Worried about how we are going to survive once we take our Family Leave

[petite]

My sister in law gave birth to two children in Mississauga and did bring baby diapers with her and pads. From memory they supplied the first diaper and pad, then she used her own. But she was in and out in under 24 hours. Had the baby just past 1am and was home by 6pm the same day. She had private health insurance paid by her employer. She also chose her OBGYN based on the hospital she wanted to give birth in if I remember correctly. I think her friend recommended him. Not sure about other details. She had wonderful experiences both times and super easy quick births.

 

Over the pond here, I gave birth at a private hospital that supplied everything and sent me home with extras, lol. I asked friends and colleagues about the OBGYN's they had, then after doing research on the 'better' men in the city I asked my GP to send me to him. (I had my heart set on two private hospitals so whichever had the OBGYN I liked I was going to go there.) That was the privilege of going with a private hospital here, I chose who I wanted rather than being dumped with someone I didn't get along with or like.

After interviewing him (lol) he made my husband and I laugh and was just really friendly, answered all our questions, introduced us to two midwives and had a pleasant personality all around.

That meant a lot to us because we didn't want a grumpy dude around as I give birth. Funny he and my husband got super friendly and now play golf together, lol. I loved him, and my midwife. We're going back there for number two when it happens.

 

I never used nipple cream, just coconut oil, worked wonderfully. As a breastfeeding cover I got one on etsy it's like an apron, and then I made the second one myself because really all you need is some material/fabric, needle and thread. I didn't feel like showing my breast to everyone. Not necessarily for their comfort per se, but I'm rather private in that sense and didn't want men who are into breastfeeding women to stare, lol.

 

I mentioned earlier in the thread but we didn't buy a lot of blankets, there was no need because we bought swaddlers, which are AMAZING! Our daughter who is about to turn two still sleeps in a sleeping bag that is for toddlers up to 36 months old. It means the blanket isn't kicked off, she isn't cold at night or too hot and a blanket is not going to rise up to her neck. She sleeps a solid 12 hours and has always been a good sleeper. Hope I don't jinx that now, lol. But seriously, swaddling is the best.

Get your baby on a sleep schedule between 8-12weeks, and hopefully it will all work out well. I started around 8-9 weeks with the sleep schedule, and it's been pretty good.

 

Don't be like one of my acquaintances and let your child stay awake at 2am eating candy then sleeping until noon.

 

Oh and you asked about pads, buy the biggest, thickest mofo's you can find at the store, then don't let your husband see it until it's healed because as my aunt likes to say 'it's like a bloomed Rose' yuck! Ahhahahaha. I'm just playing around, you'll be fine. And, believe me you and your husband will laugh and cry together, you'll realize how much he adores you when you can barely walk and he wants to carry you.

Mine was amazing, he carried me to the shower at the hospital bathed me, literally washing everything as I sat in pain (natural birth no epidural - killer). I said to him as he was washing me "now I KNOW how much you love me", and he said "should have got you pregnant sooner then hahaha", seriously though it's something magical and so special when you get to share that joy with the person you love. You won't care whether you have a stroller or whatever.

 

 

 

 

 

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[superfan]

Huh, we didn't get to choose what hospital we went to. My GP sent me to a OBGYN when I hit the three month mark in my pregnancy...and she had an office for check ups, and a hospital that she worked out of. If I wanted her to be my delivery doctor, I had to go to that hospital.

 

We have hospitals that specialize in different things. We have one of the best cardio units in North America- you want to have a heart attack there if you're going to have one lol. We have a chilldrens hospital...but they don't do deliveries...well, maybe they would if the mother was under 18. But I don't know that any of them have better facilities for giving birth. I was too inexperienced and young to even think about things like that when I had my daughter (and no one suggested it)...but I'll look into it when we decide to have another one. We live closest to a brand new hospital built last year...it's gorgeous...they even have a rock climbing gym in it! But I won't be doing that after birth...so...I'll check out reviews of the facilities lol.

 

Well even though we have the three, they moved all the prenatal facilities over to the one main hospital so I HAVE to go there. It's also the same hospital that has the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit which is unique to that hospital. They are the ones I went to when I had my miscarriage as well as when I got pregnant again. They monitored me closely with ultrasounds etc. knowing my history. In fact, the OB that I have only just met recently that will be delivering the baby is the same one I saw when I had the miscarriage - she works both at that clinic and at the hospital.

 

I am sure in an emergency I could go to one of the other hospitals, but for planned services they send you to the one I am going to.

[superfan]

I understand not trusting someone to share if a car seat has been in an accident (if they're selling it)...but if they're giving it away...why would they lie?

 

Other than that....car seats are made out of thick, hard plastic. They have expiry dates on them. A plastic car seat will take thousands of years to biodegrade.....so I'm not sure what we think is going to happen to one that's a year or two old and has never been in an accident. I know car seat manufacturers recommend getting a new seat...but they have the incentive. I would love to know what the actual reason is for needing a new seat and not getting a second hand one. And no, I don't think anyone can actually answer that...because I think it's complex and how do you even study it?

 

On a side note, this TED talk is about booster seats not rear facing seats. He is an advocate for rear facing seats, and based on data from accidents, recommends that people keep their children in rear facing seats for as long as possible. But the data on booster seats is interesting.

 

Thanks! I will have a look at that.

[Cheetarah]

God, I loved the fleece sleepers. No danger of them getting it stuck on their heads and really cozy. I used them until my son could stand up(well, when it was colder). I didn't trust my swaddling skills so I bought the fastening swaddlers and they saved us a lot of headaches. I bought both cotton ones and fleece ones that velcro. Not all babies love to be swaddled but many do. If your baby does when you do that with blankets, I so recommend buying a few.

 

As far as the padsicles, I didn't need any of them because I had a section, but they had a lot of them there and I used some for the back of my neck during labor. Hospitals have those ginormous ones I've never seen in any store unless it's in the adult diaper section, they sent me home enough of them to last as long as the lochia did. And the mesh underwear, I loved those. It feels like you're wearing nothing. Take all the mesh underwear they give you.

[petite]

Every parent has to figure out what is best for their baby, but you should never really put them in things that will ride up, most baby clothes don't anyway. Well, dresses and shirts do, but most newborns are in onesies anyway, which are pretty safe. Keep the room temperature between 18-22 Celsius, that's what is recommended for newborns. It's quite comfortable. Some newborns don't like blanket swaddling and fidget, but are fine in swaddlers. It was actually recommended to me by my midwife to get swaddlers rather than swaddle blankets. Swaddle blankets can become unwrapped and can cause suffocation.

 

If you can stretch the finances because you're in a colder climate get a humidifier. Our pediatrician told us to get humidifier with a built-in humidistat. It's especially good for babies living in colder climate where the air is dry.

 

You'll see, it will all make sense when you get into a routine. That was a lifesaver for me. I know some mothers just let the babies decide their routine and they stay up at all times of the night. I've heard so many different opinions and had so much advice in the end I just followed what was best for our family.

 

 

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[superfan]

If you can stretch the finances because you're in a colder climate get a humidifier. Our pediatrician told us to get humidifier with a built-in humidistat. It's especially good for babies living in colder climate where the air is dry.

 

I am a chronic asthmatic and a humidifier would be very dangerous for me. I wouldn't be able to breathe.

[Fudgie]

I don't use a humidifier in my place but in the winter time, I place small cheap bowls of water on my windowsills and I find that it helps a bit. Less dry, less static too, etc.

[Batya33]

I don't use a humidifier in my place but in the winter time, I place small cheap bowls of water on my windowsills and I find that it helps a bit. Less dry, less static too, etc.

 

Yes, but that's not safe to have in a baby/toddler's room (or at least would create an annoying middle of the night mess).

[Fudgie]

Even on the windowsill, when the baby is in a crib and can't reach?

 

You can also place up high too, like on a mantel or bookshelf as well. I have a cat so I have to be a little careful because she's a naughty cat but I'm doing okay with it. The air is far too dry during the winter not to use a humidifier or to leave some water out.

[Cheetarah]

I can't see the danger in a pan of water placed away from the crib with a newborn or small infant.

 

I used a humidifier but my heating unit is so drying, I still had to use saline drops for my son(and self). Still do.

[petite]

I am a chronic asthmatic and a humidifier would be very dangerous for me. I wouldn't be able to breathe.

 

Perhaps it is good to speak about this with your doctor and see what he/she says. I've heard that a warm-mist humidifier offers relief for those with a cold, the flu, respiratory infection or asthma. Admittedly, we have a cool-mist humidifier because we did not want anything warm in our child's room, but perhaps you can run it for a few hours during the day or before bed time so the air in the nursery isn't as dry. Again, discuss it with your doctor if you like and see what they say.

[Batya33]

I can't see the danger in a pan of water placed away from the crib with a newborn or small infant.

 

I used a humidifier but my heating unit is so drying, I still had to use saline drops for my son(and self). Still do.

 

Same here -before they can crawl/climb/walk. Certainly a high shelf out of reach is fine as long as the shelf is tethered to the wall so that the toddler can't shake the shelf and have it fall down. Typically parents are surprised the day the baby/toddler learns to climb out, so for me personally I believed in babyproofing in advance (that was what was recommended too). Everyone has different safety standards and has different children as far as what is an acceptable level of risk. For example I get nauseous when I see parents letting toddlers wander around on train platforms or near busy streets out of reach but I don't share my nausea with that parent unless it's a dire emergency and I am 100% sure the parent is not aware.

[superfan]

Perhaps it is good to speak about this with your doctor and see what he/she says. I've heard that a warm-mist humidifier offers relief for those with a cold, the flu, respiratory infection or asthma. Admittedly, we have a cool-mist humidifier because we did not want anything warm in our child's room, but perhaps you can run it for a few hours during the day or before bed time so the air in the nursery isn't as dry. Again, discuss it with your doctor if you like and see what they say.

 

Don't really need to do that. My sister and I had very very severe asthma as kids that we never really grew out of. We had more trips to the emergency room than I can count and I have been clinically dead at one point. My asthma has gotten worse again since getting pregnant so I definitely know this would not be good for me. As a child, we had to have a DE humidifier in EVERY room so as to decrease the moisture in the air. The dryer the better so that we could breathe. That device likely saved our life so one that does the exact opposite would be very dangerous.

[faraday]

Don't really need to do that. My sister and I had very very severe asthma as kids that we never really grew out of. We had more trips to the emergency room than I can count and I have been clinically dead at one point. My asthma has gotten worse again since getting pregnant so I definitely know this would not be good for me. As a child, we had to have a DE humidifier in EVERY room so as to decrease the moisture in the air. The dryer the better so that we could breathe. That device likely saved our life so one that does the exact opposite would be very dangerous.

 

At this point in your life, you know what's good for you I'm sure you've had many consults with doctors. Hope you feel better once baby is born.

 

Ontario is already a pretty humid place anyway. Every time I visit family out there, my skin gets all soft and my hair stops frizzing. It would be hell for you- but man...I love it, I look so good lol

 

 

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[superfan]

At this point in your life, you know what's good for you I'm sure you've had many consults with doctors. Hope you feel better once baby is born.

 

Ontario is already a pretty humid place anyway. Every time I visit family out there, my skin gets all soft and my hair stops frizzing. It would be hell for you- but man...I love it, I look so good lol

 

 

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It's SUPER humid here....even now in November! We have had a freak couple weeks of warm weather and by warm I mean yesterday it went up to 24 degrees and felt like 28 with the humidex! It was CRAZY!

[faraday]

It's SUPER humid here....even now in November! We have had a freak couple weeks of warm weather and by warm I mean yesterday it went up to 24 degrees and felt like 28 with the humidex! It was CRAZY!

 

I'm so jealous. There's snow on my lawn right now!

 

 

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[Seraphim]

There is a really powerful El Niño this year.

 

 

Some other things I thought of for you to save money , do you collect PC plus points? Do you use the app Checkout 51?

[faraday]

There is a really powerful El Niño this year.

 

 

Some other things I thought of for you to save money , do you collect PC plus points? Do you use the app Checkout 51?

 

I love superstore (not sure if it is superstore out there). They had tons of super cute baby clothes and I still buy most of my daughters clothes from there (off of the clearance racks- I refuse to pay full price).

 

If you haven't bought many sleepers yet, TV, look for ones with zippers instead of snaps. They're great for middle of the night changes...when you're not fully with it. The amount of times I would get to the end of the snaps and find I had one extra snap- hahaha. I'm not good at 3 am lol.

[superfan]

I'm so jealous. There's snow on my lawn right now!

 

 

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Ugh, I hate snow! I know this freak humidity won't last forever, but since our anniversary this weekend, I am happy to let it continue a little while longer.

[superfan]

There is a really powerful El Niño this year.

 

 

Some other things I thought of for you to save money , do you collect PC plus points? Do you use the app Checkout 51?

 

Not quite sure where you would collect PC plus points....I don't think we shop at places that do that program. Is it worth it? What is checkout 51?

[Seraphim]

I have $200 saved up in PC points. I don't even need to buy Christmas groceries because they will be free.

 

 

Plenty worth it!!

 

Check out 51.

[superfan]

I have $200 saved up in PC points. I don't even need to buy Christmas groceries because they will be free.

 

 

Plenty worth it!!

 

Check out 51. ]

 

Where do you shop to get those points though? Superstore? There isn't any Superstores in my area so it would be way out of my way to get to one. Anywhere else that does them?

[Seraphim]

We go to no-frills or independent or Fortinos.