What do you wish you had done before your baby was born?

[Pac35]

Just that really. I am 39+3 today with my first baby. I started mat leave last week. Despite all my best efforts (spinning babies techniques for weeks, 2x ECV, swimming every other day, moxibustion, acupuncture) my baby is STILL breech. I have a caesarean booked for Thursday (here's hoping it might still move!)

I feel like everything is ready- bag packed, have seen friends, had a pedicure, cleaned and tidied the house 😂

Having the (one could say) luxury of knowing the date. Can anyone suggest anything they did or wish they did in the last few days before their baby arrived?

Just relax. Read, watch tv - just put your feet up.

That is all.

And good luck 💐

Honestly sleep and relax !

Batch cooking and order a big supermarket shop for delivery for next week/week after so you have 1 less thing to think about.
And tell friends/'family that you'll not be having visitors in the first 7 days at home, you need time to breathe as a family and recover! (But they could swing by and drop of some meals if they like!)

At a push some batch cooking so you have some nice food to heat up!

Not bother about batch cooking and let OH / relatives cook or get takeaways or easy meals.
Sleep. Rest. Read. Be alone.

Bought and washed even more muslins and crib sheets

I'm due today and cosied up in bed right now! Sleep and rest.

And tell friends/'family that you'll not be having visitors in the first 7 days at home, you need time to breathe as a family and recover! (But they could swing by and drop of some meals if they like!)

I really really wish someone had advised this. And I wish I knew at the time I was allowed to say no visitors, it was all too much. You don't have to let your in laws come immediately whatever OH says.

So many people told me to just relax, watch tv, play on phone but I was too excited. I wish I had of listened! It really is the last time in a very long time that you will lounge around with zero guilt. Also, order a good shop and maybe cook a few meals and pop them in the freezer.

I'd go for a lovely meal somewhere, have my toenails and nails done and probably a facial.

Oh and sleep, As much as you can. I had about 3 hours sleep in 3 days the day prior and after the birth. I felt like a zombie.

Travel and sleeeeeep & focus on me x

Made him wear a condom 😜

well DH and I had just ordered a breakfast when my waters suddenly broke. We wanted one last 'meal' out together before baby and didn't get it (I was 38+6, so 8 days early), so i'd suggest a nice outing with your partner - although you probably mean in the day during work hours! Other than that (which you've already done) is I wish i'd packed my hospital bag! I had it mostly packed but wasn't finished.

As you know a c-section is coming - are there any active things y

Just read a magazine, I’ve never read one since and my eldest is 6!

Feet up and rest. Nothing else! Remember, there's still a chance you could go into labour before Thursday and you don't want to knacker yourself out before you even start.

God in those last days of pregnancy you can't sleep you feel so uncomfortable and bored (or at least I did). Something I really wished I had done (and made a note to do next time), is to set up some outfits for ME for the first couple of weeks. I felt like I needed some comfy clothes for the day, that I could easily nap in if needed, and then also something nice to Chuck on for when photos were being taken.

I couldn’t sleep well at that stage (worse than newborn phase for me!) so I hated the advise to rest. Maybe go out with friends for lunch and enjoy uninterrupted conversation?

Amazing advice everyone, thank you so much. I'll definitely start cooking a bit more. Ive got a few things in the freezer but I'll add some more! Also, I think I'll watch another couple of episodes of ru Paul's dragraceuk 😂

Got infacol ready
Really tried hard at getting colostrum pre brith, get things flowing
Made a note book on breastfeeding tips, hints, did waaaaaaaaaaaay more breastfeeding reading not just one stupid course online thinking that'd be enough...
Made a soda snack and drink box
Made a bed snack and drink box
Buy 2 water bottles, XL one downstairs one upstairs.
Bought thank you cards pre birth so I could write them on sofa first few weeks.
Researched types of nappy like what was expected and what was not
Researched all the dietary things that could go wrong like cmpa
Researched how to wind effectively
Researched tongue tie
Basically be ahead on issues as the postnatal care was shit.

Soda = sofa

Learned to recognise toxic behaviours in men.

Boxsets + try and get the house in some sort of order if you haven't already done so. I have a long and stressful job, which was full on right to the end. My waters broke at 38w and i had only just finished for mat leave. Coming home to a messy house was such a pain! Next time, im def going on mat leave at 36w!!

Really tried hard at getting colostrum pre brith

Oh yes. I made up syringes (tiny ones from the midwife or Amazon!) of colostrum and froze them. Then instructed my DH if I should be very unwell he was to defrost and give to the baby. I actually was really unwell and needed surgery. So DH got them and with a midwife’s help was able to feed the baby. They are also good for sleepy babies to perk them up enough to be able to then feed properly.