Pregnancy to 6 Week Old Must Haves

Time has flown by and there are so many things that I have loved and enjoyed along the way.  As always, I want there to be a book or a list of things to have and/or use so I am creating my own list to pass my experience forward, especially for a dear friend of mine who is 6 weeks pregnant with her first!  Keep in mind that my baby is only 6 weeks old and I live in Eugene, OR.  The lists below are only recommendations of what has worked for me and I added as many links as possible.

Websites

• Baby Center - great weekly emails on the baby and mother development during pregnancy and after.
• The Bump - great weekly emails on the baby and mother during and after pregnancy.  Also has a great name lister builder to keep ideas and an awesome check list for during pregnancy.
• EverydayFamily - great weekly emails with great sales/coupons
• Amazon - especially helpful if you are a Prime member and for a baby registry.  I did my registry on this site for the convenience of family all over the US and the easy of one location.  Amazon Mom is awesome!
• diapers.com - lots of baby items with quick delivery.  I often compare prices between this site and Amazon for the best deal.
• Zulily - discounted baby, mom, home, etc supplies.  I bought my crib/mattress set and many other items for the baby from this site at great deals!  They also have a nice rotation of maternity/nursing clothes!
• Shutterfly - great site for photo sharing (create your own site), photo printing, photo storage, and lots of photo gifts.
• Blog to document your experience - it goes quickly so document all the good, bad, and in between...with pictures!  I did weekly belly pics and the the same weekly recaps.  Blogger and WordPress offer user friendly platforms with lots of options.  I used Blogger because it is tied to my Google account.

Products

• Chicco Car Seat and extra base - easy to install, easy to get in and out of the car, easy to get baby in and out, and very safe!  The extra base is a must for a multi-car family!
• Carseat  Canopy - attaches to the car seat handle and protects the baby from the rain, too much sun, and other crazy weather.  It also creates a dark tent if the baby is sleeping while out and about.  Also, I love how this helps to keep the baby warm on really chilly days.  There is regularly a coupon code to get these for free, just pay shipping so Google it to find a current code.
• Baby Jogger City Mini - easy to fold up, super compact, great steering, and awesome!  Get a stroller that you love!
• Baby Carrier - great for keeping baby close while have both arms!  My carrier is designed for 7 pounds and up and no need for an infant insert.  The baby can be on the front facing both ways or on the back.  The carrier is great while running errands, do things around the house, on walks, etc.  Get one that is easy to adjust for both parents!
• Petunia Pickle Bottom City Carryall - I no longer carry a purse, just the diaper bag with my wristlet clutch.  I strongly recommend that you touch, open, and physically inspect diaper bags to find the one you love!  PPB offers great designs and beautiful fabrics.  I choose the City Carryall because I can use it messenger style and over the shoulder.  It stands on its own but does not have a flap to open like most bags.  My cousin highly recommends the Boxy Backpack, too.
• JJ Cole Diaper Clutch/Pouch - a must for quick outings!  This holds diapers, wipes, and hand sanitizer.  A chancing pad is included.
• Diaper Genie - We have a two story home with the bedrooms upstairs.  The Diaper Genie is great and easy to use at night in the baby's room.  We go through more diapers downstairs during the day so those go straight in trash which is emptied more regularly (multiple times throughout a week) than the diaper genie (once a week).
• Pack N Play with napper/changer - a must for travelers!  We use it downstairs as a changing station and napper at this point.  We are downstairs the majority of the time.  The baby's room has everything needed when we are upstairs.  Also, this would be great as a bassinet to save money.
• good nursing bras and sleeper bra - Good nursing bras offer the must needed support during the last few months of pregnancy and are essential for nursing.  The sleeper is comfy and needed for the nursing pads to prevent waking in puddles of milk.  I have not had problems lactating and sometimes feel like a Dairy Queen so the pads are a must!  I got mine from a Motherhood store.  Another tip, sign up for Motherhood's reward program for extra savings and coupons!
• Medela Pump - I use the Pump In Style which is a dual electric pump.  It is easy to use, easy to clean, quiet, and comfortable.  I also have a manual Medela pump for when I am on the go.
• LilyPadz - I use cotton disposable pads most of the time but as my milk production has started to regulate, these silicon pads suction on for a great fit and no leakage.  I love these!
• Lanolin - best thing ever! A friend told me to use it immediately when the baby was born and I am so glad I took her advice!  I used it at least every night for the first three weeks and as needed now.  My nipples got sore and tender but never cracked or bled! Use it!
• Medela Tender Care Hydrogel Pads - these were a lifesaver in the first two weeks of beast feeding.  These pads and lanolin helped my pore nipples adjust to being a new nursing mom.  These are incredible soothing and cooling!
• nursing cover - great option while nursing in public modestly.  I can't control when my little guy is hungry so I love how this cover helps me feed him while staying covered!  I have actually needed to use this while at church and felt comfortable knowing that I was not flashing the Priest and other parishioners!  There is regularly a coupon code to get these for free, just pay shipping so Google it to find a current code.
• Boppy - get a great nursing pillow!  I love the Boppy pillow for nursing and suggest multiple covers so that you can replace one while another cover is getting washed.  The Boppy also is great for the baby's development by using it for cradling, tummy time, and playtime.
• Bassinet - I swore I did not need a bassinet and would not let the baby sleep in our bed; however, my friend gave us her bassinet and it has been a life saver!  The bassinet is right next to my side of the bed so I can easily get the the little guy to feed in the middle of the night.  If you are trying to save money, you can also use a Pack N Play.
• Glider and ottoman - I don't mind the billion crunches while swaying, rocking, or bouncing my baby but the glider ottoman duo is a lifesaver in the middle of the night when I am super sleepy.  My little guy likes to sleep on my chest while I am in the sitting position so I have slept in the glider with my feet up to sooth him through tough nights.
• bookcase/storage cubes - great storage options as a bookshelf and drawers!
• dimmer switch - put one in the baby's room, trust me!  I adjust the brightness to half right before going to bed so that when I change diapers during the night I don't blind myself or startle the baby which prevents a crying fit!  Here are directions.
• Wall vinyl to decorate nursery - a quick, easy way to decorate the baby's room without painting.  Also, these are easy to remove.
• Lots of blankets - all sizes, all types!  We go through at least 2-3 blankets a week because they get peed on or dirtied in other ways.  I use a heavier blanket when going out than in the house.  I also have blankets that are  lighter so we are ready for spring/summer.  These are great for keeping warm, nursing on the go, floor mats, and so much more.
• Clothe diapers, burp clothes, and receiving blankets - you cannot have too many of any of these!  I use clothe diapers for burp clothes and cleaning a messy eater while nursing.  Burp clothes are great for on the go.  These burp bids are my favorite because they are bigger than most burp clothes.  Receiving blankets are great while nursing (staying modest and keeping clean while nursing) and swaddling!
• Baby bathtub with newborn insert - super helpful for a squirmy newborn.  The tub can be used on a counter.  The insert helps support the newborn which is super helpful!  Another tip, you can never have too many baby wash clothes!
• Nail clippers where baby sleeps - keep multiple in the common places the baby sleeps!  I have one set by the couch and one in the baby's room.  It is so much easier to trim nails while the baby is sleeping; otherwise, it is almost impossible to trim nails, without cuts, while there are flailing hands that jerk away!
• Camera - be comfortable with your camera and use it to document your pregnancy and the new family addition!  Any camera will do as long as you use it.  I primarily used my iPhone.  Make sure that you upload/share your pictures.  Also, get in front of the camera so that you are included in pictures, too!

Other Resources

• Your Doctor - I firmly believe that you should LOVE your doctor.  An open, honest, two way communication relationship with trust is essential!  Never be afraid, ashamed, embarrassed, scared, or silly asking any question!  Find a new doctor by asking friends, family, your other health care providers, etc for referrals.  Same goes for the baby's doctor.
• Your Pregnancy Week By Week (book) - great book on the mom's progress through pregnancy and the baby's development.  There are also great exercises throughout the pregnancy.
• Happiest Baby On The Block (DVD) - great tips on helping calm a crying baby!
• Morning Sickness remedy - ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!  Mine told me to take half a Unison tablet and B6 at night to easy morning sickness.  I still threw up but usually only in the mornings instead of all day and it took the edge off of nausea.  This combo helped me tremendously.
• Pregnancy Yoga - Build your strength and flexibility while working on controlled and steady breathing.  I was able to go into deeper pushing positions with more ease because I did yoga throughout my pregnancy.  There are great DVDs if you cannot make a class. I used this DVD.
• App to track feeding, sleep, diapers - Small Nest is what i have been using on my iPhone.
• Insurance prenatal program - check to see what prenatal program is offered.  My work changed insurance companies during my pregnancy.  The first company only offered an online prenatal program  with similar articles/resources to the websites above.  My current insurance is awesome by offering pregnancy and parenting books, online resources, monthly emails, nurse phone calls to check in, free prenatal vitamins for 9 months, reimbursement for hospital classes, and reimbursement for a breast pump.  Look into what your insurance offers and use the program!
• hospital tours - There are two hospitals in the Eugene/Springfield area.  We toured both to make an informed decision on where to deliver the baby.  I also asked friends which hospital they used, why they choose that hospital, and their experience.  I also asked my doctor and her nurses.  Pre-registering also smoothed the admission process.
• Hospital classes - After we chose the delivery hospital, we took a birth class.  Do it!  I found it very helpful as it described the pregnancy and birth process, what labor is like, labor coping methods, labor process for vaginal and c-sect births, pain management options, possible complications and how they are handled, tools used during birth, and so much more.  I also took a lactation class that was very helpful!  I am a firm believer that it is import to be informed and taking the courses answered my questions and put me at ease!
• Local baby/children's store - I find talking to a salesperson can give extra insight that product reviews cannot.  A good local store can explain why they carry the products that they do or more importantly why they choose not to carry others.  My local store, Fletchers, was very helpful when I was researching strollers and car seats.  Plus, I always like supporting my local community!

A New Adventure

On Wednesday, December 19, at 8pm I checked into McKenzie Willamette Hospital for an induction.  My Dad (Bill), Shawna (step-mother), Madison (little sister), and Billy (brother) drove up from Medford to see me in the hospital on Wednesday night.  Billy was an awesome help with our dogs and stayed at the house.  During the night, I was given a medication that ripened my cervix so that at 7am the pitocin drip could start.  My Mom (Charlene) arrived from Talent in the morning.  My water was broken around 8am.  Contractions ensued.  I had an pain medication given through my IV to sustain me until the epidural could be inserted around 10am.  The epidural was inserted at 10:30am and I am so glad I had it!  By 11am I was dilated to a 4 but there were some problems.  My blood pressure kept dropping which made the baby's heart rate plummet.  I was immediately placed on my side and his heart rate recovered very quickly.  For the next 5 hours, there was a debate as to what was causing my blood pressure to tank and what the effects were to the baby.  With each blood pressure plummet, a slew of medical people rushed in and kicked my family out which led to them being very stressed out and ease dropping by the closed door.  The fam was kicked out 4 times.  Due to my excellent care and calming doctor, I am thankful that I never got too worried. I LOVE my nurse (nurse Hydee) and my doctor!  Hydee continued to monitor and stabilize my blood pressure.  Dr. Reilly was certain my blood pressure was the cause and that the baby was not in any distress, especially based on how quickly his heart rate recovered.  Around 3pm, the anesthesiologist came back and added a medication to stabilize my blood pressure.  The pitocin was turned back on and contractions started up again by 4pm.  Around 4:45pm-ish, I was feeling the pressure from the contractions and uncomfortable so I asked my family for privacy.  By 5:30pm I was fully dilated and ready for pushing.   All of a sudden, my hospital gown seemed clingy and choking so I pulled it off.  Dan was an amazing coach and helped count to eight for each push and encouraged me to push in threes.  He was very calm and very assuring.  There was only one point in the end when Dan got a bit too loud and into the pushing mantra.  I meant to put my hand on his mouth to quiet him because I was in mid-push and getting tired.  I accidentally slightly choked him which now gives us a funny story...oops!  I tried lots of pushing positions and found several that worked well.  I had Dan, Hydee, and Dr. Reilly in the room with me.  The atmosphere was just what I had hoped for; calm. quiet, intimate, and full love love.  We were serious when needed but also joked around a lot.  Dan surprised himself by watching the delivery.  I found it very helpful to watch the delivery progress in a mirror.  I sure did not except to watch but was amazed to watch the progress.  After a long time of hard pushing in sets of three, sometimes four or five, our baby came into the world.  Bebe Claric was born at 7:09pm, weighing 8 pounds and 7 ounces, and was 20.75 inches long.  He was perfect and placed skin to skin with me.  Dan cut the umbilical cord.  We had some family bonding time and I breastfed for the first time before family came in to meet the little guy.  I am not sure where it came from but I started calling the little guy Bubba (Bubba Boo) and it stuck.  Dan's parents came up from Roseburg to meet the baby.  Our visitor left by 11pm-ish.  I took a shower,  which felt like pure Heaven, and watched Dan give the baby his first bath with the nurse before falling asleep.  The baby allowed me to sleep for 5 full hours that night and I was extremely thankful!

First bath

On Friday, I was shocked at how sore my body was, especially my hips when attempting to walk.  We had many visitors while we were at the hospital including family members on Dan's side and good friends to both of us.  Our family is definitely loved!  We continued to toss around names for Bubba from Thursday until Saturday morning.  We narrowed the chooses down to Vincent James and Jacob Daniel.  I finished the paperwork for the birth certificate and SSN card on Saturday morning.  We named our baby boy Vincent James Claric.  By Saturday, I was feeling overstimulated and like a zoo animal.  I was tired of being in the hospital and on display which meant that it was a good time to venture out of the hospital and into the real world!  The hospital took Vincent's picture, family helped pack up the car, I learned how to do self care while my body continued to recover, Dan and I put the baby in the car seat, the car seat in the car, and drove home. We left the hospital on Saturday, December 22 by 4pm.  Driving home with our new born son felt wonderful, scary,and bizarre!  Sunday was fairly calm.  Keith (step-father) and Lilly (grandmama) came up from Talent on Monday.  Vinny had his first doctor appointment on Monday.  He weighed 8 pounds even.  We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with both sides of my family.  The family went back to hotels around 9pm so we were able to get to bed early.  Everyone was back over at 8am on Christmas morning.  We opened presents and had a lovely breakfast.  There were lots of hugs and loves before everyone got on the road by noon.  I quickly bolted to a nearby catholic church to attend Christmas mass.  The only mass that late was at a parish I have never been to and in Spanish.  Even though I am sure God would understand, I did not want to miss Christmas mass.  I am so thankful that Dan took Vinny and encouraged me to go.  The rest of Tuesday was calm...eerily calm.

The rest of week had a steep learning curve.  Dan was back to work on Wednesday so Vinny and I started to figure out our new life.  I struggled to learn how to care for a newborn while taking care of my recovering body on a lack of sleep.  The hardest lesson was figuring out how to eat.  I realized the hard way that eating for the first time at 2pm was not acceptable for my well-being or Vinny.  I had to allow myself to eat, even if Vinny cried.  By the end of the week I was feeling stir crazy in the house.  I did not want to venture out into the world without help.  Dan and I had a good weekend.

 
The next week, we had visitors again and I had a list of to-dos!  My good friend Leslie came up from Medford with her mom to do a photo shoot of Vinny for us.  I wanted to capture his newness and she did a great job!  Check out her blog for more details and pictures!  Shawna and Madison came up on Monday and stayed through Friday.  Shawna helped me get out into the world, taught me how to use the car seat on a shopping cart, use the stroller, and more.  I greatly appreciated the help and a chance to rest my arms.  Bubba had his second doctor appointment on Wednesday.  He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces.  Bubba was circumcised and he was a champ!  The procedure was fascinating and Dr. Lash did a great job.  Thankfully, Bubba healed very quickly and the after care only involved putting vaseline on his diapers for a week.  On Thursday, we went over to our friends' new home to watch the Ducks play in the Fiesta Bowl.  Vinny wore his Duck outfit and cheered on the team to victory.  It was great to have Shawna and Madison help us!  After a particularly tough night, I ventured to church for the first time with Vinny.  He was awesome and slept  the entire time.

The next two week went very well.  Vinny and I started to figure out a loose routine.  I got dressed every morning, including doing my make up, so that I felt human.  I was better able to eat.  I accepted that there are times that the little guy is going to cry and that's okay.  We continued to venture out of the house on errands and lunch dates.  We had lunch with Adele on both Wednesdays and had Dan lunch on the first Friday.  Vinny had his third doctor appointment on January 16.  He weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces and grew an inch!  My little man is getting big!

I said many times throughout my pregnancy that pregnancy is hard work and not for the weak or faint of heart; however, none of that mattered when I held my perfect baby boy for the first time.  He looked at me with such sweet big eyes that were unable to focus.  I was amazed that he knew and trusted me from the very beginning.  His beautiful big eyes would wander and search while unable to focus or see more than a few inches.  He perfectly bundled into my chest and completed me in a way I did not know I needed.  His soft, delicate skin was perfect to snuggle with, touch, and smell even before his first bath.  His perfect little hands and feet were purple and wonderful.  I am perfectly in love with my little man and sometimes overwhelmed to tears.  God is good!

PS Pictures are on my Shutterfly site.