No one really tells you what kinds of things to do to prep for a baby. I mean sure you go to the doctor, you set up a nursery. But beyond that you get all these ideas thrown at you of what you could do or should do, but every couple has to decide for themselves. How we prepped for baby boy isn’t too crazy, but I thought I would share the things we did since I didn’t share them as we did them.
How We Prepped For Baby
Classes: We took 3 classes that were offered at our hospital. There were a lot more classes offered, but they were the ones we found most beneficial. First we took a preparation for childbirth class. It was INTENSE. It was 8 hours and covered going into labor, the hospital stay, birthing options, how to take care of your body post baby and of the baby, as well as infant CPR. It was really informative and we got to ask a lot of questions. Then we took a two part breastfeeding class which covered breastfeeding and pumping as well as storage and taking care of breast milk. Lastly, Andrew took a daddy 411 prep class. I think it was good since it was taught by a dad and intended for first time dads.
Our Marriage: I don’t know if you can really prep your marriage for a baby. I guess we will find out. We talked a lot about our roles and responsibilities and what we expected from ourselves and each other. We went on a lot of dates and spent a lot of time together. I really don’t know what else we could have done.
Our House: We put a nursery together. We transitioned our offices from two spaces into one to have more room for our baby and his things. We set up a playroom. We childproofed. We bought the things we needed and cleaned cleaned cleaned. We also had our carpets professionally cleaned a few weeks ago. That was SUCH a treat!
Our Family: We had to get a vaccine for whooping cough which we also had parents and grandparents get. We made a call list of people who needed to know when I am in labor and when baby boy gets here. Other than that we just made sure everyone knew their boundaries 🙂
I would love to know what YOU did to prep for your baby or anything we should try to get done really quickly!
You sound really well prepared! Best of luck 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
My brother said that the classes he took the hospital were really valuable. And that through them he got to meet other couples in the same situation that became friends.
It was so long ago that I really don’t remember! My oldest is 26 and my youngest leaves for college in the fall. We didn’t do much prepping I can remember. We didn’t even babyproof til my dd was able to crawl around. I think preparation is a great idea. I probably would now.
I love that there’s a prep class for Dads, I didn’t know something like that existed but I bet it was great.
Aww good luck! It sounds like you are very prepared!
Xo,
Megan at Lush to Blush
My daughter is 5 months old and looking back on those first few months, all I can think is I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING!
It’s a really, really beautiful journey… remember to enjoy each moment! During the tough times, remind yourself that this is a very short chapter in the book of life. That’s helped me so much!
Awesome! I remember prepping for my first and second. <3
Sounds like you’re prepared! Good luck! (:
Well now I feel like I have more to do! Haha we haven’t baby-proofed yet, but we were just working on the nursery yesterday! It’s so exciting! 🙂
I feel like it took us a solid 6 months to prepare for our last baby. Financially, physically in the home, and emotionally for our oldest daughter. Not to mention what you said… preparing your marriage. There’s so much more than just buying stuff when a new baby graces your lives and home.
I think I took one class the first time, and with #2 I didn’t do any. I remember that class really being great though! You are right about there being no way to really prepare your marriage, but if you both just agree to be on the same page and help each other then it will go smoothly.
Sounds like you’ve done a lot of work! You’re right, there is really no way to prep your marriage. I’ll just share a little story about something I wasn’t prepared for when I had my children. I don’t know if it had anything to do with nursing them, but for the year that I did, I had absolutely zero sex drive. This was REALLY hard on my marriage. I think my last child, we had sex once in the year I nursed her. Once I weaned her, we were right back to where we were previously, which was great. But nothing had prepared me for that and it seems like nobody talks about it. If you find that happens to you … be assured it’s normal. And find other ways to cultivate closeness with your spouse … it doesn’t have to be all about the sex. I know your new little one will take SO much of your time, but don’t lose sight of your relationship with your husband … that should be solid too!
That is awesome you did so much to prepare! It is important to know the basics:) I found though that no matter what we did to prepare, we had to make major adjustments once baby was here! It is amazing how different babies are and what works for someone might not work for someone else:) I would say the best preparation for any parent is flexibility:) Thanks for sharing!
You both are so well prepared, this is impressive! As much as we want to prepare though, a lot of this experience is all about learning as you go. You will do great!
We took classes offered by our hospital..some were great and super informative. Others were pretty lackluster which was disappointing and a waste of time/money. The most beneficial was the newborn care class, which sounded pretty similar to yours. You’ll be totally fine..it’s a learning curve for sure, but it’s (mostly) all fun! 🙂
Oh you are so right. You have to prepare these things and how it works for your family. Love this post.
Sounds like you’re on the right track! Do you have pets? They say you can prepare your pet for the baby too by allowing him/her to smell the new baby stuff.
It’s good that you started thinking about some of these things beforehand. Simply discussing your roles and responsibilities with your partner can help a lot!
Yay so exciting! I will need to refer back to this in the future for sure.
Hehehe sounds like y’all did everything you needed!!! I think the only thing hubby and I did was get our house ready lol….
This is such a great list for first time parents! There are a lot of things on here I would never think about!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
What an exciting time for both of you! I know you are eagerly awaiting the day you will be able to hold your baby in your arms and take him home with you. You are doing great with the preparations, so relax and just savor the moment and the long hours of sleep. :)a
I love this! We have done all of these things too, and I’m actually feeling really prepared which is nice!
I wish to the hospital near me offered the prepped baby classes you and your hubby attended. It great to know what to expect before the baby arrives. It would have made things easier for my husband and I.
I am not a mom but all these tips are so good to share with my step daughters when they decide to be mothers. There is no doubt that planning and getting ready to receive a baby is super important.
OK, having a baby sounds TERRIFYING!! I feel like I’d feel just so damn clueless all the time…hahaha. Do you have feel legit prepared for mothering a child? I can’t wait to see more pics of baby Liam!
Coming Up Roses
Can’t believe you are so close! It sounds like you are ready to go!
This is a wonderful list. Things like spending time with the husband is really key and sometimes we may forget that. If my husband and I try for a child, I will totally put some of these into my list. Thanks for this!
This would of been such a helpful post before my first 2 babies! I’ll keep these in mind for baby number 3 whenever it happens!
I’m totally bookmarking this!! I’m entering the third trimester next week and am all of a sudden feeling super overwhelmed again haha I feel like we haven’t done ANYTHING yet. And my doctor hasn’t been very helpful along the way either so that makes it even more stressful. I’m really going to have to create a to do list for these final three months.
Great tips!! I love it. I am not prepping for baby but this will be great for when I am!
Getting the rest of the family ready for the baby’s arrival is very important. These are some great tips for making the transition easier.
I was young when I had my first and I didn’t prepare much at all, just got the basics, it was actaully a really great thing for me. Like a one on one crash course and I really learned from it. It paved the way to be prepared for the other three I had!
Great tips!During the tough times, remind yourself that this is a very short chapter in the book of life. It sounds like you are very prepared.