Hey friends! How are you holding up? It appears that most of us have been forcefully hibernating in our homes for the past few weeks… shoot maybe even a month now. Whether you have chosen to voluntarily engage in social distancing or have been mandated to do so, it appears as if we all have something in common. We’re looking for ways to pass the time outside of our required tasks of working from home or homeschooling.

With that being said, WHERE MY PREGNANT LADIES AT? If you happen to pregnant right now this is the PERFECT time to prepare for the birth of your little one. Personally, I cannot get enough of planning ahead, so if you are anything like me this is the post for you. Shoot… even if you aren’t the best planner this is the post for you. It might motivate you to get some prepping done during your down time.

Since I am the prep queen I can give you a list for days of different ways you can prepare for your little one, but since I want to respect your time I’m going to be brief. Whether this is baby number one, two, three, or eight I’m hoping you can benefit from these 6 tips:

1. Make a postpartum care kit: What is a postpartum care kit you ask? Well, this is a basket, box, or special place in your bathroom where you keep all of your postpartum toiletry items for easy access. This can be anything from peribottles, LARGE pads or depends (if you decide to go that route), tucks wipes, perineal spray (dermoplast or earthmama), cleansing wipes, wash cloth, and acetaminophen. You probably have some of these items at your home already, or you will receive them while you’re in the hospital (TAKE EVERYTHING HOME). If there is something on the list that you don’t own like a peribottle purchase off of Amazon. For example, you can three pack of peribottles off of Amazon for $7.95. And since I was overly prepared it was only natural that I made a kit for each of our bathrooms.

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2. Pack your baby bag: What kind of baby bag you rock is going to depend solely on your personal style, comfort level, and the contents inside. I preferred a cute book bag so I could remain hands free and reduce the amount of weight on one shoulder. Inside my baby bag I kept diapers, wipes, burp cloths, bib, change of clothes (for baby & mom), wash cloth, lotion, body wash, thermometer, gas drops, comb, nipple cream, chap stick, pads, aquaphor, hand sanitizer, disposable diaper bags, and wet wipes. I know it may look like a lot, but only carry what you feel is completely necessary. Since there isn’t a rule book about what you may and may not carry in your bag the big take away here is that you just pack your bag. We had three appointments the first two weeks Remy was born, and it was extremely helpful that our bag was packed in advance. This allowed us to get up and go without having to stress over what we needed to put in our baby bag.

3. Freezer meals: This recommendation comes with a gold star. One way to make your life a heck of a lot easier after you bring your little one home is to eliminate a household chore such as cooking. Before having our son my husband and I made twice the amount of our traditional servings when we cooked dinner so we could freeze meals for when the baby came. Some of the meals we froze were smoothies (whatever fruit or vegetable you prefer is fine), chilli, chicken alfredo (only have to cook your noodles), shrimp & gravy for shrimp and grits (only have to cook your grits), ground turkey with onions & peppers (can be eaten as tacos, burritos, or burrito bowls), teriyaki ground turkey & broccoli (only have to cook rice), and lasagna.

If there is a shortage of food in your area and you are unsure of whether making extra meals is feasible for your family at this time, you can always freeze any leftovers you have that you’re tired of eating. I don’t know about you, but I typically have a two day max on leftovers before I’m over it and want something else to eat. Towards the end of my pregnancy if I found myself in this predicament I threw those bad boys in the freezer.

4. More food tips: If you haven’t noticed food is a pretty big deal to me. Fueling your body is important everyday of your life, but even more so when you’re a new parent so I want you to be as prepared as possible. Food box subscriptions such as Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Hello Chef can make your life easier. These companies deliver food right to your doorstep with the items and recipes inside. So, outside of the pots and pans everything you need is inside your bag.

Also, you may want to consider subscribing to a grocery delivery service such as Amazon fresh, Instacart, Walmart grocery, Google shopping, or your local grocery store (at the time our local stores were Bakers & Hyvee). These delivery services have their pros & cons, but if you want to save a trip to the store you may benefit from having your groceries delivered.

5. Vanity Check: Take a quick look at what’s in your drawers and closet. Since you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your home healing it would be nice to have comfy clothes. If you haven’t noticed, tons of moms wear leggings & yoga pants. That’s because they stretch and are pretty darn comfortable. Some other items you may want to add to your list are comfortable/loose fitting shirts, sweaters (depending on the temperature), fuzzy socks or slippers, nursing bras, nursing tanks, spanx, and a postpartum girdle. If you don’t plan on nursing just skip on over the nursing bras & tanks recommendation.

Also, depending on your hair texture you might want to have a game plan for your hair as well. If you check out the picture above you’ll see I have braids. My hair is naturally curly and extremely thick which means it can look really good or REALLY BAD! There is no in between. And since I wanted to look decent with minimal effort I decided to get braids.

6. Support system: Having a baby changes everything. When you’re done reading this post take some time to make a physical or mental list of your support system because you are going to need these people. Try to list at least three people.

Who can you call to vent, receive parenting tips, ask for help, leave your baby with for a hour to get a break, or rely on to help you maintain mentally fit? This list may include your spouse, parents/in-laws, siblings, co-workers, friends, or church members. If you’re making your list and realize you may need a professional support person you may consider adding a therapist, coach, or postpartum doula to your list. As a personal wellness coach I am here to support and walk alongside you not only as a new mama but as a woman. I hope you have been able to take something from each and every post and apply it to your life or share with a friend. Motherhood and life are not meant to be done alone, and if you’re reading this I want you to know that we are in this together.

Like I stated previously, there are so many ways to prep for the birth of your baby. And even if the birthing process you envisioned looks different than what you planned, my hope is that these tips can reduce any additional stress you may acquire as you transition into motherhood.

How are you preparing for the birth of your little one? Are you already a mama? How did you prepare for the birth of your baby? What’s your top recommendation for the pregnant mamas out there? Let us know in the comment section below.

**If you need any additional support as you navigate motherhood schedule a 15-minute consultation with Patience today. You are not alone mama.**

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