Calling all moms – I need some advice

I have a secret.

Like, no idea whatsoever. Thank goodness for Google.

Speaking of Google stories, last night I was telling Mr. Right some things I had learned from friends about breast feeding, and I mentioned mastitis. And that’s when he said, “I know all about that.”

(me): “What?”Β 

(Mr. Right): “Yeah, Cows get that.”

Oh yeah, I forget, I married a man from the country. Who used to show animals at the stock show. It turns out everything Mr. Right knows about pregnancy and having babies, he learned from cows.

I’m either in very good hands… or I’m in trouble. Time will tell.

But back to babies and how little I know. We’ve started to talk about the nursery, and as we look at various products, I need to know:

1. We need a rocker/glider. What did you use? Did you like the wooden kind with a big/comfy cushion…

or the plush lazy-boy-like chair?

I thought I wanted the plush chair, but now I’m wondering if I would want the rocker with a cushion to offer head/neck support as I feed in the middle of the night. Please tell me what you think.

And, if you have one you loved, where did you get it? We don’t want to break the bank, but I want to invest in something comfortable, since I figure I’ll be spending some late nights rocking Baby Right in it.

One more question – some folks have suggested putting a twin bed in the nursery. Moms, did you do that, or did you wish you had?

Discuss amongst yourselves… in the comments section. I’m all ears.

 

25 Comments

  1. With Hayden I knew nothing, someone gave us a wooden framed rocker but I quickly learned that for feeding, especially late nights when you can barely hold yourself up, much less a baby, that it was extremely uncomfortable and I would usually just resort to the couch. With the twins my in laws loaned us a fabric recliner and it was genius. Totally comfy, good arm rest positioning and we put it right in our room. I also never did the twin bed because we just kept a pack in play set up for a long while where the babies would sleep until their crib transition and for naps downstairs. I personally think if you are right there laying down, you are too prone to startle at the slightest noise and little babies tend to be noisy sleepers. Get a good monitor and get some sleep when you can:)

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      1. The recliner did rock. πŸ™‚ no you learn to rock in any situation and some babies don’t need rocking. Just got figure yours out:)

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  2. We have a rocker/glider, very similar to the one above. I love it. You can prop your feet up if you want…you can lay your head back…and ours had a pocket on each side, like the one above. Handy for all kinds of things. We got ours at Babies R Us. As for a twin bed, we didn’t do that. Jackson slept in our room, in a pack n play, until we transitioned him to his crib. I think it’s easier that way, especially in the first several months, because you’re getting up so often to nurse. You’re only having to go across the room, not the house. I fed him a lot sitting up in bed (and laying in bed). Once we moved him to his bed, I used the glider a lot more. I honestly wouldn’t bother getting a twin bed. Hope this helps.

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    1. Great advice! I hadn’t really thought about how by the time the baby is in the nursery the nighttime feelings will be fewer? I think it’s unanimous, we won’t be doing the twin bed–that gives us more space!

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  3. We live in a tiny apartment in NY, so we don’t have room for gliders or extra twin beds, but I strongly recommend the My Brest Friend nursing pillow. It offers enough support and stability that you can nurse anywhere. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, we have baby boy #2 coming next month.

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  4. That Will guy cracks me up. How fun that the nursery is coming along! We got the rocker/glider (like your first picture) for the kid’s room and we really liked it. It’s still in their room, ha. I do like that it glides and that the back is higher to rest your head. It’s soft too. Ours is from Babies R’ Us and was about $125-$150 I think. I don’t think I nursed too much in it, with a big Boppy pillow and all, but we rocked in it a lot.

    We did have a twin bed in the room when Mae was a baby. We would nap in there sometimes, but not much. Either of my parents usually slept in it when they visited. We had both of the kids in a bassinet in our room for the first couple of months too (until they slept in their cribs and stopped a mid-night feeding), so we didn’t need to sleep in the twin bed much. It’s out now though because the Deacster needed a crib. You might find it handy though!

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    1. Yep, that Will is pretty cute! And we haven’t technically STARTED the nursery. More like started a Pinterest board. Which means it’s practically done, right?

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  5. Hey Bethe! Not to worry, no first time mom has a clue… event after 11 or so months some times πŸ™‚
    I have a plush chair (more like second picture), but it is a glider that came with a glider ottoman. I found it on craigslist (brand new, the woman said it cost her $650) I purchased mine from her for $150. I absolutely love it. Adelaide had a lot of fussiness in the evenings for the first couple of months and that thing saved my life… might have a permanent indentation from my bum πŸ™ But I still love it to read to her in the mornings and sooth her when she gets tired.

    I was in the bassinet camp. I loved the convenience of just reaching over and to nurse and then put her back without having to get up at all. I still did night feedings for a while after we transitioned to the crib, but I was tired enough that I was able to nurse and get back in bed without waking up too much πŸ™‚ That’s what happens when mid night feedings continue after you go back to work!

    You will figure out something that works for you, mostly trial and error. Not to worry, you will be a fantastic Mama.

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    1. I’m glad I’m not the only one who is clueless. I’m hoping I can master the feeding without waking much. Then again, I feel like God is training me with this whole waking up every two hours to pee thing. I can do that without opening my eyes! (TMI?)

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      1. Your perspective of TMI will probably change soon πŸ™‚ I won’t go into details… but with breast feeding (at home) let’s just say I did a lot of things differently in the beginning than I do now! I think whatever you decide it will be fine.

        You will get so many different perspectives and points of view, all of which are right… for that mom. And most moms LOVE to give advice, in some way it gives them the opportunity to reminisce about a special time in their lives while also imparting some knowledge to a friend. So I am sure that your feedback will be abundant.

        I received vastly different feedback based on who I talked to and found in the end I just had to go through it to discover what worked best for me. But it was still great to see how differently we all handle this new role and the experience that is motherhood.

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        1. What a wise perspective! I agree–I think people love to reminisce about those special times with their baby, since they’re only babies for such a short time. I don’t mind advice as long as it’s positive, and as long as it doesn’t come with a “This is the only way to do it” attitude. I treasure the wisdom from my open-minded friends!

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  6. HI Bethe,

    Will is awesome! hahaha

    I recently bought a wonderful glider chair through Amazon. It is the Stork Craft Hoop Glider and Ottoman by Stork Craft, original price $199 for $129. It is new, sturdy and really easy to build (like really easy).

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  7. I loved and still love our recliner over our wood rocker. Lee was the same way as Will about saying he knew about birthing & feeding from cows- oh those boys.

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  8. I am soooooo glad I bought the cushy chair type and not the wooden arm type! With both babies, I nursed with a boppy pillow and the wider spacing that the big chair provided was perfect for me. I used a wooden arm rocker at friends houses and I always had to sit crooked to get semi-comfy. Plus, if you get the cushy chair, it looks like a real chair, you can keep it in the room waaaay past nursing stage! We use ours for a reading with the kids…and we read A LOT! Hugs!

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    1. Oh…and we didn’t do a bed in our nursery. The video monitor was our saving device, because I could sleep comfortably next to hubby and if I was worried about baby, I would just peek on the monitor screen…is baby breathing? Yes…I see the swaddle moving up and down. Is baby crying? No, I must’ve been dreaming…baby is fast asleep! It was important for me to always have the baby in his or her own room…babies are loud sleepers and mommies and daddies need as much sleep as possible!

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  9. Oh man. I wish I could sit down and have this giant discussion with you. After having 3 kids in the past 4 1/2 years, I have discovered what I loved and what I wished I had done differently.

    A. LOVE my lazy boy type recliner rocker. It swivels too which is a huge plus if you’re feeding and someone walks in. You can just turn yourself around. I also love that the one I have lays almost completely flat when reclined. I slept with the babies in that chair several times, especially when they were congested. We also decided to get a neutral color that would go with the rest of the house so we could use it beyond the nursery years. Look at Lone Star Baby & Kids as well as Baby Bliss for ones similar to mine.

    B. I did not have another bed in the nursery. I do wish I had done that but we didn’t have room. If you have a separate guest room, that usually works just as well, or better if you don’t want to be woken by every little noise the baby makes. When we had a guest room, I would only sleep in there if the baby was teething or sick and waking up frequently (so Bryan wouldn’t be disturbed). You don’t want to get into the habit of sleeping in the same room as the baby. Believe it or not, they can sense your presence (and absence) VERY well.

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  10. […] this blog and see my guest post about creating a nursery.Β My blog friends were so helpful in the glider vs. stuffed rocker question (someone is giving us a glider – hooray!), and the bed vs. no bed in the nursery debate (it […]

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