Passing on the knowledge to first time moms...

I am sure by your third trimester every new mom  would have done all the research and started preparing for the baby to come. I just thought I would blog a list of things that  may be useful from my experience. I have listed essentials that I got for myself and baby before my delivery.  I have also marked things that I had packed in the hospital bag I took on my delivery day. Hope this helps!

For you
- Loose night dresses in cotton. Night gowns with zippers or shirts and pants. Shirts are easy to use while nursing (Hospital bag)
- Nursing pillows
- Nursing covers (Hospital bag )
- Nursing bras (Hospital bag )
- Nursing pads (Hospital bag )
- Lots of sanitary napkins (Hospital bag )
- A cleaning bottle to use after you use the rest room.
- Mesh or Stretch panties.
- Sheets to sit till your bleeding stops. You don't want to stain your bedsheets.
- Postpartum support waist band (to keep your tummy in place and not stand out after delivery)
- Please get a strip of stool softener tablets and ibuprofen just in case you may need it. If they stitch you up you cannot be constipated and you need the stool softener. Sometimes they ask you to take ibuprofen too for helping you through the first couple of days. They say that there is a small percentage of ibuprofen that gets into your breast milk but thats ok ..Just use it for 3 days after delivery and thats it.
- Palmers coco butter cream for removing stretch marks
- Nipple balm  (helps soften the nipple after feeding).
- Towels and toiletries to use on delivery day ( Hospital bag )
- Bathroom slippers to use on delivery day. ( Hospital bag )

For baby
- Subscribe to Amazon mom  and subscribe and save on  diapers and other stuff
- Get a lot of full cotton/fleece sleep and play full pyjamas for baby.  I  preferred pajamas with zippers instead of buttons for ease of use.
- Get onepiece dress with footies , without footies, onsies and bodysuits. Dont get things with ropes etc or button near the chest as babies tend to put it in their mouth. (Hospital bag pack atleast 20 dresses)
- Hats and mittens to protect ears and hands (Hospital bag - pack one pair each)
- Receiving blankets(Hospital bag -3)
- Swaddle blankets (Hospital bag - 3 )
- Fleece blankets (Hospital bag - 2  )
- Wash cloths (Hospital bag - 10-15)
- Newborn diapers. I have tried huggies snug and dry brand but there are multiple brands to explore . Some people go for organic diapers too. I tried pampers organic diapers for some time but I found that it gave out some white white particles after an hour or 2-3 pees of the baby. I also tried using cloth diapers but it didnt suite my baby.(Hospital bag - 36 diapers ..usually its good to  change every 2 hours)
- Dreft laundry detergent to use for washing baby clothes in washer. Dont use any fabric softners for baby clothes in dryer.
- Wipes  (please get unscented ones) (Hospital bag - 1 bag)
- Baby monitor
- Baby lotion (again get unscented ones - I liked Aveeno)
- Baby wash (tear free Aveeno)
- Use kasturi manjal on babies during bath to prevent lot of hair growth in hands, legs and forehead
- Coconut oil. I used parachute oil while giving my daughter a bath so that her skin does not dry out.
- Bath tub
- Humidifier ...babies nose often gets dried out ...esp if we use the heater during winter.
- Suction bulb to get mucus out of baby nose. I did not use this though . I used a clean vesti cloth ..made it into a needle shape stick and pulled out the mucus.
- Hand sanitizes if you want to use them. Please get organic unscented ones if possible. I never used it ..we used to wash hands before we handled the baby.
- Get a diaper rash cream just in case.
- Keep a thermometer for sure. You need it for a long time . Better to get one that we can use to check temperature on the forehead.
- Baby vicks vapour rub
- Gripe water . In case the baby has gas you can give it to the baby for relief .
- Saline nose drops. I use the drop on my daughter everyday to prevent infections.
- Infant Tylenol ..you dont get this everywhere. I got it in CVS pharmacy.
- Infant nail clipper to cut their nails
- Baby towels (Hospital bag -1)
- Cone sambrani. After giving a hair wash I used to apply sambrani for her so that her hair drys faster and sambrani prevents baby from catching a cold. I got it from madras groceries in Sunnyvale.
- Naatu marundhu or home made remedies from India.
- Diaper bag!!!
- Changing pads for baby. I had one that came with the diaper bag and got a couple of rubber sheets from India and a $40 sheet from tiny tots in Campbell!
- Washing brush from India to scrub baby soiled clothes or blankets before washing

On the Delivery day
- I took a fully charged laptop to watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S series during my labour period. It made the labour fun. (Hospital bag )
- Dont forget to take camera and ipad or tablet for taking videos. (Hospital bag )
- Pack clothes for  husband and mom too.
- Carseat and stroller are a must ... without which they wont discharge the baby in the hospital
- keep some snacks just in case. (if not for you ..waiting  husband or parents may need it)
- Birth plan (You may not be in a mood to think rationally) . The birth plan will list down your preferences or choice of delivery. You can submit it to your doctor before delivery too so that the nurse/doctor who will be there for your delivery will know your preferences from the file
- Keep your documents (ID proof and insurance ready to take)

Also choose a pediatrician before delivery as you need to give the doctor's name to the hospital when the baby is born. The pediatrician will see the baby the next day after baby is born.

For the house
- Drying rack maybe to dry baby clothes that you need immediately
- Setup room such that it will be easy to manage after coming home from hospital.

Good shops that I got stuff from
- Tiny tots in Campbell
- Baby land in sanjose
- Toys r us / Babies r us
- Motherhood maternity
- Naidu hall in Chennai,India
- Elcamino hospital store for mothers and newborns