The Best Third Trimester Checklist

 

 

You are on the last leg of your pregnancy journey now. You will be feeling tired and probably ready to pop but there is still a lot to do in preparation for your baby’s arrival.

 

As you need to take it easy in the third trimester call in as many favours as you can and get family and friends to help you as much as possible.

 

This third trimester checklist will help you get organised and ensure you won’t forget anything.

 

 

• Prepare for breastfeeding – If you  ave decided to breastfeed then it is important that you be prepared. Do plenty of reading, turn to friends and family for support and make sure you have all the supplies you need. Breast pads, nipple shields, nipple cream , and nursing bras are all essential. There are also online classes you can take which are awesome preparation for breastfeeding your baby.

• • Clean and organise your home – You are going to be extremely busy after the birth of your baby so now is the perfect time to give your home a spring clean. Of course you are heavily pregnant so it is probably best to enlist some help with this. This is also a good time to declutter and organise as baby comes with an awful lot of stuff.

 

 

• Think about cord blood banking – It’s important to make a decision now if you want to bank your baby’s cord blood. This is the blood that stays in the cord after the birth of your baby. The stem cells from this blood can help treat various health problems such as blood and immune disorders and some genetic conditions.

 

• Choose a paediatrician – You need to start thinking about finding a doctor for your baby. Do your research, ask family and friends and make a decision that you feel comfortable with.

• Learn what you can expect from labor – Read up as much as you can do that you are armed with as much information as possible. Know what to expect from the stages of labor and what signs to look out for when the time comes. You also need to think about what pain relief you will have during labor or if you want to go drug free

• Get baby’s clothing ready – Now is the time to wash all of your new baby’s clothing and bedding ready for their arrival. Make sure you have everything you need and that it is accessible for when you arrive home after the birth.

 

• Make sure you have all the baby items you need – Hopefully you made a list of everything you would need for baby earlier in your pregnancy. Now is the time to check that list to make sure you have everything. From big items like cribs and car seats to diapers and rash cream. It’s all important and you don’t want to forget anything.

 

• Tour the hospital or birthing centre – Having a good look around the place where you are going to give birth will familiarise you with the space and make things seem less scary when the time comes. You can ask any questions you may have and should be able to pre-register to save all the form filling once you are in labor.

 

• Think about birth announcements – You need to make things as easy as possible for when you have given birth. It is always best to plan ahead and know how you are going to announce the birth of your baby and who will get to here about it first.

 

• Pack your hospital bag – It is vital to have your bag packed well before your due date. You really don’t want to be caught by surprise and have to think about what you will need once those contractions have started. Make sure you have everything that you and baby are going to need for a few days in the hospital or birthing centre.

 

• Get your postpartum supplies – Take time to think about how you are going to take care of yourself in the postpartum period. Make sure you have your postpartum survival kit ready as you don’t want to be rushing out buying postpartum underwear,  pads  or a peri bottle just after you have given birth.

 

• Try to keep calm – I know this is easier said than done. You will be be worrying about giving birth not to mention what is going to happen when you have a tiny human to take care of. It is important that you try to keep as calm as possible, especially in the later stages of your pregnancy. Try meditating or a relaxation technique. You may just need a nice long soak in the bath. Anything really, that keeps you calm and relaxes you.

 

• Organise some social outings – You May want to arrange some dates with your partner and friends and family at this time. Once baby is here you aren’t going to have an awful lot of time for socialising.

 

• Prepare some meals for after the birth – In the weeks leading up to your due date cook twice as much every time you make dinner. Then you can freeze half of it. After your baby is born you will just need to defrost each meal and heat it. This means you can have nutritious meals without a fuss and more time to concentrate on baby.

 

• Get plenty of rest – I know this list contains such a lot to do but try to enlist the help of friends and family so that you can get the rest that you need. Make sure that you don’t do too much in one go and take afternoon naps if necessary.

 

• Set up your baby’s nursery – At this time you need to make sure that the nursery is all ready for your baby. That the decorating is finished, all of the furniture is assembled and that your baby has a safe place to sleep.

 

• Have a plan ready for when labor starts – It is important that you have a plan in place for when labor starts, whatever time of the day or night. You need to know how you are getting to the hospital or birthing centre, who is taking you, and what the quickest routes are. Also make sure you have all of the phone numbers you need ready for when the time comes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This third trimester checklist will help you to be organised and prepared for your baby’s arrival.