What did the first 2 months of baby look like?

[Ellsiedodah]

Hey all, I'm going to be a first time mum come end of June and so I'm trying to work out what I need from buggies, car seats (and various other gubbins but my pals have given me some fairly good lists).. previous research into buggies has not helped me crystallise my thinking so I thought I'd ask what everyone's days/weeks/months looked like in the very early days... I live in a city, love to walk in the parks, enjoy coffee shops, all the usual stuff... keen to know... how much am I actually going to go to the supermarket (does everyone just order online or do they crave the outside interaction so go out to the supermarket)... can you just carry the bub to the car and sling it for those trips... do you enjoy using the time off work and brave the bus and go in to town to see an exhibition or do excursions in the first 2 months just not happen?! Would love to hear everyone's experiences! Thank you :)

Congratulations!

I suspect you're going to get a lot of different answers on this thread. I had a car hating, pram hating, cluster feeding clinger! So that curtailed my vision of going on lovely long walks and driving to see people. I used a sling a lot (because he would only nap on me). Oh and breastfeeding was really painful for ages so I tended to stay at home so as not to have to do it in public.

That said, I enjoyed all the cuddles, enjoyed watching box sets of trash TV while he slept on me and got out of the house most days after about 6 weeks.

I walk a mile to the shops every day with the pushchair to have some time out of the house, have done since she was 2 weeks old. I also do long dog walks either with pushchair or slibgvdepending on location. Great for getting baby to have a decent nap too!

Best advice i can give is get out, even for short trips, as soon as you feel able or it may seem a bigger challenge the longer you leave it.

Like Lally I had a pram hating, car hating baby. He lived in a strechy sling and later a Tula. He was born in a heat wave so we spent the first few weeks hiding from the heat and getting to grips with breastfeeding. We walked a lot in the nights after he had finished cluster feeding and it was cooler.

When the weather cooled we got out more. I would pack a blanket, food and drink and sit in the park with some music or just grab day to day bits from the shops.

I will say I had a rough time of childbirth unfortunately and it hit me physically harder than I expected. Walking was slow going and I needed to make sure I could rest often. Fortunately a new born also agrees with lots of snack breaks and watching the world go by.

Lots of tea breaks with friends, day trips, attending some baby stuff, and a little bit of mooching at home. Basically like a weekend day before kids, but with more admin, and sometimes the occasional nap.

You know what they say about the best laid plans? I thought I'd be out and about fairly quickly, but I had an unexpected emergency caesarean so I was housebound for a few weeks. It was a fortnight before I could even push the pram round the block. I certainly wouldn't have been able to carry baby in a sling for any length of time. I wasn't allowed to drive for a month. Plus I was exhausted due to waking for night feeds so I spent most of the day trying to persuade baby to nap so I could nap too. My days mostly involved sitting on the sofa or lying in bed with baby, lengthy feeding sessions while watching tv, and trying to catch up on lost sleep. I had neither the strength nor the inclination to go out.

My baby was born in January, we were in hospital 2 days due to my blood loss but soon as we were home we were out and about the next day.

We took baby for a walk in the pushchair first of all - I'd opted for a travel system that I liked the look / feel of but since then I've really wished I went for one with better wheels as walks are our thing. After that we used the stretchy sling A LOT so that was invaluable - we got a babyKtan which is like a stretchy wrap but involves less wrapping - its two pieces. We also have an ergobaby 360 but my DS only just fits in it now (7 weeks) as he was so little at birth. I'd definitely recommend going to a sling library and testing some out.

We go out every day - sometimes i drive DH to work and back or take the dog for a walk, sometimes I just walk round the block. I find it really helps my state of mind and also is perfect for getting my baby to nap. I don't think I would have been confident enough to go to a museum or exhibition in the early days just because I'm only just getting the hang of feeding/changing out and about - plus the anxiety of what if the baby cries but that might depend on how you feel about it.

I didn't do much purely out of choice 😂 would go for a walk and then watch TV probably. I wish I'd done less now 😂

DS2 was only removed from the sling for actual bedtime until he was 6 months old. He did everything in there: feed, sleep, have a good old nosy

I gave birth in January, we have an all terrain buggy/travel system but tbh have done very few walks of any length because of all the rain/snow! DS does nap in the pram carrycot in the house though so we are getting use out of it. We had a fair few hospital appointments to start with, being able to put the car seat on the buggy wheels for the long hospital corridors has been fab and we've done that quite a lot. It's a lie-flat car seat so he could safely sleep in it for longer than a regular one when he was teeny. DS is a sling hater so having a good set of wheels had helped!

I haven't set foot in a supermarket for months, we get deliveries. We haven't done many other excursions apart from going to people's houses for coffee and cake.

DS2 is 6 weeks old. We've been out and about quite a bit. Mainly to places I can sit and feed while DS1 plays. I almost exclusively use the sling rather than the pram. I might use the pram more if we didn't have a flight of stairs up to our front door, but I suspect not as I find the sling so convenient and snuggly. I also found the sling comfortable after my ELCS quicker than pushing the pram.

Thank you all so much! This is super helpful stuff!

@lallypopstick your '...cluster feeding clinger' did make me giggle! Sorry bf was painful though.

@whiterabbitwhiterabbit sorry childbirth left you so sore. Sounds like taking it slowly was just the right thing.

I think I'm getting to the point we're just going to buy the buggy we like (albeit with reservations about its weight) because it has a lot of plus points and if we can find a decent second hand one then if we have to change or get an alternative for certain types of trip then so be it. Seems like there won't be too much need to pick the thing up! I hope you're all enjoying motherhood now you're out of the first crazy weeks. Big thanks for your responses :) x

I would definitely invest in a good carrier. I strongly recommend mine - a Manduca. They're safe or babies hips too, which some styles aren't.

I spent the first couple of months mostly at home. Out of choice really as I found I liked sitting holding my little one. We did go out and do things (and I did have to go out and look after my horses) so we weren't in 24/7 but I didn't bother food shopping or anything like that that could be avoided easily. He also spent a lot of time on the breast. Don't regret it at all, I genuinely didn't realise how fast he would grow and now he is rampaging around the house at 10 months old I'm pleased we had that snuggle time together to start with. We started baby classes after the summer break when he was just over 4 months old, I could happily have started a bit sooner at say 3 months but I wasn't ready much before that.

@littlemisscomper thanks very much - I'm really interested in what you know about this. We've been offered an ergo baby sling and the Kari Me from friends. I don't suppose you know anything about those do you? Will check out Manduca too. Thank you!

If you can get to one I would try a sling library, then you can try on lots and see what suits. We tried a few on, hired one for a month, then swapped and tried another before choosing a connecta to buy.

I'm afraid I don't know about those specific brands. I know to AVOID the original baby bjorn carrier. They have just this year produced a hip-safe version though. The thing to remember is that the carrier need to support baby's legs so he/she is in the 'frog' position - legs apart and knees slightly higher than their hip joints.

Someone gave me the wise advice to wait till we got home and then buy everything. So I had it all in my basket and then bought what we needed as we went along. I didn’t go out much in the first 7 days so it was fine to be patient and not buy stuff we didn’t need.
I used the Ergo baby and Beco Gemini.
I tried to go out once a day for a quick stroll. Either to the shops or just for a walk.

@ellsiedodah I have those exact same slings on recommendation from a friend too.
The KariMe is great, especially in the early days if you have a Velcro baby. You can go handsfree! I tend to use this around the house or I take it with me when out in the pram if I think baby will want carrying if he is going through a clingy stage.

We use the Ergobaby out and about - again I really like this one too however due to the position of buckles etc I find it easier to use when there are two sets of hands.

My son really didn't take to being carried. I had the caboo close which was very easy to put on and also an ergo baby which was a nightmare to put in yourself unless you are a yoga instructor! So I used my pram a lot! And he only napped in the pram so it was a godsend! I was very anaemic after birth so needed iron drips at the hospital and stitches that were done too tightly and took 6 months to heal so I'd wait and see how you and baby are after birth xxx

Thanks so much @everyone. With such different experiences of birth, and different babies, seems you actually can't plan at all with any certainty! @koshamangsho that probably was very wise advice! Though my husband was horrified when I suggested we wait to get a buggy til it's born! One of my besties has offered to get me a sling consultant which is very kind of her but feels a bit OTT with sling libraries around etc... but @bananaramama that's interesting you ended up with the same and great to hear they worked for you! Reckon we'll give them a go and see how we go. @cutesbabasmummy sorry you weren't very well afterwards... yeah, my feeling is a pram is essential along with the sling because you do need the option of putting a bub down if you can.@littlemisscomper thanks for advising on the earlier baby bjorn. Will avoid! x

My advice would be to buy your buggy second hand! So that if it’s not right for you then you can sell on and buy a new one without losing a lot of cash.