Pregnant Yogi: the 9 things you actually need as a new mum

What things do you ACTUALLY need when you are a new mum with a new baby?!

I’ve been asked this question so many times (and I asked it myself a bunch when I was pregnant!), so here is my version of the answer…

Feeding

I was/am lucky enough to be able to breastfeed, but being able to have someone else feed the baby a bottle of breast-milk so I could sleep (in the early days) or go to a yoga class (now!) is really important to me. These are the essentials for doing that in my book:

• Elvie Breast-pump: A friend of mine lent me their fancy-pants other-brand breast-pump and it horrified me. It was so loud, it had so many different parts, and I had to be attached to the wall. Yuk yuk and yuk. With all that faff, I might as well just feed him myself, no?! Well once you have an Elvie, the answer is a NO! Because it’s so easy: hardly any parts to wash/clean, it goes together intuitively, operates via an app, and is basically invisible in your bra. So I can potter around and get loads of jobs done, not be terrified of the doorbell going, and get LOADS of milk. I love it so much I’m even considering continuing to breastfeed after I go back to work, as pumping several times a day now seems manageable.
• Naturebond Let-Down Pump: before I got my Elvie pump, I used this on the opposite breast to the one I was feeding the baby on for two of my early-in-the-day feeds. And would get enough milk for an entire feed from doing so. The trick to get it to stay put is to roll back the top, then squeeze the air out, then pop it on and roll the top into place (I find this easier to do BEFORE I pick up the baby).
• Munchkin Latch Microwave Sterilize Bags: to keep everything safe and clean, these are awesome. It’s worth spending a tiny bit more on these vs. the generic ones as the sealer and cold-to-touch elements are so useful. Way better than having a sterilizing machine taking up loads of kitchen space as well.

Sleeping

• Marpac Hushhh White Noise Machine: it took us a few weeks to start using white noise to help the baby to sleep (and me to sleep with him next to me at night as it blocks out all their truffling sleepy noises as well!) and I wish we had started from day one. This machine has a really nice tone to it, is really easy to use and charge, and is super portable so we can have it in his crib when we are at home, or out and about with us when we are napping on the go.
• Olli World Swaddle: again, it took us a few weeks to start swaddling (doh!) but once we did it changed EVERYTHING when it came to sleep. This is the only swaddle the baby hasn’t either grown out of (he’s super long) or broken out of (he was 12lb / 4kg when he was born so is super strong!). Tough to get hold of in the UK though which is annoying.

Leaving the House

• Studio Romeo Sling: I LIVED in the sling for the first 6-8 weeks of parenting. Walks, tricky naps, when he was feeling fractious and wanted to be close. Seriously, I wore it at least once every single day. I love how easy it is to put on – no wrapping or tying. It’s a breeze to get them in/out – so you can do it by yourself. And it folds up really small so you can always have it with you in case of emergencies. Worth it’s weight in gold, and I’m looking forward to using it again when he’s big enough for the hip-carry configuration.
• Artipoppe Baby Carrier: now the baby is getting bigger and heavier, I needed something a bit sturdier however that distributes the weight across your hips. So I splashed out (I am almost embarrassed to put this here as it’s a real indulgence!) on this carrier, but I do really love it. It’s so comfy while being crazy stylish. I don’t look like I am going on some mountaineering expedition which is the vibe all the other baby carriers seem to be going for. And my other half wears it happily as well. We now use this everyday and will be for as long as we can (which is the only way I can justify the price!!).
• Snoozeshade: we love taking the sound machine for naps on the go in the pram, but this little invention would be my choice if I could only take one nap-aid with me. It blacks out the pram while keeping air flowing, and still lets you peak in to check on them. Perfect!

Knowing How to Look After A Baby!

• Taking Cara Babies Newborn Course: saving the best for last. If I could only pick one item from this list, or an item to gift to expectant parents, it would be this.

It took me a few weeks to find this, and I’m gutted I didn’t know about it before the baby was born. This is a no-cry guide to get your baby to sleep, and it’s just magic.

I had bought other eBooks and tried fixed time schedules, and was just pulling my hair out… spending half the day trying to get the baby to sleep and the other half trying to keep him awake in order to hit the times in the guide. It was miserable, it trapped me in the house, and the baby hated it too.

Cara’s guide however is full of broad rules-of-thumb and clear tips/tricks that make it really easy to adapt to your life and your baby, all in a kind, loving and flexible way. Cara says she is all about making you love the newborn phase, and she teaches you exactly that. The booklet is a great reference, but the videos of how to swaddle, how to settle an unhappy baby, how to read your baby’s sleepy and hunger cues are CRAZY HELPFUL.

As someone who had basically never held a baby until I had my own, this made me feel like I knew what I was doing and we’ve had a pretty good little day and night sleeper ever since. Not perfect every day (I wish!) but the vast majority of the time. Which means we have a happy baby, and happy mum, the vast majority of the time too.

I’m also slightly obsessed with Cara on Instagram as she does the best Stories – full of more advice and lots of opportunities to ask questions, so stalk her over there if you aren’t sure you want to commit to the course just yet.

And lastly…

I hope this all helps. I will just say here that none of the above is sponsored – I paid for everything myself, apart from the Elvie pump (which I was gifted and under no obligation to review)