What do I need to have ready for baby?

Much like the Hospital Bag scenario, it's really difficult to know exactly what you really need to have ready for baby's arrival, and what's surplus to requirements! There are so many things that you will be told that you absolutely MUST have for baby, the latest gadgets and gismos to make life easier. 

Everyone is different and chooses to live their lives differently, and that's what makes life interesting, but I personally believe that the majority of those gadgets and gismos for baby actually just make life more complicated and cluttered. 

So what do you actually need? Well a baby needs to be warm, fed, changed, loved and to sleep. Those are the things it actually needs. So with that in mind:

Clothes - well, yes. You'll need lots of vests, babygrows and hats. Depending on the time of year, they might also need a snowsuit to snuggle in for being outside (but this should be removed when they're in their car seat - see some guidelines on that here). It's always difficult to know if baby is warm enough, the best way to tell is to feel their chest or their back, it should just feel the same warmth as you. 

Food - if you're planning to breastfeed you've already got everything you need. If you're going to formula feed then you'll need formula, bottles, teats and a way to sterilise. You can get sucked into gadgetry here but you really don't need to. The easiest way to keep bottles sterile is to buy the traditional sterilising tablets and have a bowl in the kitchen with it in (replaced every 24 hours), and put bottles into it after you've washed them after each use. Then you've always got a sterile bottle ready to go, at the right temperature. If you buy a microwave steriliser, they are great but if you need a bottle NOW (which can happen!!) then it will be too hot straight after use and you'll have to wait for it to cool down. Ever tried explaining to a hungry baby that it needs to wait patiently???!!!!  And I will sound like my Mother now, but room temperature is right for baby as that is how your milk comes if you were breastfeeding. If you ever offer baby warmed milk you're really setting yourself up for trouble - be warned!!!! 

Also in the food category I would say Muslins - you cannot have enough muslins, you'll need one in every room and one in your changing bag. Baby's throw up, often on you when you're out! They also dribble whilst feeding or just after, having a mussy tucked under their chin or to hand to mop up is great. Buy lots of these!!!

Changing - The bag. God people spend £££££'s on changing bags! I've always found that a nice big handbag with lots of pockets is fine, it doesn't have to be an official 'changing bag' to serve it's purpose! 

You'll obviously need nappies (buy shares in these!), some people prefer cloth and some prefer disposable - it's your choice. Warm water and cotton wool is the gentlest way to clean baby's bottom, but this isn't practical when you're out so you will need wipes if you ever want to leave the house. I do strongly suggest buying a tub of vaseline, if you apply this generously to baby's bottom and bits after each nappy change, you will avoid nappy rash - it also means that poo doesn't stick to their skin and comes off easily. You're welcome. 

Sleeping - Again this comes down to choice, but baby is safe to co-sleep with you under usual circumstances, and you cannot spoil a newborn baby. Just because they co-sleep with you for the first couple of months of their lives (or longer), doesn't mean that they'll be 12 and sleeping in your bed. However it is important to be armed with the facts on co-sleeping, and you can find those with the Lullaby Trust. There are lots of options to have baby in your room and very close to you if you prefer not to co-sleep, such as a Moses basket next to your bed.

Baby will need other things as time goes on, but you will discover what you would like to have for him or her as you go along. You'll want a play mat or something that you can lay baby down on, but you won't need this immediately. 

The first few weeks baby will just need to be close to you - slings are amazing for this, and most (but not all) babies will be happy to just be in the sling with you whilst you are out and about. There are lots of sling libraries popping up now where you can try different types out to see how you like them before you buy one. 

When out and about you'll also want a car seat and a pram - this is pretty overwhelming for most of us, just have a play with things until you find the one that works for you. But please don't fall into the trap of carrying baby around everywhere in the car seat, it's not good for them and it's not good for your back! 

And finally: Love. And I'm pretty sure you've got that covered.

HypnoBirthing - dispelling the myths!

On my journey to becoming a HypnoBirthing™ Practitioner, I have discovered that there are many misconceptions and urban myths around the subject. I thought it might be useful to try and dispel some of these myths! These are what I hear & what I say:

"It all sounds a bit weird and hippy doesn't it?"

I totally get that it might sound like that until you find out about it. But trust me, I am as 'normal' as they come, no floaty skirt, lentil eating hippy here I'm afraid. But over the years I have been so amazed to see women using these techniques that I can't not rave about them. All it is, is empowering you to believe that your body is simply designed to birth, and helping you teach your own mind to relax through the process. I don't think that's so weird?

"Isn't HypnoBirthing just for people who only want a normal vaginal delivery & have no special circumstances?" 

The answer? No. HypnoBirthing is designed to eliminate any existing fears of labour and birth, and give you the skills to equip you to relax and allow your body to do what it is designed to do. This does not mean that you are not 'allowed' pain relief, nor does it mean that it is not relevant for those with special circumstances who might need surgical assistance. In fact, there are many testimonials available from women who have had birth by caesarean who used HypnoBirthing and found it helped them enormously.

"HypnoBirthing is just for first time parents"

Again, no. HypnoBirthing™ can actually be very beneficial for those who have had births that left them feeling anxious about being pregnant again. The programme is designed to help you work through any of those fears and anxieties that you might have, and put them aside to embrace this next birth experience with enthusiasm and positivity.

"I'm scared of being hypnotised and having my mind controlled by someone."

Have you ever driven to a destination, and once you've arrived wondered how you got there? Have you ever become so completely immersed in a tv programme or book that you don't hear someone call your name straight away? Believe it or not, that's self-hypnosis. What the HypnoBirthing course teaches you is how to achieve that deeply relaxed state whenever and wherever you choose. HypnoBirthing is actually empowering you to have more control over your body and mind, and therefore in the birth of your baby.

"If it's this good, then why can't I get it for free on the NHS?"

A fair question, and many NHS Trusts are actually sending many of their Midwives on courses to become HypnoBirthing Practitioners as they recognise the value of it for labour and birth. It's worth checking with your local Midwives to see if any of them practice this.