Today, I had the unfathomable task of getting my 6 week old baby and myself from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan's East side on NYC's subway system. First stop though, was at Jay St. Metro tech for some much delayed college errands!
Considering my many years of experience riding the subway, I kind of had an idea of what to expect thus, I tried to prepare accordingly.
Although this would only be my second time back on the subway since the day I went into actual labor, I recalled the many times I saw moms struggling to get on the trains or up and down staircases with their huge strollers. I remember I always told myself, "Don't you ever put yourself through that!"
The first thing I decided was definitely no stroller; on the baby carrier she goes! Second, being that I am exclusively breastfeeding, I made sure to thaw out a bottle of my expressed breast milk to have handy in case I find myself in a situation where I can't nurse. Lastly, I made sure to pack myself a turkey and cheese sandwich along with some fruits, hey mommy's gotta eat too! (This was one of the best things I would recommend all moms to do! When you are on the go running multiple errands with a baby on tote, the last thing you have a chance to do is stop somewhere to grab something to eat. Also, it saves you time and money! I literally ate lunch while nursing my baby as I waited to be called in to see my doctor...multi-tasking at it's best!)
Being a New Yorker and subway rider, I was surprised by the amount of pleasant encounters I had on this trip. First an older lady was kind enough to direct me to the elevator when she saw me about to go up the stairs. Later when I was walking on the street looking for the train station for my next route, a lady seemed to notice I was lost and gave me directions to the train station I was looking for. Then, while riding on the train, apparently I overdressed my baby because she started to cry hysterically. The lady sitting next to me said, "she's hot, don't remove her hat just open up her jacket a little bit." Then she went on to tell me how she had experienced that with her first baby and that as new moms we tend to overdress our babies when in reality we should dress them with as many layers as we would dress ourselves because they too get hot. Especially since I had my baby in the carrier, my body heat was already keeping her warm. The lady and I had the most friendliest conversation I had ever had with a stranger on a nyc subway, EVER!
So what would I most definitely recommend to mommies out there looking to take on the mission of riding NYC subways with your new baby:
1) Pack light, only bare necessities (Hopefully if you are breastfeeding as I am that will help.)
2) Pack yourself a lunch and/or some snacks
3) Consider taking your baby on a carrier instead of a stroller. (This will eliminate the hassle of getting on and off trains, you won't have to think about stations that do not have elevators, your baby will keep warm close to you, not to mention people are more eager to give up there seat for you being that you are physically carrying your baby, you won't get the nasty stares of passengers bothered by your stroller, and you will get a nice cardio workout especially if you are a walker like me.)
4) Keep your wallet and metro card in an easy access pocket.
5) Hopefully you will be as lucky as I was and run into some helpful and encouraging fellow superwomen!
Riding on the same exact train I had taken on that last day before I went into labor, I had no idea how different the whole experience would be after the birth of my baby until today...
...Sew this is life!
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