Congratulations on your pregnancy! This is an exciting time for you and the rest of your family - a time to discover your resilience and a time to make your bond as a family much stronger.
On top of the actual giving of birth, there’s a hundred little things on your mind that you feel you need to take care of before the big day. Before you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of all these things, why not take a moment to celebrate you and the amazing strength you’ve shown in your entire pregnancy? A maternity photo session with Lollie Claire Photography, designed to make you feel beautiful and honor you is perfect to immortalize this time in your life. Take a moment to celebrate you, so you can better celebrate the beauty of life that is within you.
A lot of online resources give you information on things to do when you’re pregnant, and to further help you narrow down the things you need to have before your baby is born, here are a few tips:
Birth Plan
Your birth plan is a written document of how you plan your labor and delivery to go. It contains important information on your preferences such as the method of pain relief as well as your choice of birth setting. Develop and discuss your birth plan with your health care provider so you can be guided on what’s best for you and your baby. Research on available options and double check if that will work in your area and in your specific situation. Allow some flexibility and keep in mind that as in all plans, there are some things that might not go according to how you want it to. Relax, breathe and take to heart that what’s important is you and baby are safe, healthy and well.
Baby Stuff
This is among the exciting, and also expensive parts of having a baby - shopping! By now, you must have a checklist on how much baby stuff you need e.g. mittens, burp pads, etc. Don’t get carried away by how cute those tiny socks look, don’t overbuy them as your baby won’t stay that little for too long. Depending on what season you’re going to give birth, make sure to stock on appropriate items such as blankets and quilts.
Don’t forget to baby proof the house! Newborns may need to be carried for a time, but before you know it, they’re going to be running around the living room knocking out vases and lamps in no time. It’s always better to come prepared and do these things while you still have the energy and clarity of mind to do so.
Because your newborn won’t stay that little for too long, why not take this moment to book a newborn photo session for him/her too? Booking a session even before giving birth is ideal because you’re not too busy yet. A newborn photo session is a good idea because even though your newborn won’t stay little for a long time, you’ll have amazing photographs to remember the wonderful time that they were.
House Chores Schedule
Having a newborn baby inside the house is a lot of work. Between feeding, burping, and changing nappies, you might not have enough energy to do other household chores. Before you know it, and like a horror story waiting to happen, there’s a mountain of dirty laundry needing your attention. Add this to the food you need to cook for every meal and to the amount of mess you need to clean daily, there’s not enough time and energy in the world for you to get anything done.
Agreeing with your partner on these things is crucial to plan before the baby comes. Agree on a schedule, especially if you have other young kids to attend to. Getting help from well meaning family and friends are welcome too! In some cases, getting regular cleaning and laundry services will save you tons of time and energy that you can dedicate caring for your newborn and yourself.
You Time!
You’ve done and continue to do amazing work, mumma! The life inside you is precious and he/she is so blessed to be carried and taken care of by an amazing human being like yourself. When you do give birth, it’s easy to neglect yourself and devote all your time and attention doting to that precious little angel. But you have to remember that you can’t give from an empty cup, at some point you’re bound to be exhausted and spent so you also need time to re-energize, and re-invigorate.
Set a time when you’ll leave your newborn to someone you trust and you know will care for your baby - your husband, your mum, or a trusted caregiver, and go have a relaxing time with some girlfriends! Use this time to breathe, relax and remember that you also need to take care of you, so you can go be a better mum to your little one.