Top 5 Things to Tackle Before Baby Arrives
Preparing for a baby comes with a lot of to-do’s, especially if you’re a first time mom. From sifting through thousands of baby product options and creating a baby registry to washing bottles, there’s definitely no short of tasks that need to be completed over 9 months (or less). Creating a baby to-do list can be transformative for your peace of mind when preparing for a baby. Taking the time to write things down will help you feel less overwhelmed when you can stop spinning around all of the things that need to get done in your head and physically see them on an organized list. While there’s lots more to do than what’s listed here, these are the top five items I recommend you focus on to get started preparing for a baby.
Top Baby To-Do’s for the First Time Mom
Take a Baby Prep Course: Specifically for first time mamas, there are a lot of courses out there to help prepare for labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and pumping. I took the free online labor and delivery class that my hospital offered and took a separate breastfeeding course. Because of the pandemic, we didn’t get to tour the labor and delivery unit of the hospital ahead of time, but I think that would have been valuable too if that is something your hospital or birthing center offers. If you’re ready to embark on the baby prep journey, check out the Baby Prep Toolkit, full of guides such as breastfeeding 101, pumping 101, and safely storing and preparing breast milk as well as checklists like to prepare you for postpartum, set up your feeding station, pack for the hospital, and more.
Research and Order a Breast Pump: Every mom should have a breast pump, and luckily under the ACA health insurers are required to cover all or part of the cost. Read up on the different types of breast pumps so you can choose the one that best fits your needs and lifestyle, and then make sure to reach out to your insurer to find out what kind of pump you can get and when you can order. Be sure to learn how to use your pump and how to establish a pumping routine before your baby arrives.
Set Up the Nursery or Other Space Where Your Baby Will Sleep: Choosing a theme, colors, and a crib is so fun. What’s greater is seeing the room come to life and imagining rocking your baby in the room anxiously awaiting their arrival. Choosing a functional nursery layout is super important because you will use the room a lot and you don’t want to have to deal with little annoyances when you are trying to calm a hungry or tired newborn.
Prepare for Maternity Leave: If you are working and plan to return to your job post-baby, check with your employer on what you need to do to take a leave and how your leave impacts your pay, benefits, etc. The Park is a great resource out there for expecting moms navigating parental leave.
Plan for Expenses: Have you heard babies are expensive? Between all of the baby items, diapers, and appointments, the costs add up. You need to understand your health insurance coverage for your OB appointments, labor and delivery, and your baby’s pediatrician as it impacts your out-of-pocket costs. Get ahead of the expenses as much as possible to appropriately budget and prepare for the months and years ahead.
When approaching your baby prep checklist, I recommend picking one or two things to accomplish over a period of time. This approach really helped me to not feel bogged down by the entire list of to-do's but still kept me on track so I wasn’t totally stressed towards the end of my pregnancy. There will be other things occupying your mind at that point! :)
Want to remove the research overwhelm and expedite your baby prep? In the Baby Prep Toolkit, I include a complete planning checklist for the first, second, and third trimesters, labor and delivery, and the first few weeks of bringing home baby to get you up and running and ready to bring home your new baby. Happy nesting, Mamas!
