Reddit reviews My Brest Friend Original Nursing Posture Pillow, Grey & Yellow Fireworks

I accidentally hit save, here are some more items you might want to register for:

Corner bumpers more of a concern when baby starts moving, but if you get it out of the way now you don't have to worry about it later. Same goes for plug covers and cabinet locks! Furniture anchors are a must-have, too. I haven't registered for those yet, need to figure out how many we need.


Pack'n'Play portable playpen, changing station, play mat, and bassinet. Even if you don't travel much, I think it will be handy for taking baby around the house while I do chores. They come in all kinds of designs, this one just stood out because of my nursery theme.

A glider or rocking chair, dresser/changing station, and crib. I don't have recommendations for these because I got mine as hand-downs.

Baby monitor I'm going with middle of the line video, because the audio only ones aren't much cheaper, so why not? I'd like to be able to peek in on baby and make sure he's okay without constantly disturbing him by entering the room. These come in all ranges with all kinds of features, so look at a few to figure out what you want.

Bibs. I love these because they have food-catchers. Mess will still happen, but it looks like these will at least lower the amount.

Infant soothie pacifiers

Breastfeeding pillow for sitting up Probably superfluous with the other one, but I like that it straps around your waist, cushions your back, and has pockets for drinks/snack/phone.

Pacifier clips, so you aren't knee deep in pacifiers that keep falling on the floor

Butt paste. I've heard a lot about this from other moms, apparently it's the best diaper cream.

Butt spatula admittedly I felt silly with this one, but the reviews are raving. Butt paste gets everywhere, and it's water resistant so an utter pain to clean - especially under your nails. On top of that, this makes sure you get a nice, even layer for baby's comfort.


Breastfeeding scarf! I think this thing is so neat, especially with a winter baby. You can wear it like an infinity scarf, but it'd big enough that when baby is ready to eat it will cover both of you comfortably! There are a lot of different styles, I picked a black one and a grey one just so they will go with any outfit.

Graco glider soother I picked this because I thought it was neat, then I saw a bumper with post partum advice list it on her must-have rundown.

Diaper bag! I went for the backpack style so DH and I could both comfortably use it, and honestly I don't want to deal with baby in one arm and an over-the-shoulder bag on the other.

First aid and grooming kit

Bottle sterilizer, because screw trying to hand wash them

Bottle warmer, no microwave/boiling water and guess


Bottles!

High chair. I picked this one because it is a 4-in-1, it adjusts from infant all the way up to toddler booster, so I know I'll get my use out of it.

Puj tub - it folds into your sink to be a warm, soft bathing surface for baby, and then when you're done you hang it flat in the shower, bo fuss, no mold!

I also registered at Target and BRU for some variety, some things that I don't have amazon links for:

Travel system.... I absolutely want one that is a carrier, clicks into a car base or a stroller. Getting two bases, one for each car, and the stroller base, would probably still be cheaper than buying two car seats, a carrier, and a stroller, and with these systems you don't have to wake baby up with every transistion.

Various cloth products, swaddlers, burp blankets, bath towels, bibs, etc. These are everywhere so just pick whatever suits you! I'm not registering for any clothes just because I know everyone is going to see "the cutest little onesie" and get it regardless.

Diapers! You can never have enough. I'd get a couple of packs from each size range. Don't open them until you know how big baby is, so you can exchange any that start too small.

Toys galore. Again, people will give you these registered or not, but if you see something that really strikes you, throw it in there! Jumpers and playpads are good to pick out.

Nursery decor - if you haven't gotten it all yet, black-out curtains, crib set, sheets, matress protectors, diaper genie, changing pad, laundry hamper, mobile, etc etc.

Books! Instead of cards, I'm going to ask people to bring inexpensive books with their personal note to baby, that way he can keep their messages as he grows. I put a good amount of books between $3-$6 on my registry for this, so hopefully we won't get a million copies of the same book.

This turned into an epic novel, but I hope it helps you with some starting places! Check out the reviews and similar products on things I linked, hopefully it will lead you to some things you like!

I use my Brest friend pillow I really like it because it has a bit of lower back support. I bought it for breastfeeding but still use it when bottle feeding. I have a Boppy but it is the newborn lounger. It was super nice for holding the baby when I needed a break. But at 2mo he’s nearly too big for it.

This list is awesome! I was not nearly that organized for my registry! Just a few comments from the other side (my baby is 3 months currently).


Baby nails are sharp and scary, some friends bought us this Electric Nail File and it is absolutely amazing, not painful for baby at all and much more efficient than the little files.

This butt spatula thing has been great for when we apply diaper cream! Saves us from getting it on our hands.

For me personally, I found the Boppy rather ineffective for nursing at first while we were trying to figure out nursing. Baby would kind of slide down between the Boppy and my stomach. Now at 3 months old, the Boppy is super useful for propping baby and sometimes as a nursing pillow if I decide to use one. My first few weeks of nursing I'd use the Brest Friend Nursing Pillow it was great when Baby really needed a little extra support for getting into the best position for nursing.

Breastfeeding was very painful for me the first few weeks. Our LO ended up having a bad latch due to tongue and lip ties we had to get lasered (anterior tongue tie had been clipped by Pediatrician in the hospital, she still had a posterior tie that was diagnosed later by a lactation consultant - just something to keep in mind), by the time we had the procedure done the damage was done to my nipples. These nipple shields are one of the things that really helped my nipples heal in between feedings to keep my bra/clothes off of them. I hope you don't have to use them, but something you may want to make a note of in case you have a similar experience. If you do end up having nipple pain, ask your OB (or Google how to make it yourself) for a script for "Newman's Nipple Cream", that stuff helped save our breastfeeding relationship!


Good luck, looks like you're off to a great start!

Oh it's hard. But once you're past this "fourth trimester" you're getting skills down (and relearning and altering as the new person changes) and your new person is more ready to interact with people and the world.

What helped my wife and I with sleep: cosleeping. We set up a room that was dark, mattress on the floor, quiet. We could take him in there when he was having a tough night and he did much better sleeping next to his mom. Check out the The Baby Book by Dr Sears and the chapter on sleep.

My wife found this to be a lifesaver with nursing: My Brest Friend Original Nursing Posture Pillow, Grey & Yellow Fireworks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TSDMH8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jmE6CbZJD7TSF

There are also lactation consultants.

The first two weeks, neither of us slept together. Our baby would only sleep on a person but we tag teamed. You're not in it alone, neither is your SO. Ask her what she needs and talk about what you need. Communication and support is always going to be important but it'll make you a stronger team too.

It'll always be hard and it gets hard in different ways. Fresh in, though, it's a form of torture. It's sleep deprivation mixed with what feels like anger, rejection, and humiliation. That's not what your baby's meaning to communicate. Hungry, gassy, dirty, sleepy, sleepy fighting sleep, bored, overstimulated, cold, hot. That's the check lost my wife and I read somewhere and go through whenever there's crying that can't be solved by a change in position. That's most of what a new born will complain about (outside being sick, if nothing else works you might need the rectal thermometer).

Good for you for reaching out. Community helps. Communication helps. Perspective helps. The tortured feeling of a new parent passes and, on balance, it's a hard but great time.

I don't have fibro - but I do have something called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I understand the frustration (and sometimes desperation) of chronic pain.

What I have is a connective tissue disorder that is multi-systemic. The main pain cause is the fact that my ligaments are like crappy rubber bands - once stretched, they don't heal (unlike most normal people). This results in subluxations, dislocations, and lots of muscle spasms (where they are trying to hold my joints together). But EDS affects lots of different things in my body (GI, Skin, Nervous System, Blood Pressure issues, etc.)

I've always had issues - but the last two years have been the worst. During that time I spent a lot of time with doctors trying to figure out what the hell was going on - and eventually I ended up with an EDS diagnosis.

It came right as my husband had finally convinced me that having a child was something I could be excited about. In addition to my own genetic disorder (which has a higher risk of membrane rupture, premature birth, and/or rapid birth) - my brother also has a Mitochondrial disorder - so add all of that up (coupled with an assload of pain and self loathing) and it was a rough couple of months while I tried to decide if I was even HEALTHY enough to have a child (not to mention I have a chance of passing these disorders down).

After a lot of testing, talking to my doctors, and soul searching - here I am. 17+4. AND I had to stop taking all of the medications that gave me a "normal" quality of life.

It has not been the easiest of pregnancies and by the end it will likely be very hard and painful. (Though, sometimes I am thankful I already have an insane pain threshold from a chronic disorder - I feel like it has given me perspective and prepped me for what is to come).

I genuinely expect to be unable to walk (unassisted) by the end of my pregnancy (it happens about once a year anyhow due to SI Joint dysfunction).

I also cannot exercise (or do yoga, or get massage) like a normal person - as it causes further injury. Even traditional physical therapy can injure me (I use a specific protocol that is catered just to my disorder).

I am concerned about holding baby as well. My arms, shoulder, and neck are prohibitive - but I have done a lot of reading and research and discussing with mothers who have EDS (shoutout to /r/ehlersdanlos) - and they have recommended some lovely products to help with some of this.

I won't be able to carry the baby - but a lot of the slings aren't quite right for me either (can't be lopsided).. so the community recommended this carrier very specifically ErgoBaby 360 4 way


And this for breast feeding: My BrestFriend - it latches around you and has lumbar support so you don't have to manage the baby AND the pillow.


I got my initial clinical diagnosis last year in October - and had some dark days while I processed the information.
I just got my actual genetic diagnosis (specific type of EDS - there are several) last month.

In between those diagnosis - I had to really settle into myself and acknowledge that my life wasn't going to be a "normal" life.

In a way - you have to mourn and grieve the life you "anticipated" and then accept it.

I also had to "come out" as disabled. It took me many months to even tell some of my closest friends, but a big part of it is advocating for yourself.

If you suffer from chronic pain - you don't lead a similar life to people who don't have that as part of their lives.

You will need help - and you need to accept it (internally) that it's totally okay to not be able to do 100% of the things you thought you could.

Once you accept it and realize your new reality - then you'll find a better world and mentality.

Also - have you ever heard of the "Spoon Theory" - might be a great way to wrap your head around what you feel and how to find a way to advocate for yourself.

Honestly - for me, the biggest thing I have had to "emotionally" deal with is watching other pregnant women bitch and moan about things people do or say to them. Once you live with pain and find that sometimes your body is your own worst enemy - you start to find it silly to be so angry at the world - you're busy fighting other battles that feel so much more important.

I say it is a struggle for me "emotionally" - just because I know deep down that just because my experience is difficult doesn't invalidate another experience (even if it seems less difficult than my own).

Woo- this turned into a long one. :)

Anyhow - if you need to talk. Let me know. You aren't going through this alone in the world.

You may also want to check out /r/ChronicIllness or /r/Invisible for more support and people who suffer as well.

EDIT: I also wanted to add that I am extremely happy (despite being disabled, in pain, and somewhat apprehensive about the future) - so it is possible! Don't give up! You've got this!