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WHEN IT COMES to being pregnant, or parenting a newborn, everyone’s just figuring things out as they go. That’s why it can be so helpful to hear how other people are getting through the mess of it all, from the first nappy change to the countless sleepless nights.
Our Newborn and Baby Parents Panel is made up of parents and parents-to-be, all raising little ones aged up to 24 months.
This week, we asked parents to share the most practical pregnancy gifts they've received or given - from pampering products to use post-birth to hospital bag essentials.
Here are some of the best answers:
The maternity bag essentials: Knowing from experience, the essential items for your maternity bag make great gifts. You’re going around getting everything for the baby and then you need to think of what you might need when you’re in hospital. There's an Irish company called Ulluv which offers pre-packaged gifts of maternity bag essentials - shower stuff, a water bottle, a towel and so on. It takes one less job off an expectant mammy’s list.
- Kathryn Walsh
A stack of nappies and wipes: One of the most practical gifts we were given was a huge stack of nappies, baby wipes and non-bio washing detergent. At the time when we were handed the gift, I thought, “Wow, this is different,” but honestly it came in so handy.
- Claire Kodjo
A water bottle that keeps liquids cool: The single most practical gift I gave to myself, based on its near cult following, was this Klean Kanteen insulated tumbler. It keeps my drink hot for hours. When our son first arrived, I was constantly leaving cups of tea or coffee around the place and forgetting about them. This tumbler is spill-proof when the lid is closed, and can be used one-handed, plus when you stumble on it again in the afternoon, there is a strong chance it’s still hot enough to drink. I’ve since gifted it to other new mums, and they also say it was the most practical thing they received and how much they appreciate the hot tea!
- Jess Mushanksi
Shower and skincare miniatures: My sister-in-law gave me a bag of miniature Molton Brown shower gels and body lotions. That first shower after having baby is great. You are just so hot and sweaty and it was so good to have really nice products to use!
- Valerie Murray
A post-birth cooling spray for down there: Only yesterday I gave my sister in law a present of Spritz for Bits by My Expert Midwife. I'd consider it a post-natal must have.
- Orlaith Hogan
Hand-me-down baby equipment: A really practical thing to do for an expectant mother is to let her know what baby equipment you can pass on to her. So much of it is used for such a short time that it makes sense to share equipment.
- Aisling Drake
Face masks and spa vouchers: When I’m giving presents to expectant mams, I like to give a nice face mask or spa voucher or similar small treats that might make them feel more like themselves for a while! It's not practical, but it really but helps keep mum-to-be calm and relaxed!
- Siobhan Mehigan
The perfect breastfeeding pillow: One really practical gift I got that I've used over and over is a Boppy breastfeeding pillow. I used it ALL the time for breastfeeding. Iit really helps with back support, especially if your baby likes to snooze while having a feed! I still use it now for her to sit in as she’s not quite steady enough to sit up when I leave her on her own. At eight months old, it’s been used every day since day zero. Best practical gift ever!
- Niamh Roche
And a voucher for her favourite salon or hairdresser: For the mammy-to-be, a massage, nails or any beauty treatment would be nice. I know when I had my son and finally got around to getting my hair done I felt so much better.
- Paula Lynch
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It was agreed in a meeting between the HSE and IMO, why didn’t the IMO tell their members?
I will wait for the IMO to come out and explain all this
Ridiculous that GPs can reinstate medical cards. They are hardly objective when treating their own patients and this approach results in the old system of he who shouts the loudest getting a medical card. Or as happened in FF’s time, you simply wrote to a TD to get a medical card.
2 million medical cards in the country. Onwards and upwards from here – let’s make it 3 million !
well done FG/LAB…you have even managed to make GPs look stupid – that’s not a good idea because they are not !
Please Sean just wait, the truth will out.
Great to see that Michael Healy Rae got his degree in medicine …. and he wearing the cap and all …humility on a grand scale !
I call BS, I work for a GP, we certainly have never heard of it….. But I could give lists of cases where people who really need and deserve medical cards are still bein messed about by PCRS…. So Varadkar now resorts to lies, one word comes to mind…. Disgusting…. The whole lot of them should be ashamed of the human cost of austerity forced into our most vulnerable. How many more people will consider suicide like that poor young guy in Galway? It’s really distressing listening to people who are already ill become hopeless in the face of the incompetent stonewalling of the HSE….
Cathy. My GP described this possibility to me last year. If he knew about it, I’m sure that your employer was also told about it.
There are stats on GPs using their reinstatment power…so clearly some GPs did get it. A chat with 50 GPs along the lines of ‘did you read such a letter in 2011-2012?’ does not go anywhere near a representative number of GPs in ireland (rep. about only 2% of them). So obvious some GPs did receive and read the letter…the lack of the latter being the most likely cause of confusion in this case.
My practice staff can confirm that not only could they not reinstate a card once it had expired, but when they telephoned the PCRS they were told that the patient would have to complete another application form regardless of their personal circumstances
We were promised it but it never happened. Another false dawn.
So not 1 gp actually read the agreement? Highly unlikely
Sorry, I can categorically state it was never said to our GP, do you not think that we would have used it for patients with cancer? Or an autistic child? It would have been used if it was policy….
Also, they are giving more discretionary powers to local HSE offices…. That’s the way it used to be done, ridiculous to wrap it up as a ‘new’ measure, it’s nothing of the sort!!!!
You’d swear they were gearing up for an election or something with all these ‘new’ anouncements.
Would GP’s have the same criterias as HSE and people would have to send their GP all the personal info re income and other data to be read? And if unfair dismissal of the card whom should one ask for a revision?
Is there any end to this government’s stupidity, even there “supposedly good news stories” are full of glaring holes and not properly thought out.
get’s broken down in the translation from German to English ….
Michael This does not hold true in the waiting room. Here we all wait and join the queue. If you ring to make an appointment you are given a time but when you get to the clinic you give your name at reception and you join the queue. It does not matter whether you are a private or Medical Card patient. Only Medical emergencies get priority and thankfully that is a rare enough occurrence. But otherwise you wait ….. and wait.
Plonkers!!
That’s given GPs a open check book – hey buddy come 1000 times a year
We are not paid per visit so that argument doesn’t hold up. I can state categorically that it is not possible to reinstate a medical card. I use the HSEs system and it doesn’t have this functionality. No circular came re this. Why would I spend previous time writing begging letters to the HSE if I could just reinstate cards with one click ?????
Point of information. GPs are paid an annual fee for looking after each patient regardless of the number of consultations. We don’t get paid per visit or house call during surgery hours. 2012 OECD data forecasted to 2014 after 2013 FEMPI will show us amongst the lowest earning GPs in the OECD as a proportion of average income. HSE administration amongst the highest earning.
These comments represent all regular GPs inhabiting planet earth. HSE comments must be referring to virtual GPs in satellite clinics.
My mother who is 83 and has very bad Dementia, has had her medical card removed. The forms to reinstate it would stop a qualified accountant in his tracks.
Surely to God Gov. knew this and if not why not. Imagine announcing something already in place whole Gov. should hang their heads in shame. How come Drs that knew about it didn’t say a word when parents came on radio/tv to appeal for help for seriously ill children.
Shame can be spread around on this one.
Do you actually believe government media releases. When were they ever fair or honest regarding GPs? I must commend their ability to produce black propaganda in order to distract attention away from reality.
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