Byron's asked what would make a useful/practical present for a baby shower gift, so I thought I might as well list here stuff that I've been using so far.
In no particular order:
Breast shells. These are plastic and silicone cups, put inside the bra and used to pick up excess milk while breastfeeding (I think used only by mothers who produce a lot of milk, not everyone will need them). I can leak up to 5ml of milk per feed. What a waste. I found out the hard way that I tended to leak just before and during feeding time. Took me some time to figure out why my hospital gown was wet, as I couldn't recall having drooled on it. - Nursing pillow. Just a U-shaped pillow that I put around my waist and use to lie Nico on while breastfeeding. Really good to prevent RSI on both wrist and back. Later on, it can be used to prop him on it . Can also be used to whack Daddy with when he snores too loudly.
- Muslin squares and cloth nappies. We've got about 24 cloth nappies and 12 muslin squares. They've become ubiquitous items in our household, used for protecting stuff against various liquids that can ooze out of a newborn. The Indian cloth nappies are nice and thick and the muslin squares are a bit lighter and somewhat softer.
- Sleeping bags! Love them! Great to change a nappy without having to negotiate all these clippy buttons, particularly at 3am when my fingers are less than nimble and my puffy eyes less than sharp. I mean why on earth would I need 13 buttons on a baby suit? The less fancy ones are available at any baby clothes store. We also got the Go Go Bags for night time and winter.
Nursing bracelet. Because sleep deprivation, baby brain remnants and the learning curve are all taking their tolls on my memory and I need to keep track when Nico was last fed, and on which side.- Breast pads. Because the mind has no control over dairy matter, and come feeding time, milk will find its way out onto bras and sometimes T-shirts. I got some cotton ones, but come to think of it they are pretty easy to make out of any absorbent fabric. If only I knew how.
- A sling. Perfect when going out and about, they're a neat way to carry Nico around and still be able to handle stuff. We have got two, one Nature's Sway and one Little Kiwi Babysling.
- Baby's first 100 days. Because I'm a noob of a mum. This book goes through all sorts of really useful info and has given me the best burping technique to date. And it doesn't involve pulling anyone's finger. Can be obtained from the Landscape Rd Plunket.
- A nightlamp. When disturbing the breadwinner's sleep is not an option, my salt crystal lamp provides a nice ambient glow at night time so I can keep an eye on Nico when he stirs in his sleep, give him a feed and change his nappy.
Some form of entertainment. Books, iPod, laptop etc are required during these feeds. Or else... 
