Experienced advice from moms who've been asked: Looking back what would you tell other pregnant moms?

By CanadianParents.com Community

Caring for YOU...

Get giant blue pads for your bed --- they absorb a lot of mess! Place them under your abdomen area, or up higher to soak up spilled breast milk. [jellyfish]
Eat healthier and exercise more during pregnancy. I was always so thin that I never thought I could gain so much weight... BOY was I wrong!! [boho_mama]
Don't bother with more than just a few pairs of maternity pants. I wasted money on maternity jeans. They never fit as well as my regular jeans with the belly band on top. I used my belly band up until the last month. [amandyg]
Hire a doula and learn to be an advocate for yourself in case a complication pops up or you are stuck in the hospital for days. You will learn that it's okay to question hospital staff or ask a second opinion.
Don't be afraid of herbs. Get some advice from a midwife or herbalist. I lived off herbs while pregnant. [Vegan_mom]
Get a doula-her one and only concern is you and the baby. She has seen a hundred different births, helped a hundred different women with a hundred different pains. [Vegan_mom]
Frozen pads (ahhhhhhh relief!)... they are a wonderful invention when your perinea area is burning out of control and afterwards. [febmom]
See a chiropractor: My back never felt so good and I had very little pelvic pain. I stopped getting heartburn after I started to go. Also, I can't prove it but I think it is also why my labour was so quick and easy.
Get massage therapy right from the beginning! [MommyBrandi]

Take more photos of yourself and your growing baby belly. [ladybug mom]
Get professional belly pictures taken. [Luv_Me_True]
Measure the circumference of your belly just prior to going into labour
Take some photos looking down at your belly to capture the view YOU had every day! [Tinkerbelly]

Don't bother packing nice new PJ's for the hospital, why bleed on your own bed clothes when the hospital has perfectly good gowns to ruin! [febmom]
Bring your own toilet paper with you to the hospital. Our taxes do not pay for fluffy toilet paper, and lord knows you don't want to rub yourself with sand paper after just giving birth. Pack 2 rolls, one for before delivery (right after your water breaks), and one for after. [febmom]
Bring loads of extra batteries for the camera just in case. [Luv_Me_True]

Preparing for Breastfeeding...
Learn absolutely everything you can about breastfeeding, especially what a proper latch is --- before you have the baby. Knowing this made me feel much more comfortable the first time I tried breastfeeding. [mamalulu]
Learn breastfeeding positions - certain ones are better for certain people. The football hold is not a good position for small breasted women and I kept being encouraged to feed her with it though it was really uncomfortable for me. [seealirun]
Enlist in the support of a lactation consultant, breastfeeding is NOT natural for some women. If you want to be successful with breastfeeding and make a good go of it a Lactation Consultant is a smart way to go! [febmom]

You don't need THAT many clothes for a newborn... You have to store what you buy! [febmom]
With dear son I bought too many newborn outfits and diapers and he grew out of them within a week. [MomToDylan]
A traditional change table is not necessary, a waist high dresser with a change pad on top works well and it stores all the extra clothes you may have purchased during your pregnancy and all the clothes that people give you! [febmom]
I would not have bought a crib. My daughter has only slept in it three times. [carlyna_F]
A mattress on the floor with a big play yard gate works a lot better for us. [carlyna_F]
It’s really important to spend money on a good stroller. Make sure it’s easy to push and has plenty of storage space. [jellyfish]
Start getting the nursery ready as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. I ended up on bed rest and had to worry about my in-laws doing it for me! [Luv_Me_True]

Once the baby is delivered, let it be a special time for you and your signifcant other, my only regret is allowing every family member known to us to be in the room 30 minutes after my daughter was delivered. Next baby, no visitors until after the first sleep! [febmom]
Expect the unexpected! [jellyfish]

Tell yourself to relax and enjoy the process, especially breastfeeding and labour. Turns out both were easier than I thought! [Tinkerbelly]

CanadianParents.com Community

Advice from the parents of Canada's Parenting Community - CanadianParents.com. Information and advice referenced in this article first appeared and was written by parents on the message boards at CanadianParents.com. CanadianParents.com is created by parents, FOR parents.