life with ellie jane (the first five weeks)

 

current favorite EJ photo . taken by vivienne mcmaster

while i was pregnant, i became quite excited whenever i came across a blog post about the items new parents found helpful in the first few weeks of their newborn's life. because jon and i don't have siblings with children and haven't been around newborns really much at all in our adult lives, we relied on our friends (and the magic of blog world) to help us figure out what we needed and what we could wait on so that our already full home didn't become too filled with baby "stuff" that we did not need just yet.

so in the spirit of sharing information, here are a few of the things we have been really glad we have and then a few just for fun tips...

oh and if you reading this have anything to add or share (or questions), please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments. and if you can, share links because links are always helpful for the mama who has pregnancy or newborn brain...thanks!

feeding

the Boppy Pillow has been perfect for feedings. because of my c-section, having this for ellie to rest on while i am nursing her (or feeding her a bottle as we are doing both) has been great help. the custom patchwork cover we have (from delightful vintage fabrics) is from the etsy shop "for the love of joy." and if you are reading this, you probably know this but i just have to say: you can never have too many burp cloths. we are mostly using the cloth diapers from gerber cloth diapers from gerber but i also made some from fabric i love + chenille. we use the burp cloths for feedings but also for, well, everything as messes abound with a baby. (oh and these nursing tanks from target are perfect. i actually wore them the last few weeks of my pregnancy, especially to bed.)

sleeping

after doing a lot of research, i decided to splurge on the cariboo folding bassinet. it has been perfect for the very small space we have in our bedroom. it is very sturdy and so easy to move when we want to have her in another room with us (and she wants to nap). and when we head to the ocean next month (i am putting this out there in the hopes it will actually happen), we will be able to easily fold it up and put it in the car. we will also use it later for toys in ellie's nursery. we received the halo sleepsack from the hospital when ellie was born. she sleeps in it every night. we also have the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe but ellie was a bit too small for it until week 3. we love them both and so does ellie (especially after finally watching Happiest Baby on the Block, which, by the way, you also need dear pregnant one who might be reading this).

changing

the Wipe Warmer. so this one seems silly doesn't it? a wipe warmer? but when jon and i saw this online, we both had the same thought, "shouldn't everyone have one?" the answer is simply "yes." diaper changes are simply easier with a warm wipe. end of story. now onto diapers...so the hospital gives you a package of these pampers with this wetness indicator that turns blue when the baby needs to be changed. and then you get home. and at about day three, you realize the regular newborn pampers swaddlers do not have the strip. and you ask every person you know where to find them and no one knows...but then you use google and AHA! you find that the pampers sensitive diapers (in sizes newborn, 1, and 2) have the stripe! (and your husband agrees to continue to do almost all diaper changes because you order a box bigger than the one the stroller came in filled with aforementioned diapers!) 

a few random tips:

keep your camera in the room where you spend most of your time. you will want to capture so many of the facial expressions your little one makes, but you won't want to leave him or her alone while you run around like a crazy person looking under everything for your camera. have a spot for it and leave it there when you aren't using it.

meals ready in the freezer BEFORE your water breaks is not a bad idea.

have confidence in your partner when he or she is taking care of the baby. (my friend lindsey gave me this advice a few months ago and it has been so helpful. i sleep through the middle of the night feeding jon gives ellie because i am not wrapped up in the idea that only i know how to do things for her.)

carriers/slings: you are probably going to want one of these but you might want to wait until baby gets here and take him or her to the store nearest you that sells them to try them until you find one that works...we are currently figuring this out and i will share my finds.

kindle + iTouch have been so helpful for one-handed reading of the online or book variety.

audio books are a wonderful companion to pumping.

nursery: we are slowly finishing up the little bean's room and i hope to share photos of her space in the next few weeks. it is the space in our home that is most the style i would love our entire home to feel like, so i am hoping that the light, airy, happy, creative feel is contagious.

Comments

[leonie wise]

LOVE the photograph. there's ancient wisdom in those eyes

x

[Stephanie Lee]

This photo is so amazing on so many levels...look at that expression, and those soft, nurturing, cradling hands. I love the energy here so much!!
I've been thinking of you so much, dear friend...wanting to give you whatever space you needed to settle into this new little life of yours. (I'm never quite sure how much space is "enough"...just so you know). :)
I love that you are finding out what works for you, trusting the {neverending} process of figuring "it" all out. You are doing amazing.
oxoxox

[Caitlin Schrimsher]

Summer is almost 4 months old, and I have learned so much. Here are some of my helpful hints.

I also have a small house, with an especially small bedroom. For the first 2 months, Summer slept in an Arms Reach Co-Sleeper. It has one side that is lower than the rest and it goes right next to your bed. For the breastfeeding mom, it is perfect so that you don't even have to get out of bed, your baby is just an "arms reach" away. When we moved Summer so her big crib, the co-sleeper turns into a regular play pen, smaller than the average, but perfect for a small house. She still loves to take naps in it.

Also for sleep time, I had to try many many methods to get Summer to actually sleep in her co-sleeper. I was very active me entire pregnancy, always on the go, and that is exactly how Summer is too. She didn't want to sleep in her bed, she wanted to sleep ON her mommy (or daddy!) all the time because of the movement of our breathing and probably the sound of our voice. What ended up working the best were these 3 things: Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe (she still can't sleep without it to this day), a Womb Sounds Bear (she also still likes to sleep with it playing at night) and a cheap little back massager, which we would turn on and put next to her sleep positioner so she could feel the vibration. It worked like magic everytime!

I also love Pampers Swaddlers the best out of all the diapers we've tried. They are very soft compared to others and good if your baby tends to be a little sensitive to diapers.

For a baby the spits up a lot, which I have, the Gerber burp cloths work very well. They are thick, but soft and big for big messes

I've tried many bottles. She started out with Playtex Advanced bottles, which she didn't mind as a newborn, but as she got older she started to fight them. We ended up switching to Avent bottles and she loves them. We've also tried drop-in bottles, but I found I don't like them very much because it's hard to completely mix the formula in them.

I completely and 100% agree, keep your camera by you at all times! You will feel a little obsessed with taking pictures of your new baby, but that's ok! Enjoy it!

Sorry for taking over Liz! I hope this helps so new mommys out there though!

[Tracy]

The Brest Friend nursing pillow was great for me, and I agree that everyone should read or watch Happiest Baby on the Block. Paxton always escaped SwaddleMe blankets, so we used the Happiest Baby method of swaddling with a receiving blanket. Finding a big square blanket was hard. We found 2 kinds from Target that worked: first we used Dwell Studio receiving blankets and then we used something labeled "Swaddling Blanket" that was bigger and square from Target. I think it was made by Circo.

[Jennifer]

Oh my gosh your little EJ is just adorable. Sending you and your family love. xoxox

[JanePoet ~ JP/deb]

What a wonderful treasure trove of must-have items ... in the last 14 years since my youngest was a baby, there are SO many wonderful new baby inventions!

She's adorable Liz ... I'm so glad you and Jon are soaking up this time with her and enjoying parenthood. Would love to come down and meet her (and see you!) sometime this summer. Let me know when things settle down :)

xx,
deb

[elizabeth]

She is adorable. I'm glad you are figuring out what works for you guys!

[kelly]

Absolutely adorable. It sounds like you received a lot of good advice and that you have most of the really important things. My son is 24, I am always so amazed when I walk into a baby store now and i see all of the cool things they have, that were not around back then. Why didn't someone think of the wipe warmer sooner?
She is truly gorgeous.

[Shosh]

Oh carriers! How they saved my life. I loved the Moby wrap for when my son was small (the first few months) and I'm planning on getting the Ergo carrier for the next baby, after they graduate from the Moby.

[Deborah Carr]

Thanks so much...I'm a fresh grandma who has never had a child of her own, so knowing what baby needs is beyond me. We are headed west in another week to be introduced to our new grandson, so I appreciate the gift suggestions!

[Kelly]

Oh blessings, blessings, blessings for the three of you. You spread so much joy with your so generous spirit.