PT#22: Leaving the Skin on Your Hands

Having a baby in the house involves a lot of hand-washing. Not only are you suddenly changing (an inordinate number of) diapers, but when you learn about your newborn's immune system (which basically doesn't exist for the first few months) you instantly become a germ-o-phobe. If you want to have skin on your hands by your child's first birthday, stock up on:

• Gentle soap - Softsoap makes a nice aloe vera version. Antibacterial soaps aren't necessary
• Ultra-rich, non-scented hand cream. I like this stuff, my brother-in-law swears by this stuff

PT#21: Boppy boppy boppy!!!

Ahhh, the boppy! (There are tons of different colors.)

I'm still using mine, and it's been a godsend. Warning: graphic nursing talk ahead!

It shows a lady sitting cross-legged on the carton, but that doesn't work. The best way to use it is in a chair with arms, to hold the pillow up. We have a gliding rocker in the nursery, and that's heaven! If you want to use it in bed or somewhere where there are no arms, you'll need to put pillows (or what I used - a bunched-up robe) under it to raise the baby's head to the right level, otherwise you'll end up slumping (ow) or the baby will be dragging painfully at your boob (double-ow).

I also always keep a burp cloth draped over whichever side his head is on, to catch spit up and spray (so bizarre when your boobs keep spraying!) The boppy comes with a zip-off cover that you can toss in the wash - and you can get more covers a la carte.

I hope there is a lactation consultant at the hospital for you. If not, consider calling one in for a consult - it was very useful. Insist, if you must. I had to ask three times, because my chart showed that my guy was nursing on schedule, but we had the technique wrong, so it was very painful. It's not supposed to hurt!

PT#20: Where is the baby going to eat?

While one of the nice things about breastfeeding is that you can feed the baby anywhere, at a moment's notice, it's nice to have a special place set up at home especially for nursing (works equally well for Papa to give bottles.) First of all, you'll need a nice chair. The back should come up behind your head, because there's a very good chance you'll fall asleep in it from time to time. A rocker is really nice, and helpful to calm down fussy babies (My older one wouldn't fall asleep without the rocker; the baby will fall asleep anywhere...) Dutailier is the best brand (made in Canada!)

Around this chair, you'll want a reading light (yes, you can read and nurse!), and a table or shelf for a drink, the bottle, a notepad... y'know, stuff. You might want other things within reach, too, like music and a shelf of baby books.

Finally, you need a boppy. Boppies are wonderful - it's a big crescent-shaped pillow that fits around your waist and holds the baby in the right position. In fact, I'll write a whole boppy tip, tomorrow!

PT#19: Where is the baby going to sleep?

For the first few months, at least, you'll probably want the baby in your room, because we're talking feedings every 2 hours or so. Options include crib (if it fits in your room), bassinette (like a cross between a crib and a Moses-basket), a new contraption that has three sides and attaches to your bed, or right in the bed with you.

This is a very personal choice, and it's a good thing to talk about before you come home with the baby. But then remember - when Mama gets home, she has every right to change her mind. As many times as she needs to.

PT#18: Breastfeeding: A Parent's Guide

Breastfeeding: A Parent's Guide

This is a no-nonsense guide that I referred to over and over. In contrast, I couldn't get through the introduction to the La Leche League tome someone gave me ("If you don't breastfeed you're evil" was the gist.) This is just practical information.

Forgive me for straying into TMI territory, but I had EVERY SINGLE problem in the problems chapter, but I got over them all, and breastfed for longer than some of my in-laws thought proper. You don't need antibiotics for a very mild case of mastitis - a hotpad will do the trick.

And look! Another older edition for a penny!

PT#17: D.W. Winnicott

D.W. Winnicott

There are many books by him on the market. This is the one I have, and it's a nice collection of essays. His very very comforting point (though I can't find the exact chapter right now) is that you know your baby better than anyone, and that your instincts will be correct the vast majority of the time, and you shouldn't subvert your instincts and common sense to whatever "expert" happens to be in vogue.

PT#16: Happiest Baby on the Block

The Happiest Baby on the Block

This doctor set out to figure out colic, and damned if he didn't. Even if your baby doesn't have full-blown colic, these techniques are invaluable, and they work!

Bonus tip: swaddling works, but my babies were so big, they'd squirm out of their baby blankets in two minutes. The solution? A single flat jersey sheet. Wrap it around and around... they're not getting out of that! My oldest still sleeps with his; it's his "summer blanket."

PT#15: Your Child's Health

Your Child's Health

This nice heavy tome, or one like it, is a great relief when your child gets ill in the middle of the night. It tells you what to look for, and whether to call the doctor tomorrow, now, or hop in a cab to the ER.

Look, the 1991 edition (which I have) can be had used for a penny (plus shipping)! Aaak! All my bargain-hunting synapses are exploding!

PT#14: Take Books with a Grain of Salt

You can drive yourself nuts trying to figure it all out from books, and here's why: for any and every approach to parenting, there is a book. Most of them contradict each other, and most of them take the tone "if you don't do it this way, you are ruining your children." Talk to people you trust, and most importantly, trust your own instincts.

I remember early on with my oldest, there was some issue we were grappling over, and I asked a family friend who had 6 kids of her own and has run a pre-school for 30 years. What should we do? "Whatever works," she said.

That said, my next few tips will be for the books I found most helpful.

PT#13: Perchance to Dream

Sleep now. Get as well-rested as you can before the birth. Maternity/paternity leave sounds like a nice break, but you will not sleep a solid 8 hours for a long time.

PT#12: Rob-ease or Roe-Biz?

Best baby shoes, do not come off, and allow the foot to develop naturally. Totally unnecessary until baby starts to "pull up" to standing. Available at Nordstrom's and Amazon.com and lots of other stores--also, Target has pretty good knock-offs.

PT#11: Rubber Baby Buggy Sockies

Best baby socks, the only ones I've found that don't come off almost instantaneously. (They come in different brands - they're the ones with little puffs around the ankles, like baby pom-poms.)

PT#10: iPoddity

When you're packing your bag for the hospital, don't forget your ipod - it was very nice to be able to shut the whole world out for a while.

PT#9: Loosey-Goosey

Being pregnant makes all your joints loosen. If you go to get a manicure or pedicure, make sure you tell them you're preggers (if you're not showing yet), so they don't over-massage your joints. And only go to a very well ventilated place - nail polish fumes smell ten times worse when you're pregnant.

PT#8: Take Care of You

This one needs no explanation: Elizabeth Arden Red Door Pregnancy Massage. Ahhhhhhh...

PT#7: Quick Change Artist

Babies spit up. No getting around it. You can have a burp cloth permanently on your shoulder, but you're still going to get nailed from time to time. I came up with a solution that worked for me: I kept a pile of clean t-shirts right in the baby's room. (They were the nice men's XL t-shirts I'd worn throughout the pregnancy.) When you get splurched on, you can have a fresh t-shirt on in about 5 seconds.

PT#6: The Smell of Poop in the Morning

Diaper Genies use expensive refills. The Diaper Champ uses ordinary kitchen-size garbage bags.

PT#5: Those Essential Crotch Snaps

Ok, I've got a bunch of these tips saved up, and not much time (or headspace) to write anything else right now, so I'll start posting a pregnancy tip per day 'til I run out.

Babies don't walk til about 1 yr. So for the first year, they spend a lot of time being picked up by their armpits. Don't even bother with any clothes that don't snap under the crotch, because they'll just bunch up when you pick the baby up.

PT#4: We All Scream

People crave different things - for me it was ice cream. My favorite thing that my husband got me during my whole pregnancy was this. Did you know it is possible to love an ice cream scoop? It is.

PT#3: When Hearts Burn

Heartburn is a fact of pregnant life. Believe it or not, there is a limit to the number of TUMS you're supposed to eat in one 24-hour period. But there's no limit to how many Stoned Wheat Thins you can eat, and they work almost as well!