I am the Mama

I know my excitement has been palpable, but I truly haven’t been able to let myself believe that things are going to be OK. Practically as soon as we confirmed viability, my husband got laid off and everything went into a tailspin. But now that all of the news, both good and bad, has had a chance to sink in and I’m starting to feel movement (Yes, already! It sounds crazy, but I’m about 99% positive that’s what I’ve been feeling for a few days now.) the reality is setting in.

And I’m realizing that a) I gave away almost all of my maternity clothes, b) most of the baby stuff, and c) I have to either re-purchase or somehow manage to beg, borrow, or steal (not really!) all of this stuff again. I do think the maternity clothes are going to work themselves out. I managed to get some pants on eBay and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that some stuff comes through on FreeCycle. I will still take whatever people throw at me, though!

The baby stuff is harder, because the safety information is constantly changing and recalls happen ALL the time, so getting this stuff used is a pain. I’m really not a snob, but it’s a gamble. For instance, a week or so before I realized I was pregnant, I’d thrown away all of my bottles and breast pump parts because I had no idea which of them contained BPA. With my first son, we used Avent bottles exclusively. I completely failed at breastfeeding and he was mostly bottle fed with formula. With #2, he rarely took a bottle but when he did, we used Avent. Now I know they’re not safe and with my plans to do a mixture of breastfeeding and bottlefeeding (using pumped milk, not formula) this time it seems like I have a lot of research to do on what is safe and what isn’t. I’m disappointed that Avent, my go-to bottle of choice seems to not have a lot of BPA free options. Luckily my Medela Pump in Style seems to only use BPA free attachments, so that does ease my mind. Now I just need to find a good hand pump and some bottles that I like and trust. Unfortunately, glass is out. I am truly the clumsiest person you will ever meet and I just know I’ll manage to break every single one of them. So I’ve been avoiding the work I needed to do this morning and researching bottles and breastpumps. My head is spinning with information and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, but I did find a few sites with good info and recommendations:

Nature Moms Blog, including info on things like BPA free pacifiers, teethers, lunchboxes, and plates, in addition to bottles. Lots of other good info on this site, as well!

Information straight from Avent regarding their use of BPA and info on the upcoming introduction of BPA free bottles.

And perhaps the most comprehensive, the Z report. That link is for their 3rd edition of BPA info, and they have nifty things like a mobile system where you can get info on the go, a wallet card you can print out and carry with you, and more.

As for the rest of the stuff we’ll need, I’m slowly trying to figure out what we’ll have to get. Definitely a new car seat (Which I absolutely will not get used…safety in the car is very important and used car seats are way too iffy…has it been in a wreck? Is it expired? Stored correctly? There are just too many questions there to take a risk.) and possibly a swing. A nursing pillow (old one is destroyed) and probably some clothes, even if it’s a boy. With all 3 being born in different seasons, not everything can be re-used. I also want to do some exploring into different babywearing options this time, so I’m on the lookout for pouch slings and a wrap or 2 to try, as well as coveting a Beco carrier for months now. Who would have thought I’d need so much for a 3rd baby???

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