(Part 2) Best products from r/AprilBumpers2018

Gerber Diaper Flats for Burp Cloths These are my absolute favorite burp cloths. They are thin, yet absorbent, so they're easy to pack in a diaper bag and they wash really well. They're super affordable too, like 14 for 10 I think?

Sophie the Giraffe Ugh. I have a love hate with this Giraffe. My son LOVED it, but we always lost it, therefore resulting in buying several of them. They are the most expensive, glorified chew toy, but they're easy for babies to get their mouths on.

Woombie If your baby is a swaddle baby, this thing is a life saver. You won't regret it. I like these the best because they have a zipper, no noisy velcro, no annoying snaps. I know you can find them Buy Buy Baby, Babies R Us, or Amazon. My FAVORITE swaddle! Once they have grown out of the wooombie or swaddle, I highly suggest the Zipadee Zip My son lived in this until about 13 months. I also never had to worry about blankets in his bed!

One last one.... Boon Silicon Teether Skip the mess of a mesh teether and buy this for your sanity. Super easy to clean and the perfect size. When my son was as little as 4 months and teething, we'd put a breast milk ice cube in this thing and he'd go to town. It's awesome.

Here’s what I’m bringing this time around:

Bathroom essentials:(I like to get dressed and ready so I’ll pack the basic things I’d need to fix my hair and makeup)

🔘Basic makeup
🔘Hairbrush and hair care tools
🔘Toothbrush/paste
🔘Deodorant
🔘Travel lotion
🔘Chapstick (I didn’t think I’d need this the first time but I brought it and idk if it’s labor or the rooms but my lips were sooo dry so I used it frequently)
🔘hair ties

My clothes:

🔘comfy nursing bra
🔘big comfortable undies (they’ll give you these mesh undies while there that are actually super amazing and comfortable but these are just in case I want them)
🔘black comfy robe (I have this to wear over my hospital gown before labor. The back of the gown opens so I kept this on to cover my naked backside when I needed to get up and walk around)
🔘loose comfy sleep pants
🔘favorite maternity leggings
🔘comfy shirts that are easy to nurse with (I am bring a couple loose shirts and a couple nursing shirts I’ve bought)
🔘socks

Baby Clothes:(I plan on keeping baby in footie sleepers with onesies underneath while there)

🔘onesies
🔘footie sleepers
🔘baby socks (few pairs)/hat
🔘swaddle wrap (they gave us one there but I prefer the swaddle me ones best so I’m bringing one)
🔘baby blanket
🔘boppy pillow (not a necessity but being a ftm last time and not knowing how to breast feed this made things easier for me personally. You can use regular pillows too)

Miscellaneous:
🔘Phone Charger
🔘kindle
🔘snacks (I was starving last time, especially during night feedings so these saved me)
🔘pillow from home with non white pillow case

This seems like a lot now that I have it all typed but I’m planning it to all fit in one medium rolling duffle I have plus carrying my boppy pillow/pillow.

If anyone else has things I’m forgetting, let me know so I can add them!

Edit: I didn’t add any pads or supply type things because our hospital has this so covered we didn’t even touch ours last time so I guess that’s up to your hospital)

Hospital Bag:

Shower flip flops! Preferably in a larger size because if you end up with an epidural/spinal swelling can be major. No one told me that

Slippers for walking around the hospital - I like the moccassin kind that have bottoms are are almost shoes but not quite.

I liked having a silk robe for after labor and sitting around. It could cover me while nursing a bit. That robe became like my thing after wearing it in the hospital and my kids blankie/comfort object now.

I didn't bring any underwear or pads to the hospital - I knew they provided mesh ones for when I was there and plenty of pads. I took a ton home with me too.

An extension cord!! So my labor/delivery suite was a corner room usually not used at the time - it's better for tours and my shower light was broken. And it was a large room - and the plugs were like NOWHERE near the bed I was in. Thankfully my husband travels with extension cords (at the time he traveled a lot for his job and just grabbed that backpack) and we had some.

Snacks for after - I brought from Nature's Valley granola, crackers, etc

Long bendy straws - helpful while nursing (you need the extra length). Both in and out of the hospital.

Bobby pins and hairties!

Something relatively cute to leave the hospital in. I have a ton of photos from leaving, and I'm glad I had this purple dress on that I loved. It was just a jersey dress, but it looks nicer than sweats and those photos are my favorite.

Try and nab from the hospital:

-Mesh underwear

-Pads

-Sitz bath

-Newborn diapers, as many as you can

-Baby brush

-Baby sucky bulb thingy (I mean they scare me, but they let me have the one they gave me...soooo I took it!)

-Dermoplast

-Witch hazel pads

-Any ice packs - my hospital stopped giving them at 48 hours and I agree, it stops being really effective and the witch hazel was fine after that for me, but some people swear by getting more ice packs

-Footprints, discharge book, etc on memorabilia


Once you're home:

I'm an advocate for disposable underwear - I didn't wanna spend money on actual underwear or risk ruining my underwear - plus disposable was easy. My 'diapers' just went in the diaper pail with the babies.

Earth Mama Perineal Spray: I liked this so much better than dermoplast which just started to be too harsh. https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Mama-Perineal-Pregnancy-Postpartum/dp/B0065ZTKWS/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_121_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MAN9247RNVFT9QETD3X6

An extra thing of Tuck's witch hazel pads - I went through what the hospital gave me quickly.

Oatmeal cookies - they help with milk production and are easy to eat while nursing a baby. Hot oatmeal is NOT easy to eat while having a baby attached lol

Sleep bras....oh my gosh, I love the Gilligan O'Mallwey ones from Target and these from Amazon.

https://www.target.com/p/nursing-sleep-bra-2pk-gilligan-o-malley-153/-/A-16754657

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0716HM54T/ref=mp_s_a_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1510709305&sr=8-19&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=nursing+sleep&dpPl=1&dpID=51A-lWOOgRL&ref=plSrch

In terms of nursing bras for days, a few things.

I wore a lot of dresses that were fitted and didn't require a bra and I could use nursing pads with. Easy on and off.

I had these bras for shirts and dresses where I needed a bra:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00D3HU2DM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510709429&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=nursing+bra+la+isla&dpPl=1&dpID=41raPn5jnVL&ref=plSrch

They are comfortable, more than any other brand I had. But after awhile, I found the clipping mechanism to really annoy me, and I started wearing normal, unlined bras in the last couple months of nursing (which went until September...so recently). Unlined bras give more stretch as your boobs expand and contract. They are more comfortable to me - which is why those nursing bras were the most comfortable for me as they were unlined.

I didn't purchase more than one of any underwire nursing bra for day when I started - I had three I tried out, and only liked the one I linked to. I rotated between two or three of those.

Good luck in your search!

I was hanging out with one of my best friends last night and we were scrolling through my registry together (she wanted to know if there was anything I really wanted from it). She got super excited about this ridiculously expensive play-gym that I really didn't think anyone would actually buy. She was like, "My husband is going to be so excited about how it turns into a tent, he's totally going to want to get you this!" I am surprisingly excited about this because I had really written off getting it at all, and I probably wouldn't have bought it myself either. Yay! :D

Was it a joke? Because... that's a good joke gift.

Yes, yes you should use it to buy yourself a nice bottle of bourbon. I agree.

Only book I got was this one: https://www.amazon.com/How-Traumatize-Your-Children-Deliberately/dp/1601063091

trying to get organized...

Got these bins off Amazon and finally putting them to use! We will see how long this system lasts (lol), but it’s making me feel a little more prepared so it’s worth it! I love that they have a clear slot for a label and they are good quality —>

Delta Children 2 Count Nursery Organizer Bin Set

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0785K5V33/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_d2HHAbXZ3MP6T

April 2018 babies means year of the dog on the Chinese astrology calendar, so I've been looking for the perfect dog stuffed toy to give to the kinder egg surprise when they're old enough. Yesterday, my order of this guy came in. It is so soft and squishy! I'm going to keep it in the bed with me and my husband until the baby is old enough, so that it'll hopefully smell like us and help them sleep.

We got this one from Amazon. It's nothing special, but it has good reviews and I love that it has locking wheels if I ever need or want to move it. :)

I got this dress on amazon and I LOVE it. For normal me it would just be another dress but for pregnant me it is a godsend!! I wear with leggings and boots and it feels like I am wearing PJ's all day! It is so comfortable and doesn't put any pressure on my belly.

If anyone wants to get one for themselves here is the link:
dress

I searched “loose dresses” on Amazon and found some super cute options. I now only wear dresses+leggings+black boots to work. If you’re so inclined, a cute scarf or necklace dresses it up even more.

This is an example. I ordered a size up to accommodate the bump and it works perfectly! There are tons of options on amazon!

My maternal instincts didn't kick in for so long. I felt like I hanging off the edge of a mountain and slipping a little more every day. I was numb when my first arrived, and it was just bizarre that someone handed me this thing and said I had to take care of it now.

I had a lot of problems breastfeeding. My hormones were totally trashed (which took me 6 months to discover). I cried a lot. She cried a lot. It took until 6-8 weeks, when things got better for us in terms of feeding (AKA accepting I had to supplement forever) and when she started being less of a potato. The "100 days of Darkness" were the worst.

My daughter's now 2.5. I love her to death. She's thriving and healthy, so I guess at some point my maternal instincts kicked in. I still get those days of "what is this kid doing in my house?"

But my only real advice is study up hardcore on breastfeeding (if you want to do it) -- take a class, read a book, find a support group. It really helps. Plan to attend said support group at least once a week after birth, because that's the quickest way to getting problems diagnosed. Plus, socialization. The other thing I always suggest is reading a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child, or a similiar sleep book. The sooner you can get a handle on sleeping, the better off everything is.

Try not to worry; if you're already worried about what kind of mom you're going to be, my bet is that you'll be a great one. :)

I have sciatica, and going to a chiropractor that specializes in prenatal really has helped. She also happens to give a BOMB massage, which I have splurged on twice so far.

For sleeping, I got this knee pillow which really helps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753X62CQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It looks ridiculous, but it stays attached to my leg / in place when I change sides, which is so helpful. I have a bunch of pillows already, so I didn't want a full body pregancy pillow... this in conjunction with a wedge for my stomach had been good up until about a week ago. Now, I also use two pillows under my head (one contour forming foam, with a king sized down one on top of that in a staggered formation) to reduce reflux by gently elevating my head / upper back and reduce pressure on my shoulder. It seems to be working pretty well for now - 32 weeks.

I was starting to get sore down below my belly button and in my lower back. I'm a nurse and work a pretty physical job so I felt I needed the support. I ended up ordering two off of Amazon, and I ended up returning one of them. The first one I received was the "Amazon's Choice" by Babo Care, and it didn't seem tight/supportive enough. Even as I grow it still felt as though it would be loose. The one I kept which felt more supportive all around (has boning in the back, and is adjustable 3 ways) was this one. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M264VCK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_e5SdAbSBA67VJ

Good luck!