Preparing for Birth

 I'm not. 

 

  That feels like the truth. Some days I wonder how to get through the rest of the day with everyone still loving each other and hopefully not too much hair loss (between the twins) and bite marks (between all three toddlers). Some days the toys even get picked up before I lay me down to sleep. 

 

  Don't get me wrong, I have a lovely team of people who help tremendously in the day to day life of caring for our 2 year old and two 1 year olds, but should I be planning ahead for this next baby? Since my due date is only a month away, the answer should be a resounding "yes". What is priority? What will I regret not getting done? How will I feel most prepared? 

 

Here are a few of my ideas: 

 1. Freezer meals 

 This is one we have been working on and I am so grateful. I say "we" because it's truly been a team effort. Either I am cooking supper (making extra for the freezer) while someone else is entertaining toddlers or I am playing with babies while someone else is cooking. My favorite way to freeze meals is in gallon ziplock bags frozen on top of a cookie sheet to keep it flat. Then as the meals multiply, I can slip them into my freezer zip side up and pull out the meal of choice without having to dig to the bottom of a stack. I've mostly been doing instantpot or crockpot types of recipes. 

 2. Positive birth stories 

 I do not regret listening to/reading many many stories of positive natural births before Jasper was born. They helped my mind prepare for what was next and gave me the confidence that God truly has created our bodies to do this. So far in this pregnancy, I have not listened to many, but now that I'm getting closer to due date, I hope to hear a lot more. So often, the loudest birth stories out there are the ones that went wrong. I'm all for those stories being told, mama's need to process those as well (I know), but in the middle of a pregnancy, these are not the stories that should be filling our minds and feeding our fears. 

 3. Create a list of favorite verses 

 Truth to read in the midst of labor was game changing. Allen read verse afer verse out loud and even though I didn't always consciously hear the words, I know truths were still feeding my soul. "God is with me." "He is my strength." etc. 

 4. Cleaning

  I do not love to clean my house, but I do love the feeling of a clean home. My sister wondered if it would be helpful to deep clean our bedroom since that is where our baby will be staying. Deanne spent one of her days off work to do just that and it makes it feel so much more fresh and cozy! My dear friends have also offered to help clean and my hope is to have a fairly clean house before my baby comes. My goal is not to have every room scoured from floor to ceiling but if we could have the spaces that are dirty not be dirty anymore, that will make me quite happy. 

 5. Pack the bags 

   Unfortunately this has not happened yet. Soon, hopefully very soon, that will change... 

 6. Wash baby clothes and prepare car seat  

 Another thing Deanne did for me. It would have been such a shame not having this done before baby arrived. 

 

 A question for other mamas: what are ways you do not regret preparing for birth?