Babies Galore!

Babies galore coming soon!

So I went into work last week to have lunch with Sam and so everyone could see Mr Man. While we were there, one of the gals' granddaughter came by. She's 10 months old and weighs the same as Mr Man and is only about 1.5" longer than him. I guess that puts into perspective for me just how big Mr Man is haha.

But the real story is that there are like 6 people at work now who are going to be having babies this summer/fall! Hooray!!

I've started compiling some information (via request :P) for them regarding pregnancy, what to expect during delivery (lets hope theirs is 100x better than mine), and what to expect once the baby comes home.

So to start - here's some information regarding pregnancy and some things to do to prepare for baby.

My first recommendation to them was a couple good books to read while pregnant.

1. Breastfeeding Made Simple If you are thinking about breastfeeding this book is beyond awesome.
2. The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Dr. Harvey Karp We'd heard about this book in our pre-birth class but hadn't really known much about how powerful the 5 S's are. I purchased it when Mr Man was about 4 weeks old. This is amazing for the first few months, I wish I'd had it sooner.
3. Baby Bargains - this should be the latest edition. When thinking about baby stuff, I was like, I want the safest and the best. But how do I know what that is - there's so much stuff. These folks use the safety testing from places like Consumer Reports and also parent feedback to rate just about every baby product so that parents can make an informed decision on safety, reliability, and cost. The goal: get the best stuff at the lowest price. I just went through the book, figured out what I would want then registered or purchased those items. It is updated yearly and really made my life just so much easier.
4. The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy - I liked it because it was a good resource of how the baby is growing inside as you progress each week but also to read up on some stuff that could be good to know or to have on hand.

• Buying all the baby stuff online is a lot cheaper in many instances than going to the baby stores. After we did our registries we purchased a lot of our 'big ticket' items from Amazon since we have Amazon Prime. We got it cheaper and with free 2 day delivery it was amazing. I really recommend that route.
• Next up is to get either a Sam's Club or Costco membership - you'll save a lot on diapers, wipes, formula (if you're gonna go that route) and even baby clothes. They get some really cute Carter's stuff for a lot cheaper than the stores have them. For instance we even bought our crib mattress from Costco. Not positive if they take the coupons from the formula manufacturers however.
• Try to get your nursery furniture assembled/painting done (aka the big stuff) by the end of your 27th week. As you go into your 3rd trimester you'll be as tired, if not more, than in your 1st trimester and you'll have a massive belly to get in your way. Now this of course is purely how I did things because I'm OCD and like to plan and be prepared for just about as much as I can. But the huge belly in your way is totally true and does make doing big jobs near the end of your pregnancy really hard. And really draining.
• Use the time/energy during your 2nd trimester to get a lot of things done. This would be a great time to go traveling if you so desire. Also if you're planning any sort of big to-do stuff around the house - this is also the time to do it. (carpet cleanings, air duct cleanings etc).
• Make sure to buy your baby's car-seat early (I'd say around the ~30th week is a good time) and schedule the installation at that time. Reason being is the wait list where we live here in MD is typically 4-6 weeks for an appt. You have to have the car seat installed before you can bring your baby home. Do it early imo.
• Even if you and your Dr think you'll be all set for a vaginal delivery - do at least read up on a C-section. Because you never know if something will happen during delivery or at the last second to warrant it - better to at least know a little ahead of time.