Tuesday, January 22, 2008
LOTS OF KICKING
I started feeling the baby kicking around week 20 and she has been active ever since! I was getting worried because so many women feel kicks a lot sooner, but being a first time mom my doctor had told me it would probably take a bit longer. What amazes me is that the kicking I feel most isn't during the day when I am active when you would think the baby would be awake hearing lots of noise. I feel it most at night when I am still and during the night. It is always exciting.
I did rent a heartbeat monitor which is fun to use (sparingly). Waiting a month between doctor appointments can be a long time. Being a high-risk pregnancy I had several ultrasounds in the first few months and got spoiled seeing the baby almost every week.
Thank you for all the great advice on the rocker/glider for the nursery. I decided to buy a set that is more like furniture, very comfortable and picked out some nice fabric.
Question for moms out there - I would love to hear about your experience with bassinets. How long did your baby last before going to their crib? Did they sleep well in the bassinet? I see bassinets come in all price ranges.
Posted at 4:05 AM
20 Comments:
Lisa: I'm a first time mom as well. I didnt feel kicking as early either, which is normal they say. But I was a high risk as well and we assured by the kicks that everything was going well. I felt my son kicking the most at night first and then more during the day as he got bigger. The baby runs out of room at that point.
One great piece of advice that someone my husband works with gave us was a book called Baby Bargains. You can find it at any book store or Amazon, etc. It rates every item a baby needs and provides great feedback keeing in mind safety, cost, etc. It was a great book to review before buying our crib. I wanted to make sure we had a safe crib. But buy early. It can take some time to order and then you have to assemble. I struggled with the bassinet as well myself. Some babies just dont use them and others cant do without. If you can put the crib in your room that will work as well. I purchased a bassinet in the end. My son was a preemie and the hospital mentioned that he would feel more comfortable in one. I purchased, what I thought was a solid bassinet (metal construction instead of plastic). It still doesnt give much support. He sleeps much better in his pack n play since it offers more support. But I'm already trying to move him to the crib. He's about 6 wks old now.
But the Baby Bargains book is a must have for 1st time mom's. It rates everything from diapers to cribs.
not worth it. mine went right to the crib and slept well there
I found That Bassinets are not that useful. It is better to get them used to the crib as soon as possible. Also, The reason I learned from my Doctor as to why the baby kicks mostly at night is because all The moving I do during the day makes him sleepy.
I watched you this evening and I made a comment to my husband that you are looking really good. I liked the sweater you had on. Of course we can't see your stomach!
On your question about bassinets, I say forget it. They grow out of them so fast its almost a waste. The only good thing is you can have it in your bedroom. My first son was so big 10lb 3oz, he didnt even fit! I guess its a personal choice.
Good luck on the rest of your pregnany and labor and delivery.
Karen Clavette
East Hampton
Hi & Congrats!!
We borrowed a bassinet from a good friend for my youngest son. He slept in it for about 3 months and then he was in his crib with the monitor.
The 3-month mark was important for us because that was when I stopped nursing exclusively and transitioned him to bottles.
So he may have stayed longer in that bassinet, but we felt it was time to move him to his "big boy bed." Well sort of! :)
My daughter wouldn't sleep in her bassinet. In fact for the first 3 months she wouldn't sleep well anywhere but her carseat/carrier.
I would borrow one from a friend, b.c like the previous posters said...it's a very temporary need and you'd be wiser to use that money towards a nicer stroller or something more useful. My bassinet was lent from a friend and I've since lent it out to two friends.
Hi Lisa- Congrats! I'm a first time Mom, too. Adelaide Punkin is just about 5 months and WOW what a ride. Kudos to you for sharing your journey. You look wonderful and, yes, materity cloths suck, sorry! I think it's body type that really does it! Some women do well in them. I'm on the short side so that's a problem to begin with!
There are 2 sides of that "awkward size"- one comes after, as you are loosing the weight. I'm still wearing materinty things passed on to me by my nieces. I was kept "20s something hip" for free- At 37 I am having a baby with all the "20 something" boomers around me- That in and of itself is interesting! The hand-me-downs were great!
Speaking of hand-me-downs... Stop the madness! My husband is a "hand-me down" kinda guy and people give him sooo much ...stuff. I'm sure you get that a lot too... Psst... Hey Moms! If you thought it was junk throw it out!? I've got stuff that was on recall lists from 4 years ago! Ugh!
Finally- I'll get to your question- The bassinet. Addy used hers for 4.5 months. She's still adjusting a week and a half later (so is Mommy). It's a parenting style preference, I think. Some parents co-sleep while others use a crib from the get go. Put yourself some where in that spectrum and decide what works with your family.
I'm a part time co-sleeper, much to my husband's dismay!
Enjoy the ride!
Veronica
Burlington
HELLO LISA, CONGRATS ON YOUR BABY GIRL. I HAD 2 BASSINETS, ONE IN THE LIVING ROOM AND A SMALL ON IN MY ROOM. MY SON LASTED 2 WEEKS IN THE LIVING ROOM BASSINET. HE WOULD WAKE RIGHT UP IF I PLACE HIM IN IT AND THE ONE IN THE ROOM I USE FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS. I ONLY USED THE ONE IN THE BEDROOM BECAUSE MY SON HAD ACID REFLUX REALLY BAD AND WE WERE UP EVERY TWO HOURS AND FEEDING FOR A HOUR AT A TIME.( HAD TO MAKE SURE FORMULA STAYED DOWN.) IN MY OPINION A BASSINET REALLY IS NOT A NECESSITY.
my name is laura and my husband and i have an 11 week old daughter, addison. one of my co-workers bought me a bassinett as a baby shower gift and i love it. addison sleeps great in it. te bassinett has a night light, vibrates, plays music, has a mobile and lights. it also can be used as a changing table and co-sleeper. i highly recommend the bassinett. being a first time mom, i wasn't ready for addison to sleep in her crib. after going to childbirth education class, we were told babies like a bassinett because it is smaller and they don't seem to be "lost in it", which is what they would feel in a crib. we also were told by the child birth educator that having the baby in our room greadly reduces the risk of sids. our bassinett is made by simplicity and i put it together myself when i was still pregnant. addison is going to sleep in her bassinett until sids is not a factor.
a few other ideas for you regarding items you may want to purchase:
1. dr. boudreaux's butt paste works great. addison got really bad diaper rash and we had to get an ointment called calmoseptine at the pharmacy. it works great if your little one gets really bad diaper rash.
2. my brest friend nursing pillow. i was unable to use it in the beginning because i had an emergency c-section,but i am using it now and i love it.
3. swaddle me by kiddopatomus. these work great when they are little. a word of advice - bring one to the hospital with you because trying to swaddle your baby in a blanket is so hard. i don't use the swaddle me anymore because addison moves too much. now that she is 10 weeks, a sleep sack is what she needs.
4. the happiest baby on the block dvd. we got this as a gift and we use it all the time - great soothing techniques to calm your baby.
5. a wipes warmer - addison loves it.
6. huggies diapers - more stretch than pampers.
7. target brand baby wipes - these are the best and by far my favorite.
8. and if you are looking for a photographer - i highly recommend jessica passon photography - www.jessicapasson.com - she is a new mom herself and i saw her work at my obgyn's office. she photographed our little one when she was just a week old.
i hope you don't mind all the advice.
take care.
laura
Lisa,
The bassinet is a big waste of money, unless you have someone you can borrow one from and try it.Neither one of my children liked the bassinet and went right into the crib.
Straight to the crib for our son and my 5-month-old niece. My brother and sister-in-law used their bassinet for naps in the downstairs family room during the day. We exclusively used the crib at naptime.
A co-sleeper that sits along the side of the bed is wonderful if you are nursing. It helps to keep you feeling rested as well since you never have to get up. They can also be used as a pack and play so it's used beyond the first couple of months which is nice.
Hi Lisa. That Baby Bargain book is soooo good. Gives some great information on all that baby stuff. As I said, in another email :), our bedroom is on the first floor while the other bedrooms on the second. I definitely used our bassinet, I think until 2-3 months. Having him upstairs at night was too far away. Had him take his naps up there after about 6 weeks, but otherwise was in our room. Whatever you decide will be the right choice. PS. My friend Lynda loves watching you. Another great mom of three!
Lisa,
I used the bassinet that attached to the top of the pack n play I purchased. It worked great because the baby only stayed it in for a couple of weeks and at least I used the pack and play for at least one year. It made it a better investment. Good Luck!!!
Congrats on your pregnancy! What a blessing!
About the bassinet - we used ours for about 2 months with each of our girls. It was a gift but had we had the opportunity to borrow one, I would have gone that way. 2 months use for an item that costs $250 is outrageous in my opinion.
Hi Lisa,
I had my babies in them till about 3 months old. I loved having them near me those first few months. It just made me feel more comfortable having them close by plus very conveninet when you are nursing.
I also loved it for their naptime during the day as you can move it to different rooms!
Congrats and best of luck to ALL of you, including NBC30, who will miss you while you are gone. My 4 grandchildren all slept in bassinets, as my 2 children did. Since the 4 grandchildren were all breast fed, their mothers liked the ease and comfort of having them close by when feeding was needed, so they didn't have to go to their babies rooms to retrieve them. They were also close by to check on if they made noises, instead of hearing the noise on the monitor and getting out of bed to check on them. When you are a new Mom, you will have a tendency to want to check on them more and looking into the bassinet from your bed is much easier. They usually last 3 - 4 months, but it depends on how big they get and need more room in their crib than the bassinet can give them.
With my son, I skipped right over the bassinet as well. He was in the NICU for two weeks, so when we finally brought him home we put him to bed in his crib and he's been there ever since. Naps were a struggle at the beginning in the crib, but night time was fine. I am now pregnant with my second son and he is due in May. My husband and I did buy the portable bassinet by Graco because I read all the good reviews it received at Babies R Us. The boys will be sharing a room, so we wanted to make sure our older son would not be bothered for the first couple of months.
My daughter used her bassinet until she was about six months old and she started rolling over. Granted, she was a tiny little thing so she really didn't "outgrow" it size-wise.
I purchased a Kolcraft model for around $90 and it was one of the best purchases I made. She loved the music it played, the vibration option really helped when she was fussy and she loved to watch the mobile. Plus it was also very easy to move it from room to room.
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