28 things to do in the last 28 days

I am sharing with you a list of 28 things to do in the last 28 days of pregnancy.  I was inspired to write it after finding the few weeks leading up to delivery to be: long, emotional, and in-need-of-distraction-y.  I have shared it with my sister and my cousin, with good response.  Use it if you find yourself in my shoes or give it to someone you know to motivate and encourage them.

The list 

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Find, buy, and watch your favorite kid's movie.  Some day you will get to share it with your little one, why not have it on hand?  The Wal-mart $5.00 bin is a great place to look.

Pick out your pediatrician and call them.  If don't have someone in mind, ask for recommendations from other parents or look them up online.  If you don't know the doctor personally, you can call their office and schedule a time to meet them and ask them some questions.  If you aren't sure what to ask, here is a good list of topics:

http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-tools/articles/checklist-interviewing-a-pediatrician.aspx

Remember-you are potentially dealing with this person for the next 18 years, make sure you really like them!

Go to http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/pregnancy-survey and take the survey about your pregnancy.  Write down the questions and answers on paper and put it in your baby book.

Practice swaddling.  Watch a youtube video, read a how-to blog post, or ask someone who knows.  

Figure out how to use your stroller.  Also figure out how to use your baby carrier or wrap if you have one.

Pack your hospital bag.  Two things I thought were useful: chapstick for all the huffing and puffing, and pillows from home- the hospital ones were terrible!

Get a stack of thank you cards and stamps.  People love to send gifts and cards when the baby comes.

Double your dinner recipe and freeze half.  Having pre-made food after the baby comes is awesome, because finding the time or energy to cook is hard.  I made simple things like spaghetti, meatballs, and soup and froze them.

Make a family tree for your baby.  

Make a labor or postpartum playlist.  Pick out songs that make you happy and feel calm, just remember to pack your ipod or computer and charger.  

Write out a birth plan.  When trying to process all the possibilities of labor it helps to nail down what is really important to you (even if it changes at the last minute) like specifying who you want in the room, if you want to have pain meds available, if you don't want interns involved, etc.

Make a list of who you want contacted and assign that job to someone.  Decide if you want to call, text, or email your friends and family to let them know the good news.  You can even type up a draft email or text and then you can just fill in the details and hit send!

Start a timer and drive to the hospital, park, and walk to the right floor.  Then you will know what to expect during show time.  While you are there, you can go in and look at the babies in the nursery, and stop for a frosty on the way home.

Buy one post-pregnancy thing for yourself.  Not something that will take several months to get into, but something that you can be happy to put on after the baby comes.  My sister bought me this sweet nightgown that is super soft and pretty, which is nice to wear especially when I feel so un-used to my body being just mine.

Spend extra time loving on your pets.  You will always love them, but it is hard to give them a lot of attention after having a baby.  It takes time to work out a new routine as a family and get back to bonding with your animals, so love them up now.  Also pick up a few toys or treats and keep them stashed away for when you are feeling guilty.

Transition your closet and drawers by pulling out maternity things and putting your old clothes back.  It might take a while to get back into them, but having your old clothes can help you get back to feeling more like yourself.  I can't explain why, but throwing on my old ratty Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt was really comforting.

Watch a movie about having a baby.  I highly recommend Baby Mama, other good choices are Junior, Away We Go, and Juno.  I do not recommend Look Who's Talking-that movie gives me the creeps.

Clean like crazy!  I know you are probably really tired and your house is already clean, but think about it as a clean-pay-it-forward kind of thing.  If you scrub already clean toilets and sinks, the cleanyness will last for a while after the baby comes.

Go buy plenty of pads for yourself (the Always Infinity were definitely worth the extra few dollars), and rubbing alcohol wipes for baby's umbilical cord. 

 Do something with your feet.  They will be up in the air, and well, they might as well look decent.  I know they are hard to reach, but give them a few minutes of attention, or get someone else to do it.

Make sure you have baby medical stuff at home.  It seems babies only need something like that at a really inconvenient time and then someone is going to the 24 hours Walgreens in the dead of night.  Things to check for might be: thermometer, gas drops, baby tylenol, etc.

Put together a few baskets of baby stuff.  We have a changing station in our bedroom, but I find myself changing little man on the couch/floor/pack-n-play quite often, instead of taking him back there every time.  Throw some diapers and what not into a few baskets and stash them in different rooms, especially those that you spend a lot of time in.

 Do something that you won't do for a while after the baby comes, like go to the movies or a small, crowded, baby-unfriendly restaurant.

Find a baby picture of you and your husband.  Throw them into the hospital bag or have them handy when you get home.  It is fun to see what features get passed along.

Check your bills and bank accounts.  I got so distracted when little man was born, that I let one of our accounts get a negative balance.  I just wasn’t thinking about it.  If there is anything you can do, like set up automatic payments or transfers, do it ahead of time.

Get a good water bottle.  If they let you drink during labor, it is nice to have your own bottle and watch how much you drink.  After the baby comes, you will have to drink a lot of fluids and breastfeeding can make you feel really thirsty.  Splurge for something fun.

Bake something.  You will have a lifetime of making birthday cakes and holiday cookies ahead of you.   Start sharpening your skills and enjoy some tasty treats.

Take a picture of your belly in a way that you can recreate it with your baby once they arrive.  Wrapping your hands around the bottom and holding it up, lay the baby’s coming home outfit on your belly, etc… then just substitute a baby for the belly for an after picture.

Take a bath.   Doctors recommend you don’t take one for a long while after the baby is born, since your body is trying to rid itself of un-useful material and don’t want to risk infection.  Make it a good long one and bring a book.