Thursday 23 July 2015

10 Things to Keep You Busy Before Your Baby Arrives


I didn't work through my pregnancy due to no fault of my own and I had plenty of experience of having far too much time on my hands and literally no spare money as I was having to sign on at the time. Read more about my 'fun' time signing on here. During the later months of pregnancy here's what I did to occupy my time.

1) Start a blog
I loved starting my blog, I learnt so much and I love how I have been able to document things I would have usually forgotten. I have already read back some of my posts and had a good laugh about how much I suffered with morning sickness or stressed about what kind of cot mattress to buy lol! If you are someone who needs to keep busy a lot then blogging is the way forward, you will be kept occupied designing your blog, writing posts, maintaining social media presence and being nosey and checking out other blogs. 

2) Unbox everything
 Make sure you get rid of the boxes otherwise you will be swamped when baby comes home and your recycling bin will hate you. 

3) Sterilise Bottles/beast pump
They will need doing again before use but at least you will have a trail run under your belt. The last thing you need when you come from the hospital with your gorgeous bundle of joy is to be fumbling with instructions of how to use the steriliser (yes this did happen to me!)

4) Organise baby clothes
I washed all Jakes newborn stuff before he wore it because I didn't like the idea of vests and sleepsuits sitting in a dusty warehouse and me just chucking them on him. I used non-bio detergent and baby friendly fabric softener. It was lovely to see them all organised in his chest of draws.

5) Make up some feeds
Even if you plan of breastfeeding getting to grips with making up formula could be a life saver if things don't go to plan and you need to bottle feed.

6) Practise putting on nappies
Yes I did put a nappy on our cat Elvie and no I don't feel bad about it, it was hilarious! 

7) Cook
This was the most useful thing I did while pregnant! I suffered a 3rd degree tear during birth and it took me about two weeks to be able to stand long enough to cook again. Luckily I had batch cooked spag bol, chilli con carne, and shepherds pie because Jimmy is useless in the kitchen. I also stocked up my freezer with easy to make meals like pies, frozen mash, fish fingers and Kiev's etc. We also ate a LOT of junk food in the early weeks but I think everyone does that! 

8) Beautify yourself
Get your hair cut, even if it's just a trim, trust me just do it. Who knows the next time you will be baby free long enough to enjoy a hair cut again! If you enjoy regular manicures/pedicures then pack them in as much as you can before you spend your days covered in baby sick and looking like a zombie.

9) Pack your hospital bag
Then unpack it, then pack it again, repeat until the day you go into labour. Well that's what I ended up doing! I made a list of everything I could think of and had one bag for me and one for baby. I also had a list attached to my bag of things I needed last minute for stuff like, phone chargers etc. I would advise against ANY thick clothing. I gave birth in February and I felt like it was 100 degrees in the hospital. Think lightweight nighties, flip flops and very thin dressing gowns. Treat going in to hospital like going to Glastonbury, only take things for yourself you are willing to leave behind. I got ALL my hospital stuff from Primark and I'm so pleased because a lot of it got ruined with, well shall we just call it goo?!

10) Try to chill
You may be anxious but try to sleep, take long showers (god, I miss long showers), eat well and relax. Enjoy the calm before the storm. Your life is about to change forever and it's absolutely magical. Anyway enough clichés, get that play gym unpacked! 

What did you do to keep you sane while you were waiting for your little one to arrive? Let me know your tips in the comments below! 

The List