How about some tips for firsttimers? What do we NEED TO KNOW?

[flexney]

Seriously, i have no clue... You guys who have been through this before... could you share?

For example:

• What do you need in terms of maternity clothing?

• What do you have to have for babies... toys? Clothes? Linens? STUFF.... packs, sacks, slings, I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY WANT!!! I'm scared to death that they will be born and we will immediately have to have heart-t-heart talks about the dangers of sex, drugs and alcohol.... which i am SURE is a speech i will bungle terribly!!

• What kind of doctor do you pick? We think it likely that i have twins... what are the kinds you pick from, perinatologist or ob??? or is there something else? I want to make sure i get the one who examines me daily and comes over to check on me before i go to bed at night....

• Should you get extra insurance coverage? I saw somewhere on here that some one did that...took out an extra policy. What was it, where do you get it, and what must it cover?

• What HAS to be in a child's nursery? I'm assuming that being a child of mine, they need LOTS of books and a high-quality macintosh computer so they can get to work as soon as they get here!! Seriously.... crib, stroller.... that's all i know... and that's about it!! Changing table?

• what kind of arrangements have you guys made for housecleaning and yard work and laundry and stuff like that?

• This is premature, of COURSE, but what arrangments do you make for when they are born... do you make your family move in with you to help? Do you get a nanny part time? Can you BUY a nanny?

AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT I DON"T!!! PLEASE SHARE!!!

Love, Dana

[TRC]

Okay Dana you have me on the floor LMAO! My... don't you have a lot of questions...good ones, but a lot of them. Do you remember to breath when you type? LOL!

Since I'm a first timer too I don't think I can answer them...I'm just taking it one day at a time.

I do know that if you are carrying multiples you don't want to go out and buy a bunch of maternity clothes cause your shape will change much faster. So only what you need to get by.

[AnnetteG]

Well you certainly let loose with the questions!

Trust me... the answers will come in time, Weedhopper. And while I don't have time to answer some of these right now... here's a heck of a place to start. Although I can tell you that I've been advised that the heart-to-heart alcohol/sex/drugs talks can wait until at least 4-6 weeks.

http://www3.fertilethoughts.com/foru...hreadid=165759

That should keep you entertained for a little while! And we still have to find out how many little ones you're hiding in there...

[4-boys]

If we tell you then you won't have the pleasure of coming home from the hospital and starring at each other and saying..."now what do we do?"

[Misty]

Dana

Well obvioiusly I am first timer too so I don't know much more than you! But I have to agree w/TRC- if you are having multiples you don't want to buy very many maternity clothes at once. I have already outgrown 4 of my maternity shirts (at only 22 wks! ) and several more are reaching their limit! Not to mention my underwear and bras....

I bought a few shirts at Kohl's, Walmart, and KMart, as well as a few things at JCPenney and 3 pair of comfy jeans at Old Navy Maternity Online. I didn't bother w/the more pricey places like Motherhood, Pea in the Pod, or Mimi Maternity....not when you will wear the things for such a short time (and with triplets I don't plan for there to be a "next time"! Oh Target has some nice maternity stuff there too.

You MUST get the book Baby Bargains. Here is a link to it:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...095619-7139150

A friend gave me that book for Xmas and it is fabulous! It tells you everything baby needs (and doesn't need) and gives you lots of hints.


Also we registered online for baby stuff at Babiesrus.com (which is actually somehow affiliated with Amazon.com) and they have lists of stuff you need. Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...095619-7139150

Dana, even if you are having twins, I would choose a Peri over a regular OB. You will get more specialized attention and being former IVFers we are used to calling/seeing the RE constantly! At the OB you would be just a "regular ol' pregnant lady". I really like my Peri. The few times I have called with concerns, they have gotten me in IMMEDIATELY without an appointment.

You can take out a NICU policy (I think that is what it is called- ask on "parenting multiples bd") from AFLAC- you will get paid $$ for each day the kids are in the NICU (or maybe just the hospital?). Unfortunately neither mine nor DH's employers offer ALFAC so we are "SOL". I have a supplemental short term disability policy which will pay me $800/month.

If you find you happen to be having more than twins, check out www.tripletconnection.com. I lurk there but have never posted. Lots of good info/suggestions there.

Nanny....if you find out where you can buy a nanny for CHEAP, please let me know!

[flexney]

Despite the... AHEM ... reluctance to part with information There's a buncha good stuff here!!

Thanks for the link to the December board, Lori... I wouldn't have seen that otherwise!!

About maternity clothes.... there seem to be lots of different styles... what's up with that? Little stretchy piece, big stretchy piece.... under the hump, over the hump????

I have yet to visit a maternity shop or section so i am not sure how they are sized.... is it Sm, M L or some other style? How do you know what size you will be? In my normal life, these days, I have been a S/M .... do you just buy the XL since you anticipate being XL?!?!?!

Thanks again, D

[TwoQTs]

As far as maternity clothes, there's no telling ahead of time what type will be best for you. And if you have twins, that's not to say you will be huge..I was smaller than most of the singleon moms in my prenatal classes. I gor very broad across the hips/butt, but not a huge belly. No stretch marks, either!! I never outgrew a maternity top, but had to get size 16 maternity jeans to fit my huge butt/hips. Pre-pg I wore a size 8 jean. Just buy a couple items & shop as you grow.

As far as over the hump/under the hump, I would've KILLED for an under-the-hump pair of pants. They didn't have any 4-yrs ago. I had very severe PUPPS so usually as soon as I sat, I dropped the waist of my pants down. Anywhere my pants touched, the rash was way worse. I ended up ditching maternity underpants in favor of larger bikini ones..ones that could fit under the hump.

The rule of thumb is to buy maternity clothes in your regular size.. they are sized the same as regular c,lothes. This worked fine for tops/dresses for me.

Bras: I bought bigger ones in anticipation..never did fit right. I bought nursing bras before the hosp. & had to go back out & buy new ones. Just buy one & wait to see what size you'll need. You could always send someone out for Brand X, X size afterwards. One bra should give you an idea.

Baby stuff: I never had a changing table...didn't see a use for it. I used a low dresser with the top drawer filled with diapers/supplies. I kept some on each floor of the house..changed them on the floor/couch on the main floor.

Obviously, crib, stroller, high chair (later), pack n play (girls napped in it on the main floor during the day), baby swing(s) was a MUST for us!!! Many swear by bouncy seats/exersaucers. By the time my girls were big enough to fit in an exersacuer, they were walking. I'm glad I didn't get one (two). A bouncy seat may have been helpful, but I found the swings worked great.

I bought a couple snugglies..thinking we could each carry a baby in a snuggly on our chests. The girls were so little they would've been stuck at the bottom & suffocated. I'm glad I bought them 2nd hand as I got no use out of them. Someone lent me a sling..same thing. With a singleton, I think I would've used it.

Baby monitor, classical music, cd player (girls were used to classical or Christmas music from NICU.. seemed to help them sleep to put on soft classical music.)

I had family to help when they were first born. And before I forget, the best advice I ever got from a fellow twin mom (applies to singletons too) SLEEP WHEN THEY SLEEP!!!!! Let the housework go..your health is more important.

That's all I can think of.. have to put mine to bed.

[Megg]

Great idea for a thread!!

Annette, thanks for the link to the Dec bb. That was great.
Misty, I just bought the baby bargains book! Thanks for that!

I'll add a few suggestions which my sister (who has a 2 1/2 mo old) gave to me:

*Vibrating bouncy chair is a life saver (I've seen it in action - her son LOVES it!)

*"Moses basket" was terrific when he was little to move from room to room so the baby wasn't on the cold hardwood floor - she registered for one

*don't buy 0-3 month clothes. People will give them to you as gifts and you'll hardly use them. Her baby, who was 9lb7oz, at birth is already wearing 6 mo clothes. Also don't use more clothes than you need - you can return or "regift" the others.

*unless baby leaves the house, he's in onesies and pajamas. don't waste money on "so cute!!" clothes that he'll never wear.

*pay attention to the "season" of clothes and the age a baby will be when buying them - ie. at her shower she was given some winter clothes in large sizes. In all likelyhood, by the time he fits in them, it'll be 90 degrees here.

*a comfy chair to nurse in is needed, and the boppy pillow is great. Since she feels like she spends half her day nursing, her "comfy" chair is in the tv room rather than the nursery. That way she can watch tv, or hang out w/ her husband and friends while she's nursing every few hours.

*she has a bassinet which has wheels so she can move it from her bedroom to the tv room to the baby's room, she hasn't bought a crib or other "baby" furniture yet. (they're moving in a month and saw no need to set up a nursery only to take it down again) Her son has NO CLUE that his "nursery" is a spare bedroom with no "baby" decorations.

*Any flat surface works as a changing table. She's using an old small desk. The changing pad is on top, the diapers and things are in the drawers and the laundry basket and dirty diaper container are underneath where a chair would go - it's very efficient and compact. If you have a boy, keep washclothes handy to cover his pee-pee when you have his diaper off, or he'll pee all over the table and the wall!

*and finally SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS. At first she was trying to "get other things done" while her son was napping, but then she never slept! Now she naps whenever he does. When her dh gets home from work, she hands him the baby and takes a shower. Then she and dh can hang out together and she isn't feeling gross!


About maternity clothes, you buy your prepregnancy size. I'm all for "low rise" under the hump pants. However, once I'm farther along I may change my mind!


Megan

[BC-Dana]

I have to say you have some pretty good info here already. Here are a few more:

For the babies :
We could not have lived without our swing, our bouncy seat (we had one that converted into a rocking chair later and it sang and vibrated too!), We loved our changing table and in fact dd is 2 years old now and we still use it!

DD was a February baby and we bought this cool fleece thing that fit into her carseat so we could use it instead of having to constantly bundle/unbundle her. She used it up until she was 4- 5 months old and it was warm then!! We got it from one step ahead. I'll try to post some pics! It was much nicer than the ones you get from walmart because it actually sat inside the seat and you zipped it up around her!

You will never have enough diaper or onesies or sleepers- start stockpiling now!! Seriously, we went to Sams before Taylor was born and bought a box of the huggies size 1-2 each time we went along with a big box of wet wipes a few times- we were not sorry!!

I loved the gowns that were closed in on the bottom (they are hard to find though!) They were better for us anyway because it never failed, my wiggle worm managed to get the gown up around her armpits if it was just elastic at the bottom!!

I loved my travel system (stroller/carseat combo). It was by evenflo and was the discovery something or other. It has held up wonderfully and in fact I loved it so much that now that #2 is on the way, I am going to get the EVENFLO tandem stroller!!

On the subject of a highchair- we never got one!! We got one of those booster seats that positions like 3 different ways and has a table on it! Taylor used it from about 6 months and is still sitting in it!

I have to recommend the Baby Einstein lne of videos/dvds! They are lifesavers! They will buy you just enough time to put baby in the much needed bouncy seat and head off to the shower!! They say things like ages 1-4, we outgrew them at about 18 months but they were still a great investment!

I had way too many sheets for the baby bed- probably 5. I think 2 or 3 is a more realistic number. I just washed it and put it back on most of the time. Definately get the waterproof mattress pad- it is a great thing!! Someone told me to layer a pad, sheet, pad and sheet then when an accident occurred in the middle of the night just rip off the top layer- I never did this but it is a hint you might use!!

I second the baby bargains book- also they have a website http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php

It has lots of bulletin board type info on it!!
I'm sure I'll think of more things...give me a minute!

I am going to try to attach a pic of the wrap and ride from one step ahead that was lifesaver and maybe my bouncy seat too!!

Any questions, just le me know!!

[BC-Dana]

OMG...I can't believe I forgot these things!!

A boppy pillow was my lifeline for the 9 months I nursed...so if you plan on nursing get one!! Also, along those same lines, if you plan to pump the Medela pump in style was awesome. But make sure the breastfeeding works before you hand over the $200 for it! And you will need Lansinoh lanolin cream for your nipples those first few weeks (don't let anyone kid you, nursing hurt like hell those first 2 weeks but was worth every tear shed!)

I loved my bassinett (it had a vibrating feature on it!) Taylor slept in it for the first 8 weeks in our room!

We still use our monitor a lot. We have the Graco ultra clear with two receivers- it is great for having one in the basement and one up here (in the garage, etc.)

Don't invest in too many bottles until you know what the little ones will like- I have some avent ones that dd wouldn't touch ($30 down the drain!).

My dd was in 0-3 mon clothes until 3-4 months so some kids do wear it!! She was 6lbs 12oz at birth so it all depends on how big your little ones are!