One Month Must Haves

When I was pregnant I always enjoyed reading other new mama’s “must have’s” lists on their blog.  I know every baby is different, but it was always interesting to see what people used and did not use once their babies came.  Below you can see my 1 month must have list and links for where to purchase these items:

Boppy Pillow

I seriously could not live without this pillow.  It has made breast feeding so much easier!  Especially during those 3AM feedings when you can barely hold your head up, let alone hold your baby to your boob for an extended period of time.

PURCHASE THE BOPPY PILLOW

Lansinoh Nipple Cream

Laugh if you must, but this stuff was a life saver.  I am convinced I would have switched to formula within a week if I had not used to much of it.  Every lactation consultant under the sun will tell you that breast feeding should not hurt if you are doing it right.  But the truth is that your nipples are probably not used to being sucked on 8-12 times a day for that length of time.  They need to toughen up, and until they do this cream will provide the relief you need.  It is also 100% safe for your baby, so you do not need to worry about washing your nipple off before a feeding.

PURCHASE LANSINOH NIPPLE CREAM

Newborn Pajama’s

A lot of people told me not to bother buying any newborn pajama’s since babies fit into this size for such a small amount of time.  And after hearing at one of our ultrasounds that Ella could be close to 9 pounds, I did not bother buying many new born outfits.  When we got home from the hospital I quickly realized that newborn babies need outfit changes a lot, and putting cute outfits on them everyday is not only not necessary but it can be painful (anyone ever tried putting a cute ruffled onsie over a newborns head?  Don’t do it. You will both cry).  So a few days after she was born I went to Babies R Us and purchased 6 pairs of newborn pajama’s that I rotated her through everyday.  I love the Carter’s brand with feet and zippers.  very easy for changing and they wash really well.

PURCHASE CARTER’S NEWBORN PAJAMA’S

Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper

I am convinced that this (along with the Miracle Blanket, next item) is the reason Ella is such a great sleeper.  It keeps her from spitting up her latest feeding, and keeps her nice and cozy. I also love that I can just reach over while still laying in bed to rock her if she starts to get fussy.

PURCHASE THE FISHER PRICE ROCK N PLAY SLEEPER

Miracle Blanket

Ella escaped from every single swaddle we tried.  She even got her little arms out of the super tight ones that the nurses did in the hospital.  But this blanket is the equivalent of a baby straight jacket and keeps her under wraps so nicely.  It is a little complicated to use at first, but once we watched this youtube video, Stephen and I got the hang of it.

PURCHASE THE MIRACLE BLANKET

“The Happiest Baby on the Block”

Dr. Harvey Karp is a God among men, as far as I am concerned.  There were many nights when Ella experienced her fussy time (generally from 7-9 at night) and without the techniques in this book I do not think Stephen and I could have ever gotten her to calm down.  When you are tired and overwhelmed there is nothing worse than an inconsolable baby, especially when that baby is your own.  I love how the book explains that babies get over stimulated and by the end of the day their immature brains have reached their breaking point, which causes the fussiness and crying.  It made me feel better knowing that she was not crying because she hated us (thank you hormones), but that this was something very natural that most babies experience.

PURCHASE THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK

Items for Mama

In the first month there were a few things that were really key to helping me through the day and making me feel comfortable:

• Comfortable sweat pants or pajama pants.  It was nice to change into a clean pair of sweats each day.  I tried to wear jeans one day when we had our first pediatrician appointment, but they were so uncomfortable because of my stitches.  For the rest of the month I only wore jeans a hand full of time, and lived in nice sweat pants most of the time.  
• Nursing Tank Tops. All of my nursing tanks are from Target.  I loved being able to put on a clean tank top each day and then just throw a zip up sweat shirt or cardigan over it.  It was the most convienent thing for me when it came to easily feeding Ella.
• Easy and nutrient dense food. As always, when you eat like crap you feel like crap.  It is even harder to NOT eat crap when you are living in 2-3 hour increments and barely have time to shower, let alone make a healthy meal.  I found that having easy to grab food was key.  Easy peel clementines, pre-hard boiled eggs (I did them myself.  Buying them pre-hard boiled seems weird to me.  Not sure why.), pre cut veggies (buying the veggie trays that most people buy for party’s was clutch), apples, instant oatmeal, and apples.

MY HUSBAND!!

No, this item is not for sale on Amazon 🙂  I just have to include a shameless plug of my husband.  He has been amazing this last month.  Single parents, you officially have my ut most respect. I have no idea how you do this alone.  Stephen changes diapers in the middle of the night, takes her when I am way too tired to soothe her when she is crying, makes dinner for me most nights, and is just an all around supportive and amazing partner.  It makes my heart burst every time I see him hold Ella because he just loves her so much.  He talks so sweetly too her and I can already tell he is going to be an amazing father.  I really never knew just how much I loved him until I saw how much he loved Ella.