Annie is 4 months pregnant with her first baby, but she needs your help.
In what should be a lovely time celebrating a much wanted pregnancy, Annie has been struggling with the impact of Covid-19. She sadly lost her grandmother a few weeks ago, and not only that, her mother has contracted the virus too and is currently in hospital.
Annie is the only girl in her family and without being able to see her mother, she isn't able to properly enjoy her pregnancy and prepare for the baby's arrival. So she sent an email to Mairead to ask the Today FM listeners for advice on what exactly she needs before the baby's born, and we got a massive response!
Here's a sample of what you recommended:
- Tell that lady she needs muslin cloths lots and lots of muslin cloths!! From Tommy.
- Tell Annie to check out ULLUV. She will provide her a hospital bag online, and she does a wonderful business.
- Tell that girl to join mum Tribe Ireland on Instagram. They have a chat group for pregnant ladies.
- A sling is invaluable!
- Byggebo in Navan can do private appointments for essential items. The store is just beautiful. Check them out on Instagram
- I'd highly recommend your pregnant listener looks into cloth nappies. Stay at home dad here and we've used reusable cloth nappies on our 18-month-old. 200 quid in total is all we've spent on nappies up front. They are machine washable and they'll last all of our kids, and are available on amazon. Also check out cloth nappy library Ireland. They do a rental scheme for a couple of weeks so you can try before you buy.
- Breast Pads!!! Flight socks to reduce swollen ankles!!!! Wear them now. Almond oil to get your bits ready..... Enjoy all the peace you are having now, you will never have it again!!! Sarah
- That lady Annie needs to order buggy now as the good ones have 3 month wait time all produced in China. Essentials we found great are a microwave sterilizer for bottles, Moses basket was so useful, she can order little plastic drawer units for a wardrobe to have compartments ready for all the massive amount of clothes and sizes that will come in, made a huge difference to have somewhere ready to put each size as first few months fly by.
- Breast pump, lots of vests and baby grows, bottles and a sanitizer (plug in or microwave). If she's getting a mosses basket just go to Aldi - they had a baby special last week.
- Hi Mairead, first time mum due in 3 weeks I'm here trying to sort the final bits. Tell Annie to try littleangels.ie, Bellababy.ie and Smyths toys online. Also look out for ALDI and Lidl baby events for things like Muslin cloths.
- Antenatalonline.ie are good online antenatal classes to do. I did them with my first so my party could watch them too and you can also watch them when you have your baby and forget things like how to bath the baby!!
- The best thing I got as a baby gift was a small egg shaped touch lamp. It has different tones and light levels, so good for night feeding.
- I have a 14-week-old and had very little bought, but since he has arrived I find the most useful things are the changing table with a built in bath. It really prevents you bending as you need to take care of your back. Also the play mat so handy for tummy time. Carmel.
- Baby grows with poppers in the middle, not back side or diagonal. They're a nightmare to put on!
- This is totally not a necessity, but we had our first baby in December and bought a Sleepyhead bed for him. It was honestly one of the best purchases as he could sleep in it at night, during the day, when we were visiting or sleeping over in his grandparents house and he knew no different.
- Hi Mairead, 3 babies later I'm a pro! Maternity hospitals are like saunas so light dressing gowns and flip flops. Dunnes Stores is still open for all baby needs. Hold off on investing in a breast pump or large quantities of bottles, wait and see what works for you in hospital first! Join "Eumom" and "New Mammies Ireland" on Facebook and post your questions there. Enjoy this time!
- I would recommend getting a V Shaped pillow. I found it amazing support for placing the baby in and holding the baby in your arms. Would be lost without it. Kay
Tune in to Mairead Ronan weekdays from 12pm.
