We are sitting at 37 weeks today friends which means our son can make his debut in this world ANY DAY NOW. I’m kind of s h o o k that this is where we are and that we will be entering into a new season of life where we are parents, FOREVER. Liiiiikkkkkeeeeee who is trusting us with the care of another human being?!?
In all seriousness I’m a Type-A Enneagram 8 kinda gal which means I want to plan ahead as much as possible. I get that planning ahead for children is essentially planning to be completely unprepared; but I try anyways. There is a sense of calm for me when I’m able to cram my brain with information on a topic I hardly know anything about.
So in today’s post I’m sharing a few of the ways we’ve been preparing to take care of a baby and be parents. I would love to hear any of the ways you prepared for having a new baby enter your life.
BOOKS
- Taking Charge of Your Fertility – While this is not a pregnancy book this is a book I think all women should read. It helps you to better understand your cycle especially if you are looking at pregnancy.
- Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth – This book was recommended to me time and time again and I can see why. The first half of the book is powerful positive birth stories to help bring encouragement towards thinking of labor. The second half is all about labor and delivery and it’s incredibly informative in the most encouraging way.
- The Mindful Mom To Be – This is a more holistic approach to birth by a doula. It’s got plenty of great emotional and mental exercises all while bringing a sense of calm to the unknown. It also has some great recipes to help in each trimester of pregnancy.
COURSES
- We purchased the bundle version of Karrie Locher’s courses and they are EVERYTHING! You can purchase either the Bringing Home Baby Infant Care course or the Early Weeks of Breastfeeding course individually or bundle them together. Both courses come with a printable PDF guide of each house full of the information so you can read along and refer back whenever. You also have LIFETIME access to these courses once you buy them.
- LABOR & DELIVERY resources: I found a few YouTube accounts to be extremely helpful and full of great knowledge: Bridget Teyler & The Doctors Bjorkman.
EXERCISE
- An account I follow mentioned this “28 Day Birth Like A Boss Challenge” and it’s all about strengthening your pelvic floor. I did a round of this earlier in my pregnancy and hope to do this again in July/August to work those muscles again close to my delivery date. This one does have a cost (I think it’s $30) but it’s so easy to follow and you just download an app and you do the daily exercises.
- I try to walk 1.5/2 miles Monday – Friday and with the summertime coming I am going to have to try to talk earlier in the day or wait until after the heat of the day because it gets H-O-T here. (PS since about 34 weeks I haven’t been able to keep this distance, it’s too hot/humid regardless of the time of day)
- I’ve been trying to implement more yoga ball workouts as well as stretching. I’ve been saving a ton of workouts/ideas on this pinterest board.
ADDITIONAL
- Leg cramps, sore muscles, and sleepless nights have REALLY been helped with this 8 Sheep Organics magnesium lotion.
- I’ll be starting our meal prep here shortly and LOVE this list of 10 Easy Postpartum Freezer Meals. Here is another post FULL of meal prepping before baby goodies!
- I also want to batch make some energy balls (like these Honey Cinnamon Almond Butter Bites & these no bake lactation bites) and make a double batch of these delicious (& easy) Blueberry Muffins.
- I’ve definitely hit that “nesting stage” where I want to go through every space in our home and purge what we no longer use/love and organize like crazy. Granted I’ve always loved organizing but this is definitely a new level.
BABY ITEMS WE’VE BOUGHT
