Right before giving birth. What do I need to do first of all?
Well, it is tricky, because a universal answer does not exist in this case, as people’s experiences are not always the same. So your friends and family might have already told you different things all the time, but you are not sure who you should actually listen to.
But the good news here is that there are some totally obvious things that you should definitely get ready for because these things are coming for EVERY new mum. So make sure that you get them all ready BEFORE you go to the hospital for labour.
Ok, here we go, let’s get started, mamas!
Right before you go to the hospital for labour
Mummies, you need to get the baby nursery well-organised before you go to the hospital!
Don’t say that I didn’t warn you, but the truth is that after you come back from the hospital with your newborn, you won’t have the time to get the nursery done anymore. Even sometimes, if you could squeeze a tiny bit of time for it, that’s just too much extra stress.
We need to avoid postpartum anxiety as much as possible.
So, what is a MUST for a new nursery and how to get it well-managed for yourself for it to be easy to use later?
Here are the absolute essentials:
1, A cot bed of course,
but definitely have a waterproof layer sheet under the fitted bed sheet.
Because you would never know when and where your little one is going to puke or the nappy leaks…
2, Chest drawer or wardrobe for all those cute baby clothes.
Tips here is, with newborn clothes, better prepare a lot of one-piece bodysuits, I mean, A LOT.
Newborns puke with their milk all the time, plus nappy leaks happen sometimes, you probably do want to change them into something clean when this happens. Constantly!
So why one-piece bodysuits?
As they are the easiest and fastest to change in and out of, because your little one still can’t move by himself/herself. They won’t just stand up for you to let you put a cute skirt on easily!
Better with attached mittens, as babies have very sharp nails and they grow super fast, so we need to prevent them from scratching their little faces without even knowing that they are hurting themselves.
Can I get those separate mittens which are not attached to the suit?
Better not, because they are so easily going to fall off once the baby moves.
And I highly recommend you to go for those cheap ones to start with if you don’t want expensive pieces getting ruined in just a few seconds.
The good thing here is nowadays, you can easily get 5-6 pieces in one go under £20 from Amazon, and there are actually quite a lot of options. But do get more than only 5-6 pieces.
3, A changing table with waterproof matt/cushion on the top.
A lot of babies will continue peeing or pooing while you are still changing the nappy! Imagine the mess…. A waterproof matt/cushion is just going to make the cleaning job much easier.
Better to have several layers shelves with the changing table, as we need a lot of extra space. And those open shelf ones are better because things are easier for you to reach. So you don’t have to open the drawer and search a bit for where the nappy is, and then take it, and then close the drawer, then finally you can change the nappy for the baby…
Phew… We probably want to save a bit of time and extra movements here. Once you are on it, you will understand why we don’t want to waste any minute and why we want everything to be visible and easy to reach for yourself.
You can’t imagine how many more extra things you will need. And it is just extra convenient for you to reach whatever you need while doing the changing.
Remember, do not leave the baby alone on the changing table while you go somewhere else to get the stuff because the risk is that a wriggly baby might fall from the table! You can never leave your little one by themselves almost all of the time.
There are a lot of options inIkea, or Amazon. I got mine from Amazon. Just go on amazon website and search for baby changing table, then a lot will come up.
4, A nappy bin right next to the changing table.
I think everyone can agree with this. You need the nappy bin to be almost right next to your hand when changing the nappy because a newborn’s poo is not formed like yours, they are thin and runny, so it can drip anywhere, anytime!
Try to stand in front of the changing table and imagine the process of the nappy changing. It will help you to decide where everything should go, including clean nappies, nappy cream, baby wipes, clean baby bodysuits, baby lotion, etc. Try to stretch your hands and reach out, see what is the easiest location for you to reach everything you need.
5, A Moses basket or a newborn sleep cushion
You can put this small basket/cushion inside the cot bed for the first 6 months and let the baby sleep in a smaller surrounding. As the baby is still too small for a properly sized cot bed. They will also feel insecure once they don’t have anything around them.
Think about it, a baby has been inside your womb for 9 months, they are used to a protective environment like that, so they prefer that something is always around them.
So if you want to prevent a crying baby, do this!
However, I do not particularly recommend swaddle wraps. When I was in the hospital, this is also advice from a midwife to me. Then lately, I did find it’s not the best for a baby to move if they are inside the wrap, and it’s not good for their blood circulation.
I did prepare some swaddle wraps myself, but I ended up using 0!
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If this is something can also help your friends and family, please do share the knowledge to help more new mums.
Finally, please do feel free to leave a comment to let us know if you like this article or not, and if you have any questions or concerns, please also feel free to leave it in the comment below, I will personally come back to you with my answer.
If you have missed the previous day, click here to go back to the Introduction day.
Day 1 Unlocked – 5 Days Pre-labour Learning Challenge to make your life THOUSAND times easier with a newborn
Right before giving birth. What do I need to do first of all?
Well, it is tricky, because a universal answer does not exist in this case, as people’s experiences are not always the same. So your friends and family might have already told you different things all the time, but you are not sure who you should actually listen to.
But the good news here is that there are some totally obvious things that you should definitely get ready for because these things are coming for EVERY new mum. So make sure that you get them all ready BEFORE you go to the hospital for labour.
Ok, here we go, let’s get started, mamas!
Right before you go to the hospital for labour
Mummies, you need to get the baby nursery well-organised before you go to the hospital!
Don’t say that I didn’t warn you, but the truth is that after you come back from the hospital with your newborn, you won’t have the time to get the nursery done anymore. Even sometimes, if you could squeeze a tiny bit of time for it, that’s just too much extra stress.
We need to avoid postpartum anxiety as much as possible.
So, what is a MUST for a new nursery and how to get it well-managed for yourself for it to be easy to use later?
Here are the absolute essentials:
1, A cot bed of course,
but definitely have a waterproof layer sheet under the fitted bed sheet.
Because you would never know when and where your little one is going to puke or the nappy leaks…
2, Chest drawer or wardrobe for all those cute baby clothes.
Tips here is, with newborn clothes, better prepare a lot of one-piece bodysuits, I mean, A LOT.
Newborns puke with their milk all the time, plus nappy leaks happen sometimes, you probably do want to change them into something clean when this happens. Constantly!
So why one-piece bodysuits?
As they are the easiest and fastest to change in and out of, because your little one still can’t move by himself/herself. They won’t just stand up for you to let you put a cute skirt on easily!
Better with attached mittens, as babies have very sharp nails and they grow super fast, so we need to prevent them from scratching their little faces without even knowing that they are hurting themselves.
Can I get those separate mittens which are not attached to the suit?
Better not, because they are so easily going to fall off once the baby moves.
And I highly recommend you to go for those cheap ones to start with if you don’t want expensive pieces getting ruined in just a few seconds.
The good thing here is nowadays, you can easily get 5-6 pieces in one go under £20 from Amazon, and there are actually quite a lot of options. But do get more than only 5-6 pieces.
3, A changing table with waterproof matt/cushion on the top.
A lot of babies will continue peeing or pooing while you are still changing the nappy! Imagine the mess…. A waterproof matt/cushion is just going to make the cleaning job much easier.
Better to have several layers shelves with the changing table, as we need a lot of extra space. And those open shelf ones are better because things are easier for you to reach. So you don’t have to open the drawer and search a bit for where the nappy is, and then take it, and then close the drawer, then finally you can change the nappy for the baby…
Phew… We probably want to save a bit of time and extra movements here. Once you are on it, you will understand why we don’t want to waste any minute and why we want everything to be visible and easy to reach for yourself.
You can’t imagine how many more extra things you will need. And it is just extra convenient for you to reach whatever you need while doing the changing.
Remember, do not leave the baby alone on the changing table while you go somewhere else to get the stuff because the risk is that a wriggly baby might fall from the table! You can never leave your little one by themselves almost all of the time.
There are a lot of options in Ikea, or Amazon. I got mine from Amazon. Just go on amazon website and search for baby changing table, then a lot will come up.
4, A nappy bin right next to the changing table.
I think everyone can agree with this. You need the nappy bin to be almost right next to your hand when changing the nappy because a newborn’s poo is not formed like yours, they are thin and runny, so it can drip anywhere, anytime!
Try to stand in front of the changing table and imagine the process of the nappy changing. It will help you to decide where everything should go, including clean nappies, nappy cream, baby wipes, clean baby bodysuits, baby lotion, etc. Try to stretch your hands and reach out, see what is the easiest location for you to reach everything you need.
5, A Moses basket or a newborn sleep cushion
You can put this small basket/cushion inside the cot bed for the first 6 months and let the baby sleep in a smaller surrounding. As the baby is still too small for a properly sized cot bed. They will also feel insecure once they don’t have anything around them.
Think about it, a baby has been inside your womb for 9 months, they are used to a protective environment like that, so they prefer that something is always around them.
So if you want to prevent a crying baby, do this!
However, I do not particularly recommend swaddle wraps. When I was in the hospital, this is also advice from a midwife to me. Then lately, I did find it’s not the best for a baby to move if they are inside the wrap, and it’s not good for their blood circulation.
I did prepare some swaddle wraps myself, but I ended up using 0!
So I hope you enjoyed today’s learning journey and found this helpful for you. Now you can download the checklist at the bottom of this article. Day 2 Unlocked: What should I put into a suitcase before going to the hospital? A full list for you is coming your way tomorrow morning. Be sure to check your inbox.
Again, to receive the learning journey, please do not forget to subscribe to our website now, and you will also get:
If this is something can also help your friends and family, please do share the knowledge to help more new mums.
Finally, please do feel free to leave a comment to let us know if you like this article or not, and if you have any questions or concerns, please also feel free to leave it in the comment below, I will personally come back to you with my answer.
If you have missed the previous day, click here to go back to the Introduction day.
Download field:
Checklist – Day 1 – Nursery preparation essentials
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