“Ok, ladies. I’m due in 1 month!! Yay!!! What should I do before baby gets here?”
How. Many. Times. Have you seen this as a Facebook status? SO many. Right?!
I’m here to tell you once and for all, my super important opinion on what you should REALLY do before baby gets here.
This might shock you, but it’s not the nursery. Your little tangible piece of love won’t be sleeping in there for at least 6 months so even though I finished ours like a maniac, it’s not the most necessary thing on the planet.
So what do you need to get done before the baby arrives?
- Go get a manicure and pedicure. Blow it out of the park. Get all the rocks and the lotions and the massages they offer. All the things. Don’t even look at the menu, just say “Give me what ya got”. It will be a while before you’re able to pry yourself from that sweet love bug in your body, and at the hospital people (lots of people) are all up in all your parts. All of your parts. You’ll feel way better a little bit glossy.
- Get your hair done. With my first I thought “I’ll wait and have a mommy makeover after.” That was my 1st first-time-mom fail. Don’t wait! I sat in that chair 2 weeks post-partum feeling like a gross whale, and not the kind that people gush over. No one was gushing. Plus, my boobs were leaking, I was stressed about how long I was away from the baby, and my hair looked like Mrs. Adams in all my hospital photos. With Julia (my second daughter), I went 2 weeks before my c-section, I worried the entire time that I was about to go into labor, but I don’t look insane in my photos. And it made me feel so much better. A fresh cut and color makes you feel like a new woman. I felt pretty in the hospital. Go get your hair done.
- Make sure you have all you makeup and skincare ready. Vain or not, you will not regret this. Give yourself that face mask in the hospital… you have legit nothing to do for 2-3 days but sit in the bed and nurse the baby. With help. Lots of help. So pamper yourself!! Do your makeup. Trust me, it makes you feel better when the nurses walk in and you don’t look like a member of The Walking Dead. Go to Ulta. Treat Yourself. And go for the makeup that photographs well.
- Go on a DATE. Hire a sitter if you already have kiddos. Pencil in The Parents. Grab your Partner. GO OUT TO A PLACE AND EAT A MEAL WITH TWO HANDS. This sounds insane. You’re like, “Candace, chill. No need for caps.” NOT TRUE. Just wait. Your first 3-4 months of having a baby, especially a breastfed baby, means you will not have two hands to eat for a while. The second you put a plate down on the table, that sweet little nugget smells your freedom and cries. Go somewhere delicious. Stay a while.
- Arrange your sleep situation. For us, that was a Halo Bassinet (which I’m obsessed with) with a Dock-a-Tot inside. With Reegan, I had a Pack ‘N Play and ended up with an emergency c-section and it was AWFUL. We ended up co-sleeping. This round I have the Halo which puts Julia right up against my bed, with the Dock-a-Tot so that she feels snuggled. You’ll want this in order before coming home because your bandwidth is packed that first night and all the sudden there are no nurses to help. Do what works best for you. Have options. Not every baby is the same. Some will hate a rock-n-play and some moms will tell you they would’ve taken it to an island as their top must have.
- Ready your night stand. Make sure you have a place for water, any medicine, extra pacifiers, extra nipple shields, and tissues. Those nurse angels will be greatly missed. You will not be comfortable walking. And the middle of the night feels like a blur. You’ll want all the essentials right next to you.
- Wash a few pieces of Baby’s clothing. Size Newborn, 0-3, and maybe even 3-6. I wouldn’t take the tags off everything just yet. You have no idea if you’ll have peanuts like me or big babies like some of my friends. No need to hang on to a bunch of baby clothes they’ll never fit in. So just be ready for a a day or two. Gerber onesies will take you far. Outfits are adorable at baby showers, but babies that little live in jammies.
- Diapers. We honestly waited with Julia until she was born and then ordered them off Amazon once we knew her weight. America is a wonderful place. If you for some reason don’t have Amazon Prime…
- Get Amazon Prime. You need it. It’s a mom must have. It’s THE mom must have. You will be ordering things like crazy. On that note…
- Get a Target RED Card. Might as well get the 5% off and free shipping. Plus, they will walk things out to your car. You’ll want that feature.
- (Mom close your eyes…) Have sex. It’s gonna be a while. And it’ll hurt. We can talk about the later.
- Last but most importantly… That friend you have that you saw on Facebook, that is due around the same time as you – REACH OUT TO HER. Giving birth around the same time is an instant friendship spark and you need a tribe. You need mom friends in similar weeks/months as you. Motherhood drastically changes over time. It changes quickly. You will love your friends with and without children, but those friends that are wondering if their plug is falling out too or crying on the kitchen floor because it’s all just a lot – rekindle that. You need each other. Start a group text. Love each other without judgement and unconditionally.
Seriously… Look at the difference in visible sanity
between Birth #1 and Birth #2.
It’s alarming.
As for the things to buy? Scary Mommy put together a great 12 things list together.
I put a few links here…
Prepping for birth? Find Reegan’s birth story here and how I’m managing 2 under 2 – 2 months in!
And don’t forget to PIN below to share this list with your friends! I’ll love you forever. 🙂
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