So without further ado, and in no particular order, I give you the top ten items that helped us survive the first 6 or so weeks of parenthood.
10. Swaddling Blankets. And by this, I don't mean receiving blankets, which are the more common blankets you'll find in stores. Receiving blankets are just too small to swaddle even the smallest of babies, and they're rectangular, which means they don't wrap properly. Swaddling blankets, by contrast, are larger and square. Used properly, they would send little Holden into a sweet womb-like dreamland.
9. Diaper Rash Cream. Long story short: Holden has sensitive skin, and his mom and dad didn't realize this until a sad little rash appeared on his bum.
8. Food Made/Bought by Friends. When you're too sleep deprived and busy to cook pasta for yourself, the soups, casseroles, bagels, and take-out that friends bring are lifesavers.
7. Power Bars. Because sometimes heating up our friends' food was too much work, and because on those first few nights, when I was feeding around the clock, I would become ravished at 3 am.
6. Vitamin Water. On a tip from our friends Jen and Jeremy, we wisely stocked up on Vitamin Water in advance of Holden's arrival. This became a lifesaver--a needed energy boost on those days when we were going on 3-4 hours of sleep a night.
5. Breast Pump. Months ago, after our friend Jen insisted I purchase the pricey Medela pump-in-style advance, I hesitantly forked over the dough, sure that I'd hardly use the device. How wrong I was! Because Holden had latching issues, the pump became a necessity--for the first week I found myself using the quick-and-efficient double pump several times a day. And now, it makes feedings for those Saturday afternoons with dad so much easier.
4. Exercise Ball. Before we had Holden, we purchased an exercise ball at the advice of our birthing instructor, with the intention of using it to help ease the pain of early labor. It only became useful after his birth--when we learned that bouncing on it would almost instantly calm Holden down from crying. He's since become less fussy, but the ball still sits in our room as a last resort if the little guy becomes inconsolable.
3. Moby Wrap. This baby wearing wrap (see right) has become the go-to item in our house when Holden really wants to be held, but we need our hands free to get something done. At first, Holden was the type of active baby who did not like to be contained in any wrap devices. But once he learned how to control his body parts just a little bit, he came to love snuggling up next to his mom or dad.
2. "Total Baby" iPhone App. It's an app. in which you can track how many times you nurse, which breast use you use (or how much is in the bottle), and how often the baby pees and poops. Yes, you read that right. Because at first, keeping track of these things is really, really important.
1. iPhone! Not only did I use my iPhone for the baby app, but also to keep my sanity. At night, when I would be feeding Holden for the umpteenth time in those first few weeks, I would entertain myself with all the various news apps, with facebook, and twitter. The iPhone can be used with one hand, which makes it easier to manage than a book, and the NYTimes app, for instance, is always updating with new articles and essays. Simply put, it made sleep deprivation bearable.
And there you have it! This is what worked for us, but may not work for everyone. Of course, the best help comes in human form--in the family and friends that have been there to support us over the weeks! Thanks everyone!
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