There is sooo much to do before baby arrives. At times it can seem a little overwhelming.
The good news is you have 9 months to get it all done, and yes, that is enough time!
During my first pregnancy I read all the books. I asked all the questions.
I was on Pinterest every night taking in every bit of advice I could find.
As well prepared as I was when my baby arrived, there were still a few things I wish I had done.
What I Should Have Done Before Baby Arrived
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I wish I had…
Saved money for maternity leave.
This one is kind of obvious.
I knew we needed to, but our budget at the time was already tight. I figured my only option was to take a very short maternity leave.
Being that it was my first pregnancy, I didn’t realize how hard those first few months postpartum were going to be.
You are going to want to bond with your baby. Your body is going to be healing. You are going to be exhausted. You are going to be super emotional.
Everyone’s financial situation is different, and for some, taking a long maternity leave just isn’t in the budget.
I only took three weeks off. I was a nanny at the time and I was very lucky to be able to bring my baby to work with me, but it was still REALLY hard.
Even on a small income, looking back now, I know there were ways I could have saved a little bit of money. Even if I could have bought us an extra week at home, it would have been so worth it.
For instance, I bought a lot of things during that time, like baby products, maternity clothes, and household items.
If I had been using Ebates I could of gotten cash back on all of those purchases. I bet putting that money in savings could have bought us a few more days at home.
If this is your first pregnancy I really urge you to make it a priority to find a way to take more time off from work after you have your baby.
Made A LOT of freezer meals.
I read this advice multiple times and kept telling myself I would do this.
However, after a long day at work I was tired. Cooking one meal was hard enough and I just never got around too it.
I paid for it when our baby arrived. Big Time.
Like I said before, you are going to be tired. Way more tired than when you were pregnant, believe it or not.
Having a casserole to pop in the oven or pre-made stew to throw in the crockpot those first few weeks would have been a Godsend. No prep time and minimal clean up! What was I thinking?
Don’t make the same mistake I made. Make some freezer meals instead.
Stocked up on disposable dish-ware.
Another piece of advice I ignored, and really wish I hadn’t.
Like I said, we were on a budget so I figured disposable dish ware wasn’t a priority.
Babies sleep a lot right?
I figured it would be no problem getting dishes done while baby napped.
Except my baby took very short naps, and still does. So, even if I managed to get the dishes done, that’s usually all that got done before she woke up again.
Disposable dish-ware would have made life a lot easier.
Gotten my hair cut.
My hair was very long and it tangles like crazy, so it takes a long time to brush. If you have a needy baby, you won’t likely have a lot of time.
Related Post: What I Should Have Put On My Baby Registry
I got annoyed with my hair very quickly, and got it chopped to shoulder length.
I’m not saying moms can’t have long hair, just that there’s a reason why a lot of moms snip it short during the baby years.
Started this blog.
If you have ever considered starting a mom blog, do not wait another day!
I want to be able to stay home and raise my kids, but we can barely afford to do it with one, and we want four.
I started this blog so that I could be my own boss, work from home, and be able to raise my babies.
It takes about a year of hard work and dedication to start making an income from blogging.
I would do anything to turn back time and start my blog when I first got pregnant.
It’s a lot easier to get started before baby comes!
Update: I now make over $7000 a month with my mom blog and get to stay home with both my children.
If you are thinking about starting a blog, stop thinking, and do it before baby comes! I’ve written a guide to help you get started HERE.
So those are the five things I wish I had done before baby arrived.
What are you doing before your little one makes their appearance? Let me know in the comments!
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