As the third trimester made its way into our life, I realized this baby was coming soon – even if it did feel like I was going to be pregnant for 100 more years. It’s so strange, pregnancy feels like it flies by but also lasts forever. At this point we have about 6 weeks until our due date and I know it’s going to sneak up on us! While we really have all the important things completed, I decided to create a Before Baby Checklist to keep RJ and I on track with all the little things we need to complete before baby boy is here.
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In addition to our specific to do list, I also created a fun graphic with some of the general Before Baby Checklist to do’s. For our to do list, I created a note in my phone that is shared with my husband’s phone. This way as I add or edit, it’s automatically updated on his phone as well. I’m not going to lie, I don’t think he’s paid much attention to it but I feel better knowing he has access to it as well.
Our Before Baby Checklist:
– Make 2 Copies of our House Key
In case we are rushed to the hospital, I want to make sure people can get into our house to take care of the pups. In addition to the two house keys, I’m also going to write a note with their feeding/schedule details and leave it in the laundry room, just in case.
– Create Diaper Stations Downstairs
Foster’s nursery is upstairs and depending on how labor goes, I may not even be able to get upstairs at first + I doubt I will want to go upstairs for every single diaper change anyway. I’m going to create little diaper stations in our master bedroom and living room. We have bookcases in our cabinets in the living room and I already purchased 4 baskets to store things like diapers, wipes, creams, and travel diaper trash bags. I also cleared out the big drawer in my nightstand to do the same! You could also create a diaper caddy or whatever works best for your space.
– Create Postpartum Station for Myself
This is a not so fun one, ha! One of the things that you don’t immediately think of when you think of having a baby (at least I didn’t) is the recovery process for mom. Since you probably don’t know exactly how your baby will come into this world, what your exact recovery will be like, etc. it’s hard to be prepared but I’ve heard wonderful things about this Frida Mom Postpartum Kit. I recieved it as a gift and just need to get it set up in our bathroom + see if I want to add any additional items.
– Reorganize Kitchen Cabinets/Drawers
One of the craziest things to think about is that RJ and I are about to have another human living with us in just a few short weeks. We have been together 8 years, living together for at least 4 of those. I know its going to be an exciting, albiet crazy, adjustment but we cannot wait. We recieved a ton of bottles and feeding accessories at our shower, so I went ahead and reorganized some of our cabinets to make room for them. I did leave them in the box for now as we recieved a few different brands and I’m not sure which he/we will prefer.
– Make Freezer Meals/Have Some Food Plans
This is a really important one for us as we live on a mountain with very limited food options and RJ has a lot of food allergies. We looked into some food delivery options like Hello Fresh, but with his allergies it just didn’t make much sense. We only have one restaurant on the mountain he can eat and everything else is at least 20 minutes away so I want to pre-make some dinners that can be easily frozen and reheated later. I also plan to stock up on items from Costco that can either be frozen or last a while so we have everything we need. If you’re interested I can do a full post on what we end up making/purchasing.
– Finish Hospital Bags
I started our hospital bags around 28 weeks. Mainly just looking at what we had, what we needed to order and ordering anything I wanted personalized with his name. I will be sharing a full post with our hopsital bags + exactly what we had in them very soon! I know most people don’t do this until 34ish weeks but I knew ordering things with Foster on them would take longer and wanted to get a head start. Also, due to COVID, our hospital stay is going to look a little different than normal. Right now the rules are- once we arrive at the hospital, RJ is not allowed to leave the property. This is probably going to lead to me overpacking but I would most likely do that anyway, ha!
– Install Car Seat
I’ve heard a lot of different things about when to install the carseat. If you happen to wreck while it’s installed, you have to get a whole new one so you don’t want to just be driving around with it for weeks but also I don’t want to wait too late just in case! We still haven’t installed ours and will probably wait until closer to 37 weeks. Also due to COVID, I won’t be going anywhere in July except the doctor so I’m not too worried about being out and going into labor and suddenly needing it.
– Deep Clean House
Or hire someone to deep clean the house. RJ surprised me by having someone do this about three weeks ago and it was great but we will probably need someone to come in again closer to our due date, so schedule accordingly!
– Make Birth Plan
I haven’t done this yet, so I can’t speak too much on it but I know Pinterest has a ton of resources if you search ‘How to Make a Birth Plan’.
– Take Any Courses You Need/Want
Another thing happening due to Covid is the inability to take traditional birthing classes. I plan to look into some online but also not spend too much time researching this (if you have one you recommend, please let me know!). I do however plan to do Taking Cara Babies newborn sleep course. I’ve heard great things and is compatible with our Snoo.
– Preregister Hospital
I assume this is available everywhere – my hospital allows you to print your registration paperwork and fill it out before hand. I plan on dropping it off after my next appointment. One less thing to worry about while in labor!
– Schedule Maternity Shoot
If you are wanting to have a maternity shoot, you should plan to do so around 33 weeks! Make sure to find your photographer and schedule ahead of time. Plus, gather whatever you want to wear.
– Written Will
Another not so fun one, we currently don’t have a will or living will (tbh not sure the difference but need to figure it out soon!). I want to make some plans in case something happens to me during birth or if something happens to RJ & I while Foster is a child. It’s scary and hopefully won’t be necessary but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
– Call Pediatrician
The less exciting things fall at the end of my list if you can’t tell. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do when I call the pedatrician, but going to figure that out next week and call.
– Relax, enjoy your last few weeks, go on a date night and SLEEP.
As hard as it seems, I know soaking up these last few weeks is so important. Our lives are never going to be the same so I’m *trying* to soak up the weeks of just the two of us, napping whenever I want, feeling those precious baby kicks and being lazy.
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What do you think of our Before Baby Checklist? Did I miss anything important? 6 weeks sounds like a long time, but I know it will fly by! I have waves of motivation and days where I need two naps, so I’m rolling with the punches and trying to knock out things here and there.
| Changing Basket | Ride On Car | Polaroid | Waffle Blanket | Pacifier | Knit Set (Similar) |
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