To ask for your best "life with a newborn" tips!

[elm26]

I'm 30 weeks and have gone on early mat leave due to Hyperemesis 😢

However, super grateful to be in this position due to many previous miscarriages and I'm planning on using this time to get organised, relax and some gentle exercise.

I've started making a list so I'll be doing all of the usual stuff like washing babies clothes and putting them away in size order etc, I've thought about maybe trying Gousto or Hello Fresh as may be easier to do this for the first few months when we are both knackered?

Any tips, tricks or recommendations to make life easier in the final trimester/early days with a newborn would be so helpful.

Make sure your OH takes as much paternity leave as possible.

Batch cook for the freezer and have good snacks on hand.

Get your hair trimmed and any other regular grooming.

Resist the urge to buy too much stuff until the baby is here and you know what you actually need.

Me and DP have been super slack with cleaning, so I would definitely get the place as clean as possible to have a good foundation to thereupon fester.

Meal prep! I was lucky to get a piece of toast in those hectic first few weeks. Appreciate this might hard with hypermesis but if you can face cooking you can load up your freezer with healthy things you know you like and can just reheat easily. If that’s not feasible right now try cook or mindful chef for healthy ready meals.

Build anything like cot or bouncer that you’ll need to assemble.

Get any boring admin stuff (renewing insurance, MOTs etc) either done or scheduled.

Make sure you know how to change nappies, do baths etc, and have areas set up with the things you need.

Declutter anything you don’t need as you are about to get flooded with cute new baby clothes and toys etc.

Enjoy talking to your partner while neither of you are sleep deprived or covered in baby vomit :)

Sleep when baby sleeps was my best advice.

Declutter your house

Enjoy going out whenever you want!

Make use of your leisure time lol

I wouldn't bother with gousto etc as they are loads of washing up. I'd focus on one pot meals or easy things like fresh pasta

My experience of Hello Fresh is that whilst the meals are delicious and they supply everything, you have specific recipes to follow, and sometimes they are a bit involved. I'm not sure how well this would fit with tired parents and a newborn in the mix. I would suggest batch cooking and having ready made meals that you can just stick in the oven with no prep required.

Take this time to practice using your phone with one hand. Babies do not take kindly to them being dropped on their heads mid nap.

Invest in Amazon prime membership if you don't have it as quick delivery was important!
If bottle feeding, make sure you have enough bottles (we use 6 a day) if using a brand with pre-made formula, stock up! They are great for night time especially.
Have a nappy station up and downstairs.

Oh I agree with getting the MOT sorted, with our last baby we massively struggled to get the car in (I had a section and couldn't drive and we live rurally). My biggest tip would be to just accept that most babies like being held all the time. Get some good box sets and a sling.

Nappy stations upstairs and downstairs including clean vests etc.

Lots of muslin cloths upstairs and downstairs.

Batch cook and get house super clean and organised

If you're bottle feeding set up steriliser/prep machine if using and make sure you know how to use them

Set up cot

Fit car seat and practice getting it in and out

Practice folding your pram

Lower your standards in terms of jobs round the house cooking etc

You can always raise them again afterwards

Following with interest!

Sleep when you can is a serious piece of advice.

Don’t feel you need to be constantly on the go making sure everything is spotless and perfect.

When the baby is having a nap, have a nap at the same time. Those small little power naps will help big time

Be prepared for being unprepared

Stock up on snacks
Batch cook easy things like chilli/bolognaise/curry
Get in some frozen pizzas/ready meals for your lunch
Nap when baby naps occasionally so you don't burn out
Have a Netflix/Prime or Disney subscription
Plenty of books/books on your ereader
Have comfy lounge wear.
I had a thermos flask when mine was newborn so i always had coffee close by incase she fell asleep on me

Congratulations OP

I got a last minute hair and beauty app just to give me a wee pick me up before baby arrived since I wouldn't get for a while.

If you're hoping to breastfeed or are interested look into colostrum harvesting.

I batch cooked lots for the freezer

Sleep and rest as much as you can- this part is tough on your body so don't over do it.

If you have any pets at home start getting them ready for baby.

Make a list of box sets and movies you want to watch and get a set of Bluetooth headphones (lifesaver for night feedings).

Look at safe co sleeping (we don't co sleep but I have a next to me and wanted to be prepared incase I fell asleep accidentally)

Do a baby first aid course if you feel up to it.

Organise your post partum support system and give people jobs. Also think about who you want to tell and in what order when baby arrives and how you want to work visitors.

Set up a tea/ coffee station in your kitchen so if you have guests and you're happy for them to do so, let them make their own cuppa to save you getting up.

Make sure other half is well prepped on your birth plans and what support you want them to take on when baby is here.

I'd also say make sure your other half is well versed in signs of ppd or ppa because they might recognise it in you before you see it in yourself. Also make them aware the first week is a roller coaster and days 4 and 6 for some reason can be particularly emotional.

Get your other half to take photos of you with baby and take bump pics. I felt weird doing it but now I really like looking back at my bump.

Sling to wear baby in is great, and we got a wee bouncer from my folks which was fab- it vibrated and seemed to settle him well.

Have infant calpol, if you're planning to bf nipple cream, and a wee hand pump with correct side flange and some soothers in.

Identify groups in your area like bf support groups, rhyme time in the library, etc etc it's nice to get out and be around other people.

Make sure you know how to put your pram up and down and work connectors etc. I pulled stitches wrestling mine first time I went out alone.

I wanted to do a clear out before baby came but I was too sore at the end so did it when I felt able. Don't worry about your housework but if you can get someone like your mum or mil to give you a hand with certain jobs it does make a difference.

Don't stress yourself though- once baby arrives you've no choice but to go with it. If at the end of the day everyone is alive that was alive at the start of the day then you've done great - that's the only benchmark you need to worry about.

Do any life admin possible eg. tax return, MOT (as others suggested), dentist, optometrist etc

Sign up for COOK New Parents Club and get some in the freezer closer to the birth. They are delicious, fairly healthy and worth every penny.

Buy a stretchy sling & practice tying it with a teddy bear. Babies just want to be held to start with & a sling gives you your hands back.

Sat here with my 11 day old DC2

This pregnancy I mainly focused on prepping for things for ME post partum to feel a bit more human. Just felt like a complete gremlin first time round.

• brand new nice cotton PJs (Breastfeeding appropriate if relevant)
• new cotton dress in a size bigger than pre-pregnancy as still have bump

-shower cap! So I can have a quick shower without getting embroiled in hair wash routine

Things I forgot
-nipple shields if bfing - forgot how sore nips can get. Shields don't completely relieve this but good to have to give yourself a bit of a break

• sufficient pads. I could only deal with the unscented organic ones from boots

Also good to practise using a sling if you have one (if you don't, get one!)

Life admin - insurances, MOTs etc, birthday cards/gifts for first few months after baby arrives. Kitchen cupboard and freezer stock up ( and don't forget a basic 1st aid kid of paracetamol, immodium, Vick/sore throat stuff and a good thermometer).

And set up a family/friends whatsapp for a visitor schedule - put anyone on it who is likely to visit, and make sure that no more than one set come a day. This really worked when DD had her babies.

Lots of good advice here!

Have a couple of nice big towels - one to sit on on the sofa and one to sleep on - leaks 🙄
(boobs and lochia)

I don't understand the idea of nipple cream, can someone explain?
If you have a newborn your baby is feeding every hour or so in the first days, maybe more. How is there time for the nipple cream to sink in and not taste gross in your baby's mouth?
Everyone told me to buy nipple cream, it still baffles me. Even with three hours between feeds later on I wouldn't put loads of product on somewhere my baby was going to suck.

I would totally recommend Gousto and I have a code for 70% off if you pm me!

I would say take care of yourself … take it easy, have lots of healthy snacks available and a big water bottle, especially if you plan to breast feed! I also had a feeding pillow and a comfy chair.

Lots of comfy pjs for you and easy baby grows for baby.

Let people take care of you and help you out if necessary. Any offers of help… take them!!

Don’t put pressure on yourself and also do not compare yourself to anyone else… it’s your journey and everyone is different.

Good luck xx

Get loads of DARK pyjama bottoms for the first days/weeks of pp bleeding, would be my tip. And a water bottle you can suck on when (if) bf like a platypus or something.

I think Gousto / Hello Fresh too much hassle for post partum - get a slow cooker. The extent of the cooking I could manage at that stage was things like putting a packet of chicken breasts in the slow cooker with a jar of pesto tipped in, and then microwave rice. Or a packet of meat, frozen veg and jarred curry sauce in the slow cooker. Basically things you can put together in very little time with very little thought going into it. Put some ready meals in the freezer, or start cooking an extra portion of everything from now and freeze it in a little foil tray or freezer bag and you'll gradually build up a stash.

Oh and sanitary towels with witch hazel on in the freezer… Put the witchazel on and roll them back up. Leave in freezer then take out and leave to ‘defrost’ a bit! Then put in knickers… I found them amazing when I had sore stitches, so soothing!

Actually what I did best as a new mum was to resist all attempts to get me to parent the way they thought was the "right way." So no rushing to get her into a routine, or onto to a bottle to "give me a break." No rush to wean her, or get her into a cot/her own room. We spent the first few weeks just resting and cuddling and bonding. MIL used to tell me she was "spoiled." She was weeks old!

As she got a bit older, other mums from my NCT group were rushing around mother and baby groups, rhyme time, baby massage, all that stuff, then dashing home to make sure they put them down for their nap at the "right" time, in a nursery with black out blinds and a white noise machine. We didn't do any groups except baby swimming, and that was because we both loved it. Otherwise, we would wander out and explore London on foot together (she was born in winter, so by now it was a nice warm summer). When she fell asleep in her pram, I would stop for a coffee and watch the world go by till she woke up, then we'd wander on.

I'm making it out to be an idyllic time, and it really wasn't, she was a very high needs baby, and a lot of this were driven by her needs. But I did love those months, and they passed so quickly. She's 11 now, and a belligerent little bugger. I'm glad I spent the time enjoying her babyhood!