Preparing for Motherhood; Things to do

When preparing for motherhood it can be so easy to get caught up in all the things baby needs, but it’s important to remember that baby doesn’t just need stuff. Baby also needs a healthy and happy mom, so you need to prepare yourself as much as you need to prepare baby’s room. As much as we would like to believe we come equipped with natural motherhood as soon as the baby ejects itself from our bodies, we cannot possibly be completely aware of how to be a “mom.” Here’s a list of things that you can practice before you birth your baby so that you don’t go insane.

Know yourself  (and plan to not lose her)

Some women lose themselves easily after becoming moms because they haven’t strongly anchored themselves in their pre-baby life. Know what makes you happy in life. You should know what you love to do and what feeds your mind body and soul. Surely, you know what your passions are and how you handle change, difficult times and sleep deprivation.

If you know what you’re made of, what your great qualities are, and what qualities show up when you’re tired, you will be much more likely to be prepared. Do you know where your happy place is? Do you meditate? Like to cook? Do yoga? Love shopping? Know what your absolute non- negotiables for nurturing yourself are. If you know that you need uninterrupted time every day, chat with your hubby or family members about a set time you can have that. These are all things to think about ahead of time when preparing for motherhood.

Exercise

It’s so important to stay as healthy as you can throughout your pregnancy, and the internet is full of awesome ideas on how to do that (after asking your doctor of course). Try doing yoga, walking, anything that keeps you on your feet while you can stay on them. There will be days where it’s just not going to happen, but even a few times a week makes such a big difference, both for your mental and physical health. It also makes delivery and postpartum recovery a little easier, which is definitely something you want!

Start saying exactly what is on your mind.

Your husband or partner is going to say the wrong thing at two am when the baby is screaming and neither of you knows what to do. Tell them your feelings are hurt so you can have a little disagreement now instead of waiting and having a big argument later. Also, it’s inevitable that you’re going to have some arguments. No one is immune to disagreements and it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have procreated with this person.

Make time for you and your partner

When preparing for motherhood, it can be easy to neglect your spouse. Some people go on babymoons. If you don’t know what that is, basically it’s like a mini (or not so mini) honeymoon right before baby comes. It gives you and your partner some time to get away from the craziness of getting ready for baby, and to spend some last-minute time together before baby arrives! Even if you don’t do anything like that, make sure you and partner have some date nights and take some much-needed much-deserved time for yourselves.

Ask for help

So many women think they are supposed to do it all on their own and not ask for help. If you have a pretty good idea of where you might need some time and some help, then go ahead and set up your support system now. When preparing for motherhood, it is not enough to say “I’ll call you if I need you” or for others to say “call me if you need me”, No! Put pen to paper and assign tasks NOW! If you know you don’t do well with sleep deprivation, hire a night nurse, or at least have one on back up. If you want to be able to go back to work or your business because that is YOUR thing? great! Prepare yourself for it. ASK for help. Asking for help IS self-care.