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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Is there anything that you wish you had done,said, prepared for in the last week of pregnancy?

54 replies

Bekki · 27/08/2003 11:15

One week to go and I think I'm ready, but is there anything that in retrospect you wish that you had done before the virtual loss of freedom.

Anything that you wish you had said to your other kids before the arrivial?

Any good tips for preparing relatives, partners, your home for the event?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

SamboM · 27/08/2003 11:26

Kept my legs shut

LucieB · 27/08/2003 11:29

Just before we had ds, dh and I went out for lots of meals together which was lovely. I wish that I had relaxed a bit more in the final weeks but the swimming I was doing right up until the day I went into labour was great - helped me feel comfortable and relaxed.
With visitors - limit the exposure! Friends of ours recently set aside one afternoon for visiting friends although relatives had already visited. Their parents looked after ds and dd whilst they had a week by themselves with dd2 which seemed like a good idea although not great if you are worried about the other kids' reactions, I guess....
Making sure you have plenty of suppers in the freezer is a good idea and I hired a cleaner just after having ds which was one of the best things I did! HTH

Jenie · 27/08/2003 11:33

I wish that I'd told dd "we realy aren't going to call the baby barbie" instead of just thinking she'd forget when ds was born!

I do wish that we'd thought of setting up the travel cot in the lounge before hand instead of 2 weeks later and lots of traipsing up and down the stairs to look at the baby!

I also wish that we'd got in some nibbles for the flood of visitors that seem never ending. Perhaps a closed sign for the front door.

oliveoil · 27/08/2003 12:17

Keep visitors away! I got really stressed when they arrived thinking 'I could be asleep, GET OUT!'

I also wished we had moved into our new house more than 2 days before she arrived......

Mo2 · 27/08/2003 13:14

I wish I'd made my living roon curtains!! Was meant to make them during my maternity leave, but somehow didn't get round to it.... (DS2 is now just over a year old....) material is still sitting in a bag upstairs.

Basically DO anything that needs doing that you are thinking 'oh I'll do that after the baby is born'
P.S. It may be worth preparing yourself for the fact that you still have THREE weeks left too, if it's your 'due' date that is in a week's time ....

batey · 27/08/2003 13:17

Got the pram out and "up"! Rather than having a row with dh a week later as to who could remember how to put it up/attatch car seat etc!!

Philippat · 27/08/2003 13:24

sleep

Bozza · 27/08/2003 14:10

Gone out more. Made the most of the time before DS was born which coincided with it snowing.

Bozza · 27/08/2003 14:13

Gone out more. Made the most of the time before DS was born which coincided with it snowing.

aloha · 27/08/2003 14:19

Got a cleaner before he was born and I was chained to the sofa breastfeeding and noticing the football sized lumps of grey fluff glinting in the sunlight that you never see when you are at work all day. Gone out more - impossible as stuck in Kings, but did organise a final weekend of day release and went out for long, leisurely lunch in the sunshine and had a glass of wine. I rested loads, which I think really helped afterwards so I'd recommend lots of lying down.

aloha · 27/08/2003 14:20

I wish I'd told DH that if he didn't get me flowers then I'd spend two years brooding about it!

kaz33 · 27/08/2003 14:28

Go out, go to the cinema, see friends....

Everything that you take for granted.

Mo2 · 27/08/2003 14:39

Aloha - you've just reminded me.....
Make sure you tell DH that you expect a birth present/ eternity ring, and go to the jewellers to point it out...

(Still waiting 4 years, and 2 kids later......... grrrrrrrrrr )

marthamoo · 27/08/2003 14:43

Finish the book I was reading.. remember trying to finish it when my contractions first started with DS2. He's 20 months old now and I found it in my bedside table drawer the other day and remembered I never did get round to finishing it!

ThomCat · 27/08/2003 14:47

Tell as many people as possible, without offending them, not to worry getting flowers. I had SO many bouquets I couldn't cope. They were lining the hall, and taking up evry surface in the lounge and kitchen, dying, when I got home from hospital 5 days later! it's very kind of people but thy can get a bit out of control.

tinyfeet · 27/08/2003 14:54

Decided on a name. I hate to admit this, but we were wrongly told by the nurse that we had to decide DD's name within a few minutes after she was born. DH and I hadn't decided on one, and we felt pressured and just quickly came up with one that we both just sort-of liked. It turned out to be a difficult name for everyone else to pronounce and very unusual. This time, I told DH that he must come up with a list before my due date.

Lindy · 27/08/2003 15:22

Get your hair cut - you will be in so many photos with the new baby and want to look your best (perhaps I am too vain).

Get a cleaner.

LucieB · 27/08/2003 15:46

When you find out you are pregnant, this is a good tip. If you don't want to be swamped with daily calls from well-meaning friends/in-laws once you go overdue, tell them you due date is two weeks later than it is! Obviously you have to keep up the pretence throughout your pregnancy but its worth it in the end if only to buy you a little sanity and peace and quiet!

Original poster

Bekki · 27/08/2003 15:53

Such alot of things that i hadn't thought of.

Jenie - I love the barbie thing, I bet she really had her heart set on it too.

I'm definatley going to tell dh what i expect from him this time, I find with men you have to tell them exactly what you want or you get nothing.

Thomcat you are so right about the flowers, trying to neatly arrange flowers will be the least of my concerns when baby is here.

How I wish a cleaner was a possibility!

Oh do you think that i should tell all of my relatives to go to my ds first and give him the babies presents or do you think that they would know this already?

OP posts:

aloha · 27/08/2003 15:55

No, tell them. When visiting a family with a new baby and older child I always greet the older child first and give him a present, and sneak any present for the baby into the mother's hand when the other child isn't looking. I also ask the older child (after we've talked and opened the present) to show me 'their' new baby, as I'd heard they had a new brother/sister.

LucieB · 27/08/2003 15:55

Get your visitors to bring cake and champagne/drinks rather than you having to think about providing for them.
Good idea re getting them to give pressies to ds first. Get them to make lots of fuss of ds before giving their attention to the baby.

Original poster

Bekki · 27/08/2003 16:01

Great! I'm going off to make a list of demands from my relatives. With a bit of luck it might even put some of them off visiting completley in the first few weeks.

OP posts:

Blu · 27/08/2003 16:14

I was very pleased that I'd had hilarious rehearsals for everything new: putting a stuffed dog in the Wilkinet, a full-scale dress rehearsal with dp and birth partner for filling the pool (discovered I couldn't get in it!!!) and I wish we had rehearsed the route to the hospital and found out which doors were locked at night!!! Also went out for dinner as soon as contractions started as we thought it would be our last chance. Good luck!

codswallop · 27/08/2003 16:54

agree with Tc - staggered bouquets are nice - like at 8 weeks when the novelty has worn off! or those ones in water.

Do your nails.

codswallop · 27/08/2003 16:55

assemble the pram. Take the car seat in to hospital.

We left ours at home and i was only there for 3 hours post natally so dh had to run back - via pub to get it as I was stitched!

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