At what point in your pregnancy do/did you get organised?

[cyteen]

Just curious really...I'll be 20 weeks tomorrow with our first and so far we've done bugger all. Haven't started looking at prams, haven't sorted out antenatal classes yet, haven't really discussed names. The idea of writing my birth plan fills me with panic and fear - what if I get it wrong? How can I know what I do or don't want, or more precisely, what I will or won't want to do in the event that something unexpected happens? Everything feels like a massive decision that, if I/we get it wrong, will have severe and disastrous consequences, and so I/we end up just drifting along in a state of happy blankness.

So when do or did you start to organise yourself? How did you do it? I've got no mum or sisters to talk to, although am picking any experienced brains I can (friends and SIL).

I suspect that after our anomaly scan in a couple of weeks' time we'll start to sort our lives out, but have a horrible mental image of getting to 39 weeks and suddenly realising we don't even have a nappy in the house!

With pbf I got organised rather early....but with the next 2, some bits only got organised on the day of Birth, tbh....

Well I am 22 weeks pregnant with DB3 and we aren't organised at all. Only today have I sorted out some sheets/blankets we had from DD2 and that's only becuse I came across them by mistake !!! I've brought 2 packs of nappies and not a thing else !!

Got a feeling I am going to just leave everything til the last minute this time as I was way ahead of myself with the DD's and got so bored in the lst few weeks having zilch to do.

Congratulations

Still havent got organised at 32 weeks. We have a pram, car seat etc but all of the clothes I have bought are in a bin bag waiting to be sorted, I have no idea where this little one is going to sleep and I haven't even thought about all the stuff I'll need after the birth- I feel a mammoth shop for sanitary towels coming on . With dd it was a bit different, I moved at 38 weeks and then nested like mad, but this time I can see me bumbling along under the illusion that I've got plenty of time until I am actually pushing him out

i didnt buy a thing till i was 7 months gone, but be aware that you think you got loads of time to get things but it does really flies by.

right about the time theyre saying 'its a boy!'

22 weeks here, not organised. Had a panic as I was admitted to the central delivery suite on Friday as I had no bags packed or anything! I guess at 30 + weeks I'll get more into gear. Last time it was mainly from about 32 ish weeks I bought things.

I'm 21 weeks and have bought a few things, like pram/car seat etc and some clothes. Have also been given a few bits from my mum which is nice I'm trying to stagger the purchases so that's it's like a gradual accumulation of stuff... but I have a feeling that after my scan tomorrow, I may go a bit silly with the shopping if we manage to find out the gender! I'm kind of holding back til after then

I'm 31 weeks and have done nothing .

30 weeks with no 3 and haven't chosen names, written birth plan, thought about sorting stuff out, barely remember to see the midwife!

did acquire double buggy yesterday (ridiculously excited about this) and do have long list of things to do

have enjoyed looked at adorable newborn babygros for baby to wear home from hospital

I started 'getting organised' at about 26 weeks with my DS. But honestly, as a first timer I went totally overboard with organising and tidying and buying, buying, buying. So unnecessary. You need a pram, a cot/moses basket, some babygrows, some nappies and a carseat if you drive. NOTHING is urgent. Do it at your leisure, preferably before you get too big and tired (but even then, you can send your DH or a relative/friend out for bits you need).

As far as antenatal classes go, if you want to do NCT classes they book up very early and are often oversubsribed, so might be worth phoning them this week if you're set on them. Otherwise, there are loads of private teachers offering classes, plus NHS classes which are free and usually offered later in pregnancy (ring your local hospital or ask your midwife about them). bear in mind, you don't have to do antenatal classes. Doing some reading and research yourself or taking part in an active birth / pregnancy yoga class can be just as helpful.

Lastly, whether or not you choose to write a birth plan is totally up to you. Again - you don't have to have one (many people don't). Birth plans are not really plans at all, they're more a statement of intention - of things you would prefer did or didn't happen. They make some people feel more secure/empowered and can a very useful way of sorting out how you feel about certain issues - birth positions, drug options, what you want to happen after the birth, for example. However, they are only useful if you think so!

Get ready as early as you can. When DD arrived at 29 weks, we weren't at all prepared! Hopefully the same thing won't happen to you all. CB xx

29 weeks

Hi, I didn't start buying things till at least 35 weeks, I didn't feel I wanted to get ready so far in advance, and it's nice to do shopping when you are off on Maternity leave, however if baby decides to come early you are in a bit of a situation!

xx

Hi, I didn't start buying things till at least 35 weeks, I didn't feel I wanted to get ready so far in advance, and it's nice to do shopping when you are off on Maternity leave, however if baby decides to come early you are in a bit of a situation!

xx

I started looking at the big buys (pram, cot etc) after anomoly scan at 22ish wks. Didn't buy anything till around 28 wks, partly superstition, partly DP researching everything! After the big buys, have been buying 1or2 things every week in with supermarket shop. Now 32 wks and have enough nappies, baby wipes (always BOGOF somewhere) and white babygros to last about a month. I figure that may be enough. Remember, the shops will still be open and babies really don't need that much. Fed & warm, cuddled and clean thats all. Don't forget about yourself though, see if you can smuggle yourself a few treats as well as the essential maternity & breast pads. I spent quite big at the clinique counter in boots last week. Can't imagine I'll give it a second look once baby arrives. I haven't written a birth plan & don't intend to either.

5 weeks

But I've been soooooooooooo excited all the way through. I began at 5 weeks and collected and collected and now we're all sorted at 35 weeks and I'm ready for the baby to come out. Why not spend the whole 9 months getting things? It's lovely.

At 30 weeks i did a big shop, left dh to get a few bits together when i was in labour, he packed the kitchen sink (well nearly) I was so embarressed the midwife had so much stuff to carry on to the ward!

1st time: I got the big stuff sorted at about 35 weeks (cot, carseat, pushchair etc) and then did bits and bobs. Packed my hosp bag on my due date. Finished packing hosp bag on due date + 4.

This time: Have had to be a bit more organised as I've got a toddler in the equation. Obv don't need to sort out cot, pushchair, carseat etc. Got most things done last week (2 weeks to go now) - so hosp bag packed and baby clothes out of loft and washed and bought teeny nappies.

To be honest, as long as you have things sorted for the birth, plus a carseat, some nappies and something for the baby to wear it doesn't really matter about the rest. If you're organised by all means get it sorted, but it's not as though Mothercare shuts once you've had the baby. And you won't be whizzing around the park in your new buggy on day 2. And the baby will probably only sleep on you anyway. I wish I'd left some things until after the baby was here because it's not until you've got the baby that you know how you and the baby like to do things.

I'm not saying don't get organised, just don't stress if you're not organised.

prob around 30-32 weeks started getting organised! but it was the people around me more organised than myself lol

from about 20 weeks I began to surf the net, boots and mothercare and got an idea of where I could buy what without having to go to a shop to get it.

with no 3 - when I went on mat leave at 37 weeks. Mind you we were trying to work out how the carseat fitted in the car whilst I was contracting......

Cyteen
Hello....I never wrote a birth plan for either of the previous dcs. Just went with the flow!
I don't think you need to start doing stuff until well after 30 odd weeks.

Cyteen, go to your local library, ask them for the Which? guide to baby products. (or buy online.) It is blardy MARVELLOUS. Saves you trying to figure out a stokke from a loola. or whatever. Best way to figure out what you need.

I sorted my carseat at about 37 weeks iirc.
Bandofmothers sent me a moses basket that arrived the day after ds, dh had to figure it all out by himself.
lulumama was yelling at me to pack my hospital bag the day before I went into labour. (I finally did it after my waters broke )
birth plans received a major upset in week 38 so would just recommend finding out where you're going and check it out.

oh, and get as much sleep as you can, while you can

16 weeks, first we bought a carrycot/buggy system today as collegue of dh's was about to put it on Ebay and it was too good an offer to refuse. We were given loads of maternity and baby clothes by some friends last week end too, and a Moses basket. I don't even have a bump yet (lost lots of weight due to vomiting) so it's all a bit surreal! Organisation has been cast upon me.

Thanks everyone! I feel a bit less guilty now about being such a slacker (plenty of time for guilt after the baby's born, eh).

I guess I do have some vague idea of things I do and don't want (e.g. know where I want to go for the birth, don't want lots of medical intervention unless absolutely necessary) so that's a start. But I will definitely check out the Which? guide, thanks PhD

We've got loads of second-hand stuff heading our way from friends with little ones, so clothes etc. shouldn't be a problem, and MIL said she'll buy us the buggy when we know what we want.