4 Tips For Preparing For Your Baby’S Arrival

It has been not quite a decade since I gave birth the last time, but the impending arrival of Princess Kate’s second baby made me think back to when I was almost read to deliver. My four tips for an easy transition, I am sure still would hold true today. These are supposed to be the realistic list of things you might want to do before the big day. Not to be confused with the unrealistic list your hormones might have you generate- I truly believed that before my first arrived it was imperative that I wash and repaint all of the screens on my 1920’s house. This seemed even more ridiculous when I returned home with my baby to find that I had used the wrong paint color in my haste.

So with survival mode in mind I suggest you refer to my list or others that wrote before me or to make your list far in advance of those final days and weeks.

 

  1. Wash sleepers, bodysuits and bedding.

I would have all of the newborn items washed and ready to go and as much regular laundry caught up if you can. You will be amazed how much clothing you will go through with a newborn. Sometimes a diaper change gone bad can wipe out a bodysuit, sleeper and a changing pad all at the same time. *Avoid washing all the other larger clothing until you get a gage on your baby’s size and growth rate. You may need to exchange some items so keep those tags attached.

  1. Invest in double or triple bedding.

This might have been the best advice I ever received! I made the bed in layers with a waterproof mattress pad between each layer. This way middle of the night vomiting or explosions required only whisking away the soiled layer to the washing machine and cleaning up baby. Then everyone could get some rest and the clean-up could begin with the light of day.

  1. Stock up on foods you can prepare and eat with one hand.

This may not be the most health conscious plan, but a new mom has very little time to eat and simple items that I could prep and eat in 5 minutes made me feel successful on at least getting food in so I could function. Many a meal was eaten while breastfeeding and using a knife and fork was not an option.

  1. Buy a few pretty things to wear. And a lot of plain, inexpensive tops.

This tip is two-fold. On one hand you are hormonal when you return from the hospital, you are no longer pregnant, but most of us are also not back to prepregnancy weight or shape. For this reason I suggest that you have a few outfits that you feel good about yourself and comfortable in. They may include maternity jeans, or yoga pants, etc. Just remember that you deserve to feel pretty as you regroup and reconfigure after delivery.

The other suggestion took me living it to understand. Babies ruin your clothing! For whatever reason every shirt I owned ended up with weird new stains that did not wash out no matter what stain treatment I used. For that reason I suggest saving your favorite tops for special occasions and most of the time resorting to a more disposable wardrobe. Simple tees that you can toss when they don’t wash clean. Add a scarf and you still look complete.

Best wishes on your journey into parenthood!

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A Joyful Baby

 

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It wasn’t until yesterday that I completely understood the impact that my daughter has on the world. She’s always been such a joyful, calm and alert baby right from the start, so I guess I’ve just grown accustom to it. Her joy radiates any room that she is in. And while we’ve always known that to be true and have always given thanks for that, yesterday was much different.

I received a phone call from the director of our care ministry at church. I lead a recovery group for teens and she wanted to let me know that one of my students had possibly overdosed and that he was in the ICU. So, I immediately gathered my co-leaders and we headed to the hospital. We got to his room and I sat my daughter, who was in her car seat, on the floor and went over by his bedside. We stayed in the room with the family for nearly two hours sharing stories and praying for this young man.

During this time, Avalyn didn’t make a single peep. Not one. Rather, she just sat contently in her car seat and smiled at everyone in the room. She literally brightened up this entire room. Each person in the room took turns making faces at her and getting her to coo at them. They just couldn’t get over what an incredibly good baby she was. And, I owe that to BabyPlus. It has had such a positive affect on her.

This young man was taken off of his ventilator a few hours later, but is still in the hospital. While we were in the midst of a tragic day, I’m so thankful that Avalyn could bring light into the darkness. It’s been so amazing to see the ways she’s impacted all those around her at such an early age.

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Now I Understand

 

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I’ve always known people have used BabyPlus and have believed faithfully in this product. But, it wasn’t until I actually had one of my own that I could really understand how amazing it really is. Of course, I saw my fellow BabyPlus mammas and their little ones and the difference it made. I heard the rave reviews about how their children learned to walk, talk and read much earlier than other babies their age. But, then I had Avalyn and actually got to see it for myself!

I was recently on the BabyPlus testimony page of the website and noticed that one mom had written this:

Over the weeks and months to come everywhere we went people always commented on how alert and attentive she was – parents, doctors, nurses – everyone. Our daughter began “cruising” as they call it at 7 1/2 months and by 8 1/2 months was completely walking. She has reached all of her developmental and motor milestones on an average of 3 months earlier than expected and always a lot sooner than her peers.

I have seen the exact same results from my daughter and am looking forward to her walking (although I know it means constant running around for me). I can’t even imagine her being able to read but know that will be here before I know it. If you haven’t purchased your BabyPlus system, do it! I can promise that you won’t regret it!

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Ahead Of The Game

 

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This little peanut is 7 months. For those that have followed along via social media and/or this blog, you’ve seen the progression from early pregnancy to birth to now 7 months old. All I can say is that she is hitting milestones earlier than we ever would have imagined. She started rolling at 3 1/2 months, holding her bottle at 5 months, sitting up at 6 months andshe’s now on the verge of crawling.

So, when people ask me if I’d recommend BabyPlus to my friends, my answer is a most certain yes! I LOVE what BabyPlus has done for my daughter. Not only has she been hitting milestones early, but she is the most calm and joyful baby I’ve ever met. If you want to hear from more parents who have used BabyPlus, visit our website. Have questions? Let us know!

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