I promised to come back with a list of products every expecting mother should have before giving birth.  Sorry it has taken so long.  Things have been super crazy around here the past few days, and sitting down to my computer took a back seat for a while.  (I’m seriously dreading checking me email!)  But here is my list of items that I couldn’t do with out in those first few weeks, and  I am still using.  Hope it helps and feel free to add to the list in the comments!

Infants Mylicon Gas Relief Drops. I seriously thought I was going to run out of this in that first week.  It is safe from birth and so very helpful.  I could always tell the difference between feedings with Mylicon, and without.  You can give it to baby on a schedule, like every four hours, or just with every feeding.  You also have the option to give it to your child oraly, or mixed in with their formula, so great for both breast fed and bottle fed babies.

Desitin Diaper Rash Cream. I’ve noticed I needed this more with breast feeding than with formula, since babies are more sensitive to what mom eats, but still very good stuff.  I had to go buy this after the first week because regular lotion and powder were not cutting it.  When his bum started getting a little raw, this made it much better in one diaper change, and made the rash go away completely in one day.

Aquaphor Ointment. This is a multi use ointment.  I use it mainly for Aidan’s dry skin and craddle cap, but I’ve also used it on his baby acne to make it less red, and to help prevent chaffing when forced to use diapers that are less than ideal.  It doesn’t dry out as quickly as lotion and seems to be less irritating to his skin.  Also works great on my dried out hands too!  It does a fairly adequate job protecting from diaper rash too, so might work well for a baby less prone to rash.

Nursing Pads. Even if you are not breast feeding, it’s a good idea to buy a box or two of disposable or reusable nursing pads.  Though most people don’t mention this when you have a baby, you will leak once your milk comes in.  More so if you are breast feeding.  It can stain your white clothing, and it smells after a while too.  Nursing pads were essential for me after waking up soaked in the middle of the night!

Lanolin Cream. Very important if you are breast feeding.  Especially in that first week you can be very sore.  This stuff is great for soothing dry sore nipples.  It also works great for chaffing and as a skin protectant, though not advertised as such.  One tube is all you need of this.  A little goes a very long way.

Diapers. It doesn’t matter what brand you choose, but trust me when I say it is extremely helpful to stock up on diapers “Before” baby gets here.  Most babies are in a size 1 at or shortly after birth, unless born under 7 lbs.  Your doctor or midwife can give you a good idea of what your baby will weigh.  Buy big boxes, buy different sizes.  To give you an idea, we recieved about 15 packages of diapers as gifts, and I also bought one large box of diapers all in a size 1.  We’re down to our last package this week.  He’s still not into the next size up, so we’ll have to go buy a couple more packages.  It was so very helpful to not have to worry about buying diapers for his first month.  If you don’t buy any of the other products, make sure you stock up on diapers before baby gets here.  Don’t worry about not using them all.  If by chance you don’t use them, you can usually return unopened packages!