I was 33 years old when I had my first child, a girl, during the summer of 2007. Already having attained my goal of becoming a doctor for children, I was now tasked with caring for one of my own!
When my husband and I registered for gifts, we tried to keep it simple because we did not want to move across the country with everything under the sun that was being sold for babies. We put a car seat in our registry, but not a stroller. We bought a car seat cart after the baby arrived. We didn't buy a crib because the baby was going to room with us so we registered for a mini co-sleeper which we put right next to our bed. Many people gave us clothing and blankets of gender neutral colors since we did not know our baby's gender by choice, for any of my 4 pregnancies. I did get a baby Bjorn that we used a LOT during her first year. But I wish I had obtained an Ergo much much earlier than I did. I also loved the Moby wrap; I only got to use it for 3 months with my 3rd, and last, baby.
Being minimalistic helped me figure out what I really needed and what was just a waste of money. I really miss those early days of learning how to be a mom to a fussy baby who loved being rocked to sleep while still attached to the breast while on a Breast Friend or a Boppy pillow. I did keep those and use them to this day as I now care for a friend's 1 year old from time to time.
It really is a steep learning curve for new parents and I really wish I could do it all over again, even with sleep deprivation. I think being on call every fourth night as a medical resident was actually easier than being on call every night with my own child!
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. He's a photo of my family: my wonderfully supportive husband and my three babies who will forever own a piece of my heart, including the one up in heaven for whom I wear a necklace.