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!

DC1 - started around the 20 week scan time : chose pram, cot and stuff
DC2 - six weeks before due date
DC3 - that was, errrr, planned for "next week when i finish work" [she was three n a half weeks early]

I'd say try and chase up antenatal classes now, but don't worry about buying too much - we really didn't have to buy that many clothes until he needed 6-9 months stuff, he was given so many pressies.

Nothing at all with the first until after the 20 week scan then went slightly overboard on the organisation front. Must have repacked my hospital bag a 100 times and my birth plan was a work of literary genius. Second time round I flung some knickers in a bag when my waters broke and had to get my SIL to wash the car seat cover (it had gone a bit manky in the cellar) - in my defence, DS was 2 weeks early).

You know what, it didn't make a difference to how they turned out. You can buy nappies 24 hours a day, you don't need much for the first few weeks apart from a couple of babygros and some muslins, and babies don't care about the style of pram. A friend of mine has yet to name her 4 week old baby - you've got plenty of time. I enjoyed planning for my first, but we'd have been ok even if I'd done nothing.

The birth plan helps as it can make you feel a bit more in control, but to be honest a bit of light reading/research and possibly some antenatal classes (though overrated in my opinion) can give you the info you need to put down a few dos and don'ts on a piece of paper. Not sure either of my midwives even looked at mine...

I started buying at about 16 weeks, just little bits here and there, i think i was nervous about buying incase something went wrong, so i diddn't want to rush it all too soon incase i jinxed myself (silly i know) , but i don't want to leave it till i'm really big either , also remember summer is coming, and shopping in the heat is not a nice thing ,i remember passing out twice whilst shopping for my second, being heavily preg in the summer is not a nice thing . lol...thank god for online shopping, that was not about when i had my first two, (how times have changed !!) i am aiming to get almost everything by about 30 wks so the last few weeks are relaxed and lazy . so far i have bought a rocking crib and moses basket, nappy disposal system, (tommy tippee ones are half price now in m/care, a wardrobe and a few unisex bits as i am not finding out what it is b4 the birth, Goodluck with the shopping and enjoy it, by the way incase its of any help, Marks and spencer have a great range of baby stuff and also nursing bra's ect, in their 'economy range'they are much cheaper than mothercare and believe me, much better quality.

Hi, got my cotbed and stuff around 26 weeks. scared of getting too tired after.. ordered loads on amazon, shopping for clothes in sales as went along and picked up pram saturday due tomorrow.. I spread it out as I could budget for all of it and not feel overwhelmed.
But worked til friday too so did not want to leave and do it all before tomorrow.

With dd I literally had nothing apart from a nursery that looked like a building site when she decided to arrive 8 weeks early. Everyone rallied round and shops are open every day but I didn't choose anything for her, my family sorted everything out.

Now 12 weeks pg and intend to start organising things from about 28 weeks. I will definitely be packing my hospital bag early with a nice dressing gown and slippers as I was shuffling round the hospital looking like a threadbare tramp last time!

I had literally nothing in the house for the baby except one pack of newborn vests and one package of nappies. The family moses basket was at my sister's and my mum bought a new mattress for it, and two dozen muslins, which she brought up a week before DS was born. My BF gave me a sling and a few (hand-me-down) newborn babygros which were at my sister's with the basket. DP had to go and buy a carseat two days after the birth so we could take DS home. I bought a buggy when DS was about ten days old - I had been planning to just use the sling for a bit longer but I had a very gruelling birth and I just didn't feel strong enough to carry him around. You don't have to spend a lot of money and fill your house with tat beforehand, the baby doesn't care one way or the other!