Home Set Up, Tips and Sample Routine

(Side note: it's so funny to me how often this room and really all of our arrangements changed! This blog is just an example of a blip in time! :))

Home Setup

I really like having a smart light in the nursery. I have it dimmed all the way down and on a schedule to turn on at 8pm and off at 5am. No need to touch a light and dim enough to see what I’m doing but not disturb the babe!

Stash water bottles EVERYWHERE. Especially if you’re breastfeeding!

Zip on bottom clothes are far superior to snaps. If you buy Velcro swaddles, make sure they zip at the bottom! If you buy sleepers, make sure they have the two way zip function to make diaper changes soooo much easier!

I used a metal push cart, and what was on it changed as my needs changed. I suggest keeping the top clear so you can set your phone and water down and always have it accessible. The next level I had a container of all the clean pacifiers and nipple shields. All in one place and easy to grab. You might also like to have extra burp rags, extra water, nasal aspirator, chapstick, your haakaa, nail file, extra onesie.

I also have a little tower of drawers next to my bed. On top goes my water (you’ll probably want one with a handle! You won’t want to hold a heavy water container over your delicate babe when tired), a basket for dirty diapers, and wipes. Check out my absolute favorite wipe container!

Keep a little dish soap in the bathroom in your bedroom if you have one. That way if you need to wash off your nipple shield, pacifier or haakaa, you don’t have to go all the way to the kitchen.

I like to keep the TV on all night as it really helps me stay awake for the feed and not feel sad/lonely. It also helps as a light source and conditions baby to be able to sleep through noise. I wouldn’t have the volume up loud or anything, you need to sleep through it too!

Here are the drawers:

• Sanitizer, butt spatula, butt paste/vaseline, rectal thermometer.

• Diapers.

• Miscellaneous need to grab easy- nasal aspirator, lotion, nail file, my glasses, chapstick, saline drops. All things I highly suggest getting before baby arrives!

• Snacks, allll the snacks. Need this for the middle of the night feeds! I love protein bars and cookies.

• Extra little storage containers to frequently empty the haakaa (because it can get knocked off and spill your milk, I like to frequently transfer to the little bottles the hospital gave you), extra burp rag, ladybug haakaas to catch letdowns.

• Extra onesies and swaddles (you’d be surprised how many they’ll pee on, especially if you’re having a little boy!)

• Extra pillowcases. Make sure you get protectors on your mattress and pillows! Cosleeping or not, you’ll hang out with baby while in bed at some point I’m sure! And even later on when your toddler wakes up sick and needs their mama’s cuddles.

Diapering

When you change the diaper, slather that butt with Vaseline to PREVENT the diaper rash. This also makes it muuuuuch easier to wipe off the poop! When you wipe, try not to scrub, that’s delicate skin and it’s easy to irritate. I like to place the wipe on the whole butt and rub gently first then wipe up. Gets the majority of the mess gently. I always put the clean diaper under the dirty one so his butt never touches the changing pad and I have my clean one already under and positioned. Also… boys like to pee when you change them. That cold air hits and triggers it so having the extra diaper under can help catch it if you can flip it up fast enough. I suggest blowing into the front of their diaper first and/or running a cold wipe on their belly/hips and waiting like 30 seconds. That can trigger a pee in the already dirty diaper.

Pumping/Nursing

• Get a pump through your insurance. I ended up with two because my friend gave me hers and I ordered the same brand so the parts would be interchangeable. (Be sure it’s a closed system if you’re using a hand-me-down, you can’t clean the machine well enough if it’s not. Always boil your parts before the first use.)

• Put your pump parts in the fridge after each session so you only have to clean them once a day. I wouldn’t wash them any less often though.

• Do yourself a favor and buy a pumping bra! You definitely don’t want to be stuck holding them to your chest! Walmart has some for like $10. I think they run small, I’m a very small lady and usually wear a 32 band size and had to get a medium.

• I honestly would suggest a wearable breast pump. I’m muuuuuch more likely to pump when I’m not tethered to a wall. I love the MomCozy, and wrote a review on it as well! Not everyone will respond the same to certain pumps.

• Heat promotes lactation. I love the Lansinoh therapearls heat/ice packs! Microwave before pumping and put right on top of the flange. The ice constricts the ducts so super nice for when your supply comes in and you’re all of a sudden engorged and in pain. You could also try placing a heating pad on top of your breasts before pumping and during. Because of the heat principle, try wearing the haakaa in the shower, especially if you are engorged!

• Nipple shields saved my nursing “career”. I had a preemie with a tiny mouth, and I had flat nipples. He was only able to nurse with the shield at first! This saved me from a lot of adjustment pain too because eventually I would try to nurse more bare a little bit at a time. Ultimately, I think that if you’re having pain you most likely aren’t getting a good latch. Take advantage of the lactation consultants at the hospital!! And talk to your breastfeeding friends!

• Give yourself time for nursing positions to feel comfortable. At first I felt so awkward nursing on my right side. Now it ain’t nothin’ but a thang!

• When you go to burp baby, tuck the burp rag into your bra strap. This will keep it from falling off your shoulder, especially if you want to burp by rocking back and forth or leaning your body in a circle. This is a wonderful gentle way to coax the burp upwards, especially if you have a preemie who is sensitive to the pats.

• Remember, your milk supply is based on the demand. If you give a bottle then I’d suggest to pump. Frequency is also more relevant that duration. Stimulation! You can try the foods and drinks, but the demand is the most effective and important element. Pump whenever a bottle is given. Don’t ask me how to build a stash, that is something I have not figured out! (Edit more than a year later: I did not realize that it wasn't necessarily normal to have a stash. You'd have to have an oversupply to have a freezer stash. So don't beat yourself up, and focus on what's right in front of you! If you're determined to have a stash, try pumping AFTER you have fed baby, especially at night time as that is when your production is at it's highest.)

Feeding

• Never microwave your bottles. It destroys nutrients in breast milk and can create hot spots and make it too warm for baby. I like to warm mine up in a ceramic pitcher (I found at goodwill!) of warm/hot water. I learned recently that if you warm up your bottle while it's closed, it can cause a build up of pressure inside the bottle. And this can cause the Dr. Brown bottles to leak! Either crack them open before giving them to release the pressure or warm them up without the tops on.

• Don't shake your bottles to mix the formula or the fat in breastmilk. I know it's tempting but you don't want to give your baby more gas than they already have! They say to swirl it but lets be honest that's not going to do enough. We actually like to use a little fork and stir it INSIDE the bottle since we only give them here and there. If you're exclusively giving formula, look into a stirring pitcher that you keep in the fridge!

• Burp baby often throughout the feed. Yes they'll get pissed off, but better than a baby with stuck burps and having all that milk come back up because there was too much sitting on top of a burp. The more diligent you are with burping, the more it cuts back on booty-gas too.

• If you're using hand me down bottles, I've been advised to just buy new nipples for them as that's the part that can wear out. Rule of thumb is to always boil your pieces (even new from the store) before the first use. After that, soap and water is fine.

Sink station

• Wash basin: This was copied from how the hospital staff set up dish washing for us. You don’t want to wash the bottles in the dirty sink so have a little basin next to the sink to wash. You’ll want to boil the nipples before the first use but afterwards, just soap and brush should be fine. Of course always listen to your doctor!

• Stand up rack: I LOVE my OXO stand up dish drying rack. Sooooo worth it, especially to save the counter space!

• Get some paper plates, bowls and plastic cutlery. It’ll cut back dramatically on the dishes at least for a little while! A Costco membership would come in handy here. If you don’t have one, I’d suggest making a trip with someone who does!

Changing station

You may want one in each room, but really that’s MORE work than help. Especially if the nursery is just a couple more steps away. That’s a whole extra station to restock. I’d suggest one in your room and one in the nursery. Consider height. Pack n plays now come with some sweet changing stations, but I’ve found they made me bend over in a way that made my back super sore. That might be nice still for occasional changes or if you’re sitting on your bed and working on it. My favorite spot is on top of the dresser in the nursery. There’s a nice little changing pad laid down up there. I highly suggest a diaper cream spatula! Again, I suggest always applying Vaseline to that bum to prevent diaper rash and make poopy clean up a breeze. The spatula will keep your hands clean and very evenly spread it. And quickly! A diaper caddy is really nice if not for toting around, at least for keeping everything together and organized. (Edit over a year later: My changing pad got destroyed so now I use a baby lounger and cover it with incontinence pads. Super comfy for my toddler! I now use the dresser drawers to hold all of my diapering items with just the wipes dispenser on the top.

Care station in living room

Set up a spot with extra water, burp rags, pacifier, tissue, and trash can so the people who care for baby when you aren’t can have it all in one spot. Also, before handing baby to someone ask them if they need to use the bathroom or anything. Sometimes you get so excited to hold a baby you don't realize then you're stuck while having to pee! Just something I like to do to be courteous.

Sample Routine

It changes a lot, I suggest to go with the flow! This is just what my days looked like at one point.

Morning (I try to do this while Dad cuddles the baby in the morning before he gets ready for work)

• Laundry gather and replace (burp rags, anything laying around the house)

• Open curtains

• Wash pump parts and dishes

• Restock changing stations

• Make yourself breakfast!

Daddy comes home around 5pm

• Dad showers if he wants, dinner is sorted.

• Pump and eat.

• Mom gets a shower and a nap while dad gets his bonding time. Take the damned nap. Even if you’re rested, you don’t know how the following night will go. We are both up for an hour or so together before bed.

• A little later on when baby isn't up so frequently, I suggest just heading to bed at like 9pm. They say sleep when baby sleeps. Catch those stretches with baby. Set an alarm to remind you of bed time. Trust me, it flies!

Night time

• Baby wakes up about 3-4 times. Feed, change, feed. This way you make them happy by satiating some of that hunger and then get them a little more awake again with the diaper change to feed on the other breast for a nice full feed. They’ll sleep longer if their bellies are full. For a bottle, I would feed half then burp and change then feed the other half.

• First feed is a bottle, as full as possible with least work from baby.

• Middle of the night feed, breast, burp, change, breast, burp.

• Morning feed, breast, burp, change, breast, burp.

• Dad wakes up about 15 minutes before he has to get out of bed to hold baby while I do my morning routine. Also so he can get some snuggles in!