soon to be New Parent butterflies

I've got to say, the book we most heavily relied on that first year was What to Expect in the First Year. We consulted that (esp me as the SAH parent) on a daily basis, I think! :) There are also websites I consulted on a regular basis, that I will PM you. You might also look into taking a parenting class, like through your area hospital or community ed center. I know that is what quelled a lot of my sister's fears when she and my BIL were about to become first time parents. Oh, and about the essential nutrients - don't worry, all formulas are specifically designed to give babies all the nutrients they need. Most of all, take a deep breath and tell yourself you can do it! Have your pediatrician's office on speed dial along with the numbers of your closest "BTDT mom" friends or relations and just know that all of us have had that same feeling of "oh my GOSH, I'm a MOMMY now and totally responsible for EVERYTHING!" :eek: :p Good luck to you! Heather

lol, sorry, but your post brought back all those emotions :) . we had absolutely no clue what we were doing. we'd taken an adoptive babycare class from Pact, but we were sooo clueless. When I placed dd in the car on the way to the hotel from the hospital, I just begged her to be kind. the first thing we did was buy a ton of parenting books, but I liked a What to expect the first year best, though dd really didn't follow their developmental chart (she had her own plans, lol). I also liked the book put out by the folks who did Baby Bargains I think, Baby 411 . I mostly relied on my parenting skills with the cats -that got me pretty far, though I asked many a dumb question on these boards. what's great about babies is that their needs are very basic: you don't drop or throw them, you feed them when they scream, and you change their diapers often (dh has trouble remembering this one). Other than that you just hold them and love them. You'll read a ton when you have these books at 2:30 am when your child has a weird rash and you want to know if they're going to make it :) . Since i kept waking up to see if she was still alive (only a tad paranoid), I read a ton those first 6 months :) . you'll be fine. Lisa

You will do great! Most valued book for me, without question, Your Baby's First Year, which addressed all health/medicine issues, published by The American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Shelov, M.D, M.S. F.A.A.P, Editor. Got it from Pediatrician when dd was born; used it for babe 2 and still using it everytime I have a question. Next, The Baby Book by Dr. Sears. Addressed every other question, feeding, sleeping, crying, wearing, development, etc.; he is a strong proponent of attachment parenting, most of which I used with both of my kids and worked well for us.

Thank you so much, everyone! I've just gone on and added these books to my registry. I had no idea where to start! Thank you!

No baby experience for either of us. We also took Pact's baby care class for adoptive parents and are sooooo glad we did. We felt much more at ease (ha ha) and not so silly after meeting a room full of people just like us. My favorite question of the day from another attendee, "So where, EXACTLY, does the diaper cream go?" We also had What Expect the First Year book and found it helpful, but we often cross referenced it with Dr. Sear's book and with the Mayo Clinic's Guide to Pregnancy and Baby's First Year. The Mayo book was a hand me down, so the pregnancy part was only interesting in that I could read it along with babe's birthmother's pregnancy's progress. However, the section on baby's first year was terrific. Down to earth advise, and frankly not too wordy. I disliked baby books that are preachy, or beat you ever the head to make a point. A life saver book for us, Calming Your Fussy Baby, the Brazelton Way. It's a small book and again not too many words- a very good thing when baby is screaming. It heped more than all the others when our babe was colicy.

Just my vote for the book: What to Expect in the First Year. It was/is very, very comprehensive and resourceful.

I loved Dr. Sears "The Baby Book" and "Taking Care of Your Child" by Pantell, Fries and Vickery (all MDs). The second book has great step by step charts on everything and explained birth, newborn care, etc. really well. You might also look into a new parents class at your local hospital, they can be very informative. BTW Colustrum is first breast milk, it's function is to boost immunity. Unless the child is breastfeeding from biological mom, though, there is no immunity benefit and no supplement or other breast milk can replace it. As for vitamins, they should not be given during first year unless directed by your ped. Almost all babies get their proper vitamins, minerals, nutrition from their formula/breastmilk and as they get older, first foods. Best of luck! Regina

The What to Expect books were great for me! I am now onto the Toddler Years version and it is equally wonderful. We put our baby (adopted 5 months internationally so older) on the Poly Vi Sol which used to only be available by prescription but is now sold over the counter. Talk to your pediatrican about what you should be doing to prepare for bringing home baby! All the best, Christina

First of all: Congratulations!! We adopted our first son at age 7 1/2 months (he's now 4) and our second son at age 7 weeks (he's now 7 months). The first one was especially challenging, since we were preparing for a 2-4 year old, not a baby. From referral to placement we had one week to prepare everything from clothes to room and figuring out how to feed him, without causing him permanent damage. We checked with a pediatrician and a pediatric nurse to get an idea, got a list of foods he ate from the foster mother and read anything I could get my hands on. Since I live in Israel and couldn't get my hands on English language books, I had a bit of a problem. But, my son survived and thrives. With the little one we had even less time to prepare: two days from referral to taking him home. But, at his age all he needed was formula. I did buy the Dr. Spock baby book and have to say it wasn't all that helpful. It's to vague.. Don't worry. You will do just fine. Use whatever information you find as a guideline and after that, trust your instincs and use common sense.