My baby is due 8th December... help me plan!

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

Me and DH are expecting our first baby on the 8th. We've decided to stay at home this year. So it'll be myself, DH, puppy, kitten and tortoise!
So I need advice on everything!
What shall I do with food?
Presents... we think we might do Christmas shopping when I go on Mat Leave mid/end of November.
Decorations... when shall I put them up?!!
And anything else?
TIA 😘

[tickingthebox]

Well I have a 2nd December baby - although he is 11 now!

I got everything ready before he arrived - seem to remember having all the Christmas gifts wrapped in October ...(major amount of nesting going on!)

The tree was up at the end of November!

It was m&S pre-prepared all the way for Christmas dinner, booked well in advance so it was just collected on Christmas eve... I put loads o pre-prepared meals in the freezer too.

Good luck! It gave me then loads of time after the birth to get the hang of breastfeeding and DS was a bit of a handful so it was a godsend that I had it all done....

[RuggerHug]

Have everything bought and wrapped in advance, maybe write cards so they just have to be thrown in the post box. Basically anything you can do in advance so you can plan just enjoying the baby take any offers for others to host/help. Good luck, Christmas babies are the best

[BizzyFizzy]

I have a 2nd December baby as well.

I don't recall getting stressed about Christmas. Presents would have been done in November once I was on Maternity leave. Decorations up mid December, and food sorted a few days before.

It is possible to function reasonably normally with a baby, albeit with a bit more sitting around, or napping.

We never let Christmas stress us out.

[Thumbcat]

DS was due on 8 December but arrived three weeks early. I hadn't even thought about Christmas but everyone got very low effort gifts that year.

[hannah1992]

I shopped well in advance for Xmas bought the majority. I put secs up 1st of Dec as always. I was due 2nd Dec she came on 11th.

[OutandIntoday]

I would plan a scaled down Christmas - no guest and a simple roast chicken/ Turkey crow dinner with ready made sides. Gifts bought and wrapped in November. Enjoy!

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

I'm not particularly stressed about it (DH is not mad on Christmas!) but we've never done Christmas just the two of us, we usually go to family!
So I just want to think about things so I can get semi ready.
I'm wondering how viable it is to get a chicken to sling in the slow cooker?!

[Battenburg1978]

Love your user name

I have a 17 Dec baby and love Christmas! I would get all your presents bought, if not wrapped/posted before you go on mat leave - you never know how you'll feel. I did an M and S order for the main food items as soon as their ordering opened, then my partner just had to pick it up on the designated day. Also an Ocado order for everything else. I also stockpiled tins of celebrations /quality street/miniature Heroes to much on while feeding baby! We were in hospital for a week and I finally got out on the 23d, just in time so I was glad i'd done all of this beforehand as felt like I'd been hit by a train after a difficult delivery. I managed to make the Christmas dinner fine (thanks to M&S). We got our tree early Dec and my partner and step daughter decorated the flat while I was in hospital!

I had thought I'd have so much mat leave time to have a poncetastic Christmas - I couldn't have been more wrong and was exhausted before being induced!

Enjoy - December babies are the best!

[BizzyFizzy]

Don't have crow for your dinner 😛

[AlpacasPackOwls]

I was due early December last year. He arrived the week before Christmas! Definitely get everything prepared beforehand. Organise an online shop to come a couple of days before Christmas day.

[TheLegendOfBeans]

The voice of doom caution here:

1. Your EDD is 8 December. If you end up going to 42 weeks there's a risk you'll be in hospital for 25 December
   

1. When I got out of hospital my brain was al over the place. May I strongly suggest trying to keep it as simple as possible this year? Buy in EVERYTHING to be microwaved/minimal effort.
   

1. Don't get your food order later than 1 December. Better still get someone else to deal with it. Especially if you want a fresh turkey/chicken.
   

1. Put your decorations up 1 December. Why the hell not. Just be aware that if you end up with a CS you won't be able to take them down 6 January. That'll need delegating.
   

1. You will more likely than not feel knackered by the time mat leave rolls round. Just get shopping and wrapping now.
   

BUT ABOVE ALL...

Having your first baby is a magical, mental, amazing, scary, emotional juggernaut. You are to be looked after in the early days with a newborn, and you have to let it be so. So if Christmas dinner ends up being Micro Chips on the 27th or a Domino's Festive Special, it's ok. As long as you have the basics around you, you'll be too busy gazing at your baby and going "OMG I actually have to look after you like an adult and everything" to notice if the sprouts will be with bacon or chestnuts.

Best of luck OP x

[Brighteyes27]

I would make lists and get as organised as possible as early as you can because your baby could be a few weeks early or two weeks late.
Make a list for presents but make it easy but early, buy online or give money vouchers and buy but maybe don't write xmas cards but you can write address envelopes (unless you want to announce your baby as a PS.
Buy and freeze everything you can as early as you can Christmas food wise go to M&S for everything and make a list for other things to be bought nearer the time.
Buy in plenty of tea coffee and nice biscuits (hide the biscuits) and squash as you are bound to get lots of visitors.
Aim to put tree up when you usually do or maybe week early (but you may want to take more of a back seat role this year).
Christmas is a lovely time to have a baby. I was due Xmas eve but had baby early (we always put decorations up first week in December.
For baby I would go for all white clothing (vests, sleepsuits, snowsuit) and bedding in the first few weeks. It makes washing clothes if you have a spewy baby easier. Buy some fairy soap powder, napisan (to keep your whites whiter to go in with the wash), white Muslim squares are indispensable. But I wouldn't go mad as you will likely receive more presents and most will be clothes than you know what to do with from visitors.
Hopefully if you are organized you will find it a lot easier than you thought (I know I did). Enjoy your Christmas baby.

[Berrybakecake1]

Ds was 8th December baby. One week in hospital due to emcs. I was naive at the time had not bought anything or even thought about Christmas. Thankfully we were living with my parents at the time. So I didn't have to cook or anything but I remember being so exhausted I didn't even get up to open presents or have my Christmas dinner until late evening. I was so glad dd was a summer baby.
If I had planned I would bought and wrapped everything in November, put minimal decorations up and placed a food order to arrive on 23rd with plenty of microwavable items.

[Brighteyes27]

Don't bank on getting looked after I never did. But yes get organised, minimal decorations and easy food etc. I didn't actually feel too bad after my first but it was lovely to relax in an organised home with my little Christmas bundle of joy.

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

My plan for the most part is to sleep and watch films and take the dog for a walk with the buggy.
I'm not expecting him to come on time, only 4% do!
But I would like him out by the 25th 😂
Definitely m&s is a good idea!
Xx

[Battenburg1978]

You never know! I thought I might have a Christmas Day baby, but then developed GD so was induced at 40wks. Have a festive babygro to hand just in case! I also got a '2016' stocking for my baby DD and filled it with bits she'd need though the year (weaning spoons, baby toothbrush etc) for Santa to leave her. Gosh this thread is making me nostalgic for last Christmas and excited for Christmas 2017!

[elQuintoConyo]

We had minimal Christmas lunch: pre-roasted chicken, some stuffing, roast potatoes, gravy, mince pies, Christmas cake I made in September.

We don't have a big list of people to buy gifts for and I got them organised in November. I did have a lot of cards to send but again organised them early and they were posted on 1st.

With regards to food in general, we never bothered batch-cooking and freezing loads of things before DS appeared - partly because I was too busy sewing that was my nesting.

DS was due 25th November arrived 7th December. It was 2 months before i could walk into town - only a 10-minute stroll away, took 30 mins at a shuffle!

Congratulations. December babies are special*

• obviously just as special as all the others

[Annwithnoe]

Is there a reason that your DH isn't taking on the Christmas cooking this year? Won't he be doing a fair bit of the cooking after the baby comes anyway?
This is a really special Christmas and one you'll always remember. Plan to snuggle and bond, lots of skin-to-skin cuddles and naps to balance out the frequent feeds. You might want to fill up your kindle, stock up on nice DVDs, buy some cosy socks and a warm dressing gown for night time feeds.
The memories you'll treasure from this Christmas won't be about the colour scheme of the tree, or the texture of the cranberry sauce.
Why not give yourself the Christmas gift of gender equality by handing the responsibility over to your DH for this year?

I'm a wee bit pre menstrual today 😊 and a bit sad thinking over the stress and upset of our first Christmas. Don't mind me!

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

Hahaha @Annwithnoe we're very equal in this household! DH does everything from ironing to cleaning the bathroom and hoovering, but Cooking is my responsibility, because I'm much quicker and more efficient at it. DH's cooking skills aren't up to much, he could feed himself it came to it, mostly vegetarian but anything else he would need to check with me every two seconds if things are cooked. it's just easier for me to do it myself. That said, he can manage prepacked stuff as well as the next person.
We will muddle through like we always do.
We are a team. And that is that.

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

Golly if he comes on Christmas Day I will be in hospital, and I HATE hospitals

[TheLegendOfBeans]

The latest baby would arrive would be the 22nd, right?

It's just if you end up with a CS or need to be kept in (if baby isn't gaining weight say, that's common for baby's weight to drop a bit after delivery) then you could end up with a discharge date as late as the 27th - just to manage your expectations.

It will be ok OP, it's a magic time, and I say that as someone who was so utterly bonkers for the first fortnight or so of my DDs life.

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

I hope he comes in time, my sister, BiL and 1yr old nephew fly to Cuba on the 23rd for 10 days, so he needs to make an appearance before then. My and dsis are very very close and we'd be gutted if she couldn't be one of our first visitors once we were home!

[FeedMyFaceWithBattenberg]

I'm crossing my fingers for a natural birth, I'll have anything but not keen on an epidural as I want to be able to move! Can you tell this is my first baby?

[christmasunicorn]

Our NHS trust induces on 12days over so you will have a baby before xmas. I was due the 14th Dec with my 4th but as my dc kept coming earlier (I say early but I was still overdue with them all - 16days, 13 days and 9days) so I though the 4th would come before the 20th! Fat chance - I went into labour on Christmas Day and had him Boxing Day!
Get cards done now if you can find some. Gift everyone a box of chocolates with a gift card, get a Christmas dinner "ready meal" from m&s. Keep it simple.
Because we thought we'd have had ds by xmas we did get him presents - a bouncer chair, a playmat and an outfit. Stuff we would've bought anyway as baby equipment. Ddog only gets a ton of posh dog food and a new toy which you can pick up now (same for your dcat and dtortoise providing he doesn't hibernate through Christmas)

[christmasunicorn]

Oh and I'm sure on the pregnancy and birth boards you will be given this advice but epidurals have come along way from basically paralysing you from the waist down. I had one with dc2 and it only number the pain of my bump. I could still move and feel myself bearing down and pushing