The Great Pram Debacle

The bad luck charm on 3 wheels
(not our actual pram, but same model)

OK, so a long time ago, we were given a pram...

We were still in our first year of marriage and just starting our journey of (mis)conception. We were given a pram, a stroller and a car seat from my husband's mother. They were used by her partner's daughter back in 2004(?).  I wasn't overly pleased with the kind donation because it represented all the pressure from the in-laws to get on the reproduction wagon, and I found it quite invasive. But we kept them in the back shed for years, gathering dust, mice poo and snail trails.

At the beginning of this year, I convinced my husband to get rid of the car seat as mice had found some forgotten crumbs under the seat lining and eaten the stuffing under the seat. I was also concerned that it didn't meet current Australian Safety Standards. But I had this weird thing that it was like a bad luck charm because of the all the expectations it represented. And what do you know? Two weeks after we threw it in the bin, I found out I was pregnant. A coincidence? :)

But we still held on to the pram and stroller.

I don't have a problem with the stroller. It's easy to fold. It's light and it's simple to use. But the pram is heavy (more than 12kg), incredibly bulky and doesn't lock when it's folded down. It also isn't reversible, which is something I really wanted so the baby could face me when it was very young. The tyres were also flat.

I hated this pram!

I loathed the idea of having to lug this thing around to do the shopping or go out for coffee. Or even pushing it around the shops. I gave my husband an ultimatum, that he clean the mice poo and snail trails and fix the tyres, or I would just go out and buy a pram to suit myself.

Well, to his credit, he did just that. So now I have to eat my words and we're keeping the pram.

I have, however, booked a pram and capsule combination for hire. It's a Babylove Snap n Go Capsule and Aurora pram and it costs $200 to hire for 6 months. This will give us time to work out if the free pram is actually worth keeping. It also gives us time to work out what kind of long term pram/stroller we would need, if we do end up buying one.

After all the research I did on prams, I'm happy with this option. If we bought that option at retail it would be more than $400, and we could quite possibly want to get rid of it after 6 months to find something  more suitable anyway. Capsules are just ridiculously expensive!



All images used in this post are not my own. They have been taken from a google image search. Please contact me if you want them to be removed.

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Choosing the all important pram

A few years ago, we were given a pram, which I'm not convinced is very useful to me. So I'm beginning the intimidating task of researching prams. There are so many brands with so many features, but more importantly, they're so expensive! So, it's not a decision I want to make lightly.

Here are some suggestions to help you with your pram choice.

Get some practical advice.

Talk to your friends or family who have recently had babies and ask them what they found useful and the purchases they regret. They are always helpful with advice for buying prams and what to look for in a pram.

Now, what next?
Start doing some research on the internet. Check out forums and product reviews. Try this website, it has a little selection guide where you can select the features that you're looking for in a pram. It then shows you the results with a table of features and the prices.

Also, check out pram tips, it helps you define what you need in a pram which then helps you decide on which features are most important to you and which features you don't need.

Prams can range from budget ($200 - $400), mid range ($600-$800) or razzle dazzle ( >$1000). One piece of advice I've taken on is, don't be fooled by the brand or price tag. Just because it looks fancy doesn't mean it has the features you need, and you may be paying more for features you don't want.

Once you've kind of worked out what you need in a pram, go into a store and ask the sales assistant to show you prams that meet your requirements and what features you think you need most. She'll give you invaluable advice and comparisons that websites can't really offer, like wheel traction and demonstrating how to collapse and open the frames. Simple things like that can make your decision in a snap.


How do I work this out?
OK, so I went to Baby Bunting yesterday, and the sales assistant was absolutely brilliant. Make sure you ask the assistant to demonstrate how to use the features, like swapping bassinets and seats, how to use the brakes, collapsing and opening the pram.

She gave me a lot to think about, so I've been researching pram brands all night. I created my own comparison table and used a grading system. I was able to determine which features were most important, which changed dramatically from what I initially wanted.

1. Budget - less than $800
2. Lightweight - less than 10kg, easy to lift in and out of car. Look for aluminium frames, not steel.
3. Suitable from birth
4. Reversible Seat - important for when bubs is very young.
5. Travel system compatible - Just clip the capsule from car to pram, not waking sleeping baby.
6. All terrain - to be used for walks around the neighbourhood and shopping centres
7. Compact when folded, small enough for shopping centres.

I'm ready to buy, now what?
Don't forget that you could be lucky enough to find a second hand pram on eBay or gumtree. I've found a couple of prams (good brands) that were only 3-6 months old, but they were a bit too far to pick up. If the price is really good, it may be worth organising a courier to pick it up for you.

Otherwise, find a good baby store like Baby Bunting and take advantage of their lay-by system, which is a massive bonus as you don't have to pay upfront like on the internet.

Will keep you posted on the pram purchase...

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5 weeks

5 weeks - embryo is the the size of an orange seed.

I downloaded the "What to Expect when You're Expecting" app and discovered that our embryo has grown from the size of a poppy seed to an orange seed in a week. They grow so fast :)

Positive signs
Every morning I remember to take my temperature to make sure that my BBT stays high at around 37°C. If it drops dramatically that means the pregnancy has ended. I also make a mental note each day my period hasn't arrived. So I'm now 5 days past my due period. These are the little things I do to make sure everything is still going okay. So far so good.

Chemical side effects

I'm still suffering Crinone side effects. Bloating. Constipation. Shortness of breath. The other night my stomach swelled so much it was almost bigger than my boobs. I was hunched over in the bathroom struggling to breathe. And then I gingerly waddled into the living room to lay on the couch. I struggled to roll over to my side. When my stomach expands, it pushes against my diaphragm making it more difficult for me to breathe. It has gotten a bit better today, but it's so hard to suck my stomach in while I'm at work.

It costs how much?
Today we received a major invoice for assisted reproductive services totalling $8460. We also received a separate invoice for the gynaecologist and blood tests. In total we're looking at $9630 for our first cycle so far. I'm pretty sure we can expect more invoices to come. Concept don't charge their fees upfront but they do make you sign a fee schedule which lists all the approximate costs. It's still a huge scary surprise when you open that invoice though!


Tomorrow I have my follow up blood test to check how my levels are going. Hopefully everything is going along well. Will keep you posted.

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