1. Take LOTS of Pictures!
I can’t believe that I’m actually saying this in 2019, but before you deliver your beautiful baby, you NEED to take loads and loads of pictures of you and your baby bump! I’ve seen women take week by week photos or month by month photos, I wish I had done that. I could give you a lot of reasons as to why I have less than 10 photos of me while I had a bump, but honestly, there’s really no excuse for that sort of behaviour. This was one thing that I definitely should have done before delivery.
If you’re like me and you’re not big on pictures, for these 9 months, become HUGE on it! If you don’t, trust me when I say that you’ll regret it. I certainly do! You’re going to want to look back at how you looked when your beautiful little human was growing inside your belly. It’s okay if you’re not into the whole maternity photos thing, but if for no other reason but for the sake of having something to look back at, take those pictures! Hey, it may even help with those future baby fever feelings! Use those iPhone 11s, Samsungs or Pixel phones for the greater good of your peace of mind.
2. Buy Necessary Products
Don’t wait until the last minute to get those baby product essentials. And I don’t mean for you to get 1000 different outfits, those are good too-but for practicality sake, get products you know you’ll need to have just in case your little one decides to show up early. Like mine did. Items such as diapers, wipes, a bassinet, crib or baby nursery centre-otherwise known as a baby playpen -(whichever you choose), changing mat, pad or changing table are things that I consider being practical necessities. Its also good to have handy essentials such as diaper rash ointments (I’ve found that the A+D original ointment is absolutely magical!), colic drops, saline drops or panadol (remember to pay attention to labels and use based on age) are also good to have handy.
3. Pack your Overnight Bag Beforehand
This is another thing that you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to do. What I did was, I made a list of the products I would need at the hospital. Over the course of my pregnancy, I would gather items periodically instead of buying everything all at once. This saved me some money and also my sanity as I didn’t need to be all over the place trying to get everything together last minute. I had already packed my overnight bag by the time I was 30 weeks, maybe even earlier. It’s also a good reason to pack your overnight bag early so that if you should miss or forget something, by the time your little one arrives, you’ll probably get the chance to throw it in the bag. Even if you think you won’t need to pack so early or need to have essentials beforehand, just to be on the safe side, take my advice.
4. Continue to visit your Gynecologist
I do believe that this is a given, but let’s not take it for granted. Visit your gynaecologist regularly up until you are expected to deliver. Continue to take their advice and recommendations and please, remember to ask questions. Even if you think they’re stupid questions, heck, ESPECIALLY if you think that they’re stupid questions, ask anyway! When I was too caught up in the moment, or when I simply didn’t remember the questions I wanted to ask, my husband would act as my second brain. So it’s always a good idea to ask someone to accompany you to each doctor’s visit.
5. Remind your family or friends to donate
Last but not least, remind your family or friends to donate blood to the hospital that you’ll be delivering at. That is if you choose to deliver at a hospital. Although we always hope and pray for deliveries without complications, any card can play. For this reason, I think that this is one pretty important thing that needs to be done before delivery. This is also something that should not be left for the last-minute as you won’t know if and when you’ll need it.
These are just 5 things that you’ll need to do before delivery. Of course, every case and individual situation is different, but these 5 ‘to-dos’, I believe, are general necessities for anyone.
Comment down below other things that you think a woman may need before delivery. You can also check out my story here.
