22 June 2012

5 Things to Do Before Your Baby Arrives


When I was pregnant with my son I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with myself leading up to the birth. Some of the questions swirling around in my head where: what should I buy, what was really not that important and what should be done before he arrives? I really wished I’d had a list from other experienced mums points of view so I knew I was doing the right thing and not wasting my precious time.

So to help out other mums to be I’ve written a little list of 5 things to do before your baby arrives. Hopefully this list will show you what needs to be done to keep you happy (and stop a nervous break down) before your bundle of joy enters this world.

#1 Sleep, zzzzzZZZ!
Yes that is right. Catch up on as much sleep as possible because when your baby arrives you won’t be getting any! I know it’ll be a lot harder if you already have a child to look after so rope in your other half, the grandparents, cousins and friends etc to help look after your older child for maybe an hour or so whilst you catch up on some much needed sleep.

If you are a full time worker like I am then sleep during the day is not really possible so try and have a power nap on the way to and from work if you get the bus/ train and when you get home have a quick snack then a power nap to see you through the evening if you can.
Don’t be afraid to go to bed early if you are feeling tired, your body will thank you for it in the morning.

To help with your sleeping during pregnancy why not try out one of those ingenious Theraline pillows. I’ve heard they work wonders!


#2 Cook
To save you the hassle of cooking for a few weeks after your baby is born, as this will be the last thing on your mind, why not cook up batches of meals before your baby arrives and freeze them for after the birth. That way all you’ll have to do when your baby is here is to defrost and reheat an already tasty homemade meal.

I never did this when I was pregnant but I really regret it when my son was born. I so wished I had cooked batches of meals to have as living on rubbish frozen meals from the super market just didn’t cut it.

Some of the meals which are great to precook and freeze are; Lasagne, Shepherd’s Pie, Soup, Spaghetti Bolognese (then you just cook pasta when you need it), Fish Pie, Chilli Con Carne etc. I’m sure there’s plenty more but these are some of the ones I can think of at the moment.


#3 Visit a Second Hand Market
There are lots of second hand markets out there now for babies and children. One of which is the Jack and Jill Market. I’ve booked a table in July for myself to sell a few of Logan’s old things and stuff he no longer needs or uses.

The criteria for items is strict, everything has to be nearly new and nothing damaged/ missing pieces/ broken etc is allowed to be sold. My friend has been along to sell things and thought it was so great she’s going back again but the point for you is since everything’s practically new but at such a low price you’ll be sure to pick up a few bargains. Items sold at this market include (but are not limited to) car seats, buggies, prams, travel systems, clothes, toys, cots etc. So definitely worth a look and I’m sure it’ll save you lots of pennies.

#4 Let People Know Your Plans
By this I mean let your relatives and friends know what your plans are for when your baby arrives. Some people love lots of visitors at the hospital whilst others prefer to keep it private and wait till they arrive home before they get visitors. Some people don’t want visitors for the first week which is totally fine too, it all depends what you want and the sooner you tell people the better so as to save confusion or hurt feelings when the baby makes an appearance.

You will be tired after the birth and of course you’ll want time to bond with your baby and if you’re breastfeeding having lots of visitors in hospital or at home isn’t the easiest thing to deal with so a gentle word with relatives is best. If you don’t feel up to it then ask your birth partner to help out by spreading the word.

#5 Enjoy Going Out
Now I don’t mean go out and party party! I mean enjoy going to the cinema, having meals out, getting pampered, spending time with friends etc as having a new baby is obviously hard work and I’m not saying you can’t do these things when the baby arrives but it does mean your time will be limited as to what you can do until your child is a certain age.

For me I exclusively breastfed so leaving my son with anyone until he was weaned was a no go so I never went out properly to anything until my son was 13 months old. I even missed my Dads 50th Birthday Party as I just couldn’t leave my son and children weren’t allowed at the venue. Logan wouldn’t take a bottle or milk expressed or otherwise which was hard but I wanted the best start for him for what I felt was right so that’s what I did. Some people might think I’m mad but I feel I did the best I could.


So there you go 5 things I would highly suggest you do before your little one arrives. It would be really interesting to hear what other people think would be useful to do before baby makes an appearance.

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