what did you find the most useful in the first few weeks after giving birth?

[ellymae]

I'm going to be catching up with a soon to be first time mum next week (she's currently 36 weeks pregnant). I haven't seen her for a while and although I plan to get something for the baby after its arrived I thought it would be nice to take something with me for her that she would find useful in those first few days/weeks after the birth.

My 15 month old DD spent nearly 2 months in SBCU due to surgery and complications and so my experiences of being a new mum were very much coloured by hospital visits, industrial type expressing machines and occasional nights where I was able to sleep through!

So could anyone recommend anything that she might not already have bought or even thought about that would come in really useful? She's not a close friend so I was looking for something inexpensive and not too personal. Thanks

Cups of tea, maybe a meal cooked.

Having a bath run for me.

My mum gave us a box set of Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marples. Loved it. Flowers, and chocolates- obvious but very much appreciated.

NANNY!
CLEANER!
HOUSEKEEPER!
SECURITY (to keep the in-laws at bay)

............
pizza, chocolate, flowers, dvds,

a bath support £12 pound from mothercare, i found this a blessing as my dd could sit in the bath and was very supported, as i had trouble bending down , it lasted till she was able to sit up, this made bathtime a happy time

Boppy pillow - invaluable for feeding baby.

Bouncy chair - for those times when baby just won't go to sleep.

Sling - when baby is irritable and wants to be carried around

Chocolate - for Mummy!

I think I am officially going to start buying gifts for the mum instead of the baby from now on for all newborns. The baby gets enough gifts as it is (and, really, how many 6-9 mo footie pjamas can you possibly use - but that's for another thread - why did almost everyone get me the same present for my dd when she was born?! and is that a common phenomenon? and why 6-9? and why 6-9 mo winter clothes for a winter baby? I digress).

The gifts I received that were the best:
healing bubble bath (some special mix of lavendar, arnica and whatnot), chocolate, food (if you don't have time to cook for her, even bringing over some bread / milk / or frozen pizzas can be helpful!), bottle of wine...

One of those V-shaped cushions for b/feeding.

A sleep token - she rocks your baby while you kip?

muslins they are a godsend and you can never have too many and i also found my v shaped pillow was quite useful.

sleep(!), easy to cook/eat with one hand food

LOL at deeja, I agree with you!

we liked...good hand cream (Clarins or Lush), good chocolate, as many M&S ready meals we could afford, dominos pizza deliveries , cheap wilko's handtowels for putting on the change mat and mopping up poo, loads of cheap Tescos sleepy suits as DS poo-ed everywhere and I never got round to washing them that often and they piled up damp in the bath.

muffins/crumpets/anything that can be toasted and slathered in a lot of butter and jam.
trashy magazines, of the sort you can read while braindead, to read while bfeeding for the 1000th time
a promise to come round and take the baby out in the pushchair for an hour so she can go to sleep

lots of lovely toiletries/chocs for Mum. My work sent me a basket of muffins which were a godsend - treats for us and also for the many visitors. Each was individually wrapped so lasted for ages....

if you're buying baby clothes, something for a newborn - everyone else will buy age 6-9 months? doesn't have to be too fancy -you need an awful lot of vests/babygrows in those early days?

My hugabub.

I LOVE that thing, it is the only baby thing that I have held on to in case we have another (have even obtained another), cause everything else I could have managed without, but not without the hugabub!

My parents came over for over a week. My dad is a fantastic cook and I was fed very very well (so were Dh and DS (2nd time round). My mom did all washing and cleaning, couldnt be better

Slaps self in head.

Sorry misunderstood the question.

I agree with the DVD sets. Spent many days stretched out on the lounge with DS breastfeeding watching Lord of the Rings and Stargate.

Maybe offer to sort out a load of washing or wash up or something. Though only do this if you are REALLY good friends and your friend won't take offence. I had a girlfriend who would come over with cakes and starbucks, throw the washing on and tidy up the kitchen.

I miss her SO MUCH!