My Pregnancy through my To-dos(part-2)

Starting off from where we left in our previous post(My pregnancy through my To dos part-1)

5. Prepare a list of all the major To-dos- which I need to finish by the end of 8th month. I was staying with my husband so had to manage things on my own. So I did not keep anything major for 8th month unless absolutely necessary and kept the 9th month free so that I could just enjoy the last month waiting for my little one to arrive:)

Important To-dos for me were(it may vary from person to person)-

a. Finalise hospital for delivery, earlier I was consulting a gynae close to my place but the clinic did not have NICU facilities. To be on the safer side, for delivery we chose another hospital. Also find out what other facilities does the hospital provide.

b.Find out and register for stem cell banking by 7th month- People have lot of differing opinions on whether to go for stem cell preservation or not as most of it is in research stage. I had heard for 1-2 cases where it could have helped, so it was a not a discussion point for us.

c. Keep the hospital bag ready for the baby and for yourself(*list is mentioned at the end) by the end of 7th month

d. Plan for maternity photoshoot. Check with the photographers on various sites, finalise the photographer, plan the shoot(theme, dresses, locations etc)-do this in 8th month, shoot generally happens by the end of 8th month when the bump is fully grown It is fun and we wanted to capture this phase of our lives so we got a small shoot done

e. Keep the documents required for insurance at the time of hospitalisation. Also keep any other document that would be required at the time of hospitalisation or immediately after that-8th month In lot of companies you get delivery cost is covered under insurance so it is recommended that you find out all about it.

f. Find out about any local maalish lady during last month- it is recommended that the new mom gets massage to help her recover. In case of C-sec you might want to wait for sometime but in case of normal delivery you can start as early as 1 week post delivery.

g. Shortlist and finalise the baby names, as I wanted to get the birth certificate created right away. This would save any additional effort for future. Lot of people prefer to do this after the birth time is known it is their personal choice. So I started a list of both boys’ and girls’ name, this was really fun. We would argue over names but eventually managed to shortlist a few.

h. Keep things, which might be immediately needed after delivery, ready as you would not have any time post delivery. For me this included things like, all the baby personal care products, keep the old set of baby clothes washed and ready(in my family newborn is not supposed to wear new clothes till a certain time that is why old clothes), nursing bras and gowns for me.

6. Do not Stress and Stay happy- you must be wondering, why is it part of my list. I am a working woman with long working hours and I am dealing with clients on daily basis, who are not always pleasant. Things can get stressful but this is the time to avoid any kind of stress. So you need a constant reminder.

Be it work issues or relationship issues or even the smallest of things can cause stress as you are high on lot of hormones but you need to stay calm. You can try meditation techniques or any other technique that works for you.

 Infact, when the day to day things like preparing multiple dabbas for office started getting too exhausting what I did was that I got a white board sheet which i pasted on my fridge. Every night, I would write the things that I need to carry with me or anything that need to be otherwise prepared or done the very next day. This helped me get rid of the need to remember it all. I started delegating some tasks to my husband, which took lot of load off my hands and helped me enjoy my mornings.

If there is anything that is causing any kind of distress or anxiety or any sort of unrest you need to resolve it asap.

7. Take ample rest- During pregnancy I started taking things light. I started taking a cab to office. During last 1.5months I opted from Work from Home option. Try taking rest a lot, as your body would be getting tired easily. So only take up as much as possible. If you are a working woman try to reduce the long travel hours and long working hours. Do not keep sitting for long hours, keep walking every 1 hour for 10min. This keeps the blood circulation going and reduces chances of swollen feet. Try to opt for Work from Home if you are planning to work till the last days of pregnancy.

Also this is the only time when you will have time for yourself. Once the baby arrives, taking rest and taking time out for you will be difficult.

8. Let it all be positive- I used to watch Virtue Baby series on Youtube to keep my mind calm. I am a big-time consumer of web series. I reduced it to minimal and stopped watching anything disturbing. It is believed that any negative information that you are consuming in any form goes to your subconscious and somewhere creates a disturbance. It is also believed that a mother’s mental state has a huge impact on the baby’s mind and its growth. So do the math!

You can have your own ways of creating a positive environment and a positive mental state. You can read good books, listen to soothing music and watch positive videos. Just try to create a happy and positive environment in and around you. This would also require help of your family members, so do discuss it with them.

I have tried to put together most of my list, if you feel anything is missed out do let me know in comments section, also let me know if you find this list helpful:)

*Things to pack in your hospital bag-

(This list will depend on the amenities your hospital provides, so do check those once)

For you-

Hospital file(containing all your previous scans etc.)

Insurance related documents

Stem Cell Kit(provided by the service provider)

Phone charger

Wallet

Basic toiletries- tooth paste, tooth brush, face wash, lotion, comb, hair band, towel

Sanitary pad- lot of hospitals provide these till only 24hrs of the delivery after that you might need to get these yourself.

Nursing gown, nursing bra, breastpad(reusable or disposable)- you might or might not need these but it is always to keep 1 set with you

1 Set of clothes to come back from hospital

For the baby-

Diaper- use good quality diapers as newborn’s skin is very delicate

Wet Wipes

2 set of Clothes, towel, mittens cap, socks, blanket- lot of hospitals provide these but many do not so find out in advance and accordingly pack

Cloth for swaddling the baby

Baby pillow(mustard seeds pillow)

Baby powder and lotion