To My Pregnant Pals

I am very excited to have quite a few women close to my heart currently experiencing their first pregnancies. Some close to my heart are experiencing second pregnancies too but this applies more for the first time moms-to-be. I have been thinking about a few things I realized after I became a mom which would be helpful to know before hand... things to consider anyway...

1. Buy a double stroller! If you are planning to have more then one baby and especially if you want your kids close together this is way more convenient. Don't get a wide on as the single ones are hard enough to shop with. They have really nice ones where you can turn the front seat either forward or facing the back. Even before baby number 2 arrives this will be helpful for getting together with other moms and if you do any babysitting! There are lots of good options that don't cost much more then a single stroller.

2. Don't get a hand held pump. Even if you are only planning to use it for a few evenings out electric pumps are worth the extra money! They are great for helping with engorgement when baby first arrives too... and getting your milk established. I now have a "medela" which everyone tells me is the best brand... it's the one Women's hospital uses so I would recommend that.

3. Neutral clothing is great! I wanted to have baby showers after David arrived so that I could have outfits specific to boy or girl but I was later thankful for the neutral stuff I received as it will be great if we have a girl at some point too. You will get lots of gender specific clothes as well. Jackets, snow suits and bedding are best kept neutral anyway.

4. This is more of a personal opinion and some moms may disagree but I found it was much nicer having a summer baby (and being pregnant in all the heat) then having a winter baby. After my pregnancy with David I was glad not to be delivering at the end of June second time around but I found it was more difficult being huge in the winter. In the summer you can wear flip flops and minimal clothing. In the winter you are stuck bundled up with shoes that are too tight and a jacket that no longer zips up!

5. Take advantage of the extra time you have before baby arrives (for those who don't work until full term) and freeze, freeze, freeze (extra meals that is). This time has been great having Jonathan's parents and sister around but with David it was very difficult to keep on top of everything and find things to eat (and time to cook)... plus your husband will still be hungry when he comes home from work and he will be tired too!

6. Breast feeding saves so much time! Not only is it the best option for you and your baby it makes life a lot easier. I am having to pump to give Noah breast milk because he isn't quite strong enough to breastfeed. With this comes the responsibility of washing and sterilizing bottles (and the added time of pumping). It was much easier to just stick David on the boob whenever he cried (especially during the middle of the night) then it is to deal with bottles.

7. Take lots of pregnancy pictures and if you are considering professional pictures do it with your first pregnancy before you have stretch marks.

Okay, this is getting long and I am running out of advise but I have just had it on my mind to share these bits of information and since I know so many pregnant mama's it is easier to blog my suggestions then to speak to everyone individually (plus I will forget). And this way I thought other mom's could leave comments with their suggestions and even let me know if they think what I have concluded will be helpful.

Enjoy this wonderful baby growing time!