The countdown is on, and it’s almost time for this baby to make her appearance! In my humble opinion, any day now would be just perfect.
The hospital bag is packed, and the infant car seat is ready to go in the car. So now, all that’s left is to think about what I’m going to need in those first crazy days of newborn life…. Which brings me back to those first days of Emmett’s life.
I know it’s not fair to assume that this babe will be ANYTHING like Em was, but there were a couple of things that really caught me off guard in those early weeks last time – so this time I’m determined to be prepared!
The first thing we’re doing? We’re scheduling in some serious grand-parent time in the first few weeks to help with recovery while managing a toddler. I definitely underestimated how long I would take to get back on my feet after having Emmett, and don’t want to make that mistake again with a rambunctious almost-two-year-old running around!
The second thing I’m doing? Making sure I have a breast pump convenient at all times. I didn’t expect to have a rough time nursing Emmett, but I did. He had a tongue-tie that went undiagnosed, and I had So. Much. Pain. If not for a few great friends and family encouraging me through the process, I could have given up on nursing, despite how important it was to me.
To help manage the pain and promote healing in those early days, I was left scrambling to find a pump that would be gentle enough on the girls, but efficient enough to keep my milk supply up… and to be honest, I’m not sure I found the best answer at the time.
So, this time, I’m well prepared with the Philips AVENT Comfort Manual Breast Pump. For the record, I also have the Philips AVENT Comfort Double Electric Breast Pump and love it, but find that in the early days of nursing, if you do need to pump for any reason, a manual pump can be easier to control and a bit gentler on sensitive boobs!
The Philips AVENT Manual Pump has a super soft massage cushion top (instead of a hard plastic cup on most other pumps) that are super comfortable, and the design allows you to sit comfortably while you pump (you don’t have to be propped super upright or leaning forward) which is critical when you’re still healing after birth. It’s also super portable and easy to clean, which means no matter where you are in those early days it’s easy to keep on hand.
And lastly? We’ll be using the Philips AVENT uGrow App to track all the details of our new babe’s life. It’s one easy space to log feeding and sleeping schedules, height, weight, doctor’s appointments, etc. – so even when you’re sleep deprived and trying to manage milk flow, you can make sure you’re doing everything you need to ensure you and your babe are getting the best start possible.
Oh and did we mention snuggles? We’ll be scheduling in some serious baby snuggles… because there might not be anything better in life than snuggling a fresh, snoozing baby… and then drifting off to sleep yourself…
Now… Come on Baby Girl!!!!
NOTE: I’m part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Philips AVENT and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. That being said, we’ve been Philips AVENT since Emmett was born, long before we were Ambassadors, and we genuinely love and use every one of these products!