Before, during, and after

So, a friend of ours recently updated her blog with some tips that she has found helpful since having a beautiful baby boy. We thought this was a great idea. Here are some of things we have discovered along the way...

Before your bambino arrives:
1.) Just go ahead and sleep on the couch. I refused and fought this for a while but once I gave in I slept much better during pregnancy.
2.) Buy baby books and mentally prepare yourself to throw them out the window after he/she arrives.
3.) Try to maintain your exercise routine and try to avoid the donuts. I am now 50lbs heavier (still almost 6 weeks later) and it is tough to get it off!! Although those donuts were delicious!!
4.) Significant others - no she does not look fat in those sweatpants!
5.) You really only need to take one pregnancy test...not 10 (or 40)!!
6.) Invest in one of those schick Intuition razors. Once you can no longer see your legs shaving is a nightmare. This has the shaving gel already on it and it was very helpful.
7.) Go ahead and throw your modesty out the window now. You will be more emotionally prepared on labor day.
8.) Invest in a good pair of stretchy yoga pants! I lived in these towards the end!
9.) Enjoy the silence while you have it. The sound of her voice is usually comforting but sometimes it can really pierce your eardrums!! Especially when you are trying to burp her on your shoulder and she would rather do something else!
10.) Just know that you will never be prepared enough!

During labor:
1.) Believe you can do this!
2.) Make sure your modesty is nonexistent. Your butt will be exposed, your lady bits will be exposed, and your boobs will be exposed. There is no way around it.
3.) Know that when your water breaks it continues to leak for a bit of time. Like a warm stream of urine for about an hour.
4.) Shower right before you go to the hospital - you have know idea how long you will be there.
5.) Eat right before you go to the hospital - you have know idea how long you will be there.
6.) Significant others, no she is not pooping.
7.) Know that you will poop, make peace with it, and move on!
8.) Don't let your significant other eat a cheeseburger while you are in labor. I almost killed him for a bite!
9.) Bring your own toiletries - the shower afterward will be much better!
10.) Be willing to change your birth-plan!!

After your bundle of joy enters the world:
1.) Enjoy the first night in the hospital - our baby slept her best this night.
2.) Get a sleep sheep.
3.) Sleep and plays are great! Get the ones that zip. All those buttons at 3am can be irritating!
4.) Diapers can be an issue. We found trial and error was necessary before we found the right ones for Charlotte. It may be the most expensive aren't the best fit for you - BONUS!
5.) Make no major decisions during feedings midnight - 8am. We found we have very poor judgment during this time.
6.) Throw away those baby books!! They will drive you crazy. I do have the Baby Wise book and we follow it for the schedule but other than that we rely on our pediatrician for advice.
7.) Establish some sort of schedule and realize it will probably not stick everyday. It will work for the most part.
8.) If you think your baby has pooped - take a peek if you must but do not remove the diaper. This is a slow process for babies and we have wasted a lot of diapers.
9.) When you are changing your diaper for "just pee" take this off slowly, allow the cool air to hit his or her bits, and then lay the diaper back on the baby. We have found that Charlotte really likes to pee after we have removed the diaper. This saves a few diapers every now and then.
10.) Cut yourself some slack. This is a learning process for all parties involved and no one gets it "right" the first time around.

So, we are not experts. We do not even endorse the advice above all of the time but this is what we have found so far. If you follow something above and it doesn't work for you then try something else - duh ruh! Everyday is different and what worked today may not work tomorrow. Case in point - Charlotte is never fussy. Today she is fussy and it is catching me off guard!