a very young girl) I discovered that I had been left high and dry in the TP department and it was a code brown.  I checked the cabinets.  Nothing.  So I did what I had to do.  The back of the Santa hand towel got it.  Then, I simply replaced the hand towel and left.  (So, I guess if nobody invites me to their parties anymore, I get it.  But I was really little, I swear!!!)  Well, my Santa towel story was far surpassed by a crazy story from my little sis, but I'm not at liberty to reveal the shock and awe.  Anyhoo, for my shower, I made a game along those lines... "Daddy or Mommy" and boy did people get a lot of good laughs!  The game has a list of basic info about myself and my husband along with a list of naughty or strange things we did as kids.  Party guests simply had to decide who did it, Daddy or Mommy? Then they held up a little sign that said Daddy or Mommy to indicate their answer, and I got to watch the mouths drop.  My favorite moments were when little old ladies would confidently hold up the Daddy sign, then look at me like I was a sicko.  Haha!  Or when my Mom yelled out, "You did what?!?!"  You definitely have to make your own for the kicks and giggles!  I even taped a copy into Little LB's baby book for future laughs.
 

How to Grocery Shop

Baby-wearing makes shopping so much easier, and it's less likely that strangers are going to poke your baby in this set-up!

It’s hard to figure out how to shop with your newborn baby!  Never fear!  Once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature.  Here are my tips for making your grocery shopping trips a bit easier!

·         If possible, take another adult with you the first couple of times so you can get the hang of it.

·         A lot of moms are afraid to go out at first because germy people are constantly reaching to touch the little papoose.  I could never muster the chutzpah to tell people, “Don’t touch,” but what I could do if needed was ask people to touch her feet.  “Oh, you can touch her feet if you’d like! You know babies, always putting their hands in their mouths!”

·         Use a grocery list app so you can always be adding things to your list and you don’t have to worry about losing a piece of paper.  Plus, you can easily meal plan during a midnight feeding on your phone!

·         Choose a wise time to go out, like 30 minutes after a morning feeding.  You don’t want baby to be hungry during or right after the trip.  You need time to put the groceries away.

·         Pee before you leave.  Nobody wants to pee their pants in public!

·         Leave the diaper bag in the car.  You can run out with baby and grab it if you really need it.  Take only wallet, phone, and keys. (And if you have a spitter, tuck a burp cloth in, too!)  Or you can slide the minimum (diaper and wipes) into your purse if the weather is bad.

·         When baby is old enough to need toys, bring 2 plastic toys that can be thrown in the dishwasher when you get home.

·         Park next to the cart return in case you have to load up your own groceries.

·         Know what you need and be decisive. There’s no telling how long you actually have before your LO loses it.

·         If baby is awake, use the opportunity to chat with the cutie!  I explain the different items we’re getting, what they are, what we’re doing next, etc.

·         Here are some options for how to tote baby:

·         Large shopping trip:

o   Baby in car seat, in main basket of cart.  (Not on top of cart seat! I’ve seen one tip over!)  Put a big sturdy bag (like a 31 bag) under the cart and toss items in bag and around car seat.  You can even have the bagger reload them into the big bag!

o   Wear baby.  Use whole cart!  With an older outward-facing baby, go to the floral department and get a balloon.  Clip to the front of your cart to entertain baby!

o   Baby in stroller with a family member/friend pushing stroller while you push the cart.

·         Small shopping trip:

o   Baby in stroller.  Toss items under stroller.  Perk – no cart to return!

·         If the clerk offers a carry-out, always say yes.  Ask for one if they don’t!

·         When I get back to the car, I snap her into the car seat first so she's secure.  Don’t start your car if you’re not in the driver’s seat. You’ll be too distracted with groceries and baby, risking someone getting in and driving off.

·         It can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to arrange baby, stroller, diaper bag, groceries, etc. into the car.  Remember that nothing really matters except the safety of you and baby.  Turn your back on your groceries, phone, and wallet before you turn your back on your baby.  (That’s why it’s so much easier to opt for the carry-out!  By the time I have baby all situated, the groceries are in and the cart is put away!)

·         When you get home, take baby inside first and set down in a safe location.  If you’re in luck, Pookie will be asleep, giving you time to use the bathroom and put groceries away before the next diaper change/feeding!

Disposable Diapering - The Logistics

Get as much practice as you can with changing diapers before your baby comes! Watch how other people do it, or even watch videos.

1. If your house has more than one story, set up a diaper changing station on each floor. It’s too hard to run the stairs each time! A small basket with diapers, wipes, Aquaphor, and a waterproof changing pad will do just fine!
2. Have a plan for messy clothing so they're not all stained. Here's mine... Rinse and soak dirty clothing in hot soapy water right away.  If I'm too lazy to go to the laundry room, I just squirt on some dish soap.  Spray on some pre-treating (Shout) spray, then wash ASAP adding Oxyclean to regular detergent. If out and about, use a Shout wipe and put clothing in a plastic bag. Clean as soon as you get home!
3. Pick stinky baby up with caution!  Try not to carry baby by the bottom because that poop has to go somewhere.  If the diaper is full, you risk squishing poo out the sides, back, or even front of the diaper. 
4. Getting started, to see if the diaper is wet, check the wetness indicator line, or see if part of the diaper got fluffy.  To see if it’s dirty, sniff to check for a vinegary smell on breastfed baby’s bottom, or carefully peek in the side. Don’t stick your finger in too deep!!!
5. Get everything ready first. Pull out as many wipes as you think you’ll need. For a dirty diaper, I usually use at least 3.
6. Before removing the old diaper, put the baby down on the fresh diaper. Then you can clean up baby, slide off the old diaper, add product, and close up the new one.  If baby starts to "go" again in the middle of the diaper change, it will go right on the diaper!
7. Advice from a NICU nurse on diaper rash prevention: Use a layer of Aquaphor under a thick layer of the red bottle Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. Thick like old-fashioned sunscreen on your nose. Prevention is best!  (Love that stuff! Smells like a delightful pumpkin pie!)
8. Always check around baby’s thighs to make sure the “gathers” are out.  If they get tucked in, poop can leak out easily.  You can see the gathers pretty well in this picture of my tiny newborn love sleeping on my mom!