We are so pleased to introduce you to the newest member of our Birdie Hill family: sweet Nora Ann!
Nora arrived unexpectedly three weeks before her due date, and we've taken the past month to stay in, snuggle, and get to know one another. Best four weeks ever? Quite possibly! :)
I may be a second-time mom and baby-industry vet, but there have still been plenty of things that make this feel like the first time all over again. If I could narrow it all down to the most important five things I learned this time around, this would be my list:
1) Trust your doctor, not Google!
Google may have you thinking you know all the answers, but your doctor is still the one with an MD! As you approach your due date, if you are uncertain of anything, don't hesitate to reach out to your physician... better safe than sorry. And I promise, on-call doctors expect calls after-hours. You're not bugging them!
The same holds true once baby is here. Nora's three weeks old and we've already had a handful of calls with our after-hours pediatrician. You're not bothering them with your questions, and if you are, you need to find a new practice! Your pediatrician group should be easy to reach and offer round-the-clock support.
2) The most important thing you can purchase is an Amazon Prime membership!
Don't overbuy any baby or nursing necessities prior to baby's arrival. It's much more cost effective to have small quantities on hand, discover what works for you, and then purchase more (or different.) With free two-day shipping and $3.99 one-day shipping, Amazon Prime almost always got us what we needed without us even having to leave the house.
Examples? I bought two different bottles to try before Nora was born. Once she was here and we found which one was more effective, we bought a couple more of the one we liked. Or, diapers is another great one. Until your baby is here, you won't have a good sense of how long you'll need newborn sizes. Stock yourself with one jumbo box of newborn and one jumbo box of size 1, then order more when you know your baby's actual weight and size!
3) Be prepared to try out lots of different sleeping arrangements
"Be flexible with your plans" is advice that can be applied to basically every facet of child-rearing, but we've found it especially applicable to sleep. We planned for Nora to sleep in her bassinet in her room from birth in order to give us a more restful night's sleep in our own room and pave the way for an easier transition to crib in a few months. In reality though, this absolutely didn't work for us: having the baby in another room made for restless sleep as we were hyper-glued to the monitor and had to fully wake to do any effective soothing - and Nora just plain didn't like it either.
The next step was moving the bassinet to our room. That helped us, but didn't solve Nora's sleep problem. From there, we purchased (and sometimes returned) the following pieces of equipment: Fisher Price Rock 'n Play, Fisher Price Rock 'n Play with AutoRocker, Halo Bassinest, and DockATot sleeper.
A couple lessons from this: first (and again), Amazon Prime is your best friend. Free shipping, free returns. Don't buy all this ahead of time because what worked for your best friend (or even your first child) may not work for this baby! Trial and error, my friends, is the way it'll go... and Amazon will save you money along the way. Second, be patient! You'll find something that works for you and works for baby. For us, it's a combination of the Rock 'n Play with AutoRocker and the DockATot. (Reviews of everything we tried, however, will be coming!)
4) Breastfeeding is HARD, but awesome.
First: whether you formula feed or breastfeed an infant, I support you! For personal reasons, I only nursed Charlotte for three weeks before switching to formula - with Nora, breastfeeding has been more successful, and I hope to continue for some time. Either way, I feel I've done my very best to provide both girls with the love and care necessary for thriving.
That being said, I want to offer encouragement to those who choose to try breastfeeding. It's HARD. Your nipples will ache, your breasts may throb, and you'll be absolutely exhausted (and perhaps overwhelmed) with the often sole responsibility for around-the-clock feeding.
But since I didn't get past three weeks with Charlotte, what I didn't realize until just now is that it does get easier. If you can get past the hump, your nipples will heal, your breasts will adjust to a proper supply, and, while you'll still feel exhausted, you'll come to love the bond experienced through nursing. Plus, I can't even fully express just how gratifying it is to see your baby healthily eat, sleep, and poop knowing that it's YOUR BODY providing all the nutrition necessary for this. #SuperMom
5) Nobody can tell you how to do this
As a parent, it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to do everything “right”. You’ll be inundated with advice on an infinite number of parenting topics from professionals, well-meaning friends, and the internet. But here’s the thing: your baby is one of a kind. The only thing anybody can tell you for sure is that every baby needs food, clean diapers, rest, and love - so give yourself a break, listen to your baby, and give them the things they really need. You’ll figure out the rest together!