Last month, the team at HATCH partnered with infant and toddler formula company Aussie Bubs to host “The First 30 Days with Baby.” We had the honor of hosting experts in pregnancy and postpartum care: Dr. Tanya Altmann, pediatrician and advisor to Aussie Bubs; Brittany Forman, founder of Circle Moms; and Sarah Lu, licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist. If you missed it, you’re in luck. From infant feeding to newborn sleep to mental health, here are our biggest takeaways from the event.

Whether you’re breastfeeding, pumping, or feeding formula, Dr. Tanya Altmann advises always having an emergency bottle of formula on hand at home. Times can be tumultuous, as demonstrated by the recent baby formula shortage, and if/when you’re not physically with your baby, a little bit of formula insurance can help make your partner, nanny, or caretaker feel more at ease. And if you don’t end up using the emergency fund, donate it!

Finding the right pediatrician is important, but the timing may be even more crucial. From insurance-based to concierge practices, the options might seem endless and overwhelming. Dr. Altmann advises prioritizing distance from your home to your pediatrician, finding utmost comfort in the physical spaces of the office, and asking the right questions, such as, what are their hours? What if it’s the weekend or the middle of the night? Can I email or text and expect someone to answer at any given moment? Take the time to visit a few offices and talk to different pediatricians, and don’t feel the pressure to stick to one if they don’t seem like a match—the right one is out there for you.

Coming off as Super Mom will happen inevitably, so remember to accept help and tell those around you what you need for both your baby and yourself. “I asked my mom and my nanny to help out with preparing soups for me each week just to know that I was going to have something healthy that I could easily heat up,” shared Brittany Forman about her experience with her third child, “I arranged for someone to help me with driving, someone to help me at night, just to make sure that I could really take that time to heal and look back at that third postpartum period in a really positive light.” Your partner, your family, and your friends want to help! Just make sure to practice setting your boundaries and voicing them properly and in a timely manner.

“Do you want to be super social after you’ve just undergone one of the hardest things in your life? Or do you want that time for yourself?” These are two of the most important questions (posed by Hatch VP of Community and moderator of our event Nikki Millman) you can ask yourself in the first month or two of postpartum. Dr. Altmann further advises that visitors and heavy travel be kept at a minimum, particularly during your baby’s first month. Ultimately, it’s your baby and you can ask your friends and family to wear masks or to adore from a distance if you want to. And if all else fails, you can always use the “my pediatrician said no” card!

You’re packing your hospital bag and you’re slowly starting to ask yourself if you’re going to the hospital for a couple days or if you’re off to a week-long vacation. Fear not! It happens to most of us, and here are some recommended essentials from our panelists:

Mental health is key, and there is no such thing as too much preparation. Before the baby is born, consider signing up for a local moms group or connecting with fellow mothers who are going to have a baby around the same time as you. Having things to look forward to that you don’t have to think too much about right after giving birth will serve as a healthy outlet. “Just finding a way to connect with other women who are going through the same milestones as you can normalize what you’re going through and let you have fun with it versus kind of feeling like you’re all alone,” shares Brittany Forman.

HATCH offers style-forward pieces you can stretch through your entire pregnancy—and long after, supporting new moms from the first trimester through nursing. Aussie Bubs promises the highest quality and locally sourced ingredients to provide the cleanest, most nutritious formula for your kids at home.