best bit of advice for a very soon to be first time mum!

[Nursee007]

Hello lovely ladies...
I'm due in 2 weeks and am a first time mum, though have a lot of experience with babies and children in a professional manner as am a paediatric nurse. Whilst the actual 'looking after' bit of the baby doesn;t worry me, as I can bathe, swaddle, change nappies etc with my eyes closed, the idea of being responsible for this tiny life and how to cope with the first few hours/days/weeks is slowly but surely beginning to terrify me. I've had severe SPD since week 21 and am on crutches, so mobility post birth is also a worry but thats by the by.
Anyhoo, was wondering if those of you who are already mummies would be kind enough to share the best snippets of wisdom you were given when you became mums for the first time.....any support, serious or otherwise, much appreciated :) thankyou :)

Like nickelDorritt, I was very shocked to find that the moses basket, cot and cot bedding were a total waste of money.

If someone had told me before that babies don't especially like being 'put down' alone for the night, and would much rather sleep with their mums, I'd have thought they were bonkers and possibly a bit depraved. After weeks and months of getting up loads of times in the night, feeling crap and a failure, I realised it was me who was bonkers!

I'm PG now with #2 and don't intend to bother getting the cot out of the attic this time

We've got a nearly new Moses basket, so I don't feel as if I've wasted money on it as it didn't cost much, but I do prefer the idea of keeping baby close to hand when she's tiny...DH is not keen on the idea of co-sleeping, though, as he's quite a big chap and our bed is not huge, it worries him I think! (We don't have a spare bed he can go and crash in, unfortunately).

Hopefully we'll work something out once PFB arrives in 9 weeks...

I have just for the first time made a proper inventory of all the nearly new/second hand clothes we've been given/lent - I have over 40 babygrows! I now feel ridiculously over-prepared rather than under-prepared, certainly in terms of baby stuff acquired...

Love MosEisley's advice about cake...I can remember only too well the destruction my nephews wrought on a beige carpet with some chocolate cake (or 'brown cake' as they liked to call it)...

Make sure that whoever is supporting you at home understands that you will need them to be goffas for the foreseeable future. Once you are settled down with baby or feeding the last thing you want to do is get back up again to fetch something you forgot. I am single mum and it's been my dad and brother who have been around - if my brother tuts or pulls a face one more time when I ask for something I will squash his face in the next pooy nappy!!!

Get an iPad too - absolute lifesaver!

Try a cd of white noise for sending baby of to sleep - like magic.

Buy as many muslin cloths as you can afford and plant them all over the house!

Do your own thing - cherry pick advice and find your own way.

Also unless you are über rich and money is not an issue, think seriously about second hand from eBay. You just don't know what your baby will like or accept and spending on all brand new will break the bank. Much of the stuff listed on eBay is almost brand new as mums found items not suitable once the day came and flog it off on eBay - great bargains.

thanks for the tips!

Hi SirCharles,
definitely sleepsuits for the 1st year or so until your baby crawls, they're so much comfier.
I second vote for an easy foldable light-weight pushchair from the start instead of a travel system, but be careful to get one that flattens completely. Some only open 120 degrees, which is not sufficient for a newborn.
Add a footmuff into that as I think they are more comfy and convenient than a blanket.
In hindsight, I think I would have skipped the Moses basket and just relied on a travel cot as long as our babies were sleeping in our room.
Sleeping bag
Nasal aspirator, sling, cot top changer, bath deckchair, breastfeeding cushion, as said before.
As for toys, my oldest didn't seem very interested whereas Ds2 likes everything!
Lostril hand cream.
Used breast pads in the cot so baby can smell your milk - bit unsightly but it works better than a shirt you've worn!
Amber teething necklace

thanks matou. Any suggestions for such a buggy (the range of products and the prices are mind boggling!)?
& Where did you find an amber teething necklace btw?
good tip re the breast pads - sounds much easier than the shirt option!

Hi SirCharles,
I had to return a mamas and papas buggy for the reason that it did not fold out flat, although they advertised it as suitable for a newborn . We then got a Jané Energy, which we are still very pleased with 3 years later. We got it on the basis of the Which? best buy reviews. (I like to get other people to do the research for me!)
I got amber teething necklaces for both my boys from the internet. IMO it really works. A friend of mine even found one with a magnetic clasp, if you are concerned about the necklace getting stuck, but we've never encountered this problem in 3 years. On a teething necklace, there is a knot between each bead, so if it snaps, there's only one bead that falls and no risk of chocking. Amber contains fault lines so the beads can split anyway. I have rethreaded DS1's necklace twice already and added butterfly-shaped beads, it looks lovely on photos. They wear them all the time except in the bath. And they are not supposed to chew on them, it works just through the contact with the skin.
Re. breast pad tip, copyright to lovely midwife Dilys.

Just wanted to give thoughts on buggies. We had a McLaren for trips to the zoo etc - stuck in the back of the car folded up / light and easy to manage. But for newborns you can't really go wrong with a Bugaboo (I am not up to date on their latest models). And for 3 yrs we've used a P&T vibe, which adapts from newborn + toddler to two small seated children. Apart from the occasional tip over when one got out the front before I was able to get to the backseat, its been brilliant and I do about 8 hrs a week with it,still.

PS. Back seat comes off completely on the VIBE so its a one seat or a two, depending on your needs.

Hi.
How exciting. II just wrote this blog post which although quite to the point might be helpful! I think it fits in the serious and otherwise category!

Best of luck. I hope it all goes well.

Hi,
How exciting. I just wrote this blog on being a first time mum which you can read here: ellamentalmama.wordpress.com (or on fb: EllamentalMama)

I think it fits in the serious and otherwise category :)

Good luck. I hope it all goes well.

With a three and a half year old thread, I think OP will have learnt by now what to do with a small baby, and might even have had one or two more.

Learn to breastfeed lying down!

Take lots of photos and cuddle little one lots! Don't worry about getting it right or finding the perfect pattern, just enjoy the ride. Babies are very forgiving so it's ok to work it out as you go.

Enjoy and congrats