Baby clothes

How many is too many? How much is enough? Part of the confusion stems from the inconsistency of naming.

	The onesie is a staple. People say you can't have too many onesies but I disagree. I feel we did have too many in the 0-3m and 3m size. They're so cute, everyone wants to buy them for you, but we didn't end up using all of them because we had too many.
	Maybe I would have been crazier about the bodysuit if my son had been born at the beginning of winter, but I didn't ever use these. For sure I would rank the importance of this garment higher than a long-sleeved shirt. The snaps at the bottom are essential to prevent it from riding up.
	For us the footed PJ is the MOST ESSENTIAL. The current guidelines for infant sleep are that there should be no blankets, so to keep the baby warm, you need a one-piece thing like this. The variety comes into play with the thickness of the fabric. They can zip up or zip down (where the zipper head resides near the child's neck or foot. They also come in a all-snap variety. I think it's personal preference, I like the snaps but my husband likes the zippers. You can also get ones that have like built-in mittens for the hands.
	For the 0-3 months, we used the Kimono Top, Footed Pants & Hat Set to increase the versatility of the large number of onesies. In fact, more kimono tops would have been good. With our son's hernia, we don't put him in pants often. The waistband puts pressure on the bulging area and he screams bloody murder when it causes him pain.
	A romper is fun and sleeveless. We have one with a hood that is really useful for protecting the baby's head from getting sunburned when I am wearing him in a carrier and out for walks. We say it's like he's a bro and showing off his muscled arms.
	Another quirk of our baby is that he was born needing access to his hands. Therefore swaddles were pointless. Swaddle blankets can be used for other things but the new trend in velcro swaddles, halo sleep sacks and love to dream zipper swaddles just would not have worked for us. Luckily, I had only one in each size.

Here's a breakdown of how many of each thing we had. I say had because the smaller sizes have already been sent along to my younger sister. The truth about sizing is that you know it's time to size up when you see the back bulge coming out of the neck of the onesie. Also, if it is challenging to snap. For us, we cloth diaper. The drawback to cloth diapering is that they can be bulky, so we have sized up to 6 month clothing for daytime when baby is in cloth, but we can still use the 3-6 month size at night when he is wearing disposable diapers.

I took a catalog of how many of each type of item in each size range we had (in blue) so that I could say what I would recommend and then compared that with three sources (in red) that make recommendations. Some categories we had more than 10, but it made the graph look funny so if we had more than 10, like we did for onesies, I just didn't show it. One unexpected thing that I love is putting socks on my baby. His daytime uniform is a short-sleeved onesie and socks. Maybe if my baby had been born in winter, he would have needed more footie PJs and jackets/coats.

I'm trying to send these items to my sister because I started worrying about having enough clothes around Jan 14 (week 32) and I didn't have my baby shower until a month later, and I think that was too late for me to feel prepared.

Cloth diapering

How to get started? How many cloth diapers do you need? What are some laundry issues that you may encounter? What type of fabric is used in cloth diapers? How soon should I be getting all this stuff?

For tiny baby, we've been cloth diapering since 3 weeks old. We used 28 flour sack towels (FSTs) with 2 polyester/polyurethane laminate PUL covers and 2 snappi fasteners. I loved this as a supplement to the 8 all-in-one BumGenius size 1 we had. It was possible to do laundry every other day. 

double FST with Snappi in kite fold

Thirsties Cover (Size 2, 9-36 months, 18-40 lbs)

The FSTs were folded in a newborn kite fold. What I would do is fold them in half lengthwise fresh out of the drier then let them sit overnight. The next day I would do the folding into a diaper shape. I have a nice basket to hold them until needed. FSTs are a way to diaper using flats.

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap Cover (size small, 8-15 lbs)

We had a set of 4 newborn all-in-ones from bumgenius, but I have already passed those along to my sister. We never used them because we didn't start cloth diapers until our baby was 3 weeks old, he grew fast, and his inguinal hernia when it bulges actually needs a lot of room. Maybe they would have been more useful for a girl.

BumGenius AIOs in Size 1

What I have not used yet are Fitted Sloomb Overnight Bamboo Fleece aka OBFs (Sustainablebabyish) are made from 70% viscose from bamboo / 30% organic cotton.

AI2 - all in two. I don't think I have any of these. They are a cover and an insert that snaps into place.

Soaker - the absorbent part of an AI2, fitted, or AIO diaper.  Lays in or snaps in. For AIOs, the soaker is sewn into the diaper iself.

Insert - the absorbent part of a pocket diaper.  The same thing as a soaker but is inserted into the pocket.

Doubler - used on top of or in addition to a soaker/insert when baby is older/a heavy wetter/at night. Meant to provide extra absorbancy. Thinner and smaller than an insert. Sometimes called "newborn inserts".

Booster - same thing as a doubler, not related to staying dry or wicking, meant to boost the absorbency.

Liner - usually single-layer pieces of fabric laid in a diaper to either create a stay-dry feeling or to make disposing of poop easier or to protect the diaper when using diaper cream. Can be disposable or reusable.

https://www.momadvice.com/post/cloth_diapers

https://mamanloupsden.com/2015/12/16/how-to-cloth-diaper-your-newborn-with-flour-sack-towels/

FSTs from Amazon we bought 30 more!

Cloth diaper sprayer

Toilet funnel, clips, grabber

How often you should clean your washing machine — and how to do it https://www.today.com/series/how-often-should-you/how-clean-washing-machine-t20131 

Washing machine cleaner

Dec 27 - bought new dryer (week 29)

Jan 27 - washed new CDs (week 34)

Feb 4 - washed UCLA used CDs (week 35)

Feb 24 - washed CDs from Mykel (week 38)

Feb 25 - washed CDs from Christiana

You will also get a lot of use from two Pail liners that you can alternate. They can be washed with the diapers (turned inside out) and then I line dry the bag and PUL covers, while the flats (FSTs) I dry in the dryer.

How to properly fit cloth diapers YouTube tutorial.

Postpartum Part 12: food

Since Albert was born I have been so hungry all the time. I have written about my postpartum diet in another post.

I found a breastfeeding meal plan here. Sent dear husband to the store with a grocery list and he came back $300 later with all the items I requested. I don't know if I will have the energy to make all the things, but I am willing to try. 

Since Albert was born, it has been difficult to find the time, energy and attention to really get meals planned, prepped and served. It's important to have a clean kitchen because that's where we wash all the bottles and give the baby a bath.

To jump or not to jump?

By some definitions, my baby is an infant at 2 months old. We got him an Evenflo exersaucer and a Pop! jumper as well as a batmobile walker. He is crazy active and we're doing tummy time until he gets a bit stronger.

Found the Evenflo Exersaucer on the left abandoned at the curb, so I washed it with dishsoap and water and changed the batteries and it's good as new. Had to order 2 new feet for the arch and a new spring for one of the legs, but I feel good upcycling something that would have ended up in the landfill. The Pop! summer jumper was $60 and I hope we can take it to MIL's house and maybe to the beach. Yes I know these are not recommended until baby is older, but I wanted to spend that COVID stimulus money on something special.

I also bought some PJs from the Gap for me. Maternity Nursing Sleep Cami and Maternity Sleep Shorts. It seems like they are taking for.ev.er to arrive though. They haven't even shipped yet and I ordered on 5th of May. Got ~50% off by using two promo codes. Free shipping and free returns. I hope everything fits, I am not a fan of online shopping for stuff I would usually try on. Hoping the tops are a bit supportive, breathable, yet not so tight that they lead to clogged ducts. I realize this is a big ask. 

I got the following email from Gap yesterday, "we are experiencing delays in processing and shipping your order. We're unable to ship your order within the time frame promised." I am sad because Gap lets you order top and bottom separately, which is nice if you are a pear shape. So I went ahead and bought the following from Kohl's.

Women's Croft & Barrow Lush Luxe Tank & Shorts Pajama Set

These I like the most. The shorts are long enough.

Women's Simply Vera Vera Wang Sleep Tank and Boxer Shorts Pajama Set

These I only like the top. The bottoms are more like underwear than shorts.

Women's Apt. 9 Solid Cami & Shorts Pajama Set

These I hate. The fabric feels cheap and the shorts are also like underwear.

I was hoping to get something comfortable to wear around the house all day all summer long. I hate online shopping, for this reason. Do I return or exchange the stuff I don't like? What would happen to the clothes that get returned? Will they be burned or resold?

Postpartum Part 11: symptoms

My sister says I kept an annoyingly scientific record of my pregnancy symptoms and I said, "it's for you!" I kept wondering if all those things were normal and how long they would last. So I am continuing to track symptoms postpartum as I recover however quickly or slowly.

rhinitis - gone

bleeding gums - gone

flatulence - worse

carpel tunnel - worse

linea nigra - same

stretch marks - not an issue

nipple soreness - not an issue... but breastfeeding is a challenge! It's not 100% painless.

hair falling out - not an issue (yet)

mastitis - constant struggle

discharge - much less

feet hurting - same as 3rd trimester

symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) - never had it. But I did have postpartum back pain that was REALLY bad in weeks 3 and 4.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-women-needs-to-know-about-post-pregnancy-3520998

According to a chiropractor, the back pain was caused by three reasons (1) diastasis recti (2) a sacrum that may be out of place and (3) the Cesarean section. The whole core is destabilized. Throw in there a high level of relaxin that will persist as long as we are breastfeeding, that is the reason for some of the inflammation.

She let me know that there is scar tissue forming as my body is healing from the surgery. Filaments are forming as the uterus is contracting to its original size, and these filaments can cause pain in the abdomen and even down into the legs. It was hard to get out of my comfy recliner and get in and out of bed. The chiropractor said it will be important to NOT do a sit-up or crunch for at least one year to let the diastasis recti repair.

Now two months postpartum, I have less trouble getting in/out of bed. I can roll from my left to my right side in bed without any pain. I can get in and out of my recliner carrying baby without any pain.

One month after my C-section, I missed: hard laughing, working out, riding a bicycle, leg lifts, squats and lunges. I looked forward to the day when I could lay on my stomach and rest there. 

One month postpartum, laying on my side was nice. Two months postpartum, my breasts are huge and still painful. I could not lay on them, no way. I have bought some new PJs and sleep bras to help alleviate the discomfort of engorgement and the hot flashes I seem to get at night. I sleep really well when my bedroom is like 55 degrees.

One month postpartum, I looked forward to lifting things like laundry baskets, stroller, and carseat with baby in it. I can do most of these now, but the baby is gaining weight so fast I have to keep doing my Fit4Mom workouts to build my upper body to be able to lift baby in carseat. I have done it at least once recently.

My boobs can tell time

Shower thoughts after a night of good sleep seem so profound. I was showering, washing my body, when I thought: wow my boobs can tell time now. 

Want to do more reading about prolactin and circadian clock, MOTN pumping.

https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/3060/breast-milk-helps-babies-tell-circadian-rhythm-from-mom/

https://www.llli.org/breast-milks-circadian-rhythms-2/

The night before Mother's day I had a dream that I went to a roller rink that had two side-by-side indoor wood floor rinks but they were in use. The staff told me I could go outside and enjoy the outdoor rollerpark, which was kind of like the LA County Arboretum. There were popup thrift shops and art participation booths, very much like an open streets (CicLAvia) event. Then Sigourney Weaver showed up to skate and she was heavily pregnant. I thought she was a beautiful symbol of fertility and full of life. And then I woke up to breastfeed my son. I think I'm just dreaming of fun and wonderful things that make me happy, and dreaming of the time before COVID-19, when we didn't think about social distancing and we weren't required to wear masks in public.

It's frustrating to have abdominal cramps and wonder if it's my period coming back, 9 weeks postpartum. Then I read that it's different for every woman whether you are breastfeeding or not. I was rinsing spinach leaves and destemming them for a soup and it occurred to me that every leaf is shaped differently but they are all good and nutritious. So why would all women have the same pregnancy and postpartum symptoms on the same timeframes? 

Postpartum Part 10: beauty

I thought I totally had my beauty routine down, but as we age, we need to modify. The pregnancy hormones caused me to want to use different products, mostly more moisturizing and heavy. Now that I'm no longer pregnant, I have to find what works now because my face is wrecked. I was craving Pods cold cream. Mother's day weekend let me actually try a modern Ponds blend at my MIL's house. I didn't love it to be honest. I guess I need to try the original formulation.

What I have been doing, at the suggestion of a pal, is to use Xom3 You Can Dew It oil underneath my moisturizer. It seems that postpartum skin issues are common, although something I didn't really think or hear about until I experienced it.