Tips about organizing your life during pregnancy

  Oh Baby - Big Changes on the Way!

During the third trimester, the reality that you’re going to have a baby really sets in. You actually look pregnant (and glowing of course!) and your friends are getting excited about planning your shower. This is the time when the world wants to share in your joy and anticipation, so try to be patient when every person you meet wants to talk about your pregnancy, and realize that they are happy for you and are acknowledging your motherly glow.

Month Seven

The seventh month is a great time for baby showers. By this time, you’ve already chosen the theme for the baby’s room, your registry is finished, and most of the big house projects are behind you. This is the time to enjoy the added attention and pampering that will be lavished on you. When I asked about the baby shower and all the fuss that is made over the mom-to-be, new mom Noreen Courchene remarked, “Once that baby is born, it’s not about you anymore, so enjoy all the attention while you’re still pregnant!”

After your showers are over, you’ll have a house full of baby clothing, toys and equipment to contend with. Put away as much as possible in the places you really plan to keep it. This will be good practice and will get you familiar in advance, with where various things will live once the baby comes home. Also, assemble the equipment, read the manuals and figure out how the various items work, such as the baby swing, thermometer, the bouncy seat, Pack N’ Play™ and car seats. The time to be figuring these things out is now, before baby arrives, rather than when he is screaming his sweet little head off.

Begin packing your hospital bag now, so you won’t have to do it in a rush later. Here are some things to take with you to make your 48-hour hospital stay more comfortable:

* Nightgown
* Robe
* Slippers
* A toothbrush and toothpaste
* Shampoo and conditioner
* A maternity outfit to wear home
* One outfit for baby to wear home
* A baby blanket to wrap baby in for the trip home
* Snacks for you and your husband
* Cameras
* Any paper that your doctor may instruct you to bring
* Books and magazines

This is the time you’ll want to purchase a diaper bag with several compartments. Tell Daddy not to worry… diaper bags are no longer fated to be light blue and covered with flowers and duckies. You can find “diaper backpacks” that are specially made for hauling kid supplies, but they look just like a regular backpack, so Daddy doesn’t have to forgo his manly image in public. Inside your diaper bag keep an extra outfit or two, diapers, wipes, ointment, feeding supplies, and snacks for yourself. You need to keep your energy up too!

Month Eight

Remember all those cute little baby clothes your friends and family gave you at your baby showers? They all need to be washed and sorted by size and season and now is the perfect time to tackle that project, since you aren’t likely to accumulate many more pieces between now and the end of your pregnancy. Wash baby clothing in fragrance-free baby detergent, and be sure to follow label instructions on anything that may be made from flame-retardant fabric.

Once the clothing and blankets are washed, sort them by size first, then by season and place what you’ll need immediately in the baby’s closet or dressing table drawers, and pack the rest in containers to pull out as your baby grows. Create a habit of keeping an open container in the closet and laying aside the clothing that baby grows out of, as it happens. As you notice that he isn’t quite fitting into something, simply lay it into the open container and when it’s full, put the lid on, label it and either store it for your next baby or loan it to a pregnant friend. By establishing this simple habit early on, you avoid ever having to sort through a whole closet full of clothing, trying to remember which ones still fit and which are ready to be boxed up.

Begin placing the things you will need for dressing and changing the baby close at hand, convenient to the changing table. Put items such as extra diapers, ointment, baby wipes and pajamas in the easily accessed spaces of your changing table. You won’t want to be leaving baby unattended to cross the room for these things. Also, place the diaper pail close by the changing table so it is easily accessible when you have one hand on the baby and the other is holding a dirty diaper.

Month Nine

Take care of any last minute touches to finish the nursery, and take care of yourself. Drink enough water, get enough sleep and don’t let your friends and family regale you with their own birthing horror stories! You have enough on your mind already.

Most new moms have friends or family members stay with them for the first few weeks of motherhood just to help ease into the job. Sit down and make a schedule of who is coming when, and then distribute it to everyone involved, so they all know what to expect and guests don’t overlap. You’ll have enough to do without having multiple houseguests, so making the schedule is time well-spent.

At the same time, start making lists and relying on them, as your mind will be occupied with so many other things once the baby is born. The other great thing about keeping lists is that when someone volunteers to help you, you’ll be able to tell them exactly what they can do instead of muttering, “Oh, gosh, I don’t know what I need.” Your lists will be a written reminder for you and will give your friends and family a way they can contribute to your life during this exciting time.

The last month is a good time to put the car seat into the car and get accustomed to how it works, how to snap it in and out, and how to securely and properly fasten in the baby. The more you are familiar with the seat, the quicker and easier traveling with baby will be. Also, it’s a good idea to keep a few extra diapers, some wipes and an extra outfit in the car for emergencies.

You will want to buy a baby book of some sort to record many things as your baby grows, such as his first smile, when he lifts his head, what foods he likes, or when he rolls over for the first time. Don’t rely on your memory and don’t bog yourself down by saving all these experiences to write in the book “later.” Keep the book in a handy spot where you spend most of your time, and that way, as new things happen, you can write them in at that time. This habit will ensure that you don’t leave anything out.

In the last few weeks, set up an additional diaper changing station in the common area of your home. You won’t want to be running to the baby’s room every time you need to change a diaper, so get a nice wicker laundry basket and stock it with diapers, wipes, a changing mat, and ointment. You can even get a basket with a lid so that when it’s not in use, the extra diaper supplies will be hidden from view.

Finally, take time this month to relax and enjoy your last bit of pregnancy and ask your partner for the pampering you deserve. Soon your life will be changed and blessed in a very big way.

About the author:
By Monica Ricci, Professional Organizer

http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com

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