The Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide. Liz Fraser

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СКАЧАТЬ it’s really common to get somewhat gassy towards the end, so if you have to be in an enclosed space with somebody for a long time, then sit near the window or be prepared for some funny looks. It was around this stage that my two-year-old learned to say “Whodunnafart?” It was always Mummy.

       Braxton Hicks contractions

      These have been going on since the middle of your pregnancy, but you may start to notice them a lot towards the end. Your body is just doing lots of dummy runs for what a proper contraction should be like, so it makes your uterus tighten for 30-60 seconds every so often. Your abdomen may feel harder, and it may hurt a little, or you may hardly notice it at all. If I sound a bit vague, it’s because I have to: every woman has her own experience of Braxton Hicks contractions and there are no hard and fast rules. Oh, except these: if you have any vaginal bleeding or leak water, and if, before your 37th week, the tightenings are accompanied by lower back pain, come at more than three per hour or seem to be very regular, call your midwife. You may be in premature labour. Them’s the rules, girls.

       What To Buy Now

       Baby Clobber

      Considering how tiny they are, babies need a head-spinning amount of clobber. If you are ever accused of owning too much ‘stuff’, then point your longest manicured digit at the youngest consumer in your family and plead innocence: next to your baby, you look positively frugal.

      I say babies need a lot of clobber, but it’s probably more a case of ‘are expected to have’ a lot these days. When your grandmother was a baby, she probably made do with some swaddling clothes and an old rag doll, and was much better off for it. But these are ‘these days’, and Yummy Mummies can choose from a baffling array of equipment, toys and aids to make their babies happier, comfier and more stimulated, and their own lives much easier.

      Here are some essentials:

       1. Car seat

      The only legally required bit of kit. Newborns’ car seats need to be rear-facing because babies’ necks aren’t yet strong enough to withstand any force. Some come as part of a three-in-one system, which means you can lift the car seat straight onto your pram chassis and off you go. Don’t scrimp on a car seat: get a good new one.

       2. Pram

      Probably your biggest investment, and worth every penny. The best advice I can give is push them around the shop and see how they handle. Things to look out for include:

      

Swivel wheels or fixed? I’m a fixed girl—give me swivel wheels and I’m like a drunk ice-skater.

      

Suspension. Will it withstand bumping up and down kerbs and over potholes? Will your baby get whiplash between your front door and the end of the road?

      

Space. Does it have enough underneath for piling all your shopping into? Remember that your shopping list will quadruple the minute you become a Mum: nappies, wipes, baby-food jars, nipple cream, gin…you need a lot of room under there, and that’s before you have piled in the baby’s changing bag, some toys, your handbag and last week’s Sunday supplements, just in case you get a moment to yourself.

      

Handle height. Will it break Very Tall Daddy’s back when he pushes it?

      

Folding and dismantling. If you are likely to do a lot of travelling, then getting a pram which comes apart easily, or better still just folds away in one piece, is essential. We have wasted hours at airports removing the top half from the chassis and putting it back together again.

      

Size. Does it fit in the back of your car? You’ll feel so stupid (and cross) if it doesn’t.

      

Lining. Does it come out and can it be washed?

      

Can your baby sit up properly, as well as lie down? New babies should lie down all the time, because of the weak neck problem, but after a few months they will love sitting up a bit and looking at the world whizzing by. Then, when it’s time for a nap, you can just lie them flat again.

      

Can your baby face forwards or backwards? This, for me, is one of the most important factors. All my babies have faced me (i.e. backwards) when I pushed them in the pram, because that way they could see me, I could talk to them and point things out, and I could also see whether they were being strangled by some loose strap or other more easily. I am also convinced that all the talking, smiling and singing you can do with your baby facing you can dramatically improve how fast they learn things. And if they’ve just been sick out of the corner of their mouth you will notice before anyone can tut-tut you.

      

Can it have a buggy board attached to it? This ride-on platform will be indispensable once you have another baby (which you might, despite it seeming like a ridiculous notion right now).

      And, finally, if it ticks all of these boxes, ask yourself one last question:

      

Is it stylish enough for me? Your baby’s pram will become like a fifth limb to you, so if it doesn’t make you proud, don’t get it. Get one you like—the baby doesn’t care.

       3. Buggy

      A pram and a buggy? Isn’t this a little unnecessary? Not at all: prams are big, heavy and cumbersome; buggies are small, light, fold-down-in-a-flash-able, portable and absolutely essential. For day trips, quick hops to the shops, and travelling abroad, a good buggy is the piece of gear you’ll need. NB: babies can only go in a buggy once they can sit up properly. Otherwise they just slide down into a heap at the bottom and you’ll be picked up by Social Services. Not glam at all.

       4. Raincover and sunshade

      Ooooh, don’t get me started on these. I hate raincovers. They are ridiculously expensive, they never fit on properly, they rip, they snap, they stick out so far that you’ll clear supermarket shelves as you go down the aisles, and, most annoyingly, they are essential. I think it’s called being caught between a rock and a hard place—wet baby or infuriating rain cover?

      NB: there are loads of different models available, so make sure you get one which fits your pram or buggy, and don’t take the shop assistant’s word for it. Get her to fit it right there in the shop, and watch her struggle to get the damned thing on. If you’re not sure, find a different model. Good luck.

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