7QT: What to Give a Grand (or Great Grand) Multipara

It's Friday!!  Linking up with Kelly and Friends to bring you seven gift ideas for moms of many.

When I was in labor with Alexander (baby #5) the nurse and midwife referred to me as a grand multipara, and I was like "Mmmm, what now?"  So for those of you who are as clueless as I was, here's a couple definitions:

A grand multipara is a woman who has already delivered five or more infants who have achieved a gestational age of 24 weeks or more, and such women are traditionally considered to be at higher risk than the average in subsequent pregnancies.

A great grand multipara has delivered seven or more infants beyond 24 weeks of gestation.

Crazy that I'm about to become a great grand mutipara.  Nothing makes someone feel old than adding GREAT GRAND in front of their title.  Anyway, this title seems to be given to less moms nowadays (since the average number of children is 2.5) and so I will proudly claim my place in this exclusive club.  We are the moms who have walked this road plenty of times before...we know everything there is to know about mothering (not)...and we don't need any help (opposite)...or any new items for baby's arrival (wrong).  

I've never had a "Sprinkle" for any of my babies, in fact I didn't even know the term until a couple of years ago.  I'm kind of opposed to them though (and not just because I didn't have any!)  My feeling is that people have the opportunity to give a gift when the baby is born and/or Baptized and a sprinkle is a little bit...much?  I can see the value in one when you have kids of one gender and then have your first of the opposite gender.  That makes sense.  

We had a very nice baby shower while John-Paul was in utero and we got pretty much everything we needed to keep a baby alive.  Subsequent babies used his hand-me-downs and knowing my high fertility rate, we haven't gotten rid of our baby items.  That being said, some of those items are in need of replacing and there are some new gadgets (like this gem) out there that I think moms of many could use.

1)

A New Bag

Not quite a purse, not quite a diaper bag...some sort of tote that works for everything.  Phil just gifted me that Brahmin bag above similar to this one for our anniversary.  I lurve it longtime.  I don't like lugging around a baby in a carseat + my bag + a diaper bag.  Give me one less thing to carry and my life just got infinitely easier.

2)

Diapers

Sixth babies need diapers.

Because no matter how many times you have a new baby, you always need new diapers.  Unless you use cloth diapers.  But even then, I think a new baby could mean you need a couple new ones.  For us, we lived, learned, and got Luvs.  We do spoil our babies with Pampers Swaddlers in the beginning, they're just so great for little tushies.  But then they get Luvs once they hit size 2.  

3)

Feeding Stuff

I don't know about you all, but once a few kids have used bibs, burp clothes, sippy cups and baby spoons...they are a mess.  The cups and spoons get all chewed up, the bibs and burp cloths are stained, and it would be nice to have a few fresh items.  I'm not picky about any of these things...function over fashion.

4)

Swaddling Accessories

Breaking out of the swaddle.

I think the swaddling trend comes and goes, but we love to swaddle our babies while they sleep.  To me it just makes sense...they are all squished up and warm in the womb and sleep perfectly fine in there, why not try and replicate it when they make their worldly appearance.  We discovered this swaddler with Declan which we loved, and these blankies make awesome impromptu nursing covers/swaddling cloths/burp cloths.  

5)

Pacifiers and Such

Don't even thinky about taking my binky.

We always push the pacifier on our babies because I'm not available 24/7 to nurse, and though thumb suckers are absolutely adorable, it's a hard and dirty habit to break (ask me how I know).  We only use these pacifiers for our kids and a cute clip to attach it to their clothes or bib is a germy lifesaver.  I've never tried the animal pacifier combos, but they look cute too!

6)

A Gift Just for Mom

Wow I have a lot of kids.

I'm not big on massages, but a haircut or pedicure does wonders for a weary mama's soul.  Give her a gift certificate to get pampered since she probably feels like the Old Woman in the Shoe, with so many kids she doesn't know what to do.  Giving her the gift of "me time" is precious.  And every mom needs a few new items of clothing after the baby is born because NOTHING FITS OR LOOKS GOOD and it's very depressing.  A new pair of jeans in a size bigger than normal can make all the flattering difference in the world.  If you know that mom well, a gift card to her favorite clothing store works well, but if you aren't sure of her preference, a gift card to any store (even amazon or target or the grocery store) will help alleviate any financial worries that may accompany having a new baby to care for.  

7)

Meals, Meals, Meals

I can't even begin to explain the wonderful gift that is meals after a baby arrives.  My two easiest and best recoveries were after babies that I had a bunch of meals delivered by friends.  My friend Michelle arranges the Meal Train for our church, and it's pretty much worth having a baby just to get the meals for two weeks.  Kidding.  Sort of.  The maternity leave from work is a nice plus too :)

Well, my seven are up.  Haha, SevenUp.  What would you add to the list?  Have a sunny and fun-filled weekend everybody!