For reasons I don't understand, my midwife insists that I have on hand a stack of ten flannel receiving blankets when baby is born. For Savannah I got by just fine with four or five. I don't like to have extra of most things around unless it's part of an emergency supply (like canned goods, medical supplies and of course, my stash of fabric). But, I finally gave in and made a stack of four new receiving blankets for baby to add to the pile I already had leftover from Savannah.
As well as some double-sided burp cloths with fabric I had leftover from a gift to another mom last year.
Every savvy mom knows that you can't go around making new things for baby unless you make something for the G.O. (genuine original, aka, big) sibling too. So, Miss Savannah got two new fabric belts. One is made from Amy Butler's pink Wallflower fabric. This belt is three fabric layers thick and 3/4" wide and is super cute on her with her new jeans.
The second is an all-scrap belt made with two layers plus batting for strength and is 1" wide. They both do a great job of holding up her pants on her skinny little waist so she doesn't get plumber's butt - a common occurrence when she isn't wearing a belt.
And, I made a little something for Mommy as well. In many countries there is a long tradition of belly binding after birth. The purpose is to restore the body to its original shape as quickly as possible while providing support for the stretched stomach muscles that must realign and tighten again as well as the lower back, which is stressed more with picking up baby at a time when it is weakest (due to those stretched tummy muscles). They also help restore stretched out skin to its original shape and help mothers maintain good posture. Unfortunately, unless you live in LA or NYC, you can't try on a belly binder, you have to special order them and they are non-returnable items, which stinks if you don't get the correct size since the prices range from $60-110. So, I made my own out of a soft washable pima cotton with organic cotton batting for strength (both scraps from other projects). We'll have to see how it goes, I may end up shelling out the dough for one of the expensive ones anyway but I'm eager to try mine out. Belly binders are usually worn for 2 weeks to 2 months post delivery. In Mexico a belly binder is called a "faja" and in Japan a "sarashi". In some regions, women see a special belly binder whose job it is just to bind women or fit them for a binder.
My belly binder has a 2" velcro strip that can attach to a patch of velcro on the other side that is 4" wide. I hope the 4" strip gives me enough flexibility but in case it doesn't, I can add on another 2". It is 9" tall or wide so it will stretch from the top of my hip girdle to just beneath my lower ribs. Usually bellies shrink by 5" after delivery and then very slowly thereafter, although belly binding is supposed to speed up this recovery process and restore the body to its original shape faster.