I hadn't known my husband for more than two months before he started in on me to have a baby. His constant pestering lead to progressively harsher responses from me, starting from"eventually", "someday", "not me, not now", "leave me alone", to "have your own damn baby".

Last Spring something in me started to shift and I became more and more serious about the possibility of having a baby. After months of internal dialog, I finally gathered the courage to share the news with my husband who was expectedly ecstatic. (I haven't told the dogs yet - they are going to be devastated!)

Sharing the news with Loren, my husband, opened the flood gates and I finally started researching what to expect, what to eat, what to do to prepare, and what the birthing process would look like....which at first was pretty anxiety provoking, as I started out by watching "The Business of Being Born" (not recommended as a place to start).

Here I plan to document interesting, perception changing information I come across in what will be a successful journey towards a positive pregnancy and childbirth.


Monday, January 21, 2013

What to do in the last weeks of pregnancy?

I came across this really great blog post on pintrest from the Dear Baby Blog that helps 1st time mom's know what they will need to do to prepare to bring baby home.  The suggestions that people list in the comment section are really helpful too.  I ended up creating a comprehensive list of personal care items I think I will need as well as some "to do's" to take care before the big day.  

 Here's the list I put together based on suggestions from the Dear Baby blog post  (WARNING: this might contain too much information regarding personal care for some readers): 

 Pre Baby: 

  • Car
    • Deep clean
    • Install car seat
    • Prepare a bag for the ride to the hospital with: 
      • Puppy pads (once your water breaks the flow is pretty continuous)
      • Barf bags
      • A towel
      • Consider wearing depends or a baby diaper (I shudder at the thought of this)
  • Bedroom
    • Use one of the flat waterproof mattress pads on your side of the bed to prevent ruining the mattress when your water breaks
  • Health Insurance
    • Find a pediatrician 
    • Call HR about how to add a baby to insurance plan (how long do we have to figure it out, can Loren change his plan, etc.) 
  • Pack hospital bag for baby, me, and Loren
  • Make a birth plan
  • Serialize breast pump
  • Super clean the house
  • Things that might be nice to do: 
    • Make frozen meals
      • One poster recommended this site for people who have a huge support network of people bringing meals over: "There is a website called mealtrain.com. It's fabulous! If friends want to bring meals, I highly suggest having a close friend or family member setting one up."
    • Get birth announcements in order before the baby comes
    • Get hands free ear piece for phone
    • Get Animal groomed to cut back on dog fur around the house

Post Baby Personal Care (This list kind of makes me want to cry.  Here's where you might find too much information): 

  • Tucks
  • Preparation H
  • Stool softener
  • Witch Hazel
  • Squirt bottle --> 1/3 witch hazel, 2/3 warm water
  • Breast pads
  • Nursing bra 
  • Depends were highly recommended over and over 
  • Always infinity pads (unless you have an episiotomy - apparently the stitches stick to the webbing on the pad) 
  • The biggest longest pads you can find


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