What is this Sophie Giraffe?!

Fast forward 3 months and my little baby is teething already.  Which makes for very long days...

I'm trying everything, wash cloths soaked in water and cooled in the fridge, tylenol, the gel, letting her chew on my fingers, a raz-berry pacificer, teething rings, the list goes on.  Still she cries and chews her own fingers constantly.

At baby group yesterday five out of eight babies had this Sophie Giraffe 'toy'.  Apparently this is the must-have teething accessory and we had missed it!  All the other Moms were in raptures about how the babies love it so much etc but it comes at a cost - $20!!  It looks like a dog toy! 

Seriously!  It even squeaks!

On further investigation I found it easily on Amazon.com and it is the #1 ranked teether. Retailing at $18.20 on good old Amazon which makes it cheaper than Buy Buy Baby at least.

Apparently the rubber has a 'special smell' that allows the babies to find it easily amongst their other toys.  Wow - this Sophie Giraffe is full of tricks ;)

Now all I need to do is convince the husband that we need to make a $20 investment into a small piece of rubber to help the teething quest...

The baby registry: baby gear thoughts and advice

We registered at Babies R Us but I know a lot of people who registered at both Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby.  At Babies R Us we got a 'welcome pack' (had very little of value in it, just a diaper sample and some nappy creams etc as well as lots of coupons/info leaflets).  The main benefit I saw at Babies R Us is the list completion program which means that a couple of weeks before your due date you have the opportunity to purchase anything left on your list at 10% off.  They send you a coupon in the mail and you can use it on one day ONLY.  

To take advantage of this we put everything we could think of on the registry simply so that if we decided to get it ourselves we would have the 10% discount.  Diapers do not quality for the discount btw so don't go crazy and put 100 boxes on the registry!!  

We kept our list to the basics and the Babies R Us pack has a useful leaflet in it with all the essentials which was helpful.

I think the main 'error' that I made when compiling the list was that I just thought about stuff that the newborn baby needed.  I.e. my advice would be to consider other items in addition to the baby basics. 

For example, within a couple of months of having had the baby I now realize that she needs a lot of stimulation during the day and I didn't put any toys or books on the list!  She is now 3 months old and she likes the following toys and books:

> Fisher Price Fish Mirror and Lights

> Play Mat ( we got the baby einstein Neptune one which has music and lights, she loves it and it is good for a boy or a girl so you can use it for another child afterwards)

> Chime toys (dangly animals with chimes that you can clip on the play mat or on the stroller)

> Polar Bear what can you hear book

> Brown Bear what can you see book

> Counting Cockatoos book

> The Hungry Caterpillar book

> Soft teething rings in different colors

> Soft blanky toy with different textures

> Baby classical music cd

I also didn't list for a bumbo which we have had to purchase for her nor did we register for larger sizes of basic onesies/pajamas or the kiddopotamus swaddle me's (which we are still using for bedtime even if she is 3 mths now, she likes being swaddled at night!).  So make sure you think about the 'next phase' or next size up for essential items.

Another point of consideration that I wish I had thought about more beforehand is that babies grow REALLY quickly!  I was considering buying the Stokke Mini (we got the Stokke crib in the end) and I am so glad we didn't shell out the additional $400 or so, she would have been in it for a matter of weeks!  Same for a moses basket - personally I think going straight for the crib is fine, she has never had any issues with that!  The Stokke Crib is actually excellent in my opinion and I am very happy with it; its a great look and shape plus the wheels make it very portable within your home (we needed this as we knew we would move her from our room into her own room a couple of times due to guests visiting).   I didn't buy the stokke bedding sets as you don't need any of it except for the sheets for a newborn/young infant (bumpers and comforters are a SIDS danger for babies under 1 year).  Instead I ordered the sheets online (cheaper than in store) and then bought the waterproof matress protector for the stokke from buy buy baby.  Unfortunately the only negative with the Stokke is that you have to buy their branded sheets as they are oval shaped.  I haven't tried using a standard sheet but I imagine it would get very rumpled and potentially be a danger to the child, best just get a couple of oval fitted ones and then use sheet savers from Babies R Us (a godsend, have saved the sheets many a time at the beginning when she spit up a lot!!!).  

Also the baby bath was a bit of a waste of money in some respects.  We bought the safety first bath that folds up.  It has a seat built into it and now her legs don't even fit in so I have to bathe her in the bathroom sink!  I think I will buy her one of the bath slings soon so that she can go in the full size tub.  To be honest, a new plastic washing up bowl would have probably been just as good for when she was a newborn and at a fraction of the price! 

Some of the most useful items from my baby registry?

- Boppy pillow (she likes to sit in it)

- Dreft detergent (get plenty!!!)

- Avent microwave sterilizer is super quick and easy, does not take up much space

- Kiddopotamus swaddle me's

- Babies R Us Basics Sheet savers

- Plain white muslin burp cloths, loads of them

- Bjorn papoose cover for wet/cold weather - this was very useful as it was cold when she was born and we wouldn't have been able to use the Baby bjorn otherwise

I would not bother putting more than one blanket on the list as we got many many blankets as gifts and all my friends did too.  I would put practical items on such as the diapers, detergent, baby wash, washcloths etc as people do buy them and you are going to use lots of them so it helps spread the cost out for you!

Happy shopping!

What should I take to the Hospital?

I spent hours and hours looking on websites for the 'perfect list' of what to take to the hospital for the birth.  I then spent further hours collecting all the items and checking and double checking my bags....way before the baby was due!

Packing for the hospital is quite a task for the uninitiated and every list seems different.  It all comes down to personal choice at the end of the day (and also a little bit about where you are giving birth) but here is my list.

The Actual List of what I took to the hospital:

> Pillow

> Dressing gown

> Pajamas (x 2)

> Slippers

> 5 pairs underwear 

> 3 magazines

> A book (oh yes, you can tell I never gave birth before right?!!?)

> ipod

> Bag of quarters

> Snacks - pringles, cookies, granola bars, pretzles, mints

> Drinks - gatorade, vitamin waters etc and herbal tea bags

> Glucose tablets

> Wash cloth

> Massage oil

> Make up remover facial wet wipe things

> Comb and hair ties

> Mini shampoo and conditioner

> Mini shower gel

> Heavy duty pads

> Socks

> Babies going home outfit

> Babies blanket 

> Camera (x2)

> Blackberry

> Blackberry charger

> Wheat bag (one of those material bags that you heat in the microwave)

> Tracksuit bottoms and long sleeved tee for going home in

My husband brought the car seat on the day we left the hospital but its worth mentioning that we did need one (its the law in the USA so don't forget it!).  

If I were to do this again, I would not bother with the bag of quarters (I didn't even see a vending machine!!!) but everything else was used.

I had an emergency c-section so whilst I didn't really need the massage oils, wheat bag, face cloth etc for the laboring I did certainly use them during my four night stay.  The magazines were a nice distraction for times when the baby slept and my husband had popped out (the TV's in hospital are V. Small and also you need to pay for the normal channels, and to be honest I really didn't feel like watching anything) so celeb mags to flick through were just right.  

Having a few drinks and snacks on hand was also good because whilst the hospital food at Tisch was actually really fine, there are times when you are hungry and its not a meal time or you just need a normal snack.  I also drank some of the vitamin water during labor as my Ob Gyn allowed it.  Was definitely good to have some liquids aside from ice chips.

Following the c-section my body felt like it had been pulled apart and after a few days in bed and the removal of the epidural I was in quite a bit of achey pain despite the meds.  It was very comforting to have the wheat bag warmed up by my dear husband and placed under my spine, and then for him to rub my legs with the massage oil....so nice!!!

Ditto for bringing your own shampoo and shower gel, makes you feel human again and there was only soap in the hospital shower at NYU.  The towels are quite rough so if you are sensitive to that kind of thing and have space in your bag then a towel might be nice.

The blackberry/cell phone is also essential, was nice to text my husband at night and also connect with my friends.  NYU Tisch hospital actually has WiFi internet so my husband brought in our laptop and we were able to skype our family at home which was amazing!  Also meant that I could upload a pic of the baby and email it to all our friends.  

At NYU they provided quite a lot of stuff:

diapers (they were pampers swaddlers, really nice!)

cleaning stuff for the baby

baby blankets

baby hats

baby outfit (its like a little white tie-over top, our daughter just lived in these during our stay as she was swaddled up the whole time)

formula if you are using it

pads for mom

disposable underwear for mom (I actually LOVED the disposable underwear unlike almost everyone else I have spoken to...they are super comfortable especially after c-section and allow everything to breathe... I took about 10 pairs home and kept going with them for the first week!).

ice packs

breast pads

gown

My advice would be to think really carefully about what you need to take.  Most of the practical items are actually at the hospital anyway so I was personally happy that I had taken a few comfort items.  Also suggest not taking a huge bag... the rooms are pretty small (there are only four private rooms at NYU - we had to wait two nights to get one so don't bank on having loads of space to put your stuff!!).

Top item?  My own pillow..... :) 

Choosing a hospital for Labor and Delivery in Manhattan

One of the first things I realized I needed to do once I knew I was pregnant was to figure out the hospital I was going to give birth at.  Being from the UK I was unaware that you need to do this in synch with picking an OB GYN since different OB's have delivery rights at different hospitals.

My existing OB (Downtown Women in Soho) deliver at NYU Tisch.  

I decided to do a couple of hospital tours (yes, they really do them!) to suss it all out. 

We first visited St. Luke's Roosevelt Birthing Center and Labor & Delivery ward on the Upper West Side.  They do regular Maternity tours mainly in the evenings.  Here is the link:

http://www.nywomenshealth.com/birthing-center-maternity-tour-st-lukes-hospital-new-york.htm

You meet the tour guide in the main entrance lobby and then proceed to a conference room where some snacks and drinks are provided whilst the tour guide hands out some information packs and gives a quick overview.  You can also ask questions at this point and I would advise to do so - don't be shy!  Once you are walking around the hospital as part of a 30-strong group its harder to get the attention of the tour guide to ask your burning questions.

Once the Q&A is over, up you go to see the L&D areas.  We were shown a LDR room (Labor, Delivery and Recovery - essentially you get to stay in there from arrival at the hospital until you have delivered and have had a couple of hours to bond with baby/recover).  The rooms were very nice; large and spacious with pleasant decor.  Shower and toilet in each of these rooms and the medical kit was hidden behind wooden panelling.  Some rooms had good views over the Hudson.  

Next up we were shown a private room (for the rest of your stay once you have delivered and recovered in the LDR).  It was an ok size and pretty much similar in style to the LDR's but without all of the medical kit.  There are 6 private rooms at St. Luke's and like all the other hospitals they are on a first-born, first-served basis (you need to put your name down and then if one is available you will get it based on time of delivery).  I think the cost was $750 per night for the private room and obviously this is all out of your own pocket on top of the other expenses.  

We then made our way to the Birthing Center which is a kind of annexe to the main delivery ward at St. Lukes Roosevelt Labor and Delivery ward.  It has separate doors and a separate reception area.  This area was very quiet and calm and decorated slightly differently to the rest of the hospital, you did feel like you were somewhere else and not in a hospital.  There are 3 rooms in the Birthing Center and you stay in that room from arriving at the hospital to leaving the hospital.  They are equipped with toilet/bath facilities and also a fridge etc.  The reason you can stay in there the whole time is that they do not keep you in for the normal 2 days/4 days; the average stay in the Birthing Center is 16 hours our tour guide told us.  Usually this is because the ladies who give birth there stay at home to labor for longer and then they want to get home after a few hours if everything is ok with the baby and mother.

No drugs/pain medication or medical interventions are available in the Birthing Center.  I.e. if you want an epidural you should not really consider this as a viable option!  Of course, because the Birthing Center is actually 'in' the hospital in reality if there is a medical emergency or if you have a serious change of heart about a fully natural birth half way through then you are only minutes away from an O.R.  Although I think people rarely change their mind as you have to do a special preparation course before signing up to give birth at the Birthing Center.  And you would have been counselled by your OB who has to have special delivery rights to deliver you there (and fundamentally believes in natural birth I guess).

Overall - my thoughts on St. Luke's for Maternity care was that it seems like a full-service option: lots of choice!  I liked the idea of the natural birth in the Birthing Center but it being my first baby I realistically had no idea how it would pan out so thought I was better off leaving my options a bit more 'open' with a regular hospital birth.

We then checked out the NYU Tisch Hospital tour.  NYU Maternity unit is situated at 1st Ave and 31st St.  You can find out when the tours are here:

http://www.nyubaby.org/tour/

Once you enter the hospital you need to take the elevator to the Labor and Delivery area where you wait in the waiting room for the tour guide.  No snacks or info packs at NYU so take a drink and an energy bar with you if you are late in pregnancy and get hungry/thirsty easily!

The tour was pretty hands on and a smaller group than St.Luke's so asking questions as you went around was easy.  NYU Maternity also operates LDR's and they were practically identical to the ones at St. Lukes: large-ish rooms with own bathroom/shower, equipment hidden behind panels and large windows.  The tour guide demonstrated how the beds could be equipped with a birthing bar if you wanted to use one, and how they have bouncy balls for you to labor on if you wish.  She was thorough in showing us the workings of the bed and how they remove part of the bottom of the bed when the baby is coming out (and showed us the big lights that they turn on to get a good look!).  

We then were walked through the basic process when you have the baby.  After 2 hrs in the LDR they move the mother to the mother and baby unit whilst baby goes to the nursery to get cleaned up.  We were shown the nursery (there were babies in it!!) and were talked through the security measures they operate at NYU.  

Then up to the Mother and Baby unit.  There are 4 private rooms at NYU Tisch and again, first-come first-served basis.  The price is $525 per night out of pocket expense.  A little cheaper than St. Luke's but not much!!

The rest of the rooms are all shared (2 mothers per room).  They are pretty small I have to say (i.e. you can definitely reach out and touch the person in the next bed!!) but all had a bathroom so you are only sharing with one other person.

That was pretty much the tour at NYU Maternity unit.

In the end I decided to go with NYU as I liked my OB practice and they only deliver there, plus NYU is closer to my home.  For a hospital birth there didn't seem much of a difference between St. Luke's and NYU Tisch; once you got into the LDR's and rooms you could have been in either hospital.  They both have very high grade neonatal care units also and both have O.R's right next to the LDR's for emergency C-sections.  I think if you were keen on the all-natural route then probably you would need to consider the birthing center at St. Luke's. 

Introduction: New Mom in New York

I moved to Manhattan from London about two years ago and in March this year I had my first baby.  Being an obsessive, I researched every bit of my pregnancy, birth and beyond and found that some of the things I wanted to know just didn't exist.  Like a description of what it's really like to give birth at NYU.  Like how do you pick a stroller (do I really need a Bugaboo?!).  Like where to find a new moms group.  So I've decided to share everything I found out/am finding out in case it helps someone like me.  Hopefully I can divulge some helpful tips, pointers, share info and occasionally, just occasionally, give my opinon!