Get your house organized!
We know the last thing you want to be doing when pregnant is cleaning your house. Cleaning your house and getting it ready to welcome your new little one during pregnancy is definitely better than doing it when you’re 24-hours postpartum with a sore vag and crying newborn.
Tips on organizing:
Put a deep-cleaning session from a maid service on your baby registry. Have a team of professionals come in a few days before your due date to scrub your house from top to bottom, wash/fold your laundry, & put your home in order.
Have baby clothes already washed & in their drawers.
Have diapering stations in main rooms for easy access. Don’t forget to have your own mommy station of supplies as well!
Rules about visitors
The first hours and days at home as a new family are precious. You will never get those back. You and your partner need some time to get into your own routine with this baby, and you should be able to have some quiet, uninterrupted time getting to know them. You also need to rest and recover.
If you want visitors, come up with some visiting hours that work for you.
I recommend around feeding times since you may or may not feel comfortable breastfeeding in front of visitors.
As for family, if they are coming from out of town, maybe schedule it to where not everyone is in town at the same time so you are not overwhelmed "hosting" and they can actually help you by trading off.
Stock your fridge and freezer with nourishing foods
During those first couple of days, you are not going to want to cook nor want to eat takeout all the time.
So the last few weeks leading up to your due date is a great time to start prepping some meals. Choose healthy and beneficial foods to promote your recovery. Place them in individual containers so it is easy to heat up.
No time for an actual meal? Stock your pantry and fridge with easy grab-and-go snacks. This is especially important if you’re nursing; foods like legumes and oatmeal are potential milk boosters.
Basic Overnight Oat Recipe
prep time: 5 mins
cook time: 8 hour
total time: 8 hours and 5 mins
Another delicious spin on oatmeal is overnight oats, where you can easily throw ingredients into a jar, let it sit in your refrigerator overnight, and have a delicious breakfast ready the next morning. Overnight oats are great to have on hand, especially for breastfeeding moms who need a quick and nutritious meal or snack ready to eat. Not only are oats helpful for supporting breast milk supply, but they can easily be eaten with one hand, which is key when you are holding a baby.
INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Milk of Choice (Almond, Soy, etc)
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp nuts/seeds (almond slices, walnuts, etc)
1-2 Tbsp sweetener of choice (such as honey, maple or agave syrup)
Optional add-in ingredients: Fresh fruit, chia and/or flax seeds, nut butters, dark chocolate, or cocoa powder
1 clean jar with lid
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix all ingredients and your choice of add-ins in a jar. Stir until combined. Cover with lid and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to eat, top overnight oats with a splash of your favorite milk, fresh fruit, ground nuts and sweetener to your preference. Enjoy!
(www.crystalkarges.com/blog/basic-overnight-oat-recipe-for-breastfeeding-mamas)
Think about your own recovery and make sure you are ready with the essentials
Don’t let your postpartum recovery be an afterthought!
Plan ahead and stock your bathroom with all your essentials (peri bottle, postpartum underwear, ice packs, regular pads, nursing pads, and Tucks pads, etc.).
The Frida Mom Labor and Delivery + Postpartum Recovery Kit comes highly recommended by moms.
There is also a C-section kit as well!
The first couple days at home with your baby are going to be a whirlwind. It’s new, scary and, you will feel like you have no idea what you are doing. The best thing you can do is make it as easy as possible in literally every other way. It will get easier. But in the meantime, be prepared as much as possible and take on the changes as they come.
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