10 Tips for an Expecting Mom

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Congratulations to you, Mommy-to-be!! Your stomach is growing in size, your legs are sore and swollen, you don’t sleep and you pee all the time; but BLESSED are you because you are growing a human being!! How amazing is that? Having had three babies myself I thought I would humbly offer 10 tips for you. Whether this will be baby number one for you or baby number six, I think these tips will help make life a bit easier as your family starts a new transition.

  1. Head to Costco or Sams and get yourself large quantities of plastic plates, bowls and silverware. Plan on using these for every meal for at least the first month after baby comes! It will save you so much time and sanity.
  2. Take ANY help you are offered. Whether someone offers to bring meals, clean, do your laundry or even just hold your sweet baby, take them up on it!! It will bless them as much as you. Take a break and go sleep or shower.
  3. Freeze meals before baby comes!! Here are some of my favorite sites for freezer meals. Or have a Wildtree freezer meal party before baby!
  4. If you have a dog or other animal in the house be sure to have your husband or someone else bring home baby’s receiving blanket for the animal to smell sweet baby’s scent before baby comes home. We did this with our yellow lab, and each time we brought a baby home from the hospital it was no big deal at all!! It was like our dog already knew them.
  5. DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE TIME FOR YOUR HUSBAND. Keep doing date nights, and make time each day to reconnect with your husband.
  6. Go in to your delivery with a plan, but be prepared if it changes because it probably will. No two deliveries are the same, just like no two babies are the same. We have no control over what all will and can happen while delivering a child, so make sure you are going to be okay if things don’t go like you thought they would. The main goal is to get baby out and for both of you to be healthy and happy.
  7. Take a few hours each week for just you!! Even going to the store alone, reading a book at the park or going for a walk…these times will become cherished to you as your life gets busier. You must take care of yourself before you can take care of your family. I am a firm believer in that.
  8. On a super practical note (learned this the hard way): when preparing to change a poopy diaper take tons of wipes out before you start the process.
  9. Have a support system in place, whether that is Des Moines Moms Blog (wink), a church group, family, neighbors…whatever. Be humble enough to ask questions–even ones you think are silly. Moms are here to help one another on this journey.
  10. Take everything “one thing at a time” and try to “go with the flow” as much as possible. Don’t wish away the stage you are in because raising kids is all about stages. Some are harder than others, but they always eventually pass.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Loved this! I’m expecting and this is such great advice! Some I hadn’t thought of like paper plates….brilliant! And, I’ve thought of the freezer meals,,,,,now just to do it! Thanks!

  2. Congratulations to you Kristin. For the freezer meals you just have to designate a day and commit to it…make sure you have all the ingredients so you don’t have to stop to go to the store. You will be so thankful you have those meals in there. Good luck to you!!

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