Preparing for Your Newborn Baby’s Arrival | Tacoma Newborn Photographer
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Pregnancy is a beautiful gift and yet it comes with a lot of different emotions! I totally get it. You feel excited, scared, elated, stressed, hopeful and anxious all rolled into one! The anticipation of a new life is just a lot! The stress on your mind and body is tough, but while your newborn baby is the prize at the end of the road, there’s still a lot to prepare for before they make their arrival! Here are some helpful tips to prepare for your baby from a mom of two!
How to Prepare Your Home for Your Newborn
SET UP WHERE BABY WILL SLEEP
What’s actually important now, is to get the sleeping arrangements set up. We all see the beautiful nursery decorated well before the baby comes, but that’s not what I’m talking about. More likely, you’ll have your little one sleeping right next to you in a bassinet or co-sleeper when they first arrive. Have the sheets on and invest in an extra set (or two) of crib sheets for the inevitable spit up episodes!
2. GET A MEAL TRAIN OR MEAL PREP
If you are lucky enough to be surrounded by friends and family, see if someone close to you can initiate a Meal Train. It’s a way for people to sign-up online for a date to bring you a meal (usually dinner) or donate/purchase a gift card for the expecting family! Once the baby comes, dinner becomes that much harder to keep up with. Having a short break from needing to make dinner will be a treat and so appreciated!
If that’s not in the cards for you, I encourage you to take some time to make a few extra meals in the weeks leading up to your newborn’s arrival. Then stick them in the freezer for a quick reheat later! Also, no shame in frozen pizza, mac and cheese or chicken nuggets on those nights when you’re in need!
3. BABY PROOFING CAN WAIT
A lot of times I hear the suggestion to baby proof your house before you give birth. I honestly think this is really not necessary until your kid is starting to remotely move around the house. Sure, planning ahead isn’t a bad idea, but you’ve got enough on your plate! Maybe cross that bridge when you need to, closer to the 4-6 month-old range.
4. INSTALL A CAR SEAT
This is a good idea to do early on just to be extra prepared. Sometimes babies come a few weeks earlier than their due dates and you want to be ready when the time comes! Now you could of course just keep it in your trunk to have on hand and install it in the parking lot of the hospital, but really who wants to do that? Frustrated and frazzled, not to mention running on low sleep, you’ll probably regret that decision!
How to Prepare Mentally and Emotionally for Your Baby
SLEEP WILL CHANGE
There’s really no way to fully prepare for this honestly, but it’s good to be aware there will be many ups and downs in parenthood– especially those first few weeks as everyone adjusts. I think it goes without saying, your sleep will suffer! If you’re lucky, your baby will catch on to when night is night and day is day quickly enough and you’ll have longer stretches of sleep as the weeks go on.
I personally didn’t have this experience, but I hear of those who do, haha! My daughter had tongue-tie and had a hard time breastfeeding at first. She wasn’t gaining weight like she was supposed to and therefore I had to set an alarm to make sure she fed every 2-hrs like clockwork. Eventually she got her tongue fixed and nursed much better, but sleep was still a battle. All this to say, things don’t go as expected and we just have to learn to adjust and course correct!
2. HORMONES NEED TIME TO BALANCE
I remember after having both my daughters, my hormones were all out of whack! I cried easily and definitely went through the baby blues for a few weeks.. While I didn’t get postpartum depression, this is a very real thing that should be addressed if you feel like you're struggling for longer than a month. Read into it and know there is help out there!
3. FIND A SUPPORT TEAM
I’m a big believer in utilizing family and friends to help you through parenthood. It was no coincidence that I moved up to the Tacoma area to be closer to my parents when I was 7 months pregnant. I knew I needed them to help me through this adjustment and they welcomed my husband and I with open arms. In fact, we lived with them for a whole year and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start motherhood.
Of course that’s a unique experience and most people don’t live with their parents when their first newborn arrives! Whatever your situation, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Call your parents to stay for a couple weeks after your baby arrives. Reach out to friends or neighbors for help with babysitting, whether it’s holding your newborn while you take a nap or letting your older children have a playdate at their house. You’d be surprised how willing people are to help out— you just need to ask or simply accept the help!
4. AVOID MOM BURNOUT
It’s easy to get overwhelmed in these early days! I get it. Been there, done that, still am managing all the things! But it’s important to be aware of where your mind is at. I’m a huge proponent of taking care of your mental health, whether that’s simply through self-care routines, seeking out a therapist or even starting medication. I even wrote a whole article about avoiding mom burnout!
When we suffer, the rest of the family will too. Be honest with your spouse and that support team I mentioned. If you’re having a hard time, speak up and don’t be ashamed. Motherhood is wonderful, but it’s hard work mama!
How to Prepare Young Siblings for a Newborn Baby
INVOLVE THEM EARLY ON
When you find out you’re expecting another baby, tell your other child(ren) in the beginning. This will give them plenty of time to mentally prepare for another sibling in the house. I understand wanting to wait if you’ve had complications in past pregnancies and want to wait till you’re in your second trimester, but just make sure they can be involved early enough.
I was able to take my 2-year-old, at the time, to my prenatal appointments and my midwives were always so sweet to allow her to help take blood pressure and let her hold the heart monitor to hear baby’s heartbeat! It was special and I think helped her mentally prepare for her sister’s arrival. Don’t forget to involve them when baby comes too! Ask for them to sing baby a song or grab a diaper for you. When they have special tasks, they feel loved and important!
2. READ BOOKS ABOUT BABIES
It’s very helpful to explain the process of becoming a big sister or brother through children’s books. It helps familiarize your kids about what happens and normalizes the eventual transition.
I remember how I felt before my second daughter arrived, thinking how she might be jealous or not understand this new baby in our house, but then I reminded myself that billions upon billions of people have welcomed siblings to their families and it’s all part of the natural human process. Your children adapt, learn, and become bonded to their siblings. It all will be ok!
3. ROLE PLAY WITH DOLLS
I knew from a very young age, my eldest daughter loved babies! I joke that she loved babies when she literally was a baby. She always showed concern when she heard a baby crying at the store and played mom to her baby dolls more than I can count! Role playing was easy for her, but may not come as naturally for your child.
Just introduce a doll to their toys and allow them to nurture it. You can demonstrate how to hold a baby and be gentle while touching it. Show them how you’ll change a diaper or how you’ll rock the baby to sleep. Anything to get them used to a baby in the house will help!
4. PLAN FOR SPECIAL ONE-ON-ONE TIME
Once your newborn arrives, it’s going to be a time of transition for sure! You’ll want to focus on how your older child(ren) is feeling and check in on them if you sense jealousy, sadness, or if anything seems off to you. In time, things will adjust, but in those first few weeks, everyone needs a little extra love. Remember, newborn babies sleep a lot during the day! If you’re able to wear your baby in a carrier or put them down in a lounger or swing, you’ll have plenty of time to still be present with your first-born! If possible, make a date with your older child. You’ll get to enjoy special time and they will love the undivided attention. Go out for ice cream or just on a walk to make them feel loved!
In no way is this a comprehensive list of how to prepare, as I haven’t even mentioned scheduling maternity photos or a newborn session before baby comes! But I do talk all about how to prep for a lifestyle newborn photo shoot in another post, for those who are interested.
There is definitely a lot of reading out there about preparing for your newborn and this is just a small glimpse into how to prep, but don’t let it overwhelm you! Just take it one day at a time and truly, it will all turn into a beautiful story.