Baby Blogging - Top 10 Must Haves - Newborn!

We thought we would add our post to the 100's of other blog posts recommending 'must have' baby products. What we would recommend is doing what's right for you and your budget.

Our budget was fairly limited and we will be forever grateful to the family and friends who were incredibly generous at our baby shower and how have continued to turn up with gifts since Annabelle arrived.

Before starting the list the main bit advice we would give is to focus on stocking up essentials - all babies will need nappies, wipes, clothing in various sizes and muslins. All of these items can be purchased for fairly low costs and are well worth getting in advance.

Our top 10 are in no particular order:

1) A body wrap. You may have heard the term 'baby wearing' and however you do it we recommend it. For a start it is super convenient and once you figure out how to do it it's quicker than setting up a buggy. It's also easier to get around compared to using a buggy. 

We have an Amawrap that we have been able to use with Annabelle since birth and she seems content to put in it, even in the heat of summer. What's even better is she falls straight to sleep so I don't have to worry about her wriggling in it. I have also been able to breast feed on a walk without it being obvious. 

2) Muslins. We have two types, small, easy to use to mop up milk and purchased cheaply from supermarkets and then the larger type. These are useful for public breastfeeding, swaddling Annabelle and (in summer) used to cover the car window.

3) Talking of swaddling. One of the really useful gifts we received was a newborn swaddle. We use it every night and it means that Annabelle sleeps up to 12 hours with Sarah waking her up to feed.

4) Also helping with sleep is the Cosydream. A body support that can be used in any cot/crib. The memory foam mattress adapts to the baby's shape and the head support keeps the baby's head round and stops them rolling around. The other benefit is the adjustable leg support that raises Annabelle's legs to give back support and the sensation of being in the womb (or so it's said). We move the Cosydream to wherever Annabelle is sleeping.

5) The final recommendation (for sleep) is the beside you cot/crib. We didn't realise that babies have to sleep in your room until 6 months (call us naive) but since finding that out we looked into cots that had a roll down side so we could have Annabelle right next to Sarah making it easy to feed Annabelle and put her back without waking her up. We got one on deal from GroupOn that is working well. It has the added benefit that you can rock it so if Annabelle does wake up there is a way to soothe her.

6) Breast pads. At first Sarah was like 'do I really need them?' The answer for the first few days was 'not really' but in the days to follow that changed very quickly to 'definitely'. It is amazing when milk comes in it really comes in and it's almost impossible to stop. And unless you want to ruin bras or soak tops then they are essential.

A part B to this is also Lanolin, it was a life (or boob) saver. I have used it from the start and thankfully we have only had a few days where it has been painful (see breastfeeding post here)

7) On the note of milk, the bottles and bottle kits available are amazing. All the ones we have come across come with everything you need to sterilize the bottles, by adding a small bit of water before popping in the microwave. It makes them easy to travel with.

Tommee Tippee are the range we have come across with the best selection. We have been lent a bottle warmer that is small enough to travel with but does require a plug. The other items we have include a sterilizer tray that works for a number of bottles at the same time. The best is a the breast pump though, which comes in a box that can also be used to sterilize all parts at the same time.

The pump is lightweight and easy to use but it does require a slight forwards tilt to maximise the amount of milk collected. It's also not the quickest process, it takes about 40 minutes to get about 3 oz. It is meaning we can give Annabelle a bottle a day though to get her used to it.

8) When feeding Annabelle, or she's napping our other essential is a baby pillow. It is SO useful and allows Annabelle to nap anywhere, including by the window to get exposure to the sun (as she had a small bit of jaundice). It also takes the pressure of your back when feeding.

9) Fold away changing mat. We purchased this mat when it was advertised online and it has been worth every penny. We have it to hand downstairs at home and it is so easy to pack away making changing anywhere possible. We have used it in the buggy, on the couch and on the mats at our baby class.

10) With everything Annabelle needs we knew we would need a lightweight bag and we both prefer backpacks. We found one similar to this and highly recommend it. It is large enough to carry a pack of nappies, wipes, two changes of clothes, a muslin (or two) and bottles in an insulated front pocket, that can keep bottles warm.

And a final point - nappies are essential, disposable or cloth. As a starter we have found Aldi nappies - 85p for 24 they are a perfect. They have the colour strip that changes from yellow to blue when the nappy is soiled and a design on the front making it easy to tell the front from the back. With a newborn we are going through 10-15 nappies a day so cheap and effective are essential.

The nappies won the Mother&Baby awards, are recommended by netmums and were approved by Good Housekeeping.

Baby Blogging - The Vlog!

The night before we met Annabelle we took time out to do the pregnancy tag for our YouTube channel. It' so strange watching it back to think how much life has changed in 4 short weeks and yet how we still end every night as a family on our couch.

It's fair to say that is exactly how we feel having Annabelle, she has changed things but fundamentally she has made our regular life better.

So if you fancy checking out our answers to the pregnancy tag click here to access our YouTube video.

To complete the video we also introduced Annabelle, we thought it was only fair.....even if she slept through the whole thing :)

Baby Blogging - Newborn Photo Shoot!

When Annabelle was 11 days old we had a newborn photo shoot with Sally Josko Photography a local photographer who had been recommended by another photographer we met at a blogging event. 

It was a last minute change of plan as Laura had won a competition for a free photo shoot and £50 off a photo package from a company in Leamington Spa. However having looked at the packages available, even with a £50 discount, the cheapest package would have been over £300. We love our girl but that was out of our budget.

We were looking at the packages on Monday and on the price discovery I immediately called Sally. It ended up being the best decision. On Thursday we went for Annabelle's photo shoot.

Sally's studio was less than 10 minutes from our house and as our first proper trip out it meant we didn't have to be prepared too far in advance. On arrival Sally was warm and welcoming and as we entered the studio we felt immediately at ease.

The session started with us looking through existing photos to see what styles we liked and picking out accessories to use. Impressively Sally makes a range of headbands so we had plenty of choice.

Once decisions were made it was on to the session. Thankfully Annabelle was well behaved and as Sally started putting her in poses she happily dozed. With a shoosher (a machine that literally makes the 'shoosh' sound) and a white noise machine playing Sally placed Annabelle on the cushion to get her positioned. It was fascinating watching.

In total the session ran for 4 hours, Laura and I were kept well fed and watered and we took plenty of breaks to feed Annabelle without it being an issue. We even learnt a few tricks to soothe Annabelle. We didn't get out without a few accidents, turns out hanging out without a nappy inspired Annabelle on a number of occasions but Sally had a whole trolley of equipment on hand.

And so to the results. We opted for the digital package for £250 and got a large range of photos with the digital rights. Here are our favourites:

Relaxing before the shoot

We got involved briefly

Love our little lady

My personal fav

That smile will always make us melt

One of the highlights of the shoot was that Sally was happy to let us take our own photos too. In most cases we stood back and let the professional do her thing but there were a few moments we captured just for us. And a few that we took between shots.....

Lets hope Annabelle is always so chilled!

To find Sally check out:

Website: www.sallyjosko.co.uk

Email: info@sallyjosko.co.uk

Facebook: Sally Josko

Baby Blogging - Breastfeeding!

If you are pregnant, have recently been pregnant or know anyone who is/was pregnant you may have heard the term 'Breast is best'.

As I am currently breastfeeding, I wanted to share my experience and what I wished I known beforehand.

If you have followed our journey so far you may remember this post that detailed our experience of NHS antenatal classes, while we loved the general parenting class this was the summary of our breast-feeding class:

'The room was packed so there was very little space for practical exercises and the class tutor was insistent that breast was best (until age 3!!) and dismissed questions about bottle feeding. '

With most things in life I like to be prepared, to have a Plan B in case Plan A doesn't work and with breastfeeding it was no different. Plan A was to breastfeed but I wanted to understand what happened if that wasn't possible. It was surprising to me that we had to pay for a different class to get that information as the NHS is so focused on 'breast is best'.

I mean, we get it, breast milk is packed full of nutrients but what isn't considered is what if the baby can't / won't latch and feed or what if the mother doesn't produce milk....or enough milk. It makes sense to us to understand what is involved with formula feeding and all of the things you need to know about sterilizing equipment. Even if you are expressing breast milk you need to know the basics!

One campaign run by the NHS over the years included this one:

Details here

Anyway the paid for class gave us the basics and made us feel a lot better.

However what both classes failed to tell us was exactly what breastfeeding is really like - especially at the start. They taught us the practical advice, how to hold the baby, how to encourage a good latch etc but here is my experience.

Day 1: Annabelle arrived and within the hour was ready to latch and try to get milk - for me it was a weird feeling and over the first few hours it went from a novelty to a feeling of frustration as Annabelle clearly wasn't getting anything and was crying to feed every 45 minutes or so.

The calm between the feeding

Night 1: Annabelle continued to want to feed almost constantly, my boobs were starting to get bigger and I could tell she was starting to get something. Frustration subsided on my part as tiredness took over. As I was on a ward the nurses frequently popped by to provide pain relief (after my c-section) and they would either get Annabelle out of her crib or put her back in depending on where we were with feeding.

Day 2: With less than 3 hours sleep, day 2 started with me crying when Laura walked in with Maccy D breakfast. Over our time together we have always dealt with challenges together and this was the first time I had to go it alone (partners aren't allowed to stay overnight in the ward). I had missed Laura. As soon as Laura arrived she took charge, changing Annabelle and making sure I had everything I needed. What Laura couldn't help with was Annabelle needing to feed.....almost constantly.

My loves

If day 1 had been a novelty, day 2 was reality. By this point my breasts were starting to get sore and I was so grateful for the advice of bringing in Lanolin cream as I started applying it immediately.

A breastfeeding consultant visited us on the ward and checked Annabelle's latch, which was thankfully good, and taught me how to bring on the milk by hand with massage. It was a crazy moment seeing my boobs actually producing milk (or really, colostrum).

The technique of hand expressing my milk made Annabelle's latching quicker as she could smell it, and also reassured me that she was now being fed something.

What was challenging was that every time Laura picked Annabelle up she screamed - in fact, she screamed if she was anywhere except my boob. It took every bit of love, support and teamwork to get through day 2. At one point I needed the loo and due to the c-section wound the walk there and back was slow. It meant Laura had Annabelle for 20 minutes. The first 5 minutes were fine, the next 15 were awful. Annabelle screamed at the top of her lungs, nothing settled her. Laura cried too in frustration, not being able to soothe her! It wasn't until I was back and able to feed that she calmed down.

By this point the thought of continuing to breastfeed was an unpleasant one. My boobs hurt when Annabelle latched to the point that I needed a deep breathe before starting every feed. If someone had offered me a bottle at that point I would have been very tempted.

Over the day I was able to nap as Laura supervised Annabelle feeding - thankfully once feeding, the pain subsided and didn't stop me sleeping!

Night 2: After night 1 I was more prepared at what to expect, or so I thought. Annabelle still required feeding frequently but with 4 ladies on my ward (the first night had just been me and 1 other) the nurses visits were less frequent. Worse still my 'call button' was stuck behind the bed so I had to find a way to pick up and put Annabelle down without pulling my wound. It was an added challenge as Annabelle would decide to scream within 10 minutes of me putting her down.

When I popped to the loo Annabelle decided to test her lungs and wake up the entire ward - I felt terrible and from 4am I picked her up and kept her in my bed. That way I could deal with whatever she needed.

It did mean that when Laura arrived I was once again in a state and had very little sleep.

Day 3: Home time. Laura arrived with another Maccy D's breakfast - my hero! We were on the ward until 4pm so had most of the day waiting on checks to be sent home. The feeding had slowed to every two hours as my milk had properly come in (great job, Annabelle!) but it was now my engorged boobs that were the challenge. Putting on a bra was painful, even with the cream my boobs were still in pain. It was becoming a real mind over matter situation to continue the feeding.

Once home, Laura set me up on the couch with cushions as support and went into caring mode. We ordered pizza for dinner (and caught up on Love Island!) and started to figure out what life was now going to be like.

My Mum popped over with cushions and pillows to make the couch a comfortable throne. What Mum also brought was invaluable advice, my now engorged boobs were agony. Add to that the latch was awfully painful and I was ready to quit breastfeeding. Mum, however, told me how a cold cloth would reduce the pain, and it really did. Laura provided a constant supply of cold cloths and I honestly think it is the only reason I could continue.

Night 3: My c-section wound meant I couldn't make it up the two flights of stairs to our room so we stayed in the guest room. Laura had set up the 'beside me crib' next to the bed and it worked so well when Annabelle needed feeding - which continued to be every 2 hours. We didn't really sleep but we survived. Laura did all nappy changes and I did all the feeds.

Day 4: The midwife visit assured us that everything (all the pain) I was experiencing was normal. Surprising as the classes had played down the pain. Also the level / frequency of feeding was totally underplayed. Annabelle was feeding every 2-3 hours and the amount of nappies being used was WAY higher than we expected. Thanks Aldi for super cheap nappies! We plan to use cloth diapers but want to first get to a point where there is more of a routine.

My sister came over and allowed us the opportunity to have showers, another tip was that warm showers also help relieve the pain from engorged boobs and it really did. I also tried using our expressing machine and that reduced the pressure too. If it wasn't for my Mum and Laura's support breastfeeding would have been impossible.

We are now 21 days in and I can say that the experience is totally different. It changed gradually, as Annabelle got into more of a routine, we now feed every 3 hours and that gap between feeds has meant the pain has reduced significantly. The Lanolin cream works a treat and I still use it after every feed. The amount of milk produced has also equaled out so I can now feed from one boob at a time instead of having to use both. That has also eased the pain.

My birthday breakfast involved public breastfeeding

We all got to enjoy milkshakes ;)

The only thing left to sort out is the leakage - during the day I wear a nursing bra with pads and it is under control but at night it's a different story. That's the next thing to address!