Secret Mum Club with Sophiena - BONUS: Preparing For A Baby

Episode Date: October 20, 2023

There are Bobs, bumps and beans all over the Secret Mum Club, but preparing for them to come into the world can be daunting! Not to worry though, because Sophiena and Emma are bringing out the checklist in today’s bonus episode for a topic suggested by Mia who asked how to prepare for a baby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, this is The Secret Mum Club. I'm Safina. And I'm Emma. And welcome to another bonus episode. That's right, you get two episodes from us every week. Now we're spoiling you. You suggest the topic for me and Emma to discuss. And we share our thoughts. So far we've discussed family holidays and the first day of school. And what to feed your children and sleepovers.

It's a bonus episode time time so let's do this so emma what's the topic for today the topic this week is preparing for the baby arriving this is very appropriate i said it's because we're fully out of the closet now it's the first time we've chatted on this we've been out so isn't it it's the first time we're able to talk on air yeah about it instead of going cut that out yeah and relax and breathe out and have a side profile of the video you're gonna have to cut that bit out no more secrets sorry about that all right this one was suggested by mia she says there's so much for me to think about before the baby arrives the crib the toys their bedroom everything they need where do i even begin god feels overwhelming doesn't it

you don't need half the shit they tell you you don't need half the fucking shit they tell you and all these videos on social media that gives you a running commentary of the list of shit you need to have fucking don't you don't need any of it my friend sent me a multiple page spreadsheet that she had made after having her daughters some of it was helpful but i was so selective i only needed about five things off it you're joking yeah that is fucking mental i know to be honest with you i feel like i it's going to be a little bit different for me this time yeah it's number three there's also a big gap between it's you gotta get everything again that you have to get rid of that already sold and donated um so yeah i feel like it's a little bit different this time i i think if you've

got your boobs prepared and they're doing great, boob or bottle, doesn't matter. Fed baby's a happy baby. No judgment here. Absolutely none. Emma is a boobie, I'm a bottle. Well, I was. Both babies are great.

For the first one, but you never know. You were for Joseph. Exactly. You never know. So I feel like as long as your boobs are prepared, oil up the nipples, keep yourself moisturised, hydrated. If you are going to breastfeed. If you are going to breastfeed.

Get, there's a nipple cream. Yeah, what is that called? It's like lanolin or something. Someone said about that. It's anyway. In a purple tube. In a purple tube. You will need that.

So get yourself a good cream. For the sore nips. For the bosoms. Yeah. Yep. That's essential. If you're going to bottle feed obviously bottles yeah because you're going to have them anyway milk milk so i feel like that's the most

important thing i always think feeding is the most important thing as long as you've got your basics covered so nursing bras cream to support the boobies yeah bottles sterilizer yeah but also bottles are good to have because you could express yeah so forth yeah so that's a good way to start i think is bottles yes a really good bit of kit just talking about bottles that we didn't start off with but we brought it in later on because we were like fuck waiting for the kettle to cool down and all that tommy tippy tommy tippy perfect prep did actually change our hands down the best thing you could ever have in your whole such a good investment cannot recommend it i believe though since i've had them there's more different ones on the on the market on the market probably and also you don't have to pay full price i got mine second hand on facebook marketplace nice brilliant

brilliant i think we donated ours to a friend who was having a baby lovely but that was hands down probably the best thing i'd ever purchased the best i had so many moments where i was waiting for the kettle because it'll be like boil the kettle wait half an hour put it in a cool tempered water and the baby would be screaming

and you'd be like you can't have it yet oh just a nightmare. And you've got to do the dance around the front room you've got to wait for the bottle to cool down

no that was not the one so I think sorting out the situation of the feeding I think everything else comes soon. Obviously like somewhere for them to sleep so like Moses basket but then again I feel like there's too much pressure on people to have a perfect nursery

and we spoke about this the other day like i am in no way shape or form anywhere looking at doing a nursery until the baby's at least six months old no because i just i had so much pressure to have a beautiful nursery for colby and then we found out we were having a girl so i was like i must have a beautiful nursery i've now got a girl yeah from a boy to a girl so i must have this beautiful instagram worthy picture of my nursery fuck that i am not spending my money right now on um furniture for a nursery a cot that they don't sleep you don't need it the only thing you need is a changing mat i used to just whack mine on the bed who has a changing station what is the need of a change never use the changing mat where it's intended

to be used obviously you do it on the bed on the floor whatever's the nearest thing to you yeah but changing mat probably oh yeah you need a changing mat because the poos are going to be but that's what i said and also top tip for a changing mat the spongy bit goes at the bottom not at the top because it catches the wee. It's not a headrest. Oh. Fun fact. I see this all the time and a lot of people didn't know that. I didn't know that.

My sister used to think I was mad. I used to be like, why are you doing that? It's not a headrest. It's to catch the wee if it runs out. Oh my gosh. It doesn't go, whew,

onto your carpet. I've got cocky now. I just whack him on the floor. But when they're newborn, yes. Yes. Use a changing mat. So yeah,

I just think the pressure for me of the nursery, I'm just not, you don't need it at the beginning. They're not even going to be sleeping in there for at least probably six months yeah so that's what i'm just not gonna do but somewhere for them to sleep probably like so much you just put them down like a moses basket or i think i'm gonna stick with my chico next to me i had the chico next yeah as well and i loved it and they can go in there's ones that can last them up to

12 months as well yeah which i think i'm going to probably look at and one upstairs one downstairs if you have a split level home is handy i'm just bungalow yeah yeah that's true was we had like a basket in the lounge and then the chico next to me upstairs had like a sleepy head like docker tot thing as well but actually again kind of felt pressured to get that and he didn't really use it so you don't really need something like that i would say nappies nappies newborn nappies clothing i would say 10 10 grows 10 vests yeah 10 baby grows 10 vests if we're going off of like the bare minimum the bare minimum that you need the bare minimum basics of what you need i see people going to the hospital as well suitcases i went in in a dress birthed in the same dress because it went so quick and then had a change of pajamas but something I will say that I will take absolute credit for this so I don't ever see

anybody I just knocked my microphone I don't see anybody else doing I actually packed a hospital bag as basic as bitch could be but I also packed a bag at home of a spare clothing a bigger size for the baby a spare pair of pajamas for me some other wash bits pants and stuff so that someone could bring it in for you so chris didn't have to have the stress of going home and trying to find all my shit that's really good and i felt that if you can go into the hospitals with your basic and a really small bag yeah and your car seat yeah yeah if that works out great if not there is the bag already at home yeah because i think sometimes people turn up to the hospital with three massive bags and a suitcase thinking they're going for a three-week

vacay and the hospital just turn your way don't they they're like this no it's too much too much luggage so if i can give any advice or the best advice as to when you're going to give birth take the little bag take a little bag of your basics bottles because you can get the little if you're doing the little milks can't you yeah the little pre-made yeah bottles that come with the sterilized tip yeah i just take a box of them change your clothes i normally do two outfits for the baby one for me yeah wash bits toothbrush underwear underwear even my coming home outfit i leave that with chris yeah there's just no point i don't i don't really get the whole like putting loads of effort into a coming home outfit i know it's a really special moment to take your baby out of hospital but like you're probably gonna have to change them when i

say coming home out for i just mean my leggings and something to wear because yeah i don't want to come home but the baby especially like yeah we're gonna have to change their outfit a few times anyway i know the baby i can understand because it's the first phase and you'll find it more special now because joseph we holding the baby i know so that bit is crucial first baby with him i was lazy i just put him in like a generic baby grow and off we went i did also but i had nothing in his size so everything swamped him so my sister had to do a massive dash to next because they told me he was going to be 10 pounds and he come out seven pounds 13 but he was like this tiny little and they come out as well this tiny little ball because they're cooped up in your belly don't they yeah they don't stretch out for a while yeah yeah they don't fill

the legs anyway so all they are is just this they're just in the body bit yeah newborn clothes never fit them anyway like joseph was a good nine pound one and he was still in the tiny size was still too big for him yeah so yeah so i just think the basics of a like a little outfit yeah so they got a change of clothes and they're warm think about how you're going to get home from hospital obviously pram car seat something to put them in and if it's winter obviously you're going to want a hat blanket pram suit maybe like a warm we were going to make this very quick and snappy but we've done a whole list we've gone into a whole list so i think feeding your basics on your feeding

yeah somewhere for them to sleep at home yeah someone again something basic don't feel any pressure to have a massive huge um thingy i was going to get a little i've made a little rail in dotty's room yeah so i'm just regardless of baby's gender i'm just going to put the baby's clothes in dotty's room because her bedroom's on the ground floor yeah yeah um and just put the clothes in there and then she's got drawers that she doesn't use and then basic on the bed and then yeah your hospital bits yeah that's and then everything else you literally figure out yeah the moment you come out and it's better to figure it out as you go because we just bought so much crap otherwise you end up loads of shit you don't need oh baby bath i would say actually

oh i actually had a baby bath and a lot of people i've seen didn't like it did you have one with joseph the seat we not a seat but it's a we had the snuggle and it comes in two sizes so he's in the bigger toddler size now but he was in the newborn size one um which is just i mean obviously at the beginning you just hold them because they can't sit up anyway no so that was actually handy and it was good that you don't have to fill up a whole bath as well because it's not wasteful. But people didn't, what, don't like them sitting on the... No, I had the seat which sits in the bath. We lay them in.

And it's got the mesh at the back so you can get it in grey, pink or blue. Yeah, another one. And both newborns sat in it. So you just run a tepid bath and we used to just... So you didn't have to get our make holding the baby. Yeah. And then when Colby or Dottie got a little bit bigger, I just used to spin the chair around and they sat why didn't people like that because a lot of people don't like the seat a lot of people say don't buy the seat i keep what it's all over my fyp at the

moment and all over my instagram is things to must have and not have but i found the bath seat really good yeah i think it's handy and then i was able to put a muslin over both of them keep them warm to keep them warm or a flannel or Yeah, to keep topping them up with water. You don't really need soap at first. You could just wash them in warm water, don't you? Yeah, you just wash them in warm water. You don't need any soap. Yeah.

Yeah, and then you could go into things like the little bath thermometers and stuff like that. There's so many gadgets that people all get a white noise machine because they won't sleep without it. And actually, your baby might not need that. No. Like once. And I think sometimes as well, well again we put a lot of pressure on ourselves you're you gotta think this baby's in here now this baby's been through hell this morning with the tube and the train and the noise your baby and then at home how super duper loud it is and then when the baby comes people go we must be quiet oh yes we must all be quiet and don't talk around

the baby the baby's used to all that noise yeah in your tummy so just keep going yeah the louder the better i say because the more noise they get used to the better they sleep yeah yeah so there you go yeah you don't need much we say that you don't need much just this very long list that we just gave you but i just think as much as you can like things with regards to like over like things that we bought that we didn't need multiple fucking swinging chairs oh multiple bouncers swinging chairs and they'll use something for like a bit and then they get bored of it they don't like it anymore and then toys i felt pressure to buy them toys don't waste your money on that sort of toys don't buy any toys they don't play with toys clothes yes i

was probably ridiculous of clothes were you yeah far too many clothes far too many clothes also felt the pressure of being a pram whore and having to have shit loads of prams yeah which was stupid you just need a little bassinet for them to lay down and that's what you need just don't don't stress yourself yeah just yeah go with the basics Maybe we'll have to do a list. Maybe we could comprise a list together. Yeah. We could do a detailed presentation spreadsheet. Yeah.

Slideshow. We'll do one of those jazzy Instagram videos. Oh, hospital bag. Come on, come on. Get into that content. So there we are. Lots to discuss today. Thanks, Mia, for your question your question yeah and anything else we've

forgotten or that you'd like to share you can drop us a message the email is hello at secret mom pod.com or we're secret mom pod on tiktok and instagram and if you have any topic suggestions please do let us know it can be anything and we'll be back first thing on monday with the main episode and our bonus episode will be out every Friday morning to keep you going through the weekend secret mum club in a bite-sized chunk we'll see you next time on the secret mum club