5 Must-Haves for Every New Mom

When you are still pregnant with your first child, you really have no idea what you are in for or what to expect. That's where this post comes in. My little girl is almost 3 months old, and there are a few things (most of which I stumbled upon) that I have found to be absolutely essential to surviving the first few months. So, I'm going to save you a lot of time and crying (both you and the baby) and just tell you right off the bat so you can get it now. Or put it on your baby registry, as the case may be. Here we go!

1. Super Special After Baby Mommy Underpants
Yes it's awkward and I know you probably don't even want to talk about it (or think about it, for that matter), but the fact of the matter is that there will be blood, and a lot of it. So you see the picture to the left? Don't think about it. Just buy it. You won't have to worry about blood getting on your clothing, and they're purple, which just makes everything better. That way you can focus on that little bundle of joy you just brought home instead of all the gore that came along with it.

2. The Best Baby Bed Ever
So this next item was actually an accident and bought totally impulsively when my husband and I were out shopping for the remaining items from our registry list that we didn't get at the baby shower. As it turns out, it was a good thing we did, because it was the only thing our baby would sleep in. She didn't like the playpen because it felt too big to her, and she hated being swaddled. And, with the whole "sleep the baby on the back and with nothing in their crib" recommendation due to the risk of SIDS, this worked great because I didn't feel a need to cover her with a blanket. It's a Graco Little Lounger. It does have buckles, but I just took the top padding up and shoved the buckles underneath to use it for sleeping in. It also has a vibration function, which is just amazing. She slept in that thing for a good month and a half, and the batteries never wore out, even though I was really bad about leaving the vibrator on and falling asleep.

3. Listen to Your Mother and Get the Swing.

My mom had been telling me to get a swing since our daughter was born, but I didn't want to put the effort into going and buying one because I wasn't convinced that it would be worth it. In short, I didn't listen. Then we went to the in-laws one weekend and discovered the wonder of the swing. We took it home with us rather than leaving it at Grammy and PawPaw's. Our daughter loves this thing! There have been so many times when I would try everything to get her to stop crying, and nothing was working. Then, as soon as I put her in the swing and got it going, she was happy as a clam (are clams even happy? I don't know). This only works, of course, if your child isn't starving. It doesn't particularly matter what kind of swing you get, as long as you don't have to sit there and swing it yourself. Make sure it's electric.

4. The Gateway to Less Crying

I know what you're thinking. "Bottle Warmer! I don't NEED a bottle warmer! Breastfeeding all the way! Yeah!" I know, I know. That was totally me. Then when I was 36 weeks along, my little sister came to visit me from another state with her 6 week old. (Our girls are 2 months and 20 days apart!). I was all excited about practicing my skills before my little one arrived, so I offered to babysit while she and her husband went out to eat. While she was gone, I had to warm the bottle up under hot water while the baby cried. It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Things seem to take a lot longer when you have a crying baby on your hands. Well, she happened to be in town for my baby shower, which was the next day. My older sister got me this bottle warmer at that baby shower, and the next day I went out and got bottles because I suddenly realized that maybe I might want to go out to eat with my husband at some point. Without the baby. Go figure. (P.S. I later did go out on a date with my husband when my daughter was 2 months old, and my babysitter LOVED this thing. She made a point of mentioning that to me when I came to pick her up.) I'm just telling you...you will use bottles. Just wait until they're at least 3 weeks old, and it's fine. No worries! And you can go on dates! Whoo! This one is the First Years Night Cravings, which is awesome because it comes with a cooler that holds two bottles and a cooling pack (included). The cooler has come in REALLY handy because it's great for going out in public. We later got a Munchkin brand one that was a little smaller to fit in the diaper bag, but I wish I had just gotten a smaller, more portable First Years brand such as this one (which we did later get for my little sister), because I like it better.

5. A Good Nursing System

The prospect of nursing in public, for me, was terrifying. Modesty is very important to me, and I just did not like the whole idea of sharing my stuff with the world, but I did want to be able to feed my little girl in public. I found a system that is WONDERFUL. I had these stretchy maternity shirts that I got at Walmart when I was pregnant because they are amazing as an undershirt for those last few weeks of pregnancy when you have this giant gap between the bottom of your shirt and the top of your pants. These covered that gap seamlessly without looking weird while still being fashionable. Well, as it turns out, they are also AMAZING for nursing in public because, since they are made of stretchy fabric, you can simply pull the neckline down to nurse your baby. This means that your belly stays covered the whole time! If people are going to see anything, they'll see a black undershirt! Oh yeah! I put this thing on under every shirt I wear before I go anywhere. It also comes in other colors. The other thing that really helped me with my nursing in public woes was a nursing cover. I actually made the one shown below (disregard the baby sling, which I didn't end up liking) by hand using instructions from Handmade-Adelaide. However, I know that some of you would not be so into the make-it-yourself idea. It would be soooo worth the cost tp buy one because it would be hard to survive breastfeeding without it. It covers me completely and I have never had to worry about flashing somebody. Here is a comparable one to buy.

So anyways, that's my advice! As a bonus, you should totally get this DVD called The Happiest Baby on the Block (find it here). It really, really works for those times when the baby just won't stop crying and you have no earthly idea what they want because you have already tried everything (which will inevitably happen). The techniques given in this DVD are really effective. I am simply amazed every time I say "Shhhhhh" into my daughter's ear. She stops crying immediately. It's truly phenomenal and you would just have to see it to believe it.

If this helps you at all, or you know someone who it might help, please feel free to share this.

What things have you found that helped you on your journey through parenthood?