Many congratulations on your pregnancy. You are probably already getting prepared or keeping busy seeing friends and family and figuring out what you need to do.
Fret not as this article aims to give you some ideas on what you need to do before the baby’s arrival to be prepared for the big day. If you want some guidance on your prep work, read on.
Your home
First things first, the prep work for your home will be different for everyone. If you are having a whole room dedicated to your baby, then there will be more things to prep than if you keep their bed near you.
Pic Credit: Pixabay
Creating your baby their own room means they can grow up with the space. However, that initial prep can be crucial. Make yourself a list of the necessary bits and pieces, the cost of items (just so you can track spending) and anything else like décor and toys. Having a list means, you can tick things off and avoid doubles or missing items.
If the baby will be staying in your room for a time, then prepping them a future bedroom can be a much slower and calmer process.
Things you will need include:
- A crib/basket and appropriate bedding
- Changing table and supplies
- Clothes and vests
- Clothes specifically for baby
- Nappies, wipes, baby power and other changing supplies
- Paint and decorating supplies (if you are creating a whole baby room)
Do not be afraid to accept hand-me-downs or second-hand items either. Serviceable second-hand items can reduce cost, meaning you might have more budget for other fun items.
Birth Plan
Your birth plan can be as long or as short as you like. You don’t even need to create one if you would prefer, but if you choose to make a plan here are some things you might want to include…
- Contacts: emergency contacts, your doctor’s info, and details for your midwife. Whoever you want on there, note it down.
- Placenta – do you want to do anything with your placenta? Are you privately storing it? Donating it? Keeping it for encapsulation or burial? Keep notes of your plan somewhere, even if you have told your care team verbally, just in case.
- Environment – easier to create the perfect environment with a home birth but you can create a low-stress birthing experience if you have things in your birth plan like wanting a birth pool, yoga ball, music, or anything like that.
Be aware should circumstances change so be completely married to your plan and prepare for needing to be flexible.
Planning ahead
Pic Credit: Pixabay
If you want to get really prepared, you can do some serious forward planning. For example, you can begin baby-proofing your home early to save time later. Your newborn will not be crawling around and bumping into things for a little while but if you fancy it, kneeling to crawl around your house can reveal some unexpected hazards that you can sort well in advance.
For you and the household, you can prep healthy freezer meals or learn some healthy speed recipes and snacks. While you’re juggling your time taking care of the baby and the everyday running of your home you will be thankful for the convenience.
You
You can prep the house, arm your birth partner with your birth plan and get all your family around you, but are you ready? You can arm yourself with all the technical knowledge, parenting books and doctors’ appointments, which is important to do of course, but make sure you take time to enjoy your pregnancy and mentally prepare for your journey into parenthood.
You are growing a small human after all, and sooner than you think that little human will be in your arms. Look after yourself and ensure you aren’t all work and planning but have a little time for yourself here and there.
Once again, many congratulations and best of luck with everything. You’re going to do great.
Note: This is a collaborative post
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