7 New Mom BFF's

I've been a mommy for a whole 7 days! It's been a busy, beautiful, a bit-of-a-blur 7 days that I wouldn't trade for the world. Seven days does NOT make me an expert mommy, I'm working mostly by instinct here and with advice from other mommy's, but I have a few BFF's already. If you have no idea what to get a new mommy, this list might help you out in picking some must need items.

By the way, ALL these items were either recommended to me by other mom's or given to me by other mom's. I tried to give them credit here because they obviously know what they're talking about - and I thank God they're in my life!

1. Lanolin
   My sister, best friend, lactation consultant, and mommy's everywhere have recommended this stuff to me more times than I can count. Do I ever agree. When you're learning how to breast feed and the art of latching correctly, your boobs become overwhelmingly sore and tender. This stuff will save you from seeing stars each time you feed your little one. Load up new mommy's with this stuff!
2. Medela Breast PumpI LOVE my pump, which I'm borrowing from a family friend, because when I'm full and so is she, I make a bottle or two, which allows Daddy some excellent bonding time by feeding her a bottle and gives mommy's tender breasts a break. My friend Deb gave me the idea to leave the bottle feeding up to Daddy and I couldn't believe how excited he was to feed her. I am so thankful he enjoys that time with her, that she took to the bottle so easily, and that she transitions flawlessly between the breast and the bottle. Yay!
3. SwaddleMeMy best friend Megan gave me two of these and I LOVE them. It's so easy to swaddle her over active hands, keeping her from waking herself up, wacking herself in the face, scratching herself, etc. etc. This is definitely a perfect gift for any expectant mommy.
4. Swing
   My mom found a portable swing that lights up and plays music at a thrift store, looking brand new! Mom told me it would be a life saver, I can already tell she was right. Lately I've been doing more cuddling with her than anything else :) but when I need both hands, this is where I put her and she seems content.
5. Aveeno Baby LotionMy sister Mel swears by this stuff and now I do as well. The day after she was born she had such dry and chapped feet, poor thing. So I rubbed her feet down, put on some socks, and her skin has been soft and silky smooth since - great product. Another great gift idea.
6. Car Seat Head and Body SupportThis is an awesome product that my sister-in-law Sam and my sister Mel both said, "You've got to have one of these." It keeps their little head from boppin' around in the car seat and their snug as a bug in a rug.
7. Pacifier
   My lactation consultant probably wouldn't agree with me here, but I'm telling you that once she learned to suck on it, my breasts did not become her "pacifier." This one I talked to my own mom about and she advised using one because she said, "it'd save me when nothing else worked." Thank you mom for the advice! I literally think she would suck and suck and suck until I was raw. So after each feeding when she decides that she's full and ten minutes later is acting like she wants to eat again, I put in the pacifier and she's content. I really think that sucking puts babies in their happy place - she sucks on her hands, my fingers, my shirt collar, cheek, whatever. If she's fed, diaper dry, mommy's holding her, and she's still screaming, this usually does the trick. It definitely took her a few days to learn, but once she figured it out, she seems to love it. And so does mommy.

I'm positive that all these mommy's would have other items to add to this list. I've seen these mom's in action so I can not only trust their advice, but trust the products I'm using because they recommended them to me. Now, I can't imagine life without these products and it's only been 7 days! So this is my way of saying "THANK YOU" to these mommy's and hopefully helping other new mommy's know what should be on their "must-have" list.