How do you prepare for baby?

05/11/2016

How to prepare for baby?

Isn’t that the million dollar question? Is there a right way or a wrong way to prepare? No. Is there a million suggestions and unsolicited advice from family, friends, Facebook and Pinterest? Yes!

I feel like in today’s day of analyzing EVERYTHING when I get asked this question I pause and silently access your personality color before I answer. Your colour code will greatly differentiate how you plan….and how prepared you want or need to be. I can tell you from experience when I prepared for our first child 8 years ago compared to my third 8 months ago, it was totally different. And with all 3 of my pregnancies we never once knew the gender! I know this is almost unheard of nowadays, but it’s the truth and guess what? We were still prepared enough for all of them.

So much has changed in just 8 years with parenting and baby products I could write a completely separate blog on that! Here is my advice on preparing for baby. The most important thing you can do is take care of yourself. I know you might be reading this and feel totally let down. You were reading this with a pen and paper and ready to jot down my list of “things” you need. But really the secret truth is, you need to care for yourself. I am not talking diet and exercise. Don’t get me wrong, diet and exercise are key things that I am sure you are already doing. I am talking about the things you can do to prepare and ease into this new role you are about to embark on.

1.       Get some sleep! I know this is hard because at the end you are as big as an elephant and as swollen as a balloon and getting sleep at night between heart burn and a kicking baby or the never ending sudden need to pee seems impossible, but trust me get as much as you can. Get in a nap as often as you can because after baby you will have days that you run on complete adrenaline or cold caffeine or both.

2.       You should cook and freeze some healthy meals. After the excitement of baby and all your visitors first snuggles, your mom will go home and your husband will go back to work and you will be left to navigate your days. Between feedings and diaper changes and snuggling the little one to sleep the last thing on your mind is supper! And if you choose to breastfeed you will need to be nourishing that amazing body that just grew a human.

3.       Enjoy the hot meals you have left and take a bubble bath! After baby comes you and your husband will quickly grow into team mode where one will hold baby while the other scarf’s the meal down and you will then tag out and the other will do the same and typically the mom goes last, which means we get to eat everything cold.  And bath….no one has time for one of those after baby.

4.       Have a good support system. Have someone you can call or come over because around day 3 or 4 when you wake up and all you want to do is cry, you will need to know you are not alone. And yes, this does happen. Some woman struggle longer and harder than others but we have all been in those days and it is completely NORMAL.  You will also have to be reminded that you are amazing. 

5.       Have a backup plan for your birth.  I can tell you from my own crazy experiences that your dreamy birth plan, whether it is your first birth or not, labour sometimes takes its own course and you may end up having a C-section and may require extra help for awhile. You will be already dealing with enough let alone worrying about your new found situation. Be prepared for all circumstances. 

In the end, remember to cut yourself some slack. No one has a handbook to having a baby and if you do it’s only a general guide and someone else’s opinion. We all need to walk in our own journey. You will be great and do great! Just be true to yourself and your baby and do what works for you. As for the rest of it the ”things” you spend 9 months obsessing over and making lists for, the baby won’t remember  any of it. There is no right or wrong. A babies needs are basic and Pinterest really does have all the lists from basic to extreme. 

Trust me – you will have many moments where you will question if you are doing things right or screwing it up. From the moment your baby comes you will forever put their needs first. So do yourself a favour and take some time before, for YOU, and prepare yourself with love!

Michelle Mack

Mother to 3 – Skylar 8, Karys 6, Harden 8mths and two angel babies