33 weeks pregnant- your precious tips please!

[Grainedesesame]

I'm 33 weeks today and freaking out about how to prepare for baby arrival and how to handle labour. This is our first! I've read the book, done my pregnancy class, got the hospital bag ready, the crib, nappies and clothes. Yet how do we prepare best for labour and a new baby to come and share our life? What are your best tips please ?

Have a look at Positive birth company.
You will do great xxx

I'd say be prepared to go with the flow and don't make any rigid plans/put too much pressure on yourself in labour/early days as it's a new experience and anything could happen.
Sleep deprivation is real and I wasn't ready for this and it hit my like a train and just enjoy your baby as much as you can because it's a cliche but the newborn phase does fly by.
Best of luck x

Go with the flow! I must say I have not experienced the 'crazy' sleep deprivation some people speak of, maybe I can just survive on less sleep. The first few weeks are lovely baby sleeps all the time and you slowly begin to
Add your normal routines back in to your day to day lives. My daughter is 11 months old and I can't imagine life without her. Good luck!

Go with the flow, make no solid birth plans, sleep when you can, eat what you want and don’t put to much pressure on yourself. Being a new mum is hard. If baby is fed, loved, warm and clean you’ve had a great day.

Preparing for labour: perennial massage, eat about 6 dates a day. Bounce on a yoga ball.

Preparing for postpartum: lots of pads, cooling spray for stitches, tuck pads for stitches, spray bottle for weeing, take your own paracetamol and Ibuprofen.

Preparing for baby: practice putting puschair up and down, and putting car seat in and out. Get a station set up by bed with everything you will need at night (nappies, Wipes, change of clothes). Could do some meal prep if you have the freezer space!

Best wishes. Exciting time!

Take all the help!!! Dont try to be super mom. Realise giving birth is a huge physical strain so treat it like it. Sit, let people do things for you, at least for the first week or 2. Talk to your DH/DP and family if you are feeling overwhelmed. Mental health is important. You are important! It's not all about the baby.

Practically, get the tena lady massive panty liners. I found them much better than maternity pads. Buy a decent thermos for tea. You may make a cuppa, sit down to feed baby and not get to drink it for a bit so thermos is great. Batch cook dinners so you have good food without the cooking. Have a nappy bin and changing place downstairs. Practice putting the buggy up yourself. Make DH/DP bring lots of food to the hospital. Like, dinners. My labour was 52 hours and DH only packed snickers bars. I was in such a state I begged him not to leave me to go to the canteen. He was more of a wreck than me after it all.

Mainly, cuddle them a lot. It's such a short time.