Due December 2022 (thread 4)

[Sdoubleyou]

Hi all, looks like we'll be filling up today or tomorrow. I wanted to create the thread early so we can have a link to the new one. Have a nice weekend!

@Solstice143 I do believe it is raynaud's! They go white and then purple if they become cold. The pain is agony like they've been chopped off or something! I didn't know there is medication and I have been really worried about breastfeeding due to the pain I've been in during pregnancy. It's daily pain now especially in the morning. Do you get the medication from your GP? Is it safe for breastfeeding? Thanks 😊

We've got a lot of stuff left over from our previous two but so far we have:

From last time:
Moses basket and stand
All sleeping bags 6months+
Perfect prep machine
Cot and mattress
95% of the clothes for boy or girl (will just need specific seasonal bits as both others are summer babies)
Pram suit in every size
Double pram and double pushchair
Car seat
Nappy Bag

Bought new:
2 packs of size 0 nappies
3 packs of size 1 nappies
2 boxes wet wipes
2 packets of water wipes for the hospital bag
A foam bath liner (rather than a baby bath)
2 hooded bath towels
Hooded towel for swimming
Reusable swim nappy
And back pack for swimming lessons 😂

And we're borrowing a next to me crib from my sister.

We just need the bottles and dummies, oh and the baby! 😂

For those first timers asking what we found a waste of money, baby socks just go missing and fall off constantly! Baby grows and trousers with feet in them are far more practical in my opinion. Also scratch mitts, we didn't use them after the first week of having our first, they fall off and go missing, there are some baby heroes that have them built in which are marvellous, but we just kept on top of trimming babies nails to stop them scratching themselves. Also we've found tiny nail clippers are easier than scissors when cutting babies nails.

The only thing I've bought is a next to me crib today on Facebook for £50 in perfect condition with a waterproof mattress cover and 3 sheets. Other than that I haven't got anything yet. I'm 17+2 today so going to wait until after my 20 week scan to check everything is ok :)

@Orcarain I think it's so different from family to family and even from baby to baby!
We never bothered with newborn socks but my son was born in June! Then when the weather got colder we had the problem that babygrows with feet never fit because he had massive feet despite being very small. We spent a small fortune on sock ons (which do work but cost more money than is sensible!)

We had a Ewan the Dream Sheep which some people swear by but then we actually had a white noise machine for ourselves and just used that in the end!

I think don't buy much for bottle feeding or for breastfeeding until you know which way it goes. I know people who got a perfect prep machine then didn't use it because breastfeeding went really well straight away. I also know people who bought breast pumps and all sorts and then ended up formula feeding quite early on because it didn't work out for them. If you've got the money most things can be got from Amazon or Facebook market place as you need them.

Try not to go too mad on clothes because you'll get loads of gifts and then you'll have lots of time to buy stuff as they get into bigger sizes. I wasn't good at this advice!!

We never had a jumperoo or a bumbo seat or anything and didn't need them but some people swear by them.

Hands down the best things are sleepsuits with zips for easy night changing. Doing poppers at 2am isn't fun.

Lastly, I recommend a sling library if you're looking for a baby carrier as you can try lots of different ones and see which suits your shape etc. sometimes the most comfortable one isn't the one you think you'll like.

Oh and we did reuseable nappies after the first 12 weeks or so. On and off initially then full time through all the lockdowns and I really got into a rhythm with it. Can save lots of money if you do it right.

Oh I've also bought a new wrap sling! And we still have our playmat and jumperoo 😁

@AG96

Yes, the pain can be really intense- I feel you.
I still need to do more research myself, but the medicine is called Nifedipine and can be taken during breastfeeding but I'm not sure re pregnancy (I'm going to wait anyway as I'm still on some meds for HG). I think it's just a course of the meds that is needed to improve the effects - So definitely speak to your GP about it and there's some info on old google/other threads - I'm going to get some lined up so I have them to take if breastfeeding is being badly affected by it and I don't have to worry about trip to doctor with newborn. Really good you know what it is though because I read a lot about it being misdiagnosed as thrush or something when women are struggling- which of course doesn't help and just causes more confusion/pain.

To manage the pain at the moment I have hand heat warmers with me at all times.. I have reusable ones to use at home but do keep a few disposable ones in the car too just in case I need them in a rush. They have really helped as I just hold the heat against the nipple (which can be painful at first but then gradually eases the pain over time) or keep them in my bra- that and hot showers- but of course they are not available 24/7.
it may well be ok by time bf comes around and may just be a pregnancy thing but just worth being prepared!
Hope that helps- I really do sympathise -

@lifechanginglemoncake i absolutely love all of this! Thank you so much! i’ve screenshotted it for future keeping!

you’re so right about the feeding aspect! I’ve been shopping around at breast pumps etc… but I don’t even know what’s going to happen or what baby will want/need!

@Orcarain we had this chat not too long ago on our mums group from 2021 - it was really funny because everyone had completely different opinions!

Things that are great for some mums/babies are not great for others 😜

for me our absolute best things were:

• perfect prep machine - I combination fed and the prep machine was a godsend for night feeds!


• white noise machine


• off-road pram - we live in the north of Scotland and totally need it!


• nappy caddy for upstairs and downstairs along with changing mat


• Weleda nappy cream and face cream


• zip up sleep suits


• sleepyhead baby pod


• muslins - our DS wasn’t a sicky baby, so we literally never used them and had millions!


• scratch mitts


• Rockit - to rock pram


• next to me crib - he only wanted to sleep on us or right next to us in bed


• hooded baby towels - we just use regular towels 😂


• ollie the owl or Ewan the sheep - we had both, then found a sound machine that stays on constantly much better.


• nappy bin - literally never used - just put the nappies in regular hill bin or out to big bin straight away.

What I would say from experience is try and buy things second hand, because you might spend a fortune on lovely things and then baby hates it! ours absolutely HATED the bouncer/rocker and Moses basket and also our pram (until he was about 10 months old!) so we never used our bassinet 😂 x

Personally I would say don't get a cot/cot bed before you know your baby. You might have one who will only sleep or you, or does better on a floor mattress. I'd also say don't waste money on a changing station. Most of the time it's much easier just to have a changing mat that's portable around the house.

I would really recommend one of those caddy/organisers for all the nappies, nappy bags, creams etc to keep it all neat in one place.

@Solstice143 Thank you for the advice! Sorry you have had HG. I hope you are feeling better with it now?

I will get some hand/nip warmers 😂 hopefully it stops before breastfeeding. I never had it before I was pregnant. It was my first symptom when I had no idea I was pregnant and thought something was seriously wrong with my boobs 😂

So I have been feeling flutters every few days since I was 10 weeks. I'm now 15 weeks today and I haven't felt baby for a few days this has happened once before and all was fine. Is anyone else feeling flutters this early and can go days without feeling anything? My anxiety is through the roof

Anyone using tinzaparin sodium injections as blood thinner?

@tasha4eva10 I've been feeling flutters since 15ish weeks. I'm 18+4 today and have days where I feel like I feel nothing and then the next day he wiggles lots lol. They are still so small at this stage that if they change position you might not feel anything. Could always call midwife if you feel concerned but I think it's normal! 😊

Things I found really helpful with my first were:

• Changing table: Controversial but after a csection I did not want to be leaving over the bed or kneeling on the floor. Used it till she was 9 months. This time we've got a change mat on top of a dresser.

• Nappy Caddy: We're used (and still use) IKEA Len waterproof mats and a nappy caddy downstairs.

• Nappy bin: Really handy upstairs and still going strong.

• Snuzpod: She slept in this till 8 months.

• Off road buggy: Baby Jogger GT2, easy fold, hand brake, non burst tired, as good in a field as on a pavement. Bassinet was a godsend, she slept overnight in it when away, napped in it, could put her in our at 4am while I made up a bottle.

• Perfect prep: Took all the guesswork out of bottle feeding. Amazing at aforementioned 4am feeds.

• Ergo embrace: All the benefits of a sling without the faff. Used till she was about 8 months.

• Sheepskin rug from IKEA: She napped and played on it till about 7 months.

• Sudocream: Best thing I found to prevent nappy rash and get rid of redness.

Things I didn't use:

• Ollie the Owl: High hopes, did nothing except keep her awake when she figured out she could press the buttons and cycle through the songs in three middle of the night.

• Baby socks and scratch mitts: Just got woolly leggings with feet from Zara, they're great. Plus leggings with feet from H&M when it was a little warmer.

• Sleepsuits with zips: Fighting with her to get her legs into them was much harder than just closing some poppers.

• Any containers: Didn't need jumparoos, rockers, swings, sit in walkers, dockatots, mammaroo or bumbos. She was just happy hanging out on the sheepskin rug.

I'd say don't get much until they baby arrives, you don't know what they will like.

Oh and Merino Kids sleeping bags have been great. They are all year round and fit 3 months till 2 years so she is still using hers at 19 months. Don't have to worry about togs and just adjust her sleepsuit and layers based on how warm her room is. Also used the 0-3 month ones when she was born and didn't have to panic about her overheating or being buried under blankets.

My midwife told me that you shouldn't expect flutters to fall into a regular pattern until about 24 weeks. Before that you may feel lots for a few days then nothing at all for a while and not to worry. I agree it's probably because the baby is small so their position will impact on whether you can feel it.

I need to come back to this thread with a spreadsheet at the ready - so much valuable information!

@TradedAtlanta @AG96 thank you for the reassurance! It's horrible isn't it. I swear I'm so much more anxious this pregnancy than I was with my daughter!

I'd say don't get much until they baby arrives, you don't know what they will like.
I agree with this and also you won’t know what YOU will like! A friend urged me to get an electric pump and one of those hands-free bras to use it with – but she had her husband at home for the first six months, and a non-Velcro baby. I quickly discovered that without those two things, I had no time to pump (because the baby was always on me), and when I did… I HATED it. Wasn’t worth the time off a feed I got later to sit around pumping when I did get a break.

Also hated everything with poppers and loved zips, although truthfully we went the lazy route and DD wore leggings and vests without doing the poppers up from about six weeks - down with poppers!

Bedside cribs are brilliant for your water bottle, flapjacks, jelly babies, kindle and other night feed necessities. (The baby sleeps in your armpit while the crib is full.)

Hi all, this will be baby number 4 for us and I totally agree all babies are different and every family works differently, some things I found useful my friends didn’t and vice versa, even each of my babies were different…however I will still share

Things I found the most useful;

-Nappy caddy you can move about- filled with nappies, cotton wool, wipes, nappy bags, vests, babygrows, nappy cream, muslins, sterile dummies in case (if you plan to use them), snacks/charger for yourself if baby falls asleep on you and you don’t want to move 😂

-car seat that attaches to your pram- for quick trips in and out the car when you don’t want to faff about waking baby

-babygrows -lots up to 3 months they live in these rather than fancy outfits especially winter babies. The ones with integrated scratch mitts are the best, I found I automatically used these over ones without to stop scratching and keep their hands warm.

-snowsuit but also a fleecesuit - they can’t go in the car seat in a snowsuit but can in the warmer/thinner fleecy type babygrows/snowsuits I found this really useful having 3 December and January babies (yeah we didn’t plan well 🙈) as it was so cold

-blankets- thick ones for going out and about and thin cellular ones for sleep

-Swaddle blankets - as newborns mine loved to be swaddled, it also helped them not wake so much as they felt safe like in the womb- again all babies are different though. We then moved onto baby sleeping bags

-Sleepyhead - again people will have different views on these but we loved ours with our 3rd and couldn’t be without it as it was a safe place for her to sleep away from our toddler and she felt secure - they don’t recommend you let them sleep overnight in these

-A shnuggle bath- this was great for bathing newborn to 3 months (recommend picking up second hand) but also a lie down baby bath seat that goes in your bath (also may aswell get second hand) - both these save your arm and so u don’t have a slippery newborn to hold and wash at same time and the one that goes in the bath meant I could bath my little ones together too which they liked.

-Lanisoh nipple cream and breastfeeding bras (I loved the sports type crop top ones without wires) if your breastfeeding - might have sore nipples first few days-this eases off so don’t buy loads of nipple cream. I had a breast pump with all but got very little use as I was never really separated from them and the more you breastfeed and less u pump the more breast milk you have the easier it is to breastfeed and get into a routine.

-metanium yellow nappy cream I found best for nappy rash, Sudocrem and bepantham good also but my kids were all different when it came to nappy creams.

Next to you crib/snuzpod

I could go onto weaning stuff but thought I’d stick to newborn stage….the usual baby rocker/bouncer and baby gym also useful but I wouldn’t go overboard spending on these. Obviously a pram is an essential ☺️

Things I didn’t find useful

-newborn socks- they fell off and got lost but you still need them for outfits so feet don’t get cold

-muslins- bought loads and needed few

-baby baths without newborn insert- the cheap baby baths with no support are useless you may aswell just use a normal bath as they kill your arm and the baby slips and slides everywhere

-nappy bin - we just used the nappy bags and put out into black bin, again some find the nappy bins useful, I found them a faff

— fancy white noise gimics - Alexa plays white noise so you don’t need to spend money on these.

—fancy baby outfits - they’re cute and I’m guilty of doing this but try not go overboard as they don’t get lots of wear.

• buying lots of unisex things if you aren’t finding out the gender- when they’re born you end up buying their gender clothes and so does everyone else so you don’t use the unisex so much

To be honest they try and sell you so much in baby shops of essential things you need but as sad as it is they aren’t newborn for long and lots of things go unused or get very little use so I would say if you don’t mind second hand it is worth looking second hand or waiting to buy certain items you aren’t sure is worth buying till you know your baby. Amazon prime will be your best friend in the first few weeks as you get to know your baby and for things you need so don’t worry if you forget things too. Would also recommend preparing some meals/ batch cooking and freezing so the first few days/ weeks you have food ready for you so don’t have to worry about what your going to eat. Sorry for long post, I will have missed stuff too 🤣

Wow thanks for the tips above everyone, so helpful for a clueless mummy to be like me! I’m going to make some notes and start a list 😊.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. My 2 week sick free streak came to an end last night with a nice 4am throwing up session. Nevermind, I will take once in 2 weeks over 15 times a day like it was before 🤢😅

Hello, has anyone been changing shampoo's etc? This sounds daft but I was looking up if a tan I was using was safe and their was a long list of shampoo and conditioners deemed not safe for use in pregnancy. Literally feels like you have to Google everything you eat and use! I'm still using the same one as I have been the past almost 20 weeks but seriously do we actually have to change things like that and body wash oh and I can't disinfect my kitchen anymore either? It all seems a bit extreme considering so many women don't even know about a lot of things we're not meant to use and have been for years!

buying lots of unisex things if you aren’t finding out the gender- when they’re born you end up buying their gender clothes and so does everyone else so you don’t use the unisex so much
I think that one is really person- and community-specific too! We certainly stuck to the clothes we’d bought and continued to pick up generic clothes. Only really got “girly” stuff when she hit 3 and asked for sparkly dresses.

Another recommendation is IKEA’s changing mat – dirt cheap, inflatable edges so the whole thing packs down easily for travel. We used ours endlessly, no changing table: started with it on top of the chest of drawers, then moved it to the bed when she started to roll. Was also a useful and cheap place to stash her on the floor when I had a shower. Well worth the fiver.

@hopefulsunshine11 It depends on your levels of anxiety and how risk-averse you are. Avoid anything containing clary sage. I haven’t switched a thing, and in fact just used some extra strength headlice shampoo (cheers, DD…)! Most cosmetics and medicines etc are fine but no one can say because ethically you can’t run proper tests on pregnant people – who’s going to sign up to that? Try reading Expecting Better by Emily Oster: it’s really scientific and data-driven about what’s actually a problem and what’s scaremongering.

Hi all! I'm 16+2 and had my gender scan this morning. Baby was extremely active and I was being scanned for a good 20 minutes whilst the sonographer tried to get decent pictures!

I'm getting my hair cut and coloured this afternoon whilst my DH is doing a job for his side business today, so we won't pull our cannon until about 5 this evening. So excited!!

Thanks everyone for posting what baby pieces they've found helpful before
Am making some notes