Setting up the nursery : Top ten things you need for your newborn

If you are practical and wise, then it is a good idea to set up the nursery atleast 8 weeks before your EDD (Expected Date of Delivery). If you are over at your mom's or MIL's place, then you may have a lot of help to do it. But if you are on your own, then it is not such a bad idea to get started even before. The second trimester was a breeze compared to the first and what I am going through right now. All I am worried about right now is when it is going to happen and if I am going to throw up tonight - can't think any better than that. Forget getting stuff done. so I am glad that mom thought it through and has everything figured out and ready.

Here's a list of things that my nursery has for the baby:

Updated after LG's birth
Clothing :

1. It is neither too hot nor too cold here.So based on the climate you might want to shop for your newborn. Assuming that the baby will feel any colder than you do is a misconception I am told. Right now, we have about 15 sets of button up sleeveless cotton shirts. These are cheap and available for Rs. 15 a piece. Very convenient for the baby - easy to slip in and change.


2. Washable nappies - the triangular ones don't work well. Get the trapezoidal ones. This is what you will need the most. babies urinate anywhere between 20-30 times a day the first few weeks.


3. White cotton clothes - again about 30-40 of them made from used dhotis or new cotton cloth.


4. Rubber sheet - atleast 2 of them.


5. Receiving blanket - 4 to 5 of these. you may not need a hooded blanket and you can use the same while carrying the baby outside.


6. Socks, mittens were a big waste. Babies just don't like to wear any of these.


7. Baby pillows. This is not so much for the head, but to give a cushioning effect recreating the atmosphere of the womb. babies sleep better in a cosy environment.


8. Disposable nappies for your visits to the Paed.


9. A baby basket to store baby's clothes. A hamper to store other essentials and baby's medicines


10. Bedsheets - you would need to change atleast one everyday. If you have old bed sheets at home, then do not throw them away. You will need them all until your baby is 7 months old.
    

Toiletries

1. Baby towel


2. Baby tub - either the circular one or the one where babies Can be strapped. the ones where babies can be strapped works well for mothers who bathe the baby themselves.


3. Johnson's baby soap and baby shampoo


4. Johnson's baby oil and baby hair oil


5. Vaseline or diaper rash cream


6. Dettol to clean the baby's clothes


7. A laundry basket to store soiled nappies and clothes.

You don't need any other lotion or powder. Babies smell good already :)

If you plan to co-sleep with the baby, you don't need a crib. I co-sleep with LG and it has worked great for both of us.

Getting ready for the D-day : A checklist of what to pack in your hospital bag

When I was 34 weeks pregnant, we had everything ready in preparation for the D-Day. Its a good idea to have your bags packed by the time you are 36 weeks after that. It can happen anytime and staying prepared to leave for the hospital anytime of the day/night avoids last minute anxiety and frustration of having missed out something important and rushing back and forth between hospital and home.

Here is a detailed checklist from my bags:

For the mother-to-be while in labour (before the baby is born):

1. Bathroom Slippers


2. Night gowns (2)


3. Hot water to drink


4. Horlicks/juice


5. Flask with hot water


6. Cell phone :)


7. Some magazine to browse if pain doesn't set in


8. Hand wash, soap etc


9. Comb


10. Toothbrush, toothpaste

For your parents or anyone who is going to stay with you at the hospital:

1. Waiting time from the moment you are wheeled into the operating room until discharge ca take long. Some times as long as 7 to 8 hours. This can be a very anxious time for parents/husband. So its a good idea to keep some magazines handy though there is a very less likelihood of they flipping through the pages.


2. Snacks/juice/water


3. Mobile charger


4. Bathroom slippers


5. Bedsheets for the night (2) if you don't like hospital provided ones


6. Toiletries


7. Change of clothes, atleast 1 pair


8. Digital Camera /camcorder

For after the birth:

1. Sanitary napkins meant for maternity


2. Nursing bras


3. Night gowns (2)


4. Nursing pads or small white cloth for overflowing milk


5. Comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, hand wash, soap


6. Garbage bags

For the baby

1. A small bathtub


2. Johnson's baby kit - baby hair oil, baby oil, baby soap, baby powder


3. Pampers' newborn Diaper for the baby when you have to leave from the hospital


4. Nappies - atleast 15 of them


5. White cloth to put underneath the baby


6. Rubber sheet for the baby


7. Cotton wrap for the baby - 6


8. Socks if it is cold else don't waste your money on this. Kids hate socks.


9. White cotton cloth to wipe baby's face


10. Wipes to clean the baby after stools/urine


11. Receiving sheet for the baby


12. Baby blanket/fleece blanket (2) if it is cold.


13. Old cotton dresses of the baby to wear


14. One nice dress to get the baby back home

How to remain upbeat through your pregnancy?

The period since late April until now has by far remained the toughest time of my life. You would have heard stories of how women glow and shine and get pampered through their pregnancy. All of that is true, if not fully atleast partly. What also goes with it are those damn "mood swings".

I have a feeling that I have put a little of people at discomfort because of this pregnancy - at home and at work. There have been time in the first trimester when I would hardly wait for a colleague to finish his/her sentence before I got restless and excused myself out of the room for no good reason. The same day there have been happy times as well. My mood has seen troughs and crests within hours. I don't know if I should blame the hormones or my attitude....it was worse the first trimester and it slowly got better and am doing a lot better now because I get ample rest and am in the comfort zone of mom.

Here are some tips that helped me. I acknowledge it will take a lot of effort from your side and advice, that too unsolicited, is the last thing you want to hear at this stage. But if at all you are in the frame of mind to take it and try it and if it works, then great!

1. No isolation: Always be in the company of others. Being alone can be very depressing now. I avoided people in my frist trimester for whatever reasons and got myself into a shell , not talking to anyone, getting irritated at people who tried to be nice and friendly because I wasn't feeling good. In the end I realised it did not do me any good, so I started reaching out to a select few I felt comfortable with and it helped.


2. Share the feeling that you are pregnant with your friends. Keeping it under the wraps for too long will make you uncomfortable and believe me the gossip mongers will work overtime to wonder whats wrong and start speculating.


3. This is what worked for me - listening to shlokas or some soothing music every morning. It would be a great help if your husband can play it on every morning.


4. Next important thing is diet. No positive attitude can make you feel better if you are suffering from a heartburn after giving into that craving :) So watch what you eat even if you can't resist it. You don't want to feel bad later.


5. A little retail therapy and time out with your partner like evening walks or just sitting on the terrace will do you a lot of good.


6. If its a first pregnancy, then its a lot of firsts for both of you. The more involved the husband is, the more pleasant the pregnancy will be for the wife. You can do fun things like shopping for the kid, feel the experience of the baby kicking together..


7. Don't do anything that makes you sad like a sad movie or song or getting yourself worked up into an emotional conversation that will eventually make you cry.


8. Use your commute time to work to calm yourself.

Diet during the first trimester

Food, what to have and what not to, is very tricky in the first trimester for you don't know what suits and what doesn't. Its a trial and error exercise. It took me 2 cups of tea and a bowl of cornflakes to eliminate milk from my diet while curd was ok. Sure, milk is very essential and a must-have because it is rich in Calcium. But I figured it was better to avoid than have it and throw up everything else I ate afterward.

Finding a healthy substitute for cornflakes as breakfast was difficult. Used to having a bowl of cereals for over 4 years, it was tough to get used to something else. But then hunger teaches you, doesn't it :) My diet constituted of the following during the first trimester:

7:00 a.m. - A bowl of sprouts (green urad dal and kala chana)
7:30 a.m. - Horlicks
8:00 a.m. - 2 bananas
9:30 a.m. - 3 Idlis
11:30 a.m. - Lunch - a big plate of vegetable/fruit salad with no dressing. Just salt/sugar sprinkled with lemon. Or rice.
3:00 p.m. - Fruits - apples, cheekus, pomegranates, mangoes whatever the season was
5:30 p.m. - Biscuits
7:00 p.m. - Fruits or some light snack
8:30 p.m. - dinner - dosa /idli or something other than rice/rotis. The smell of rotis was nauseating.

As a substitute for milk, I tried condensed milk which suited me. it is worth the initial effort to make a diet chart of what you like / don't. It is best to avoid fried foods and milk based sweets.

Sleeping postures during pregnancy

The ideal sleeping posture during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy is left lateral position. This increases the blood circulation for the foetus. Lying on back is quite harmful during the later stages I'm told as it exerts pressure and makes breathing for the mother difficult. This was one difficult habit to overcome and unconsciously every night I would roll on my back. Try keeping pillows on both sides as a fortress to support your back and the earlier you get used to sleeping on the sides the better it will be.

Categories: sleep postures, pregnancy