There are a gazillion lists out there, sharing with you the ultimate list of items to get to prepare for the arrival of your little bundle of joy. When I was a first time mother, I followed the instructions on these lists to a tee. I wanted to make sure that I was 100% prepared when my baby came home, and not find myself at a loss because something was missing. Alas, try as I might, after my baby and I were discharged from the hospital, I still found myself scrambling online at the eleventh hour for things which I did not have, and do not have the luxury to head out and buy (because of confinement!)
1. A Handsfree Pump Bra
If you are planning to breastfeed at all, you would have probably prepared a breast pump, all the accompanying spare parts, the storage bottles, the storage bags and what not. But you would have missed out a handsfree pump bra. A handsfree pump bra helps you to hold your pump flanges in place while you are pumping, so that your hands are free to do other stuff. I cannot stress how important this is!
If you pump exclusively, a newborn feeds 8-12 times a day, and an exclusively pumping mother will need to similarly remove milk from her breasts 8-12 times a day to build up her supply in the first few months before her supply is established. Hence, this translates to 160min - 240min i.e. 2hrs 40min - 4hrs (assuming each pump session is an average of 20min) of time per day! Can you imagine how many things you can get done in that time with your hands free from holding onto pump flanges? I brush my teeth and get my make up done every morning while I am pumping, and even if I am not doing anything, I can be browsing Instagram, Facebook or just doing online shopping, which beats staring into blank space while holding onto 2 pump flanges anytime. And even if you do not pump exclusively, there will be occasions whereby you need to pump because you are away from baby or you are going back to work. Just pumping once or twice a day translates to 20-40min of time which can be better spent doing anything, rather than holding on to pump flanges!
2. White Noise Machine
I swear this machine is a God sent. As it is, newborns have unpredictable sleep patterns, and frequently wake throughout the night to feed. Even during the day, they tend to cat nap instead of sleeping for a long stretch at a time. Hence, anything that can help a baby sleep better is a MUST HAVE for any new parent. The general advice given to any tired new mom is to sleep when the baby sleeps.
Hence, when baby sleeps better and longer, it also translates to better rest for the mommy.
Our wombs are actually awashed in noises. There are the loud whooshing of our blood and digestive systems, and not forgetting the thumping of our heart and our voices, which sounds a lot louder as it transmits through our body as opposed to transmitting through air. Hence, our babies are actually used to a very noisy environment. The noisier the environment, the better they rest. The mistake most new parents make is to provide a quiet environment for the baby!
A white noise machine mimics the noises a newborn is accustomed to in a mother’s womb. This not only helps them to sleep better, but also sleep longer! A well-rested baby means a well-rested mommy!
3. Baby Carrier
Most Newborn Essentials List will include a stroller or a pram. But if you ask me, a baby carrier far outweighs them in terms of importance. In fact, my son practically lived in a baby carrier for the 1st year of his life!
The baby carrier is such an awesome invention! I wonder how parents survive without one before. It relieves my aching arms from carrying my baby, without compromising on the closeness, comfort and security the baby feels from being physically carried. It also doubles up as a magic sleep sack. It is the best way to lull my baby to sleep. The minute I put him in there, he is out like a light within 1 minute. In the first year of the baby’s life, it is so much more convenient to be zipping around in a baby carrier, as opposed to lugging a bulky and heavy stroller everywhere, especially so for parents who do not drive. You also save yourself the trouble of having to look for an elevator every time you are in a mall, because baby wearing allows you to take the escalator!
4. Newborn Bath support
If you have a heavyweight newborn like me, that weighs close to 4kg at birth, you will thank me later for preparing you to save your wrists. It is extremely common for new moms to be afflicted with what is commonly known as the “Mommy Wrists” or Tendonitis. This occurs when one of our tendons gets inflamed, swollen and irritated through overuse.
When we shower our newborns, we exert our wrists and arm strength to alleviate and support their body weight. And over time, as they get heavier, especially since they double their birth weight in the first 3 months of life, this creates a greater and greater strain on our wrists. This results in the above said “Mommy Wrists” or Tendonitis. And trust me, the pain can get pretty excruciating.
So now, if there is a device which completely helps to eliminate this problem by helping you support your baby in the bath, what is there not to like? Your baby can rest comfortably in the warm tub while taking a luxurious bath, and mommy can rest her wrist and also avoid any potential slip-ups of the baby sliding off her grip! Yay-ness!
5. Night Light
When a baby is first born, they have day and night confusion, with totally out-of-whack circadian rhythms, biological processes that cycle once every 24 hours. After all, it is always pitch dark when they are inside mommy’s tummy, and they nap as and whenever they feel like it.
However, now that they are out, if they keep up their previous sleep patterns, it is likely that mom and dad will get no rest. Hence, it is important to help your baby understand the differences between night and day, and to establish good circadian rhythms. In fact, if you would like to quickly get to more restful nights, it would be in your best interests to help your baby actively do so.
A general rule of thumb is to expose your baby to as much natural light as possible in the day, and to keep their bedrooms and cots as dim as possible at night. Light is a signal that tells the brain to delay the onset of sleepiness at night.
A good night light, preferably in warm soft orange hues, is important for the baby’s room. If your home is anything like mine, I remember when I first brought my baby home, I had to switch on the main lights overhead which were jarringly white whenever he fussed in the middle of the night. By the time, I was done with my diaper changing, swaddling and settling him, my newborn was wide awake, doe eyed, and all ready to play at 4am in the morning. However, this all changed after I bought a small night light which I put in my baby’s room.
In the night, I only ever switched on this light, if I had to have some visibility in the room. Whenever my baby fussed, I also only used this light for diaper changing, swaddling, nursing.etc. My baby is usually still drowsy when I am done and it was so much easier to settle him back for the night.
I hope you found my list useful as these were things nobody ever told me I needed until I was a mom myself and realised how important they were. It would have saved me so much pain (literally in my wrists!) and heartache!
So, you are welcome!
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