Preparing for your baby’s arrival can be a stressful time, especially for first time moms. It’s hard to know what to expect and what all you need to do before your baby makes their appearance. These were the twelve things that I found to be the most helpful and important in the last couple months of my pregnancy. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
1. Pick уour Hospital: Whеrе уоu will deliver is an important choice thаt рrеgnаnt mоmѕ will have to make. Your OB/GYN may only deliver at certain hospitals so make sure that you find out from them if you have a choice. If you do I would suggest choosing a hоѕрitаl that iѕ close to you. While some labors are extremely long and drawn out, others can go very quickly. You don’t want to have to be driving for a long period of time while in labor. Also keep in mind that certain places are less expensive thаn others. Chесk with уоur inѕurаnсе рrоvidеr to make sure that facility is covered and what the coverage is like. That way you can get an idea of what your out of pocket costs will be after giving birth.
2. Tour the Hospital – I would suggest that once you have picked your hospital that you take a tour. You can easily call and set this up at any time and also get all your pre-registration paperwork set up while you are there. You can see where you will be giving birth, the postpartum room, waiting rooms, and the newborn nursery. This can definitely ease your mind if you are feeling apprehensive about your hospital stay and what to expect.
3. Find a Pediatrician– This is an important step that is easy to forget. I suggest doing some research, reading reviews and asking friends and family for recommendations. Obviously factor in things like location, office hours and whether or not they take your insurance. You will need to pick one before you give birth as they will visit your newborn in the hospital.
4. Buy a Carseat– You will want to have your car seat purchased and installed in your car before giving birth. This is law and they will not allow you to leave the hospital without proving that you have one safely installed. You can also go to your local fire or police station to make sure it is properly and correctly installed. We have the Graco Snugride ClickConnect and love it. It is lightweight and also budget friendly.
5. Set Up Nursery – Have your nursery furniture, changing table, crib or bassinet set up. We repurposed an old dresser into a changing table in order to save a little money. This Arm’s Reach Bassinet from Amazon is what I use with my daughter and love it. You can pull it over your bed so they are within arms reach at night. It also has wheels so that you can easily move it around.
6. Birth Class – Thеѕе are classes hеld bу experts аnd doctors who teach about pregnancy, how you should рrераrе fоr lаbоr & dеlivеrу, and other topics like раrеnting аnd lactation. Mаkе ѕurе tо attend аt least оnе of these with your significant other. Most hоѕрitаlѕ оffеr these for free! They can help сlеаr up any dоubtѕ you have аnd dеvеlор a better relation with уоur spouse so that they can understand what уоu аrе going through.
Photo by John Looy on Unsplash
7. Set up a Birth Plan – Decide what you’d like your birth experience to be like. Things like: Epidural or no epidural? Who you would like to be in the room while giving birth? Will you breastfeed or formula feed? Will you delay cord clamping? Your OB/GYN can help you with this and often provide you with a sheet to fill out. You can also find tons online. This helps for you to be prepared and not having to make split second decisions.
8. Contact Insurance for Breastpump – If you are planning on breastfeeding or pumping at any point I would suggest contacting your insurance to find out what they cover. Most will fully or partially cover the cost of a brand new breast pump. I went through Aeroflow and they made the process SO easy. I submitted a request online, sent them a picture of my insurance card, and was given a list of several different pumps I could choose from. I chose one and then received my pump just two days later without having to pay anything. I would highly recommend looking into them here.
9. Set up Newborn Photographer – This was something that I did not do with my first baby and really regretted. While some can be pricey, there are many photographers who are reasonable. These photos are something that you will cherish forever and they are definitely worth the cost in my opinion.
10. Wash Baby’s Clothes/Bedding – You will want to wash everything in a scent-free or mild detergent like Dreft – which you can buy in bulk in Amazon. Baby’s skin can be very sensitive at first so this will reduce the chance of irritation.
11. Pack Your Hospital Bag – I would recommend doing this at least a month before your due date. It’s much easier to have this packed and ready to go rather than trying to throw your bag together at the last minute. Check out my post about What you Really Need in Your Hospital Bag for a list of the items that you do and don’t need to pack.
12. Prepare Meals – The last thing you want to be doing when you get home from the hospital is cooking. You will be recovering and taking care of a newborn! I would suggest preparing some freezer meals ahead of time that you or your spouse can just throw in the crockpot. Pinterest has some great ideas and recipes for these. Check out my Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe. This can easily be frozen and used for a couple nights.
Travis Hagen
My wife and I are having our first baby and the list fits alot of steps we have had to take. Didnt think of the pediatrician though! Nice Article!