As a 6 time mama (7 if you know our story), there are 8 things I found that made such a big difference for me to have in place before having a baby. These are things I didn’t know about before our first two children, but once I learned them and incorporated them I found they make the difference between a peaceful postpartum and a stressful, disorderly, and/or sad one.
Just a little recap from the video….
- Plan 2 weeks of down time
- Prepare mind to limit visitors and tell them to give you 3 weeks when they call up wanting to come over
- Plan and prepare 2 to 4 weeks of freezer meals, including lasagnas, enchiladas, beef and noodle casseroles, sandwich bread and ingredients. Check out Jamerrill’s Freezer Meals for inspo!
- Have paper plates in the house
- Declutter
- Gather hobby supplies and have them in a basket
- Gather reading material and have this in a basket*
- Have baby products on hand
- Click HERE to learn all about the baby products loved for our last little one!
*If you are a homeschool mom like me you might gather some educational reading material so you can read to your kids, (or so they can read to you) after your little one arrives!
Helpful links from video;
7 Benefits of Skin to Skin Contact
9 Reasons You Should Never Host House Guests After Having A Baby
Visitors After the Baby? 10 Tips for New Parents
Postpartum Depression, WebMD Article
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Thanks for sharing your tips as a 6-time mom! These are useful to know about especially when you have so much experience.
These are all such great tips! Having freezer meals planned and prepped, and having paper plates were game changers for me. Anything you can do to prepare before baby comes is so helpful!
-Jennifer
What great tips. I’m just about to have my third.
Such great tips! I most definitely should have had meals prepared. You would think after 3 kids I would have been more prepared for the 4th but I wasn’t and ended up doing an emergency c-section so was really not ready for everything when I got home.
Great tips all around. My brother’s expecting their 2nd and his coworkers keep asking “what do you need, what can we get you for gifts?” and he’s like “meals for the freezer!”
These are great ideas! It is so good to give yourself the time you need with your newborn before having guests and committing yourself to doing things.
Having meals in the freezer or setting up a meal train is absolutely essential! You just don’t feel like cooking some days!
Such great tips, and your top in this photo is so pretty!
Great ideas! Having a plan is always helpful. I love the idea to plan out freezer meals – that is a life saver when you are too tired to cook.
Thank you! Yes, I don’t know how people survive without a plan! You definitely cannot THRIVE without one!
Grest tips on preparing for a baby. Limiting visitors was key to helping us settle with our newborn and 3 year old. It gave us time to just be together in the midst of a new chapter before everyone became a part of that.
Yes, this!! It is so important for the older siblings. I’ve always noticed that tons of visitors in and out is the worst and hardest on the older siblings!
These are great tips for any new mom. I especially agree with the crafting basket idea. Sometimes I slept while the little one was sleeping, but sometimes I found myself sitting around and wasting time looking for sometime stimulating to do. Thanks for sharing!
The craft basket makes such a difference for those of us that like to be moving! You are welcome!
Mom of four here! Great tips – it’s important to minimize the amount of cooking and cleaning. New moms aren’t likely to have the time, energy, or mental capacity to deal with that after baby is born. They just need to concentrate on momming and recovering. Having help lined up might be a good idea, too!
So true!
I don’t think most new moms realize how tired and out of it you are those first few weeks. Your suggestions are great. It was a double-edged sword that my family lives out of state so I didn’t have hundreds of family members coming by. On the flip side, once you get your bearings straight, it sure is nice to have an extra set of hands around the house to get things done. 🙂 Oh, and the paper plates are such a good idea! Because realistically you are so exhausted you barely have time to keep up with house chores, like washing dishes.
Great tips! My friend is pregnant and I will pass this information along to her.
Awesome!