baby – Creative Kids

My baby arrives in less than a month and as you can guess I have been nesting for a while. I am now in the process of creating a list of things that I need to do prior to the arrival of the baby as well as things that I’ve already done. Since I could find no better way to do this, I am blogging about it, hopefully somebody else will benefit from this but if not then know that I am doing this as a reminder to myself.

Things to do before the baby arrives:

Buy wipes
Set up the crib and bassinet in my bedroom
Install the car seat
Pay midwife fee in full
Get breast milk pump and storage bags
Finish packing hospital bag with my stuff (for when I spend 5 days in bed/ giving birth at home, not going to hospital, it’s really my healing bag): work in progress
Pick out baby’s first day outfit
Decide on newborn photo ideas and pick out outfits: work in progress with my daughters
Have ready to eat frozen foods for first 5 days
Fill pantry with essentials for first 2 weeks
Waiting for delivery of few more essential oils: arrive in 2 days
Get rose 🌹 essential oil (because I’ll love it and have never had it before and the baby’s middle name is Rose, it’s meant to be) I have a doTERRA membership and get free points I can turn into free oils, have 50 points, getting another 50, track when 100 points are available and get oil (might happen after baby arrives but during newborn stage)
Get my older children ready: chores for baby’s arrival and mommy healing time, getting ahead on school work, cleanup and organization of their room before grandma visits, who is taking what pictures and videos? They want to be involved in the home birth so I’ll give each jobs such as taking care of and helping their toddler brother: work in progress
I obviously need a massive burrito from Chipotle after giving birth (doing this for years), arrange for delivery or pick up probably food for the entire family
Clean and sanitize bathroom where baby is to be born, do changes need to be made to decor? How does the vibe feel?: Work in progress
Create a sacred baby birth space (tied to item above but slightly different)
Go through midwife giving birth items needed list and source all
Prepay bills so I don’t have to deal with them during the first two weeks of birth
Place vitamins, supplements, essential oils and other self-care items of mine in my healing bag (hospital bag)
Plan ahead for 5 days in bed
Prepare diaper changing station
Get ready for breastfeeding: breastfeeding tea, breastfeeding pillow
Ideally finish additional baby DIYs but not needed and I’ll be on it during 5 days of healing in bed, yet work in progress
Stock up on single-use items such as paper plates, plastic forks and spoons, paper cups so we don’t have to do the dishes during first two weeks
Set up a budget
Write a birth plan: I have a lot of things in my head but it’ll help to actually write it down and go through it with my midwife and family
Clean my carpets
Take maternity pictures
Choose birth day outfit: in know I’m going to wear my magical yellow dress in this date but no blood please. I usually birth totally nude 😉 lol but this time there’ll be birthing pictures and videos and since I’ll be showing my butt (and who knows what else) I won’t show my boobs too. I’ll probably get some coconuts and fashion a bikini top!
Do special things with my children until the birth day: work in progress
Garden and leave the yard looking nice: lots of work yet work in progress
Enlist family members to take pictures of the newborn baby: children are on it
Get older children ready: do their laundry, get their favorite snacks, and favorite foods, review school schedules, inform teachers of expected delivery day, register for next school year this week
Clean up phone memory and my phone and my husband’s for all the cute baby pictures and videos
Who is cutting the umbilical cord?
Prepare for toddler boy: enough diapers formula and activities, have his favorite toys
Prepare for movie night for when the children need to take a break: daddy got this
Get library books for the big girls who love to read for when they need to take a break, prepare crafts and activities for them
Set up 2 essential oil diffusers: 1 in my bedroom, 1 in my bathroom and fav essential oil station
Get visitor room ready for mom to visit: clean, organize: work in progress
Finish cleaning and disinfecting downstairs “visitor” bathroom: work in progress
Do all laundry

Things I’m grateful I have completed before the baby arrives, as of now, this list is growing and the first one shrinking:

Ensured I have enough baby clothes for a newborn and in a basket in the closet 3 months old clothes: collected little outfits that my other babies worn that are still good, received gifts, purchased items. I have enough. I also have older baby clothes in a bag in my closet and a storage of toddler clothes in storage under my bed
Finished 4 baby DIYs, working on 3rd
Washed and organized the baby clothes
Washed baby blankets and crib sheets
Bought diapers
Decorated matching boxes for baby nursery storage, separated folded newborn clothes, stored socks, bibs, burp cloths, etc
Chosen a baby name
Bought baby bottles and bottle brushes
Packed baby clothes, blankets, diapers in “hospital” bag which it’s really my healing bag (no hospital for me)
Bought favorite essential oils
Have hospital plan just in case and because my midwife said it was time
Prepared postpartum care items for myself: my Midwife already delivered a Care pack and I have a stock of pads and oils, and lotions I love for this time
Chosen a pediatrician
Set up hypno birthing playlist and getting used to the meditations
Spending all the rest of this time learning about labor and hypno birthing which is helpful and soothing
Set up a diaper station downstairs. I did this for my last baby and it was a huge hit everybody uses the drawer including the baby who’s now a toddler. The way I did it was clear a drawer lined it and filled it with diapers, diaper cream, baby clothes so that the baby could easily be changed and little socks I did the same for the new baby next to the last baby’s drawer which is still in use
Reviewed discharge and care information packet from midwife and will discuss with her on today’s appointment

At a glance I can see it he done list is much smaller than the to do list. I’m excited to work on these things which is the great part and now that I have this in writing and publicly, I really love to be here editing this post. I love it when I come read my lists and there are a lot of items that can be moved from the to do list to the gratitude list. I’m feeling great also.