The newborn days were rough for me, especially as a first time mom! My days were filled with around the clock pumping and breastfeeding, hours of rocking and resettling, and back to back days of appointments and lack of sleep. My brain was becoming foggy, and the days becoming messier and messier, but luckily, I was able to organize my days and thoughts with several apps that literally saved my sanity.
Therefore, today I am going to introduce my most highly used apps that I recommend moms download during the newborn phase! Please note that none of this post is sponsored and all apps were downloaded at my own free will and with my own money!
280 Days was the first app I downloaded when I found out I was pregnant! This cutely designed application gives you information about pregnancy week by week. You can read about symptoms you may be experiencing, your baby's activity and growth, and also tips for dads. If you are more organized than I am, you can even write diary entries and record photos. I loved checking in week by week and reading the encouraging and cute messages!
BABY SLEEP
Your baby has spent nine months inside your body, listening to the rush of your blood, the working of your organs, and the pumping of your heart. So, while you may prefer dead silence to sleep, babies often need white noise, which triggers a calming effect. Also, the white noise will filter out a lot of other household noise, and can also be used as a positive sleep association. White noise literally saved my sanity. As a newborn, when I would turn it on, Aki would instantly close her eyes. If I want her to wake up, all I need to do is turn down the white noise. When she was a newborn, she enjoyed the utero sound, but now we play the vacuum sound during naps and sleep.
BABY TRACKER
I didn't know just how much tracking I would need to do in the beginning days. For example, how many wet diapers did she have, when's the last time they poo'd, how many hours of awake time did she have, how long did she nurse, and the list goes on and on. With the sleep deprivation, I couldn't even remember what I ate two minutes ago, or if I even ate at all! The Baby Tracker app literally kept me from looking like an idiot in front of the doctors and midwives when they would ask for the average amount of feeds and a day and how many times we change her diapers. The best part about this app, however, is that it can be shared. So, my husband and I can both record things in the app from our respective phones! So, while I'm at work, I can open the app and see if she is sleeping and how much she ate. It's our most used app, aside from baby sleep, to date!
THE WONDER WEEKS
The baby tracker app helped us get on a schedule, but sometimes, no matter how on schedule we were, Aki would act uncharacteristically. For example, she would sleep less than usual, eat more than usual, and so, The Wonder Weeks help, help explain for changes in behavior you may be experiencing. These changes are due to mental leaps and the baby's development. When babies learn new skills, it often disrupts their sleeping and eating, and therefore, overall mood. Opening the app, and seeing that she's fussy because of mental development, really helped me to not blame myself. I would ask myself if "I was doing something wrong" because she's crying so much or wakes us 4-5 times a night. Baby's are growing at such a fast rate, and the changes are hard for them to cope with, but the Wonder Weeks really help me to understand how to support her during these leaps.
MAMAMAP マママップ
As a new mom, I was deathly afraid of traveling outside the home with Aki. I was scared to breastfeed in public, and what if she poo'd?! Luckily, this app called MAMAMAPS has information and location of places to change diapers, breastfeed, and rest with your baby! Now, I can feel confident knowing where and what places have amenities that are available to help me take care of Aki in a pinch! I highly recommend downloading MAMAMAPS if you live in Japan!
BONUS
MILESTONES
I always enjoy looking ahead and seeing what new skills my baby is learning! Also, knowing what is coming ahead will help me support her in obtaining that skills. The milestones app, has descriptions about what milestones your baby should or will be hitting month by month!
TODY
Between taking care of a baby and myself, our apartment started to look like a tornado hit it. Luckily, with TODY, we can assign cleaning tasks and a cleaning schedule to help us slowly make our way through the mess. I like TODY because it's sharable and also has reminders. So, now my husband and I aren't recleaning the same areas or forgetting things either!
UBER EATS
I was literally in bed 90% of the day during the first few months of Aki's life. I couldn't put her down, so there was no way I was going to be able to cook three times a day. So, Ubereats changed my life! I was able to order delicious foods and have the deliverer drop the meal at my door (no thank you to super loud doorbells when I spent an hour putting Aki to sleep). While, sometimes it is a bit expensive, the convenience was worth every penny! Plus, due to the pandemic, a lot of restaurants are now participating in delivery and takeout, so the app is not just full of fast food and junk. Also, there are free delivery deals and also a free delivery pass now!
YOUTUBE
I mentioned before, I was in bed 90% of the day. How did I keep my sanity? By watching YouTube! You could also substitute YouTube with Netflix or any video streaming service, but YouTube was my companion during the days where my arm was trapped under a sleeping baby! Also, with YouTube premium, there aren't any commercials or ads, which is great, especially if you want to use YouTube for your white noise machine!
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