Nice little tips - please add and share!

[PixieCake]

I heard a nice little tip the other day that I am going to try to do:

• sleep with your newborn's blanket in the last few weeks of pregnancy, so that it smells of you when you wrap the baby in it at the hospital
  
  I wish I had done this last time as I found it hard to cuddle my newborn for a number of different reasons so she was in a cot in a hospital blanket.
  
  Anyone got any other easy little things to add that don't take much effort but are a nice idea?
  
  Another one I heard was to ask for the room to be silent when the baby comes out so that the first thing it hears is its mothers voice. Not for everybody I know, but please share any other suggestions x

[mameulah]

I absolutely love the blanket idea, and this thread. I can't wait to hear what everyone else suggests.

My tip is to buy Tizzy Hall's book about sleep from 0 to two years. Her advice makes sense because rather than just give you a routine to follow she provides reasons as to why the routines work or fail because of how you intervene with the baby.

[EddieIzzardIsOrange]

One thing that worked for me in labour was to count during my contractions - as they're coming thick and fast and it feels like theres no end, I started counting when one started and then at the peak of the pain could rationalise that by the time I'd got to the number 10 this one would be over, helped break them down into manageable chunks

[Marmiteisyummy]

Put a sports bottle of water, 3/4 full, in the freezer. Remove on way to hospital and top up with tap water. Continue topping up and having lovely cold water for hours! The one thing I couldn't have done without in labour.

[perfectstorm]

Not remotely sweet, in fact pretty much overshare, but: if you have a long labour and the baby is low, the head will press heavily on the bladder. You will need to pee a lot, but doing so will be genuine agony.

If you're still at home, get a big tupperware container/old icecream tub on the floor, and get down on all fours over it. The baby will drop down into the bump, off the bladder, so you can pee into the container without pain. It sounds a bit crazy until you are suffering sharp, twisting, agonising pain every pee. This means you don't feel any at all.

If this happens in hospital then the same principle, but ask for a special pee/sick tray.

I had a 3 day latent stage, and it was strong latent. Fairly big contractions every 20 minutes, with a very low baby. That tupperware was worth every penny of binning it after (had come from Lakeland. DH grabbed the nearest when I asked, not the cheapest!).

I also took an eskie with ice cubes into hospital for the final hours of labour. Chewing on the ice was lovely.

[LittleBairn]

perfectstorm as a first timer that sounds like a fantastic tip. Right come on. People I've got my notebook and pen ready...

[perfectstorm]

Yeah, sorry it sounds a bit gross, but I was actually crying with relief when I had my first pain-free pee in hours! It was like a minor miracle.

You may be the type who has a baby in 4 hours start to finish, of course. In which case you don't need to know the tupperware trick!

[EdgarAllanPond]

warm fluffy socks

stops you getting foot cramps so badly (I had lots in pg and in labour with DS1), take off when you've given birth and tucked up in bed :)

[CatherinaJTV]

make sure your husband/SO sleeps enough before the delivery so they can be supportive all the way through?

[CatherinaJTV]

whoops - hit "post" to early. With number 1, I woke DH with the first contraction (well, maybe the third) at 11 pm and he was proper exhausted already when we went to the hospital the next morning - I should have let him sleep a lot longer...

[scaredmummy2B]

I was a lucky one 2 hours 24 mins lol can only hope for the same this time round! I was rushed to theatre for the whole day last time after though didn't. Cuddle my dd for 14 hours so wish I done the blanket thing so she could smell me while others cuddled her! Also love the silent room mummy and daddy's voice being first thing they here I am def gonna do this this time around! I froze Capri Sun drinks and took them to hospital they stay. Really cold! Good luck little x

[EddieIzzardIsOrange]

Oh I thought of some more re stitches and after birth - if you have stitches or even are just a bit bruised/battered down there, ask for some saline sachets whilst in hospital to take home. Pop them in the freezer and when frozen, take one out and wrap in baby wipes and put in your knickers - will help ease the pain and speed up healing. Just throw all away afterwards.

Oh and peeing - get a sports water bottle, fill will warm water (can add a drop of tea tree oil too) and pour over yourself while peeing, will take the 'sting' of those first few days away

hth

[VerityClinch]

Lol at silence at the moment of birth. That was on my birth plan. Which DH used as a bookmark and never made it into theatre.

Last words spoken before birth were:

Me: am I going to die? Am I alright? ( haemorraging madly) where is my fucking baby?

Anaesthetist: if you weren't alright I'd be coming at you with this

Surgeon: ok, well that didn't work, let's try the forceps

DD: waaaaaahhhhhh

Surgeon: thank fuck for that

Me: is everyone alright now? Is it my girl? Is she alright, am I alright, can someone count her fingers?

Lol.

With DH (also c-s)

Me: oh, I like this song, can you turn it up. I'm having a baby YAAAAAAAAY

[scaredmummy2B]

Lol verity that's hairlarious lol

[MilkshakeMaker]

Peeing after episiotomy and stitches is the only bit I remember about the early days so I second the pouring water 'down there' whilst going for a wee.

I warn you though, do not just use a jug and leave hot tap running as it burns.

[modifiedmum]

i second the jug of water in the bathroom if you end up with stitches down there or it hurts to pee oh and don't do what i did and look down there right after you give birth as it looks like a horror show. Also try not to keep looking at your belly after you have the baby as it goes all creased and saggY (like when fat people lose loads of weight) and i thought i'd be like it forever lol.

Oh and if u have a boy the minute u go to change a nappy they will PEE everywhere, as soon as their willy hits the cold air! so have a muslin cloth near by cos it will happen at some point lol

[piprabbit]

Buy in a bottle of witch hazel for sloshing on your maternity pads after the birth. Soothing and cooling.

Get one of those deeply attractive towelling hair wraps for when you wash your hair. The number of times I managed to grab a quick shower but didn't have time to dry my hair afterwards before feeding recommenced. At least the wrap kept my hair out of the way and stopped it dripping cold water on the baby or me.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

take flip flops to use in the shower. if you're bleeding all over the tray, chances are so were the five other women who got in there before you.

[SarryB]

Take a bag of dried apricots to eat after labour. Helps with energy levels, and also helps that first scary poo!

[scaredmummy2B]

Make sure coming up to your due date you have a clean house and full cupboards cook your favourite meals and freeze them for ease once baby is here

[piprabbit]

Good idea re: freezing ahead scaredmummy, I remember eating a lot of food that I could fork straight into my mouth with one hand (spag bol on penne pasta, curry, stews etc.) as I couldn't hold the baby and cut up my own food... and the baby did always seem to be particularly in need of a cuddle whenever DH delivered my lovingly prepared tea.

[Badgerina]

Don't buy disposable pants for after the birth. Buy big, cheap, cotton ones from Primark.

Get some Epsom salts and lavender and have shallow baths in this after birth to heal your fanjo.

[Overreactionoftheweek]

Start shouting for the epidural as soon as you hit the labour ward I had to wait 4 hours and when the guy arrived to do it, my midwife wasn't there so I panicked and started screaming "dont let him leave!"

[MarianForrester]

But don't buy your big pants too big. Leads to chafing....snug fit to keep everything in place much better

[lizardqueenie]

When they say "push down into your bottom" they mean push like you are pushing a poo out of your bottom. Having had DD I only realise this now & wish I'd known in labour, I was just trying to push with my lady bits still, there is aways next time.