Monday, November 16, 2009

Things I wished I had known

Dorothea Lange: Migrant mother (alternative), Nipomo, California, 1936



10 Things I wish I had put into my hospital bag:
1.

1. Breast pads.

2. My own breast pump and nipple shields to help start breast feeding since the Sprout couldn’t latch.

3. My “What to Expect...” books.

4. Heavy duty menstrual pads.

5. Cash.

6. Granny panties, the ones that go up to your waist.

7. 2 nursing bras that were at least 1 size larger than my bra size.

8. Paper and a pen.

9. Slippers.

10. Shirts or pajamas I could unbutton or unzip.


Of course having brought my suitcase to the hospital would have helped, but I hadn’t put these things in my case yet, and some of these are specific to my situation.

5 things I wish I had had at home before I came back from the hospital:
1.  

1. A maid...no seriously, sanitary wipes for the kitchen and bathroom.

2. Tiny baby clothes and loads of onsie pajamas, those boys have stealth peeing reflexes that they save up only for you.

3. Disposable diapers and cotton balls.

4. Disposable plates and readymade dinners.

5. A Moses basket or really small bed to place the Sprout in.


5 things I wished I had known before I left the hospital:
1.    

1. Boys don’t understand the amount of effort it takes to actually have the baby at home and even though you have been in the hospital and bore a child, you are still expected to make all the meals and clean the house, because after all, they still have to go to work.

2. The laundry is never finished.

3. The days go by fast because they happen in 3 hour intervals.

4. You will cry in the middle of the night wishing your husband could breast feed.

5. Babies are gassy. How to tell… they get really squirmy and uncomfortable then will let out an adult sized fluff that you can blame on your husband.


4 things I learned from my mom:
1.    

1. You have to breastfeed.

2. Using a binki is ok, but only temporarily and only for soothing.

3. HOLD THEM WHILE YOU CAN. They grow very fast

4. It is all about the Mom, and she therefore bears most of the work.

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