Ready for your new precious baby?
Are you expecting a new bundle of joy in the coming months? If so, let me just say “Congratulations!” To become a parent is truly a blessing and babies are precious gifts.
They are also one gift that requires a lot of preparation before you receive them.
If this is your first baby, you may be wondering (worrying?), “what exactly do I need to do to be ready for baby’s arrival?”
Today I am going to share 10 great ways to be sure you’re ready for the arrival of your new precious baby.
#1 Set Up A Baby Registry
Friends and family will be anxious to help you get ready for the newest addition. Creating a registry that you can easily share will help them know exactly what you need.
#2 Pack A Hospital Bag
Packing your hospital bag is an obvious check on anyone’s to-do list. All-too-often, it is also one left until the last minute. That’s a risky gamble that you definitely want to avoid. By waiting until the last minute, rushing and invariably forgetting key items is a likely outcome. And even if you do cover your packing bases, you’ll still find yourself emotionally feeling less prepared because of the stress of last-minute packing for such an important life-event. If you don’t pack the essentials, then you’ll be heading to your laboring and hospital stay without some potentially important essentials – and the last you want is to be fretting over leaving behind your favorite nightgown or comfort item during a time you’d ideally be focusing just on your new family and baby. There are tons of great lists out there that are a quick Google search away. Be sure to research what others packed in their hospital bags, ask friends or acquaintances to get an idea of what others found (and didn’t find) useful, and then give yourself time to make your packing list and check it off.
Pro-tip: A good rule-of-thumb is to aim for having your bags packed no later than 36 weeks.
#3 Install the Car Seat
You will want to make sure the car seat is installed by 36 weeks as well. By doing this ahead of time, you will be able to ensure that the seat is installed safely and correctly. This will also allow you time to familiarize yourself with all of its features, to read the instruction and safety manual fully, and to get used to seeing the seat in your rear-view mirror. Baby will be in that seat soon enough!
#4 Get the Nursery Ready
If you are planning on using a cosleeper, in-room bassonette, or other set-up that has the baby sticking closeby, you may choose not to stress over finishing a nursery prior to your little one coming home, or even for the first few months of your baby’s life. But if you do plan on having the nursery within the first 6 months, it’s an enormous stress relief and also a good way to focus your energies on your impending sweet baby to have that space set up and ready before his or her arrival.
The benefits to early nursery prep include the exciting organization and storage of all those precious little clothes and gear that you’ll buy or receive. If nothing else, having your diaper triage station prepped will be a step you’ll be thankful for once your baby has arrived (changing table, diaper pail/disposal, cleaning wipes and fresh diapers storage nearby).
Pro-tip: It’s very helpful to have a dedicated space to change baby, with all the essentials in one central location. Nothing says “uh oh” like having one hand on your baby, a dirty diaper in the other, and cleaning wipes and fresh diapers inconveniently on the other side of the room.
#5 Prepare Your Home for Baby
The nursery is not the only part of your home you’ll want to prepare for the arrival of baby. You will want to start getting the whole house ready. As you will soon learn, a baby will quickly take over every room in your house. Complete a deep clean and full organizational overhaul. Set up a pack and play. Organize all the clothes by season and size. Get extra sheets and mattress covers for those inevitable spit-ups and blowouts.
Pro-tip: Set up a special feeding basket with extra burp cloths, extra nursing pads, and even snacks for all of those long hours you will spend feeding your baby.
#6 Create a Birth Plan
Do create a birth plan. But don’t be too attached to that plan. Giving birth is unpredictable, and your labor experience and baby’s birth will have an uncanny way of throwing wrenches in a rigid birth plan.
Loosely and thematically plan for your ideal labor and birth scenario, but allow for both grace for yourself and flexibility with unexpected circumstances. Go into the plan with a sense of peace around the fact that, more often than not, birth and labor rarely if ever play out as you envision or expect.
However, it is important to educate yourself on all of your options and to be prepared for the unexpected. So do include whether you prefer medicated or unmedicated labor. Get educated about and decide on your preferences around practices from induction to episiotomies, laboring techniques you want to try, and to have available to you. Your doctor or midwife will be able to to help you understand what practices they use under varying circumstances, and give you a better idea of what actions they typically advise under different birthing scenarios.
Make it crystal clear who you want present, and be sure to communicate that portion of your birth plan to all individuals who may want to visit or be present for the birth well before it’s time to head to the hospital.
Plan for what you want to happen immediately after the baby is born such as skin-to-skin contact.
Did you know? Skin-to-skin contact immediately following birth has been shown to benefit not only mom’s milk supply but also lowers the baby’s stress, helps with acclimation, heart rate regulation, breathing, body temperature regulation, emotional and physical connection to the parents, as well as kick-starting feeding cues and nursing sooner.
Include in your plan a decision on typical post-birth procedurals that might take place during the first day or two at the hospital as well, such as whether to circumcise or not for baby boys.
Many hospitals and birthing centers have birth plan templates to help you get started with your planning. Reach out to your doctor or hospital to get the plan well in advance so you can be thoughtful and planful around how you’d like your labor and baby’s birth to occur.
Pro-tip: A good plan includes contingencies. Imagine a plan that focuses on natural labor and birth, but due to reasons beyond mom or doctor’s control, a c-section is needed for the health and safety of mom and baby. At this time and in most states, extended skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth isn’t possible for mom due to the effects of anesthesia and the need for surgery completion after the baby is delivered. A smart plan might include such a contingency and request that dad/partner be able to have skin-to-skin contact with the baby until the surgery is finished and mom is able to connect skin-to-skin as well.
#7 Prepare for Postpartum
One of the most shocking parts of new motherhood, is the postpartum phase. Pregnancy and childbirth will take a toll on your body, leaving you tired and with emotions all over the place. Talk with other moms who have gone before you and ask what to be prepared for. Also consider reading a book on postpartum life. Most books will share what most moms are not willing to share. But also give many helpful tips on pain management and what you can actively do to aid in your recovery.
Pro-tip: Some level of postpartum “blues” affects mothers in the days to weeks following their baby’s birth. And 1-in-7 women experience more extreme depression in the postpartum phase according to the American Psychological Association. Regardless of what level of mood changes you might feel in postpartum, have an honest discussion before having the baby with your partner to be sure they understand the mood changes that can occur and are ready to be an advocate and support system for you in the time the postpartum phase.
#8 Choose How You Will Nourish Your Baby
Is breastfeeding important to you? If so, prepare yourself with a class (most hospitals, doula networks, and lactation consultants provide nursing clinics and informational sessions).
If you know bottle feeding will be the way you and your baby will need to go, be sure to stock up on all the bottles, cleaning brushes, and assorted supplies.
No matter how you choose to feed your child, be prepared with the knowledge and the correct gear to be successful in the nourishment and feeding of your baby from the moment you bring them home.
#9 Prepare Freezer Meals and Stock Up on Essentials
Having a freezer full of ready-to-go meals will be a lifesaver when you are exhausted from sleepless nights and the prospects of cooking is more than you can handle. Finding ways to save yourself energy at a time when you have the least energy you may ever experience will help cut down on grocery trips during the first few weeks, as well as planning, meal preparation, and cooking.
The same goes for stocking up on essential household items. Have all the diapers, creams, cleaning supplies, paper plates, personal care items, toiletries, and anything else you use on a daily basis. Plan ways to save yourself time and effort before baby arrives.
#10 Build Your Village
You know that saying, “It takes a village…”? It is never truer than in early parenthood. Be ready to ask for help, because you will need it and welcome it in the first 60-90 days with your newborn.
In addition to the support of family members and friends, consider using a postpartum doula or a “Newborn Care Specialist”. You may have heard these jobs called “night nurses” or “baby nurses.” These individuals are not nurses by trade, but they do have specialized training and certification and have obtained extensive experience in newborn care and parental support.
A Newborn Care Specialist’s role is to provide infant childcare and educate parents once their little one is home from the hospital. These individuals can easily navigate both infant care and the support of the mother as well. A Newborn Care Specialist’s responsibilities often include assisting with feeding, lactation support, gentle sleep training, and child-related light-housekeeping.
This is such a special time in your life. And we hope this list is helpful and gives you some action items and maybe even peace-of-mind.
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