When preparing for your little bundle of joy one thing is for sure, excitement can turn overwhelming quickly once you begin looking at all of the baby items and companies geared toward new babies. Which bassinet is the right one? Which stroller is best to travel with? What is a sleep consultant and when should I hire one? These are just a few of the hundreds of questions that race through your head daily.
But what about you? What do you need after baby to make sure you are happy, comfortable and get back to feeling like yourself again, ASAP? That’s something none of us think about beforehand… and we definitely need to!
Check out my top 5 list of things to get for YOU before baby arrives (and I’m not talking about disposable underwear or nipple shields)!
(Photo c/o Derek Thomson, Unsplash)
ASK FOR HELP
Surround yourself with people who will HELP you! Whether it’s with laundry or just holding the baby for 20 minutes. Don’t try to be super woman and do it all alone. Ask your mom or a friend to come by at a certain time to help with a particular task, hire someone to clean the house, have a lactation consultant on standby in case you have trouble or questions about breastfeeding.
Remember, if you aren’t happy, baby won’t be happy. It’s simple as that. Stamford mom, Natalie Telyatnikov created the program Better Postpartum to help moms with just that! It’s an 8-week digital program with daily informational videos and support from some of the leading names in the birth, postpartum, motherhood, nutrition, health and wellness, lactation industries. So you’ll have advice at your fingertips to help you succeed at breastfeeding, life changes after baby and more!
PLAN MEALS
In the days and weeks after your baby is born, I promise you won’t cook. No matter how much you like to cook, you’re going to be on hiatus. And chances are your husband will be, too. So line up some quick and easy meals ahead of time! One option is to cook before the baby is born and freeze the meals. Another option is to go with a company that will plan meals for you. A few of my favorites for this are Flavorism, Kinney Lane and Sakara.
If you order from Kinney Lane, use code STAMFORDMOMS for 15% your first order! If you go with Sakara, use code REF_STAMFORD15 for 15% off your first order!
(Photo c/o Sakara)
UPDATE YOUR WARDROBE
Yes, seriously! You’re going to spend a lot of time in comfy clothes. Get some that will be comfy AND make you feel good. When my son was a newborn, the days I felt worst were the ones when I didn’t shower and was in PJ’s until 3 p.m. There is just something about brushing your teeth, taking at least a 2 minute shower and changing out of pajamas that makes you instantly feel more human! Check out this post with 4 Easy Outfits to Make Mom Feel Put Together. And definitely check out these joggers! They’re loose but cute at the same time. These Lululemon leggings are great because they’re high waisted and super soft! So are these from Z By Zella!
Sizing can be tough because your body will change so much from pregnancy to postpartum. But, if you’re getting loose clothing with elastic waists, you can definitely play around to find something that will work.
(Photo c/o Peach)
GET A GOOD WATER BOTTLE
Once baby arrives, you won’t have time to do much including think, much less remember to drink water. Make it a little easier for yourself by investing in a good water bottle. Stamford fitness trainer Lauren Seib has a list of her 10 favorite ones here (all are available on Amazon)! When I had my son and was breastfeeding, I liked having one with a straw, because it was just easier. Here’s the one I used and loved!
(Photo c/o Amazon)
FIND A GOOD TV SHOW
You’ll spend a lot of time sitting on the couch, especially if you’re breast feeding. And while you might have the best of intentions going in, you will not have time to read a book or magazine and you’ll get so sick of looking at your phone that you’ll want to throw it out the window. So find a good series to binge watch. Make it one that is mindless and has a lot of episodes. Plus, TV shows are short. So when you get interrupted, it isn’t like a long movie that you have to stop in the middle of watching and then never remember to go back to.