My kids are turning 4 and 7 in just under a month! What??? How is that possible? These birthdays are making me a bit nostalgic and got me thinking about the days I spent getting ready to become a mother for the first time. Some things came to mind that I did or wished I had done before she arrived. I compiled these thoughts into a blog post and created a list of 15 things to do to prepare for your first baby and help the transition go smoother. Jamie and I also recently recorded a podcast about this topic that you can listen to here.
1. Decluttered my house
Instead of buying all the baby things I would have gotten rid of so much of our stuff.
I’ve always been clutter adverse, but there was just something about embarking on this new scary journey that made me want all the things in an attempt to feel more prepared and ready for it. Knowing what I do now, I would have done the opposite. I would have gone through my house and gotten rid of stuff so that when the baby arrived I could spend less time cleaning and caring for my stuff and more time caring for my baby.
2. Deep cleaned our house
Since this isn’t going to happen again for a while, since I was too tired to do it after Anika was born. I would have scrubbed every inch of my house to prepare it for all the time she would spend dragging herself around on the carpet and sucking on the toys from off the floor.
3. Prepared Meals
Cooking is hard at first. I would have made a bunch of freezer meals and considered having someone set up a meal train for us or set one up myself. People want to help but don’t always know-how.
4. Learned about sleep and have a plan for how you are going to still get some
I would have learned about the baby’s sleep cycles. Some babies are better sleepers than others but there are some things to do to help improve the baby’s ability to sleep and the earlier these habits are started the better. I would have had a plan in advance for how Jamie and I were both going to still get some amount of sleep. Everyone told me I was going to be tired, but I could not comprehend the level of tiredness until I was there. It’s one thing to not get much sleep, but it’s another thing to be up multiple times all night long while trying to calm and soothe a little human who is screaming at the top of their lungs and is inconsolable. That is a totally different level of tired.
5. Learn about breastfeeding
Same as sleep. I would have learned as much about breastfeeding in advance as possible. That one 2 hour class at the hospital wasn’t enough. Breastfeeding issues and milk production is one of the things I commonly heard other mothers talk about. It would have benefited me to learn about latch, and tongue and lip ties. Also about supply and demand and the need to drink excessive amounts of water. Also, I would have found a good lactation consultant to have on hand to get help from if needed. I wouldn’t have been able to breastfeed Jacob without ours.
6. Picked a name and told everyone
I would have had a solid name in place early on and I would have told the name to everyone. Looking back on it now I don’t know why I felt the need to not tell people or just make a decision. I knew we were going to name her Anika pretty early on, but for some reason, I didn’t want to commit and stressed over it. Our second child’s name is a whole other topic that we can get into another day.
7. Made final decisions about child care
I wished I would have locked in the decision to be a stay-at-home mom before Anika was born. I spent 2 months after she was born stressed about making the decision and it would have been nice to not have that added stress. If you are considering staying home with your baby choose to stay home. Just do it. You won’t regret it.
If you know your child will be going to child care have a place you loved already locked in so you don’t have to think about it and you can just enjoy that time with the baby.
8. Made sure I had the baby essentials and a loaded amazon gift card
I would have kept those purchases to a minimum, requested Amazon gift cards from others who so generously wanted to give us a gift. Then buy the rest as needed.
9. Figured out how to use the stuff I had
Baby wraps, car seats, breast pumps, it’s all another world. I would have spent more time figuring out how to use these things in advance. It’s really difficult to figure out how to tie a baby wrap while there is a screaming newborn waiting to be put in it next to you.
10. Created a plan for how I was going to deal with this life-altering event (taking emotional and physical needs into consideration)
YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO CHANGE IN WAYS YOU CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO COMPREHEND RIGHT NOW. Wonderful, but also physically and emotionally exhausting ways. I put that in all caps because of everything on this list this is probably the most important. Have a plan for how you are going to take care of your physical and emotional needs. Talk with your partner and figure out how you guys will make this work. Enlist the help of others early and have a set plan in place. It can always be modified later if it’s not working.
11. Buy a Waterproof mattress cover
Just do it. You’ll need it. I promise. Night sweats, breast milk, baby vomit, poop, and pee….
12. Set up my home, not just a nursery
A lot of focus went into the nursery with Anika. Although that was super fun for me, and I would most likely still do that, it also would have been helpful to have created stations in my home in advance. For example, have a place to change the baby’s diaper and have them sleep downstairs as well as upstairs since you are going to be doing this 17 times a day and won’t want to be going up and downstairs.
13. Pick a pediatrician
As a first-time parent, I had a lot of questions. It’s scary being tasked with keeping another human alive. Spend some time researching doctors, meeting with them so you know you’ll find one that will be a good fit.
14. Buy postpartum clothing, pads, and a good water bottle
Your body is going to change and needs time to heal and recover. While you are going through this make sure in advance you have some comfy underwear, pants, and tops. Also, have things that are easy to breastfeed in. I lived in breastfeeding tank tops. Buy bras for breastfeeding. Have a nice supply of pads on hand. Also, splurge and get yourself a really nice big water bottle that you can use with one hand. You are going to need ALOT of water at first and will be your thirstiest while breastfeeding a child. You don’t want to have to be taking the lid off when the unquenchable thirst hits you while you are trying to breastfeed a newborn. Make it easy on yourself to hydrate.
15. Figure out how you want to document the experience
Take so many pictures and videos. You will not regret it. Figure out if you want to do this yourself or have others do it for you.
There are 15 things to do to prepare for your first baby and help the transition go smoother!
