GETTING PREPARED FOR A BABY

There is nothing in life like getting ready to have a baby, it literally turns your entire world upside down. Your home is changing, your relationship with your spouse is changing, your pets are acting strange, and your body is going through changes that no doctor could ever really prepare you for. You know that at the end of it, all of these changes will be well worth it because you will be bringing a new life into this world, one that is filled with new hopes dreams and possibilities. You understand that at some point all of the madness of getting ready to have a baby will settle down, but you also know that your life will never really be the same again. 

First, getting ready to have a baby means getting ready for big changes in your marriage. A baby will make your marriage stronger than you ever thought possible. For many couples, they feel that a baby makes their family 'official'. And if this is your first child, you will be amazed at how much love you have for this new little life, and how much deeper your love for your spouse will grow. However, a newborn also means that both you and your husband will have to work much harder to make the time that you have alone together count. Taking care of a new baby can bring you to a point of exhaustion that you never thought was possible. Your lack of sleep can make it much harder for you and your spouse to feel connected at a time when you both need each other more than ever. To keep your connection strong, try spending a lot of quality time together during the last few weeks of pregnancy and have a plan to start going on a date once a week after the baby is a month or so old. 

Secondly, getting ready to have a baby means that your work and career will undergo some changes. You should be planning for your return to work long before your due date. A daycare center will typically fill up very quickly and it is likely that you will be put on a waiting list so that a spot can be held for your newborn. So you want to think about which daycare center you want to use, how close it is to your work, and if you will need to change your work schedule in order to accommodate the daycare center's hours. 

And of course, getting ready for a baby means big changes in your house. Not only is there an entire nursery that you are decorating, but you also have a lot of new furniture to put together before your little one arrives.  Once the gifts start to come in, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by the number of baby items that are coming into your home. A good rule of thumb is to set aside a space in certain areas of the house for your baby's things. For instance, have a spot your kitchen where you can wash and store your baby bottles so that they will be ready for you when you return from the hospital. Likewise, have a space in your laundry room where you will be able to put any new baby clothes that haven't been washed yet. This way you can easily wash them and put them away when you are doing the rest of your laundry. 

Getting ready to have a baby is an amazing time in your life, but if you aren't prepared for all of the big changes that are happening you may find yourself feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Taking the time now to prepare for these changes will save you any undue stress later.