[CrissyDi]

Any tips or advice would be great!

Symptom Relief: Nausea, Sore back, headaches, etc

Any products for pregnancy and/ or newborn care

Bottles, carseats, strollers, cribs, etc.: What brands are best? What items do I need? What items are a waist of money?


Thanks!

[danielnoahsmommy]

Get the book what to expect when you are expecting. (they also make a book what to expect the first year) a boppy pillow, a bouncy seat and a baby swing. Nuk pacifiers lots of cloth diapers are good to use a burp cloths. And the newborn diapers with the belly button cut outs. I loved the papers line of diapers. Hope this helped some.

[CrissyDi]

get the book what to expect when you are expecting. (they also make a book what to expect the first year) a boppy pillow, a bouncy seat and a baby swing. nuk pacifiers lots of cloth diapers are good to use a burp cloths. and the newborn diapers with the belly button cut outs. I loved the papers line of diapers. hope this helped some.

Thanks for the quick reply! The brand of diapers is called PAPERS or is the type of diaper made of paper?

[southerngalps]

Saltine crackers and sprite or 7-up for nausea.

[danielnoahsmommy]

Sorry, meant pampers

[CrissyDi]

sorry, ment pampers

Thanks! You helped a lot!

[Fr_Chuck]

And for us they had a wonderful thing called a "diaper genie" you put your disposable diaper into it, and it seals the smell.

[DoulaLC]

Any tips or advice would be great!

Symptom Relief: Nausea, Sore back, headaches, etc

Any products for pregnancy and/ or newborn care

Bottles, carseats, strollers, cribs, etc.: What brands are best? What items do I need? What items are a waist of money?


Thanks!

The possible lists are endles... :) If you are planning to breastfeed, Breastflow is a good bottle or really any with a wide base on the nipple. If bottle feeding only, look for orthodonic nipples... some bottles are designed with the idea of baby taking in less air as well, can't hurt, might help. Best to just be sure nipple is always filled with milk and burp baby often.
Get a few books on infant care and use them as a guide... some have really helpful parts, but other parts are just plain scary and/or out of date. If it sounds like a good idea to you and something you would be comfortable giving a try, see how it works. There is no one way that works for all babies. Take advice from people whose children you really like! A couple of books I personally like are Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by Penny Simkin and The Baby Book by Dr. Sears.
Carseats... look for a convertible one that will allow you to keep baby facing the rear as long as possible. Many currently in the US or UK only go up to about 30 pounds. (many even less)... If you can find one that has a higher weight limit, consider that one. It is well known that the longer the child can stay facing the rear the better off they are. Just because the current guide is that you can move the seat forward facing once the child is a year old and at least 20 pounds does not mean it is the safest position for them to be in (we're trying to change that! ). However, some seats are only rated to a certain weight for rear facing and will have to be turned forward. All the more reason to buy one that has the highest rear facing weight you can find so they can stay facing the rear as long as possible.
Diapers... in my newborn care classes, I always suggest starting with the store brand. They work fine for many and it will save you some money. You can always switch to a name brand if need be. Diapers are always a nice thing to ask for when someone wants to know what you need. I second the suggestion of a pack of cloth diapers if you are using disposable. Look for ones that are quilted or layered... some are about the thickness of a receiving blanket otherwise. Also, if not using them as actual diapers, go with the rectangular shape and not the diaper cut ones. They are virtually indestructable and you can use them later on the car... :)
Nausea... pregnancy pops (you can usually find them in maternity stores), or any sour candy on a stick (these work great in labor as well as some women will feel some nausea), sea sickness bands for accupressure, a little extra vitamin B6, ginger anything, fresh air, a little toast or crackers before you even get out of bed, keeping a little something in your stomach throughout the day.
Sore back... counter pressure works well, have partner provide steady pressure where it hurts, but off your back bone. Heat pack, warm bath, pelvic rocks/tilts... gently rock your lower pelvis forward like you are trying to flatten the small of your back, straddle and sit on a birth ball (exercise, yoga ball... you can buy them in Wal-Mart for about $13)... hold onto something for support (works great in labor as well), turn a straight back chair around and sit in it facing the back with legs straddled over the sides... it can help to put a pillow against the back to lean towards. This allows for a gentle stretch on your back, back is available for massage or counter pressure, and weight of baby and uterus are off your back. Also opens up the hips a bit which can take some pressure off. Sleep with a pillow between your knees, some women like a body pillow to tuck on all around. This can help with better alignment of your back and take some pressure off. See a chiropractor... they are great for pregnant women. Try a pregnancy yoga class.
Headaches... some women will get them because of the increased blood volume you have in your body during pregnancy. If severe, or you notice vision changes, let your doctor know. Tylenol/Paracetamol is safe in pregnancy for most women. A cool washcloth over your eyes or on the back of your neck may help... or sometimes a heat pack instead.

Just a few ideas that you may find helpful...

[jemannie]

I've been telling other people this as well. Try babyzone.com and join one of the Due Date Clubs (if you have time and access to a computer regularly). A lot of questions get asked and answered throughout the day by other pregnant women and moms. I've been a part of it since Sept and I've found out so much more things that I didn't know and I already have an 8 year old. You learn different things because there are other pregnant women with different scenarios and that have already gone through what your asking. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[J_9]

Don't know if Doula mentioned it... but for any pain relief TYLENOL... Any kind... Tylenol PM, etc.

[DoulaLC]

Check this out Crissy... maybe something like this would help... or not!. It's certainly different... :)

'First ever' Hello Kitty-themed maternity hospital opens in Taiwan (and aims to reduce the stress of childbirth) | Mail Online

[southerngalps]

Don't know if Doula mentioned it....but for any pain relief TYLENOL... Any kind... Tylenol PM, etc.

j_9:

Is it really OK to take tylenol pm? Those are the tylenols that help you sleep right? I like taking them from time to time to sleep

I didn't think they were OK. I thought anything with sleeping aids wasn't good... like tylenol drowsy stuff. Could you please explain for us pregnant ladies. It would be helpful... haven't asked my doctor. Thanks :)

[Becca1025]

Any tips or advice would be great!

Symptom Relief: Nausea, Sore back, headaches, etc

Any products for pregnancy and/ or newborn care

Bottles, carseats, strollers, cribs, etc.: What brands are best? What items do I need? What items are a waist of money?


Thanks!

For morning sickness, suckers, gum, and fizzy drinks helped me a lot. Headaches, tylenol.


For pregnancy and newborn care
We used playtext bottle drop ins, we bought a convertible carseat that goes from 5lbs-80lbs. So it's an infant carseat, toddler seat, and booster seat all in one. They're usually over $100 but it's cheaper buying that way instead of buying the infant seat, then the toddler seat, then the booster. Stoller, it depends on your prefrences so test some of them before you buy. For the first three months we used a cradle my grandfather made. It's beautiful and we used it in our room. Once baby outgrew it, he when to his nursery and we bought a secondhand crib it's Laura Ashley brand I believe or something along those lines. We use Loves diapers. A lot of people don't like them, but we love them. They are the only ones that my little man doesn't leak through right away.

When you do your registry, don't forget to put baby proof items (babygates, those outlet blockers, etc). You may think baby won't be crawling or anything for a long time, but it does go by fast and before you know it, your rushing out to buy that stuff.

Waste of money: wipie warmers, changing table, diaper genie (for us it was a waste), hooded towels (baby prefers our bigger/thicker towels),

For you, get breast pads, breast cream, breast pump, plenty of heavy duty pads, make frozen meals so you don't have to cook after baby is born, and have your chapstick ready for when you go into labor.

[ang8318]

I found that the Sams club diapers actually work better than pampers and huggies, and are about 30% cheaper. As far as a car seat, buy a convertible. I had an infant seat for my son, he outgrew the weight limit by 6 months and we had to go buy a convertible one anyway. Strollers: I have both a travel system and a light weight Chicco umbrella stroller. I only used the travel system until my son was old enough for the umbrella stroller, now I do not use my travel system it is too heavy and bulky. Two things I found to be the best 2 purchases ever: a picture projector with sound and a timer (this allows you to project pictures onto the ceiling at night, and play sounds like heartbeat to soothe your little one), and also a baby monitor with a mat that senses movement, allowing you peace of mind because an alarm will sound if your baby would stop breathing. I also loved my wipe warmer, I had a winter baby and I could not imagine wiping him with cold wipes.

[Becca1025]

Also get the bibs with the plastic backings. And while pregnant, get yourself a body pillow.

[J_9]

j_9:

is it really ok to take tylenol pm? those are the tylenols that help you sleep right? i like taking them from time to time to sleep

i didn't think they were ok. i thought anything with sleeping aids wasn't good...like tylenol drowsy stuff. could you please explain for us pregnant ladies. it would be helpful...haven't asked my doctor. thanks :)

Anything Tylenol is okay to take for aches and pains.

[CrissyDi]

Wow, thanks everyone... what a wealth of information! Keep it coming!

[ingrid119]

Ginger root capsules are great for nausea.

[CrissyDi]

OK everyone, this is serious. I think. I'm having a really hard time with accepting my pregnancy weight gain. Some days I feel really depressed about it and I don't want to go anywhere or be seen by anyone. I feel like a buffalo. I'm 5'1 and my best weight is 120, but because of birthcontrol I was 135 before I got pregnant. I just entered my second trimester and I'm 154. I feel like this way too much weight, but I'm not eating unhealthy. My Ob says that I am fine and she's not concerned about my weight gain. My mom says it's all water weight. But I still feel fat and ugly. What do I do? I keep praying I will loose weight and my hubby says that it's not normal and I have a problem. I've always been very weight conscious and try to control my wieght through diet and exercise. Before I got married I started birthcontrol and it made it hard for me to trim down once gaining. I got off it 9 months before getting pregnant and the last time we decided to get off it, it almost took a year for my body to return to normal and drop the weight. So, before I could drop it this time, I got pregnant, so I started heavier than I would like and now I just feel like it's crazy. I'm eating when I feel hungry because I don't want to starve myself or my baby. (4-5 times a day- sometimes it's just grapefruit and cereal or eggs and some flat bread) I exercise 3 days a week- 30minutes of cardio and then 15minutes of pushups and squats and I stretch before and after. How can I loose weight and not harm the baby? Is it normal to feel this way?

[DoulaLC]

It is normal to feel that way... some women will even put off getting pregnant because they are concerned about the weight gain. You are making healthy food choices and getting some regular exercise... those will have a greater impact than the weight you gain. You've gained right around what would be expected by this time so you are right on track.

Focus on your good eating and exercising. If you wanted, maybe join an exercise class with other pregnant women, or a preganancy yoga class. That way you will be able to share concerns and ideas with other pregnant women and get to see the many shapes and sizes that come with pregnancy.