How to get ready for labor and baby | Things you might forget

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Recently updated on May 18th, 2020 at 07:57 pm

Are you wondering how to get ready for labor and baby? Keep on reading to find out some of the things I did to prepare my mind and body for labor. 

By the end of this article, you’ll feel calmer and you will know what is coming up. I don’t know about you, but for me, fear of the unknown creates anxiety, so I like to be informed if possible. 

How to get ready for labor and baby?

Once you hit that 30-week mark, time just flies by. Therefore you want to make sure you are prepared for labor and baby. 

There are so many things you can do to get your home, body, and mind ready for labor. I’ve listed a few things I did while pregnant, things that have helped me a lot, as well as things I’ve learned from other moms from their experiences. 

I had epidural-free labor, even though I ended up having an emergency C section. I have a blog post about my labor and delivery if you want you can check it out here.

In no particular order, here’s how to get ready for labor and baby

1. Get yourself a pregnancy/yoga ball

I remember replacing my chair with a birthing ball and loved it. You’ll feel no more pain or pressure when sitting down. It’s also recommended to bounce on it while in labor. It’ll support the lower back muscles and you’ll feel much better. You can also use it after you gave birth, as part of your postpartum recovery process.

2. Start working on the nursery

Even if you don’t want a nursery for your baby, at least decide where your baby is going to sleep. We used to have a cot that was attached to our bed. And he slept in our room until he was 8-9 months old. It depends on your preference. 

3.Prep your baby’s clothes

What do I mean by this? Wash them, with a baby laundry detergent, fold them and put them away in the closet. I never washed my baby’s clothes with ours, especially in the beginning. Not sure if it was out of superstition or just because I knew he had sensitive skin and just didn’t want to use our usual laundry detergent. 

4. Assemble the cot

I wouldn’t assemble it too early, because it’ll only accumulate dust. If you still want to put it together, don’t forget to wash everything 1-2 weeks before your due date.

5. Prenatal courses

Consider attending some prenatal courses in your area. If you don’t have any, I highly recommend checking out Liesel’s online courses. She is a labor and delivery nurse and she created some amazing online courses about birth, newborn care (just launched). She also has various cookbooks which can help you learn what to eat while breastfeeding. You’ll love her courses! 

6. Pack the hospital bag

Some women have their hospital bag ready by the time they reach week 35. It’s always a good idea to start early, especially if you’re having a girl. They tend to be here earlier than boys. I have a free hospital bag checklist you can check out.

7. Organize, declutter, and clean your home

Please make sure you don’t do any heavy lifting on your own, nor start re-arranging the furniture. Stick to the basics and ask for help.

8. Create a birth plan

I honestly didn’t have one, but I know many moms recommend having one. All I did was add a few lines in my pregnancy journal, then forgot about it. I don’t think I followed it. 

9. Download a Contractions Tracker app

The last thing you want to do in labor is to start downloading tracker apps. So make sure you do that beforehand. 

10. Start listening to relaxation music – hypnobirthing

Even if you aren’t planning to have a hypnobirth, I highly recommend you do some research about it. It’ll help you relax and will teach you how to breathe while in labor. YouTube has some fantastic resources on hypnobirthing. I am pretty sure these have helped me go through labor without any medication, except gas and air. However, if you are seriously thinking about hypnobirthing, Hypnobubs has an amazing online course. They also offer a FREE seak peak to their course as well as a free mp3 playlist with hypnobirthing music. 

11. Consider batch cooking and stocking up your freezer

This is a very good idea if you won’t have someone helping you. You want to spend your time with your new family, not cooking. And especially in the beginning, you won’t have time to cook. 

12. Educate yourself about breastfeeding, growth spurts and on-demand feeding

This is the one thing I didn’t do and I paid with my son’s birth weight. He lost too much (13%) and had to stay longer in the hospital to monitor him. Plus I had some kind of reaction and I needed antibiotics for it.

A final note

These are my top recommendations when it comes to getting ready for labor and baby. Some of the things I wish I had known before, therefore I added them to my list so you know exactly what to do and how to get ready for labor.

Do you have other recommendations? Please share them in the comments.