For Every New Mom

As you know, I am a first-time Mom, and I love every minute of it--even those minutes that make me want to rip my hair out. I've been a mom for only 5 weeks now (or, 9 months, really), but I wanted to share my opinions of what new moms need to have and/or know. Again, my disclaimer is I've been doing this mom-thing for only 5 weeks and these are my opinions only!

(This is only part one of a part-who-knows-what series)

Thing You Will "Need" . . . Part 1 (in no particular order!)

1) Diapers and wipes. Please don't get 10 boxes of any one size or brand of diaper. I encourage you to get about 1 pack of two different kinds to try out. The reality is you don't know what you or your baby will prefer and you also don't know how big your baby will be for sure. Don't get 3 boxes of Pampers for a newborn only to find out that you just gave birth to a 10-pounder!
2) A car seat carrier. It's so nice to have one item fulfill more than one purpose . . . and it's cheaper, too.
3) At least two halo sleep sacks. Anyone who has had a baby in the last 3 or so years will agree.
4) At least 4 burp clothes. I made the mistake of thinking 2 was plenty since I did laundry so much. Let's just say . . . newborns eat about every 2 hours and spit up often. It doesn't take too many of those spit-up episodes before that burp cloth is saturated with curdled-milk goodness.
5) Granny panties and sweatpants . . . for Mom, obviously. There's no getting dolled up for a few weeks and you don't want to wear anything tight for awhile. Trust me.
6) A breast pump if you are breastfeeding, which I encourage you to do. It may take some time before you and your baby get on the same schedule for feedings and you don't want to waste that precious liquid gold!
7) A Hooter Hider. (See #6). Even if you aren't shy (and you won't be after you've had a baby!), other people tend to be squeamish if they see a woman breastfeeding her child . . . even though you really can't see anything!
8) A good camera--self-explanatory, I know, but you not only want to have a camera, you want to have that camera OUT and ready to go at all times!
9) A baby medical book, a friend in the medical field or medical knowledge yourself. For the record, YES, a baby's poop is supposed to look like THAT.
10) Cute clothes. Let's face it, this one is just so Mom and Dad can show off the cutest thing they've ever seen!

Things New Moms need to know . . .Part 1

1) You will have a monitor with you to keep track of what your little one is doing. This monitor will be the loudest thing you have with you. If, however, the monitor ever goes quiet, you will immediately run into your baby's room to make sure he/she is still breathing.
2) There is no longer something called a "quick errand." As such, please allow an addition 5-45 minutes to get wherever you are going.
3) Do not try on your pre-pregnancy clothes within the first month after giving birth: even if you are at/below your pre-pregnancy weight, the clothes won't fit and you'll just feel depressed. Your body has changed.
4) They call it labor for a reason. I don't think I need to elaborate here . . .
5) You will never love something more than the little bundle you brought home.