Things to do before Baby Arrives !

Being organised with a little forward planning before your baby arrives allows you to stay relaxed and enjoy your time with your new bundle of joy

Here are a few tips to help get organised.

Have a romantic meal or organise a weekend away or mini break with your partner and relish the time to yourselves.

Make up a pregnancy board/ box of photos and keepsakes. Maybe keep a diary or pen a letter to your unborn baby to treasure for when he/she is older.

Organise your work leave. Know you rights, benefits and entitlements. Check your company policy and decide how much time you plan to take off.

Discuss with your partner the costs of parenthood. Are you financially prepared? It is a good idea to plan if you are going back to work and budget for childcare costs and additional costs of a baby.

Make meals for your freezer and do a big supermarket of essentials such as toilet rolls and detergents, as this will be the last thing you’ll want to have to do with a newborn. It is also handy to have a few pre prepared meals in the freezer that you can just put in the oven, giving you one less thing to think about.

Discuss a birth plan with your partner, decide what role you want your partner to play in the birth and explore the type of pain relief you may or may not want during your labour.

Have your hospital bag packed. You never know when you may have to make that dash to the hospital so have it packed well in advance.

Do a test drive to the hospital to time roughly how long the journey takes. Become familiar with the route from your home and make allowances for rush hour traffic.

Prepare for your breastfeeding and how long you plan to breastfeed for. Discuss what role your partner can have to help and support you when you’re feeding.

Let your family members know when you want them to visit, when is a good time and don’t have everyone together.