August 2016 number 5 - waddling towards the third trimester!

[Mslg]

For the August 2016 ladies and babies!

A good read for us all here ! Any second timers have anything else to add to this list??!

metro.co.uk/2016/06/06/20-baby-items-you-will-be-told-you-need-that-you-dont-actually-need-5916377/

Glad I was raised by a mum of 7 and know there's no need for certain things! A nappy bin seems so disgusting to me, why would anyone want a place specifically to collect smelly nappies?? Take them outside! And a changing table? The price of those things for the sake of putting it on top of the cot? You'll never have more room and stability than a floor! Nappy sacks though I will use as for the sake of the price of them (nothing!) id rather know they're not going to pop open in the bin and attract flies. I was more than willing to get a bag that wasn't necessarily a "changing bag" unfortunately the only bag I liked (that had a matching hospital bag available. I will use the hospital bag as a going away bag and whenever I can so the fact they match was really nice to me!) happened to be a changing bag that cost me £75 each!

Thanks everyone :-) Sonographer and Health Care Assistant were so lovely as well - I'm feeling really confident about giving birth there, especially as Newcastle Hospitals have recently been given an 'Outstanding' rating.

Babies do look really weird at 32 weeks though! Got a 'face-on' photo and little guy looks like Chucky! And I'm pretty sure I can see teeth!

What a relief sophia! (Sorry I only read the last post). Do you have a face picture you could upload? Very curious to see what they're looking like now

I like that list bearhuggy, I agree with most of those things! I did do my baby book for my son though (polishes halo😇). Baby bath was quite useful, but only for first few weeks really I suppose.

Glad the scan went well Sophia, great news that the placenta is out of the way now too. Hope you get the birth you want now.

I agree with most of the list but couldn't have lived without scratch mitts!

Glad the scan went well. I had mine and baby looks a good size despite my tiny baby bump so one less thing to worry about!
As regards to the list there's a lot of stuff on there I'm not bothering with! Well dash out and buy should I really need it

Fantastic sophia

bearhugger you have saved me at least £100!!

bear I'm so sorry your house move fell through, what a complete mare! Meant to say that the other day but forgot, sorry. The whole thing is such a bloody stress isn't it but I love that you're finding the bright side. It sounds like things could be a lot worse, and to be honest it's probably easier to move house with a newborn/baby than while heavily pregnant. Fingers crossed this is just a set back and you'll look back in a few months and realise it was all for the best

Totally agree with everything on that list EXCEPT wipes, nappy bags and pram! DD is nearly 4 and I still use wipes all the time for all sorts. Nappy bags are fab for poo explosions/ leaks when out and about - they hold clothes too! And if you have nappies in an indoor bin they do go a bit smelly if they're not bagged up.
Pram you could get away without I suppose, but speaking as someone who used a sling til 18+ months, sometimes you don't want to carry the sprog about all day! And prams are great in a pinch as changing mat, highchair, storage space, all sorts.

Anyone watched this In The Club?? Quite enjoyed the first series, but this one is so bloody ridiculous. Def giving the next series a miss!

I do agree with most of that list, though the tone of it is a bit joyless! Washable wipes are really handy & we have a couple sets for bums & faces that we use at home, though we do tend to use packets of wipes when out & about as life is too short for that hassle (for us). I'm surprised they didn't say to not bother buying nappies either & just use washables (which we did, & loved, but now use disposables sometimes too because life is too short, etc), or even better, elimination communication. It's true that our buggy got very little use for months, as DS hated it, so we carried him. It's a lifesaver now though. But we got great use from our baby bath till he could sit up pretty much. So...

I dunno, I kind of feel that anyone who thinks they can definitively tell me what I will or won't need, or should or shouldn't do with/for my baby, based on their limited experience with just their own, is kind of talking out their

Yeah, current In The Club is outrageous! I had high hopes as was pregnant during last series, but this is too much even for me.

The list is interesting. There are things on it I found indispensable - pram, wipes etc - and things on it I never even considered buying - separate bin for disposable nappies, a breast feeding cover thing.

That said, we use washable nappies and I have bought a set of washable wipes this time as it always seemed ridiculous to wash a nappy but send a bag with wipes in to landfill. I don't recall hearing much about washable wipes 8/5 years ago though! I bought a separate set for hands and faces too.

rumisyum I totally agree. There is no right or wrong list, and people who preach their way or the high way are definitely misguided at best. Be it on sleep, feeding, what kind of nappies to use or the great baby wearing debate! My first two have both been good sleepers. This was nothing I did. I was lucky. My sisters kids were terrible sleepers but we have similar parenting styles. The best advice I got was 'listen to all the advice, but you don't have to take any of it!'

Don't agree with breast feeding cover , I have large boobs and with my first I found the first few months quite awkward to breast feed , and my cover was a life saver to give me some modesty , I used one of the ones with wire around the neck like a apron so I could easily see down what I was doing

Once I got the hang of it I could be discreet but that didn't come easily and took avoid couple of months practise

I was all hands and boobs falling all over the place to start and would of been embarrassed to sit in public with my large knockers out on display, even though I'm allowed to.

Posted too soon

Also don't agree with changing table, I stuggled bending over so changing on floor to start wasn't for me, hurts my back. Much easier to do it staying up. So again I liked mine and still use it for my 20 month toddler.

Pram and wipes..? Really not needed.? Hmmm can't even see how or why they would think that.

Only thing I bought that never was used was bottles and steriliser - because I breast fed and the baby bath , found it a lot easier to bath new born in the big bath in with me, he floated about on a wee baby bean bag thing for the bath. It was fab and was only £20 from Amazon , getting another one for this baby.

I agree with most of that list, except for the baby wipes. I only went shopping for this baby last weekend, and I was amused walking around the baby shop. I had so many gadgets and bits of random baby gear for my first, for my third I have just the basics - a cot, car seat, buggy, mattress, grow bag, box of nappies, breast pads, double electric breast pump, bottles (back to work after 12 weeks as I live in the US) and a changing mat. Anything else I can pick up 2nd hand as I need it. Things like sterlisers are useless if you have a dishwasher.

I think the metro list is good for first time mothers to read. It says some valid points but I also disagree with some points. I was given a nappy bin (by the same friend who brought a baby food maker herself and I never understood why) and sold it straight away in order to buy a small white pedal push bin from Homebase for the nursery. We change it daily. I was very happy just using a hand blender for weaning but I couldn't have lived without my breastfeeding cover! I also loved our simple baby bath that stuck in the bath but we're looking at getting the Angel care bath this time as it looks more supportive if DS is in the bath. Also, I've got a pregnancy diary for DS which I love reading and I have one for this baby but admit-ably it is harder for me to fill in second time round I think the list sucks out a bit of the enjoyment of getting excited! I remember receiving our pram and just getting excited about learning how to put it up and down...it's good to get used to using things before baby arrives, it definitely makes life easier when you've got a screaming baby and matchsticks holding your eyes open

Great to hear all the tips and advice from you all on the list front!

Salene could you share a link to the bath beanbag you mentioned? Sounds great.

Just ordered our cot for the nursery, went for one from Mokee - en.mokee.eu/cots.html with a changer mat thing for on top of the cot to save on space.

Thanks coco re. the move. I believe everything happens for a reason and what will be will be, so no point in getting stressed or upset!! Nice I can finally start getting things ready in the current place. How are you settling in??

The Club is completely ridiculous isn't it, how irritating is the older midwife lady !!!

We start antenatal tonight...time to make some new baby friends

Hope no one was effected by the bad weather and flooding yesterday...it was absolutely crazy in East London, the lighting started a fire at a church up the road !!

also ladies, which maternity pads are best to get for the first week or so after baby is born...have heard that actual adult nappies work better than pads / liners?! Any advice welcome on this rather un-glam side to pregnancy and birth !!

None

tenner lady extra 👍🏻 are the best

My NCT teacher said you should specific maternity pads rather than sanitary towels as the hospital staff like to be able to see what is coming out rather than it being sucked away by any gels..

I like my nappy bin. Its a Ubi bin so it takes regular bin bags and totally contains the smell. I think it very much depends on the layout of your house too. Ours is narrow and tall, there was no way I was going down 3 flights of stairs in multiple times in the middle of the night [DS pooed at every feed]. The rest of the stuff I agree you can do without although I loved my pram even though I was a committed baby-wearer too!

In terms of maternity pads think old school. I had Boots slim ones and they were awful - clammy and damp. The best ones IMO are these which look absolutely awful, but are breathable, able to cope with the heavy duty bleeing and were the only thing that made sitting bearable in the fist couple of days with the stitches. Horrendous looking things, but they'll be going in the bag again!

Glad that everyone is getting on well and that the placenta has moved Sophia.

Back in for a check up tomorrow. Got my whooping cough vaccine. Mostly feeling okay, but my mid back is starting to seriously ache by mid-afternoon. Think I'll get one of those heat pack things. I also feel huge. I honestly think that I'm not far off where I was at term on DS!!!

Thanks soph thats helpful to know.

salene I have heard the tena lady extra 'pants' work great...did you use with a maternity pad inside??

Just doing a big amazon shop for all these weird bits !!

I had the normal boots maternity pads and found than really comfortable even with my stitches..

No I just used tena lady extra pads from tesco they worked well and someone had told me to use them so I did and they did the job fine and are cheap too

Not sure about what NCT lady was on about I was only in hospital 6 hours then sent home and they never looked at me after birth, did some checks on new baby then sent us home. Maybe if you have to stay in if there complications or something they might look at you further but I'm not sure about that .

also if anybody is looking at breast pads then I highly recommend lanisoh ones! As some of you may remember my boobs have been keen to get going since 21 weeks so I've tried a number by now including washable and like lanisoh the best. They stay in place and contain everything my rather enthusiastic boobs have made!