10 things to do in last month of pregnancy

8-month belly shot

With the final countdown of less than one month till my official due date, it’s time to get down to business with getting things in order.

I’m definitely a lot more laid back with preparations for baby #2. Nevertheless, there are still some essential things to organise to minimise any chaos at go-time.

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So here is my checklist of…

10 things to do in my last month of pregnancy

1. Organise and wash newborn-sized baby clothes – no point washing the entire stash or washing them too early. Although with baby #1 I think I had this item all done by the second trimester.
   
   
2. Wash and lay out baby’s bed linen – as with item No. 1, I didn’t see the point of doing this too early to minimise the bed linen collecting dust in the nursery
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3. Put a towel/water-proof sheet in bed and car seat – better to be safe than sorry because you’ll never know when and where your waters might break
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4. Pack hospital bag – First time mums might have this item all done in the first trimester… whenever you decide to do this, probably a good idea to have this prepared by this stage
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5. Prepare emergency/backup plan for getting to hospital and/or looking after an older child – just in case hubby is not nearby or if you go into labour in the middle in the night and you have an older child that needs to be looked after
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6. Prepare a special gift for baby to ‘give’ to older child (and vice versa) – a good idea for getting things off to a positive start with the new sibling relationship. And following a tip from a friend, we also prepared a few small items to use a special bonus mini-gifts (e.g. some small toys, matchbox cars, books) to bring out on those moments when Nathan just needs a little extra love – not as a bribe or anything like that, but just as an alternative love-language item to use if needed in the coming weeks.
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7. Prepare a bucket or container next to the bed – one possible symptom of labour is puking/vomiting. That happened to me in the middle of the night with my first pregnancy and I was caught unprepared… which resulted in a very unpleasant mess to clean up. I personally don’t know anyone else who experienced this, but if you’re the type of person who likes to be prepared for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, just thought I’d share this little tip as well.
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8. Write out any standard daily routines/to-do lists – so hubby or anyone else who is helping to take care of things around the house knows what to do (I wrote down the list of things to pack for Nathan’s day care bag)
   
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9. Have a special one-on-one date with older child – with all the changes happening around, it’s important to reinforce this special relationship
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10. Get some rest and shut-eye (a no-brainer!)

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Continuing the countdown to D-day – 21 days to go!