How to prepare for a new baby

Once your little bundle of joy arrives, life as you know it will be turned upside down – in the best possible way.

Planning ahead when you’re pregnant means the precious hazy days after you bring your baby home won’t be squandered and stress levels will be lower than if you ticks some of these things off your list.

Upsize meals

Cook twice the amount you normally would, then freeze half. In those first few weeks the last thing you’ll want to do is cook an evening meal – yet it’s important that you eat healthily.

Meals that freeze well and are high in the nutrients you’ll need include lasagne, cottage pie, beef and red wine stew, and vegetable soup. Do this from around 35 weeks until your freezer is full.

You can also plan ahead by looking around at healthy and delicious readymeal delivery options, to take some of the pressure off.

Pack light

Getting your hospital bag ready is a fun milestone, but in practical terms you don’t want to keep your toiletries in a standby bag for weeks on end.

Instead, pack tester-sized toiletries – you’ll find some in your Parent-to-Be Bounty Bag. Plus buy promotional-sized shampoos and conditioners, and ask for testers of your favourite skincare items at your local cosmetic counter (tell the staff it’s for your hospital bag – they’re usually delighted to help out).

The only item you should apply the ‘biggest is best’; rule to is sanitary pads – you’ll need several packs of them. Ultra thins may be extra absorbent but they just don’t cut it in a maternity bag.

Forewarned is forearmed

So much of pregnancy is focused on the birth that it can be easy to overlook preparing for real life with a baby. Once labour’s over, it may seem like you’re handed a baby and left to get on with it – it can be quite overwhelming as you get to know your little one, learn how to breastfeed, adjust to sleep deprivation and recover from the birth. Knowing what to expect can help, especially in relation to normal newborn behaviour, so read up and talk to other mums about their experiences.

Buckle up

It’s a legal requirement to have a baby car seat fitted before you can take your baby home from hospital, but it’s estimated that about 75 percent of baby car seats aren’t fitted correctly, which can result in serious injury to your child.

For peace of mind and the safety of your new baby, have your child seat installed by a trained restraint fitter. It only takes five minutes and costs from $35-$75. Contact your state’s road safety authority to find your nearest approved fitting station.

Also ask grandparents who might be driving your child around to get their own baby seat professionally fitted, to save you from having to continually install and uninstall your seat.

Batten down the hatches

In those first few weeks after the baby is born you don’t want to be bundling the bub up and making a mad dash to the shops just because you’ve run out of toilet paper. Stock up now on non-perishables such as toothpaste and other toiletries, paper products and canned foods. Make sure you have some safe vitamins and supplements to support your additional needs with a newborn. Biome Iron+ Probioitics from Activated Probioitics may help you better absorb dietary iron, as well as containing vitamin C and folic acid.

Get physical

This doesn’t mean going for a 5km run, but getting active with gentle exercise such as walking will not only take your mind off the countdown to the big day, but hold you in better stead post-birth too.

Being physically fit boosts energy to help you cope with the demands of a newborn, reduces stress, speeds healing from the rigours of birth and helps you regain your pre-pregnancy shape faster.

Clear your diary

It’s easy to imagine life won’t change much after the baby arrives, but in those first few weeks when you’re just getting to know your new baby and adjusting to all the changes, it’s easier if you don’t have prior commitments or engagements hanging over your head. Don’t commit to any activities – instead, adopt a ‘play it by ear’ response to all invitations and just focus on your new infant.

Grab some romance

Get out now while you can – with your partner, that is. Whether it’s a dinner, a movie or even a weekend babymoon, put some time aside for you and your partner while it’s just the two of you. Once the baby arrives you’ll be flat out adjusting to life with a little one.

Plan to lose the plan

While you’re pregnant and thinking about the pending birth, you’ll probably write a plan for how you’d like things to go. But it’s important to remember that even the best-laid plans can go awry – and nowhere is this more clear than in the delivery suite. Discuss your preferences with your midwife or doctor, but don’t cling militantly to your plan – it can set you up for disappointment if things don’t pan out that way on the day.

Pamper yourself

You’re pregnant… not only do you deserve to treat yourself, but these are the last few days when you can do simple things like have a haircut without worrying about how you’ll manage to breastfeed while your colour sets. So get your hair done, your eyebrows shaped and your legs waxed and enjoy a relaxing massage!