Due April 2023 💕 into the second trimester 🍂🎇

[Cuppasoupmonster]

Welcome back ladies. Here we are, second trimester 🥰

What's the deal with swaddling now? Was the go-to 5 years ago and can get special swaddling coats (a bit like a straight jacket)- is this still the norm?

So helpful @Cuppasoupmonster, thank you !!

@tattlytote yep think that's still normal until they are a bit older and seem like they might roll

@Cuppasoupmonster
I'd also add a baby snot sucker (can't remember their actual name!) because that helped so much in the early days when the baby was congested.

For me the essentials were

1. Co-sleeping crib
2. Pram (I had thought about not getting one but it was essential after a c section)
3. Carseat
4. Nappy changing table (Again, I didn't think I'd need one but my back and scar did not like me changing on the floor/sofa)
5. Cloth nappies, reusable wipes, wet bags
6. Sleeping bag
7. Thermometer, snot sucker, before they're allowed calpol etc at 2 months
8. If breastfeeding, a haakaa for catching letdown off the other side
9. a million muslins

Things I thought I'd need but didn't really use

1. Moses basket, the baby slept on me mostly, or preferred a blanket on the floor
2. Breast pads, I didn't really leak despite having a massive oversupply
3. Lots of newborn and 0-3 clothes we had so many and people gave them as gifts too

Just to add if you're having a csection, then good to have high waisted knickers so that the knicker band doesn't sit on the scar.

@Cuppasoupmonster omg amazing, this list will be my bible!!

I got through so many breast pads even though I had a rubbish supply. One thing I forgot is those Tena nappies, would have been so useful in the early days. I bought a lot of peri sprays which I never used. I didn't receive a single gift under 3-6 months and I mainly bought 3-6 myself, so this time around I will be buying small!

Oooo @ancienthouse a great list too thank you especially as I’ll be having a section!

These lists of essentials are amazing, thanks ladies!!

It just shows that everyone and every baby is different! It's good to be prepared for different eventualities I think in case things aren't the way you hoped/planned, but also not to overbuy in case things go unused. I read that I'd need loads of breastpads so I bought a big pack of reusable ones. I think I used one! If I had bought less and then needed more I could have just bought some more at that point. Most things can be ordered online and delivered pretty quickly if you realise you need something you haven't got.

These lists are SO helpful thank you ladies! Hope everyone is well today.

Does anyone have any holiday plans for next year already? We’ve been invited to a wedding in the south of France in September. I would love to go but not sure how realistic that is with a 5 month old. What does everyone think?

Yes! I wasn't planning on a csection and needed to get some, they were all I wore for months! Oh and another thing I forgot is maternity pads. They're not really something you want to be sending your sleep deprived partner out for (ask me how I know 😂) and when you need them you need them now. I ran out a few times and it was very annoying.

I'm going to try a mix of disposable maternity pads, period pants and reusable pads this time.

Ooh that sounds lovely! I guess it depends on the baby, but at 5 months old mine was very portable. I travelled up and down the UK with her on the train with just a sling to carry her in, and it was much easier at that age than toddler age. We had booked to get the train to the south of France when she was 12 months old and I think that would have also been fine but covid ruined our plans!

One thing I’ll do differently this time round is if you’re having a baby shower / people ask what gifts you want…be specific! Or have an online wish list thing that people can decide what they’re buying you from. I know it sounds a bit selfish and demanding and of course I was grateful for everything I received. BUT…I was gifted 14 cellular blankets and 47 bibs 🙈 We only used maybe 4 blankets, and no where near all the bibs 🤣 Most of the stuff still has tags on because we just didn’t get the chance to use it as you have constant wash loads on and the baby grows so quickly. One thing I didn’t even think about was Tiny Baby clothing. My son was born 6.6 and all the newborn stuff was massive! My sister in law dropped us round some hand-me-down tiny baby she had from her son thank goddd. But again, you probably wouldn’t need loads of Tiny Baby as my son grew out of it within about two weeks 🤣

Ah bibs! So many people bought us bibs. Never had a need for them because DD wasn't a dribbler and when she was sick she was really sick and it was a multiple muslin job, not a teeny tiny bib! Then once we started weaning the baby bibs were all too small and we used those coverall type bibs anyway.

Yes and if you aren't specific then like me you end up with multiple nappy towers 😂

@Cuppasoupmonster @ancienthouse thank you for the lists, soo helpful!

@cheekysausage yes this is a good idea, I didn’t want to buy too much too early incase I was gifted items. A wish list is a good idea.

@Springblooms08 i heard 5 months is a good time to travel, apparently it’s easier to travel with them before they can move much 😅

Loving seeing everyone's lists. I made mines last week and made a wish list for a baby shower (wasn't originally going to have one as it's not my thing but my close family and friends are encouraging it as it helps so much apparently)

A friend has also suggested to me a Bath on a stand incase of a section due to her completely missing out on bathing her first baby due to being unable to bend over the Bath.

Can anyone recommend a good baby monitor. Some are so expensive but I'm so naive and think do they not all do the same thing ?

I feel like even though we're quite financially stable all our savings we're drained completely with buying a house in January and I'm now in a little bit of a panic about affording everything even though I know we will manage. It's all so overwhelming

I just use a large muslin- the midwives in the hospital showed me how to do it - easy as pie!

I didn’t buy peri spray, I was told to put 2 chamomile tea bags and a few drops of lavender oil in a bath and sit in it for 15 minutes every day.
Much cheaper and it genuinely worked!

All good news with my scan, low risk for everything: )

@Pommy1 I was so overwhelmed by the materialism of having to acquire so much stuff last time, I tried to go pretty minimalist. My friend gave me her moses basket and baby clothes which helped a lot.

I don't think anyone mentioned nipple balm yet as an essential 😂 Lansinoh or Mama Mio were both great. Nipple shields were a godsend too. I had silicone but I hear the silver ones are great. I used my haakaa ladybird catcher a lot too, it fits in your bra whereas the normal haakaa pump didn't work for me and would just fall off and spill milk everywhere.

My dd was only in newborn size for a fortnight but I didn't buy any and 0-3 was massively too big so I recommend a few 0-1 month things too, I had a pack of baby grows from Next.

@MamaMenna glad to hear your scan went well!

I’ve just made a list of what I will need and oh. Gosh I’m really going to have to make room for this baby! So exciting though I can’t wait to buy everything but think I’ll wait until after 20 weeks and for Black Friday/Christmas sales (another good thing about April babies is how we have these sales at the right time)

@Springblooms08 I've travelled with DD since she was 10 weeks. It gets harder as they get older. 5 months is pretty easy

@MamaMenna lansinoh nipple cream was a God send!

@MamaMenna I'm glad your scan went well!

I still have half my tube of lansinoh left from last time. I was very lucky and breastfeeding was pretty straightforward for me (apart from having to eliminate things from my diet). I wonder if it'll be the same this time. Has anyone breastfed two babies and found it more difficult second time around?

Definitely. There’s a few items on there you could definitely have a ‘wait and see’ approach with like the play mat, but things like metanium/infacol/calpol/pramsuit - you don’t want to suddenly discover an angry looking nappy rash at midnight and do a mad dash to the supermarket for cream, or wake up on an unusually frosty day and worry that they’ll be too cold in just a cardigan and blanket. Prepare for all sensible eventualities I say! You can always sell things on if not used, and I’ll be buying most stuff second hand anyway. My budget for the baby is about £300 and about £150 for me (maternity clothes, toiletries, etc).