Anyone else feeling clueless and overwhelmed?

[TeddyIsaHe]

I'm 30 weeks, and up until recently have been excited about meeting baby. Only now I'm having a freak out because I don't know ANYTHING! Of course I have my lovely family for advice, but short of moving my mum in (DP would think I'm trying to kill him) I know I'm going to have to do a lot on my own. Babies just suddenly seem so fragile and complicated, and I have no clue about any of it! Is anyone else feeling similar? Is it a third trimester thing? Tell me its not just me!

It's the same for most people expecting their first! But regardless of how little you know about babies, nobody will know your baby better than you!

I found the Baby Whisperer book useful in learning what was wrong if a baby was crying. But it's pretty much a process of elimination - hungry / overtired / wind / overstimulated / too hot / too cold / dirty nappy.

Just keep them fed, warm, dry, encourage them to sleep and give them lots of cuddles!

Teddy I promise you're not alone. I didn't have a clue with my first (I'm sure I've got much more of a clue with my second if I'm honest!).
You just sort of muddle through the early days while you work out what your baby needs. My Mum did come over for a couple of the early days and she was an absolute godsend! You might find that your oh is more keen on the idea when he realises how much happier you'll be with a bit of female support.
As Chloe said, make sure they're clean, fed, well rested and loved and you're doing brilliantly xx

Yep. Need to start buying things for the baby but don't know where to start. No idea what we need or don't need. DH has even less clue. That's before the baby even arrives!

Janubub - there's a number of lists available online. I started with these. We haven't got everything but gives you an idea of what you need to get.

I'm 33 weeks and feeling very overwhelmed..

With my first I was 18 and had never held a baby before. I gave birth and it was a bad labour that ended in theatre with forceps and i spent a while in recovery afterwards and was pretty out of it from the drugs. So when we got onto a ward my midwife had already fed my baby a bottle and now she was asleep in her cot beside me so I just nodded off..... I woke up to her crying and I didn't know how to pick her up!! I buzzed for a midwife and told her I don't know how to pick her up! She showed me how and passed her over to me and got me a bottle to feed her. By the time I went home the next day I was a pro at picking up babies and changing nappies! When I got home it was scary not having a midwife at the end of a buzzer to help me. But I knew how to feed, wind, get her dressed and change her nappy. The rest all came together and i quite surprised myself at being a mother. The scariest part was her first bath. How would I know if the water was too hot or too cold and what if I let her slip under the water!! But I did it all by myself and she survived! That baby girls is now 7 and still doing great. You's will be fine girls x