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

Original poster

One thing you wish you did before your first baby arrived?

32 replies

Natasha9511 · 05/07/2020 21:21

Due my first in a few weeks. What’s one thing you wish you did before your first little one arrived earthside? I’m unable to rest too much and need to be on my feet due to SPD so I’m doing random things such as cleaning my makeup brushes, random things!

Thanks 🙏🏻

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SeaToSki · 05/07/2020 21:30

Froze a whole load of one portion meals that you could eat with one hand in containers you can put in the microwave that didnt have any garlic or onions in them. Like mac and cheese with bacon bits and peas all mixed in. It means you can eat a hot dinner in 5 mins flat with a baby still in one arm and roughly get all the food groups. When baby two came along I have 30 portions in my freezer and they were a godsend on nights when DH was late home

DontStandSoClose · 05/07/2020 21:34

Packed the maternity bag before I was actually in labour. I had all the stuff it was just all over the house and in the boot of the car. It was hard between contractions. I packed the bag the night before I went into labour with the second, so I wasn’t much better, but I was anticipating it’d arrive around the same time and it did 39 weeks for both.

liaun · 05/07/2020 21:48

@seatoski why no garlic and onions?

liaun · 05/07/2020 21:48

@seatoski why no garlic and onions?

orangejuicer · 05/07/2020 21:51

Sleep. Rest. Batch cook. Do anything by yourself, uninterrupted.

orangejuicer · 05/07/2020 21:53

Liaun - presumably it's breastfeeding related.

Dyra · 05/07/2020 21:56

Get a hair cut
Have a final restaurant meal out with my husband
Nest
Relax on the sofa with box sets
Pack my hospital bag
Finish work and go on maternity leave (I work at the hospital. I was admitted mid-shift on my penultimate shift pre maternity leave)

Also quite curious about the no onions or garlic thing.

emma911030 · 05/07/2020 22:04

Slept more!!

CluelessBaker · 05/07/2020 22:11

Can you not eat garlic and onions when you’re breastfeeding?!

BeMorePacific · 05/07/2020 22:19

Go to the cinema & out for dinner (maybe not ideal right now 😔)
Have mega long lie ins xx

xtinak · 05/07/2020 22:30

Sleep and do fun things

slhiggins17 · 05/07/2020 22:45

I ordered a new capsule (cheap) wardrobe, think it was just leggings and long tshirts. It was bliss to have fresh new comfortable clothes that I felt good in. I agree having meals in the freezer, the days whizz by and it can be difficult to find time to cook.

SeaToSki · 06/07/2020 00:30

Sorry for not explaining the garlic and onions thing in my original post. I found that if I ate them, it made my dc unsettled as I was BF. If I ate very plain food, there was a lot less farting from the dc (which is especially painful when they are working it through in the middle of the night). It might not be the same for your dc.

CoolNoMore · 06/07/2020 05:30

I should have babyproofed the house. We moved in a month before DS1 was born and we had no sofa etc, so it was not a top priority, but by the time we needed it, he was EVERYWHERE and it made it a lot more difficult.

KingofDinobots · 06/07/2020 05:52

Make loads of freezer meals. I think I survived on toast for the first few months.

Learnt how to put the car seat in and adjust the straps.

Rebelwithallthecause · 06/07/2020 05:59

I put onions in my dinner last night and we had to tag team on the helping to make baby comfortable at 3am

The farts were adult like

Rebelwithallthecause · 06/07/2020 06:00

I wish I’d -

Got a haircut
Had an adults weekend break

tatasa · 06/07/2020 07:05

Ask that no one visit until you're settled back at home. I got zero sleep in hospital after a c section, dealing with baby all night, visitors ( mostly in laws) all day.

Peterbishopssarcasticsmile · 06/07/2020 07:09

So many things, he was early and I was unprepared!
Packed my hospital bag properly
Decorated his nursery (we were moving at the time so couldn't actually do this)
Buy eighty billion vests long sleeve and short sleeve in all different sizes
Make sure the house was organised
Make sure I had adequate storage for his clothes etc for easy access

mrsed1987 · 06/07/2020 07:38

Deffo batch cooking. Luckily my husband is happy to cook but would have been much more relaxing to just grab a meal out of the fridge, also this time he had 8 weeks off work (sickness, leave and paternity) we won't have this luxury next time (we'll I hope he doesn't slip a disc in his back 6 weeks before I have a baby!)

orangejuicer · 06/07/2020 07:42

I'm sure you'll manage whatever happens but do what you can now to make your life easier later. Believe me you will have no time and no sleep for a while! Grin

Seriously just sit and read a book. Eat a meal with cutlery in both hands (everything is one handed for a while, as you have a baby attached to you, then they get so big they are stealing your food).

BeMorePacific · 06/07/2020 08:25

Learn how to put your pram up and down now!! Also if you have a car seat attachment, practice with that! I had a major meltdown outside Tesco with a crying newborn when I couldn’t figure it out 🙈

Tadpolesandfroglets · 06/07/2020 08:27

Painted the house! I half painted it and then it took another two years to finish it. 😂

Scrumpyjacks · 06/07/2020 08:30

Batch cooked! I'll be doing so much cooking before dc2 arrives! We lived off takeaway with dc1 and that isn't healthy for anyone! So individually frozen portions of favourite meals like pasta bake, lasagne, cottage pie and the same sort of thing for dc1.

mumfeelingguilty · 06/07/2020 08:34

Get some nice photos of your bump. My DS is nearly 2 weeks now and I'm missing my bump, and regretting that I didn't get some nice pictures.