Prep the Hospital Bag
I personally recommend having this bag fully ready before 36 weeks. One less thing to worry about and if you go into labor early, your bag or at least most of it is ready. Prior to 36 weeks, I usually have a section in the room where I was storing items for packing in a larger shopping bag/bin. I’ll try to have a check list near by and have a separate “last minute pack list”.
We have a few articles on the blog on this topic – and the two of us have referred back to refresh our minds.
- What to pack in your Hospital Bag For Mommy, Baby, Daddy
- Hospital Bag – Mommy Edition
- Prepping hospital bag – Covid 19 / Pandemic Edition
To be honest, this is something I always enjoyed packing. It gives me a sense of calm and feeling that I have things under control.
Organize the Nursery
Set up your arrangement
Now this could be in your own bedroom, separate nursery or both. I would prioritize these areas since they will be the most used. Think about what the flow will be during nighttime feeds and during the day. You’ll want easy access to change of clothing, diapering products, bedsheets.
If you’re formula feeding or pumping, think about where you want to store your bottles and milk. Consider purchasing a mini fridge.
Diapering products
Think about stocking up on a few diapers in both newborn and size 1. I think 1 or 2 boxes of each is good to start. It’s hard to gauge how quickly they will grow – and if there’s a really good sale you can always buy a few larger sizes. In my experience, they stay in the 2, 3, and 4 size for a longer period of time.
Prewash baby clothes (0-3ms)
Don’t wash months in advance, I think about 4-6 weeks or so before delivery date is okay. This helps keeps things fresher without the collected dust. During this time I normally prioritize: premie size (in case I go early or baby is small), newborn, and maybe a few 3M.
A note on premie sizes…
I would only purchase maybe 2 sleepers – if you need more you can send someone out to go purchase more or buy them online as you rotate. Your doctor usually would give you a good idea if they think you’ll go early, what size baby will be, of if they plan to induce/schedule c-section earlier. If that is the case you can maybe purchase a few more items and keep note of which stores carry smaller sizes.
Stores that offer premie sizes: The Gap – “up to 7lbs”, Carter’s “P”, Petit Lem “PRE” – from what I know they are just slightly smaller than the newborn sizes – about 5-7lbs and 17-18.5″ in length.
Organize other baby clothes by size
For all other clothing, I would group them by size in ascending order. This way you can see clearly what inventory you have and wash them as you need.
Tidy the Home
It’s pretty much now or never. I don’t think most of us have the energy to do a full clean up and re-organization for several months. So if there are some items on your to-do list, now would be the best time to get your home in order so it’s easier on you later on.
Preparing for your own comfort
I wrote a whole post on self care as a new mom covering details on postpartum, mental wellness, physical wellness and self pampering.
Last time around I think all I did was prepare a few padsicles and purchased some Tucks witch Hazel Pads. Everything else was purchased as I found a new need. Luckily at the time most items from Amazon was same day delivery. If you have an easy access to order what you need on the go without leaving the house – this could be a good way to ensure you don’t over purchase.
Seeing that this is my second time around, I think preparing for postpartum helps calm the nerves of what I know recovery could be like. Another reason I wanted to prepare in advance is due to all the shortages and stock issues we are currently facing. I purchased the items that I felt like I would most likely need and didn’t want to be without. The rest of the items are just some things to look forward to – something to keep me comfortable and cozy. Plus I’ll be home for a year at least, so a lot of PJs and Loungewear.
For Recovery
I have a whole section in the self care guide that I mentioned above.
During the first several weeks, take any help that is offered and don’t be afraid to delegate. Your body needs time to heal and to be honest, you’ll be so sleep deprived that it will be nice to have a few extra hours to just rest – whether that’s napping or just browsing the web in bed. It’s also a good time to have time alone in the washroom for a sitz bath.
For Self Pampering (nice to have)
You can get away with a lot of your existing items at home – any low cut shirt can be a nursing shirt. So anything mentioned here or in the self care guide is just only if you feel like treating yourself to something new and cozy.
For comfortable underwear and pyjamas. I hear positive things about the Kindred Braverly set. I have some sitting in my Amazon cart, so if it’s something I feel like I need – I can quickly order it. Plus they say it’s great for both vaginal and c-section moms.
For skincare, make sure all the bottles you have are easy to use and place it on your nightstand. This makes it easy to complete a few steps before you get your zzZz in.
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