5 Ways to Feel Better Prepared for Baby's Arrival

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I’m 28 weeks pregnant this week which means I’m officially in the third trimester. This means I kind of need to know what I’m doing and be prepared to do it…And, pretty soon.

There’s my 28 week belly. Yes, that is a pinata that was stuffed with baby supplies at our shower last weekend. Our friends are awesome.

But I digress. Back to the moment of panic:

I have no idea what I’m doing.

Justin & I had a conversation last night that went something like this:

Justin: Did you register for bottles?

Me: Yes, I registered for EVERYTHING.

Justin: Did you get the good ones? That Dr. something brand?

Me: Um, I don’t think so. I mean I registered for playtex I think. I was trying to keep it basic. Oh, but I didn’t register for a bottle warmer. Should I do that? I mean, don’t you just use the microwave?

Justin: If you want to give our baby cancer…

So, yea, I have no idea what I’m doing.

So this morning I found myself googling how to heat a bottle. (I know. How sad is this?)

And googling how to heat a bottle somehow turned into googling “what happens during birth.”

Holy. Mother. Of. Pearl.

This resulted in a few things:

Several texts to mommy friends for verification that this nightmare called birth would be as unpleasant as described.
3 new baby books purchased from Amazon
a new to do list
And, a lot of internet searching ( Episiotomy, Signs of Labor, Stages of Labor, Pitocin, what to pack in the hospital bag and what happens in the first 24 hours after the baby is born)

But, I do feel a little better. I don’t feel prepared, but I feel a little better.

I attribute a lot of this to the need to just “feel prepared.”

I’m often told how intuitive this all is when the baby is born, but, for me, I need information.

So, here is my list of things that helped me feel a little more prepared for all of this.

Attention pregnant, nesting moms! Here are five ways to feel better prepared for your baby's arrival. Whether you're pregnant and expecting for the first time, or this is number 2 or 3, follow our list to take steps to get ready for baby. You've got this, mama!

**5 Ways to Feel Better Prepared for Baby’s Arrival:**

1. Ask other Moms.

Ask your friends who recently had babies. Join a facebook group just for moms. I do both, and it has helped tremendously. Other moms love to give advice, so when you feel unprepared, solicit some. It’s much better to solicit the advice now then to wait for the unsolicited advice to come when baby is here and the hormones are raging.

2. Google ONE question at a time.

Be careful with google because it will lead you down the rabbit trail I went on today, but google IS great for a basic question that requires a basic answer. (I would not suggest googling birth. Too much. Too scary.)

3. Read a pregnancy blog designed to make you feel NORMAL.

Pregnancy blogs can make you feel more prepared with tips and tricks without making you feel like you have to be supermom and have this all figured out right now. Books written by doctors seem very rigid and provide overly “safe” answers, and and all their chart tracking makes the inner perfectionist in me go a little nuts. I’m a fan of scary mommy for a good laugh and a jolt of reality.

[Editor’s note: I hear that Pregnant Chicken is pretty good too *cough*]

4. Buy some books that don’t make you feel like a failure before you start.

I have Baby 411 and What to Expect, but they both make me feel overwhelmed. I feel like I should be taking notes on everything. They tell you EVERYTHING, but you really don’t need to KNOW everything. I suggest buying topical books once you feel like you have a baseline of information. I just bought a book on breastfeeding and a book on labor. I don’t know enough about either of these two topics, and these other doctor books will still be there when I have a question about scaly skin or weird rashes. But, for now, I need to take one topic at a time.

5. Get stuff done so you can de-stress.

We all have a lingering to do list while pregnant. And, it only exacerbates the feeling of not being prepared. I like lists, but then I often just stare at them. Make that dang list right now and start crossing items off. Some items on my list include 1. organize baby shower gifts 2. wash baby clothes and organize closet 3. put up curtains in nursery etc. etc. Once some of these items are accomplished, I think I can relax just a bit more.

Hopefully, this little list helps coax you out of your minor panic attack as it did me.

But, for now, I leave you with a picture of me kicking the crap out of this pinata.

Because, again, our friends are awesome.