I'm due in a few weeks, but I'm totally unprepared

[oneofmeiscutebuttwothough]

I am 32 weeks pregnant but honestly until this point everything has carried on as normal. I'm 26 and don't feel like I'm pregnant at all.

My husband and I both got promoted literally the week before I found out I was pregnant. Work has been incredibly busy and aside from my maternity appointments I've barely had time to think about the fact I'm having a baby. I've carried on working out like normal, socialising like normal, everything has been normal.

My work have been brilliant and i have an amazing maternity package, so I rolled over a lot of holiday from last year and they let me take this year's holiday pre-baby, so I've just finished work and it's hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm having a baby in possibly five weeks or even sooner (or even later!), and we have very little. Baby has a room set aside for them but it's pretty much the storage closet for all of our things at the moment.

I've not had a chance to get to any classes or anything like that, so I feel like I'm totally unprepared. What the hell do I do now?!

They'll be lots of advice following shortly I'm sure. My friend was in same visiting as you as she didn't know she was pregnant. Her approach was that women all over the world have babies every day and cope, so she would too. She did cope and did a great job

Get some first time parents books from the library, have a flick through and read the one you like the style of the most.

What is it the you feel most unprepared about? Is it the birth or dealing with a new born, or both?

Pram cot bottles steriliser that’s all

everything else you can get if and when
mainly you need your two arms and boobs
( bottles)

You'll be fine, even if the nesting instinct hasn't kicked in yet.
Buy a journal and start by writing a list of items to pack for your hospital bag.
Write a birth plan if you want one.
Browse online shops for baby stuff - a pram, a cot and so on.
Plan your post partum outfits, and remember dresses and jumpsuits are out if you're planning to breastfeed - something I didn't consider with my first baby 😂

Get on google today and look up some antenatal classes in your area. There are lots of different ones: free hospital run ones, NCT, bump and baby, positive birth company. Some of them do virtual classes or videos you can watch online if you can't make it to an in person class. Doing some classes will help you to feel more control about the birth and if you have finished work, you can do them at your pace during the day.

Next, download a packing list for your hospital bag. NCT have them on their website or you can find lists on MN. As someone who didn't have their bag packed when I went into labour, you do not want to be relying on your DH to be finding stuff for you. 🙈

Do you have things like a cot / moses basket / next2me sleeper, car seat, pram etc? Bottles / steriliser if you are formula feeding? If hoping to breastfeed, look up details of a local lactation consultant or breastfeeding drop in so you have that to hand as well.

When you do your shopping this week, add a box of nappies, a few packs of wipes or big packet of cotton wool and lots of packs of maternity towels (not sanitary towels- they don't help with healing) ready for babies arrival.

Remember, Amazon do next day delivery and nearly everything can be ordered at 3am!

Also at your next midwife appointment, check if your hospital swabs for Group B Strep and if not, order a private test (about £40 and done at home). Needs to be done around 36w-38w.

When I say we have nothing, I mean nothing 😅

By the time my husband and I are both at home, workouts etc., done we're asleep by about 10pm ready to be up at 6am 😂 I keep meaning to sit down and shop but it feels like time has run away with me and suddenly I'm on leave with nothing

Do you have a John Lewis near you? DH and I both have busy jobs but we booked a baby appointment at John Lewis, they give you a scanner and a lovely JL worker basically talked us all round the baby section, we scanned anything we liked and then they delivered it to our house. Not the cheapest way to do things but if money isn't an issue, then it certainly got a lot done in the space of a morning!

You actually need very little.
Your breasts feed the baby (no bottles or faff), you basically could buy a 6-10 pack of body suits and a bunch of babygros. Make a mental game out of it and see how little you can spend!! I did. Buy these on eBay. I recommend a shawl or blanket that you can swaddle in and a moby carrier. Nappies. Job done. You can do it in a day. At least you haven’t fallen into the trap that a lot do of spending a tonne of money that is best saved until the kid actually becomes expensive!!!

I tell a lie, my husband (on the advice of a colleague) set up a subscription on Amazon to cotton wool balls???

I'll see if I can get to John Lewis, maybe go with my mum or MIL! That's a brilliant idea

@oneofmeiscutebuttwothough so you'll need a safe place for baby to sleep (cot, bedside cot), a car seat if you have a car, and a pram.

Plus some baby clothes, and nappies. You can get those from any big supermarket any time in the next few weeks.

Do you know how you want to feed? If breastfeeding, then you might want to get nursing bras and breast pads, if bottle feeding then you can get starter sets of bottles, teats etc. Cold water sterilising with Milton is easy, as are microwave sterilising bags.

That would be where I would start in terms of getting stuff ready.

5 weeks is plenty of time. You only need a few things early on. Amazon and 24 hour supermarkets can provide most things at very short notice.

You can Google any questions or ask here as and when things come up. I was given a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting and What to Expect in the First Yesr. Never opened either. If I had specific worries I'd Google those, didn't see the point in trying to read about a load of stuff that might be irrelevant.

Everyone did a lot more than me then, or anyone I know. I particularly enjoyed "plan your postpartum outfits" 🤣

Do the free hospital classes, they're basic but fine. Buy a crib and a buggy, plus a few baby clothes, nappies, maternity pads etc (there are loads of lists on here for what you need in your hospital bag).

Then enjoy your last weeks of freedom. When the baby comes, wing it. Tackle any problems that arise with your specific baby. No point being prepared for everything possible when your baby might not experience said thing anyway.

You honestly don’t need much at the beginning. A car seat to get home from hospital, a couple of sets of clothes, nappies, changing mat and a plan for feeding, somewhere to sleep.
You are likely to be given outfits
You can buy stuff as you go along
Its worth decluttering and batch cooking before the baby arrives!

This is my point! Your colleague LOVED the cotton wool ball method. Whereas I have not used a single cotton wool ball with mine. It's so personal, so just buy the absolute minimum - one pack of cotton wool balls, a couple of packs of wipes, a couple of washable cloths, and see what suits you.

You have about 8 weeks. Get your finger out you'll be fine

I think I want to try breastfeeding, but I'm not sure yet. I'll obviously have to wait and see what baby will do!

You don’t need much at all. Amazon will be your best friend in the early days. Others have already made great suggestions so I won’t add to these. All I’d say is - I wouldn’t be gutted if you can’t make any classes. The one I went to didn’t really tell me that much - there are so many things you can find out online - YouTube, tiktok etc some really good midwives and health visitors have tiktok accounts. Otherwise, if you want to breastfeed id suggest taking some time to research this fully. Oh and don’t forget a peri bottle for after you give birth - it saved me so much pain!

I don't think I gave more than a passing thought to my pregnancy apart from scans and midwife appointments until I had to go on maternity leave at 36 weeks because I could no longer do a weekly commute by plane -- I was trying to finish a big project before I went on mat leave.

I did an NCT weekend rather than weekly classes once I'd gone on leave, and bought a pushchair, a sidelong cot, a moses basket in a single visit to John Lewis, and a few packets of babygros, muslins and nappies, plus bedding. I think that was pretty much it! Only, when I turned out to have no milk supply, DH had to run out and buy bottles and formula and a microwave and steriliser.

You don't need much. Do some reading.

I found it really useful to watch some videos on YouTube about ‘newborn must haves’ and also ‘day in a life with a newborn.’ Even though I didn’t buy much of the stuff it really gave me an idea of what to expect, of what my days might look like. It also gave me a starting point of things I might need- then I could look up different options.

I recommend looking up some resources about breastfeeding as they literally feed from the minute they come out so you’ll want to have an idea about options/how it works. Did you do NCT?

Dw. I'm 38 weeks atm. I cba to get anything ready so so far we have the car seat out the attic and that's it 🤣

That's the essential really as you need to get babe home.

You will need somewhere for baby to sleep. But you can always get that on Amazon next day delivery or drive by Argos on way home.

Go to marks and grab a few selection packs of baby clothes. Sleepsuits and vests all you need.

When in sainsburys get a 6 pack newborn ready mix formula for if breast feeding doesn't work (comes pre sterilised with tests etc.). And new born nappies. Cotton wool pads. And post partum pads/ pants for you.

That is all you need initially.

Congratulations

I was exactly the same with my second, nothing really prepared and LO arrived a month early! No bag packed or anything!
Honestly it was fine ☺️

https://abm.me.uk/product/team-baby-online-course/ this is a good online resource to find out more about breastfeeding.
Babies don't need much. Somewhere safe to sleep, a sling, clothes, nappies and wipes. That's it.

You have plenty of time and with online shopping it’s so easy. Like others say it’s good you’ve not gone the other way and bought loads of things you don’t need. I wasted money on my first as I was scared of being unprepared .

Years ago, my friend was in the same situation. She started maternity leave and intended to get up on the Monday morning, go shopping with her mum and sister and use the money and vouchers thar she had been given by work colleagues.

She got up and her waters broke! She put a towel on her car seat and drove the ten minutes to the hospital. She rang her husband at work, but he refused to believe her! Her mum fetched her husband and she had her daughter a few hours later. Luckily her mum and sister went out and bought the basics before she was discharged from hospital.