Things we've learned

Becoming a parent is the most beautiful, rewarding, and one of the most terrifying things I've experienced. Before Adeleigh, I remember thinking, "How am I going to be a good Mom when I don't know a thing about children?" or "How am I ever going to have time to be an involved parent when I already feel like there aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done?"

Well, one of the beautiful things about becoming a parent, is that there are millions of other women & men who are parents too. And one of the best ways to learn, is by sharing ideas with each other. So with the accumulation of advice we've heard, the things we've tried, and learning the ways of our own daughter, we've been able to make mothering & fathering our own. We've learned many things from other parents in our lives and hopefully been able to offer a thing or two for someone else.

Here are a few words of wisdom we've learned from others (along with a few experiences of our own) that have helped us along the way:

• Put a clean diaper down before pulling away the dirty one. -Denise
• Wrap Baby's crib with 2 layers of mattress covers and sheets. That way, if your baby leaks in the night, just pull the first layer off and you don't have to re-make the bed at 2 a.m. -Amy
• Buy a swaddling blanket with velcro on the sides if you have an escape-artist baby, like Adeleigh-Houdini. -Nikki
• Craigslist and hand-me-downs are a beautiful thing. -Autumn, Andrea & Amy
• It IS possible to travel abroad with a toddler. -Kristen  (We're working on making this happen.)
• Buy a portable Dvd player for long trips. -Rachael (Or just buy a mini-van equipped with TV screens. -Pete & Ellie)
• Tamanu oil works great for eczema and diaper rashes. -lady at Vitamin Cottage
• The Bumpo still fits! - Autumn
• Though time-consuming and messy, Pomegranates are special, and deserve to be eaten. -Julie
• While still at the hospital, shove as many newborn diapers in your bag as possible EVERY DAY! The cart gets replenished daily and nobody's keeping track. -our Baby class instructor, Kelly
• Girl time is essential for the soul. -Julie & Jessica
• It's okay for me to take the baby to daycare on my day off so that I can get a massage, pedicure or just go back to bed. -Sabrina
• My child is not the only one that rarely sleeps through the night. -Lyndsey, Julie, Amy, Autumn...
• It's okay for me to feel like I just don't have a clue what I'm doing sometimes. -Autumn & Julie
• It's normal to be so consumed in adjusting to motherhood, that you feel like you don't have time for much else. -Jessica, Amy & Julie
• I can be a devoted, committed mother and go back to work. -Caitlin, Amy, Andrea, Val, Jen, Lyndsey, Ellie, Lysette
• It's possible to create a make-shift crib on the floor using baby gates, blankets, a King-size bed with pillows shoved underneath and a baby monitor. -Danny & Phaeton (Not sure a doctor would recommend this one.)
• It's okay to hire a babysitter and go on a date every once in awhile. -Jen & Mom
• Buy 2 Boppy pillows. One to sit on and one for nursing. -Nurse Janelle
• Even though strawberries are in all kinds of baby food products, don't give them to your baby before age one. Strawberries have a high allergen level for infants. -Dr. L
• It's not necessary to treat every fever Baby has. A fever is a baby's natural reaction to fighting off infection. -Dr. L
• Even after 12 weeks of maternity leave, it's okay to feel like you and your baby still aren't on a routine. -Amy & Andrea
• You really can make it work with a dog, a cat and a baby in a one-bedroom condo. You can also love it. :)
• Sleep when Baby sleeps. Laundry and dishes can wait. But us Mommas need to keep our sanity. -Jen
• Accept help when it is offered. If it isn't offered when you need it, don't be afraid to ask for it. -Jen
• If you need to take a shower, call Samantha and she'll watch the baby. -Samantha
• When Baby is having a meltdown in the grocery store, odds are, the only one it's stressing out is you. -Dr. H
• A dust-buster is a smart thing to add to your Baby Registry.
• Fenugreek is the wonder-herb for helping produce milk. (I had best results with the liquid-filled caplets.) You know it's working if you smell like maple syrup. -Amy 
• Zip-up robes/mumus come in very useful when nursing. -Jessica  (I might also suggest having a few on-hand in case these become a common wardrobe choice while at home.)
• Though absolutely delicious, tuna sandwiches should be enjoyed in moderation while pregnant and nursing. -Dr. L, Dr. H, Nurse Brenda, Midwife Kelly, on-call doctor, the deli-clerk at Whole Foods (I asked a lot of people about this one and kept receiving a similar response.)
• If you're not satisfied with something someone tells you, it's okay to seek a 2nd, or 3rd opinion.
• There might be days where all your baby wants to eat is cheese. -Danny & Caitlin
• Even if you are having a summer baby, encourage your significant other to take sweats and a parka for the hospital stay. A woman in labor equals a room with the air-conditioning on maximum-freeze. -Phaeton
• It's not uncommon to receive unexpected hospital bills 15 months after your baby was born. (This justifies all the diapers and gluten-free brownies we pocketed during our stay.)
• Becoming a Mother transforms your identity. It changes you, in one of the most beautiful ways imagineable. -Mom, Lori, An, Amy, Julie & many other Moms I know
• Some babies don't like to put their feet on grass. -Pete

If you have any other tips you've found particularly useful, please share. We could use all the help we can get!