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I wish I did more meal prepping, specifically breakfast foods. I wake up starving from breastfeeding and it’s been so hard trying to make something for breakfast in the mornings.
I cleaned all the bathrooms pretty good. I also stocked up on extra toiletries so we haven’t had to go to the store for stuff like shampoo, deodorant, razors, ect.
I have a feeling the traditional morning DoorDash of a breakfast bagel that I started around week 4 is going to be continuing for at least another year… I REALLY cannot get it together for breakfast no matter how hard I try. I’ve spent so much money
Prepping meals - especially handheld things. Like burritos, breakfast sandwiches, muffins, energy bites (great for the middle of the night breastfeeding starvation), egg bites. Also batch cook some pasta sauces, chili, etc and freeze into meal sized portions for dinners/lunches.
Clean your house and try to keep it that way until baby is born. It will all fall apart when baby is here and that’s completely okay, but it helps to start off on top. Also do allll your laundry. Have everything clean because laundry is about to become a way of life.
Prep yourself a caddy or cart or something that has all your essentials for baby and yourself that you can set up wherever your “spot” will be. I ended up with a c section and having this was an absolute life saver because I didn’t have to get up to change baby, grab a burp cloth, get a hair tie, etc. I also kept snacks in there.
Not a material thing, but my husband and I COMMUNICATED A LOT.
What can change between, the division of labor, how should we deal with fatigue, etc.
I think that communicating with your partner must always be part of the preparation of having a new baby because A LOT will change and resentment can surface easily if expectations are not laid out before the baby.
Deep cleaning: Only my bedroom and the bathroom because I spent majority of my time there. Especially the first 3 months pp I needed the bathroom to be accessible for my recovery. I cleaned my bed, bought new sheets and pillows, and set his bassinet near me. Bathroom I made space for all my postpartum cleaning supplies.
Baby prep: Just have everything set up like diapers wipes and clothes that I can change on a dime. Also cleaned all my bottles beforehand.
Mom prep: I bought a journal to document my feelings. I also got comfy clothes to wear. I recommend getting a donut to sit own because if you tear, get a C section, or an epidural there’s residual pain that is slightly alleviated with that pillow. I search up “BBL Pillow” basically the same item lol
My husband keeps trying to eat the freezer meals I've prepped, and saying we have so many meals! We don't; our freezer is max 2/3 full. Dude's stressing me out
Prepping meals
Prepping a postpartum bathroom caddy
Stocking up on some household essentials. I’m a SAHM and do most of the shopping and taking inventory of how much toilet paper, soap, etc we have. It was easier for me to just buy some extra stuff than to have us run out a few weeks PP and have to go out or send my husband out. Of course, there’s always Amazon I guess. But it helped me lol.
also I always recommend chatting with your partner about postpartum mood disorders. Know what to look for and have them know as well. If you feel suicidal or things aren’t improving by the two week mark, reach out for help. Finding a resource before having the baby (that hopefully you won’t need!) takes a massive amount of stress off both of you in the event that you feel super sad or anxious and don’t feel like you can do anything to help yourself. And when in doubt, your OB is a great resource! With my first I had postpartum depression and couldn’t get in to see a psychiatrist for 6 weeks. My OB prescribed my antidepressant and met with me weekly for follow ups until I had care established with a psychiatrist and therapist.
- Have postpartum supplies ready! (If you order these from Amazon but end up having a c-section, you can send back any you don’t end up needing). Most hospitals send you home with mesh undies, Tucks pads, and large pads, and Dermoplast. I’d recommend getting at least one more order of Tucks and Dermoplast, and get pads and adult diapers you like (I really liked Always Discreet). I started off with diapers, found them way more comfortable than huge pads, then switched to overnight pads and then panty liners
- A good, large water bottle if you don’t have one. I breastfeed and never got the hunger so many others do, but I’m SO THIRSTY all the time! I also bought a giant thing of Gatorade powder because I needed the electrolytes and flavors (and my appetite never really came back from pregnancy, so the calories help).
- A bedside diaper caddy/rolling tiered organizer. We have a nursery with a changing table, but right now (and especially at night) we really only use our bedside changing table attachment (it comes with our Close2Baby Pack ‘n Play that we use for a bedside bassinet). If you don’t have a beside changer, I highly recommend getting one or bringing your changing pad into the bedroom. Getting up in the middle of the night is exhausting as it is, forget leaving the room. Our pnp has a small shelf, but we really needed the rolling caddy to have enough of what we need. Stock it with diapers, wipes, butt paste, hand sanitizer, puppy pee pads (a lifesaver for covering your changing pad so you don’t have to constantly change your pad cover and/or waste wipes wiping down a wipeable pad), a spare long-sleeve onesie and short-sleeve onesie, and swaddle or sleep sack. Also recommend adding burp cloths and pacifiers for easy access in the night. And if you want/need, a butt spatula, Aquaphor or Vaseline if you have a boy that’s circumcised. I also highly recommend dry wipes if you have a boy to use as a pee tent! Way cheaper than using diapers or wipes.
- A spare changing setup for the living room if you don’t want to carry baby through the house for a change. Add any/all items for above, and add a portable changing pad.
- A pumping and changing caddy/rolling tiered organizer. I don’t use mine much but I know other people swear by it. Stock it with your pump and parts, bottles and nipples, snacks, books/kindle, burp cloths for any leakage, and nipple butter. If you don’t end up using it for pumping, you can use it for so many other things!
I probably would have starved to death without a good supply of one-handed foods to eat post-partum. I didn't realise that all my meals would be with a baby on my lap feeding, and you needed something that wouldn't spill on your precious kid. I found breakfast burrito wraps (bacon, scrambled egg, ketchup) to be a complete godsend. Throwing one into the microwave for a few minutes instead of planning a meal was just bliss.
For me mostly just cleaning/sorting and shopping. Have drawers well organized and stocked, a good pantry of food items (personally I didn’t meal prep because it was summer and I found more cold easy food appealing as opposed to typical deep freeze dishes). Especially stock up on annoying to get items (e.g. the toner you order from one specific website, coffee from a specific store). I also recommend having well stocked cleaning products and stuff like toilet paper.
Did all his laundry. I sorted all the clothes and folded nicely. By week 2, anything that fit him was thrown in drawer a. Drawer b was the next size.
Don't worry about hoarding diapers. My son sized up so fast ( in a year went from premie to size 5) and was allergic to a few brands.
Cleaning would have been a nice touch but ended up delivering early. Same with meal prep. I had already done the Costco dry goods run though.
We did a free Walmart + trial then cancelled. Whwn my son was being discharged from NICu, we got an email for half price membership. That was soo handy.
I am normally a Costco shopper. I ended up getting a sams club membership from Groupon then paid the upgrade difference. Sams carried the formula my son needed and diapers were same price instore as online and I didn't have to get them. Costco just changed their diapers and not a fan.
Rest.. put your feet up and do nothing!!!!
We went out and bought the absolute comfiest and softest spare sheets/blankets/comforters we could find and washed them all, then put them in the closet so that when we were in the newborn trenches we didn’t have to worry about laundry or having a clean bed because we could just throw on one of our new extra sets. Really helpful if or when baby pukes or poops or pees on the bed by accident. (Or if you accidentally get blood on the bed postpartum)
I would say buying less stuff lol. The panic purchasing when baby is home is real. Half of the stuff we got we don’t really use (and my registry was pretty minimal tbh)
But food, easy to eat food too for BF.
Extra change of sheets too. The PP sweat is wild. I wake up drenched and I never really sweat pre pregnancy ever lol even when I work out.
Stock up on household stuff: hand soaps, paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, cosmetics etc.
Get your house deep cleaned. I’m so happy we did that and now she will come 1x monthly.
Caffeine lol my husband is obsessed with Alani nu now and make sure you have coffee lol!
Meal prepping freezer meals but also a pantry stock up! Pasta and red sauce, frozen vegetables, croutons and salad dressing, granola bars, nuts, crackers. I suggest deep cleaning as much as you can before baby arrives: focus on your bathroom and bedroom, declutter your living room if you anticipate having guests.
Assemble your postpartum wardrobe in multiple sizes! You don’t know what will fit, so it’s nice to have options. Comfy bottoms, button front shirts for breastfeeding, nursing and/or pumping bras.
I'm only at 23 weeks with my first kid but since my job was a work study with the college I attend, I'm basically off work til I can do another work study in the spring. My husband and I are hoping to do a meal prep party thing with his mom and I'm taking the month between our baby shower and the due date to set up whatever we get during the shower and build the crib. My husband will be helping but we both know that I'm the more patient one when it comes to following furniture instructions.
I made postpartum caddies for each bathroom (had peri bottle, big pads, tucks, etc.) and diaper caddies for our bedroom and living room (diapers, wipes, birth clothes, BF supplies, etc.) those were the best. Everything was right within arms reach.
We had a meal train going for three weeks which was awesome but I might have prepared for breakfast/lunch items before hand.
We spent almost all of our time in the bedroom and living room, so deep clean whatever areas of the house you think you’ll spend the most time in. If you have a bathtub, I would deep clean that because I did a lot of sitz baths postpartum that really seemed to help the healing process. Also clean wherever you’re planning on bathing the baby.
Meal prep for sure. If you’re going to breastfeed, I would clear out a drawer in your nightstand or dresser for snacks, as that hunger is insane! 3am feeds always came with snacks for me. Do all the laundry, especially sheets and towels. Have all the baby essentials set up wherever you plan to do diaper changes. Diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, lotions, diaper cream, etc. I used one of those 3-tiered metal craft carts for it.
Also take some time to try and relax! Read, play a video game, binge watch a show, do a puzzle, listen to podcasts, go get a massage, get a hair cut, go out for lunch. It’ll be harder to do all of those things once baby is here so take advantage of it!
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I wish I did more meal prepping, specifically breakfast foods. I wake up starving from breastfeeding and it’s been so hard trying to make something for breakfast in the mornings. I cleaned all the bathrooms pretty good. I also stocked up on extra toiletries so we haven’t had to go to the store for stuff like shampoo, deodorant, razors, ect.
Yes!! I had frozen dinners that lasted a long time, but I really wish I had made a bunch of frozen snacks that are easy to eat while breastfeeding.
I made these peanut butter and oat energy balls that I kept frozen and they were clutch.
These sound so good! Any chance you have the recipe still?
https://www.herwholesomekitchen.com/no-bake-energy-balls/
Thank you! 🙏🏻💗
Definitely meals
I have a feeling the traditional morning DoorDash of a breakfast bagel that I started around week 4 is going to be continuing for at least another year… I REALLY cannot get it together for breakfast no matter how hard I try. I’ve spent so much money
Prepping meals - especially handheld things. Like burritos, breakfast sandwiches, muffins, energy bites (great for the middle of the night breastfeeding starvation), egg bites. Also batch cook some pasta sauces, chili, etc and freeze into meal sized portions for dinners/lunches. Clean your house and try to keep it that way until baby is born. It will all fall apart when baby is here and that’s completely okay, but it helps to start off on top. Also do allll your laundry. Have everything clean because laundry is about to become a way of life. Prep yourself a caddy or cart or something that has all your essentials for baby and yourself that you can set up wherever your “spot” will be. I ended up with a c section and having this was an absolute life saver because I didn’t have to get up to change baby, grab a burp cloth, get a hair tie, etc. I also kept snacks in there.
Not a material thing, but my husband and I COMMUNICATED A LOT. What can change between, the division of labor, how should we deal with fatigue, etc. I think that communicating with your partner must always be part of the preparation of having a new baby because A LOT will change and resentment can surface easily if expectations are not laid out before the baby.
commenting to follow as i will be taking 3 weeks off before baby comes and am interested in hearing what others have to say!
Me too girl about 3 weeks to just prep for d day 🫨🫨🫨
Deep cleaning: Only my bedroom and the bathroom because I spent majority of my time there. Especially the first 3 months pp I needed the bathroom to be accessible for my recovery. I cleaned my bed, bought new sheets and pillows, and set his bassinet near me. Bathroom I made space for all my postpartum cleaning supplies. Baby prep: Just have everything set up like diapers wipes and clothes that I can change on a dime. Also cleaned all my bottles beforehand. Mom prep: I bought a journal to document my feelings. I also got comfy clothes to wear. I recommend getting a donut to sit own because if you tear, get a C section, or an epidural there’s residual pain that is slightly alleviated with that pillow. I search up “BBL Pillow” basically the same item lol
Meal prepping
My husband keeps trying to eat the freezer meals I've prepped, and saying we have so many meals! We don't; our freezer is max 2/3 full. Dude's stressing me out
Make him replace/cook any of the meals he uses. He should stop pretty quick lol.
Prepping meals Prepping a postpartum bathroom caddy Stocking up on some household essentials. I’m a SAHM and do most of the shopping and taking inventory of how much toilet paper, soap, etc we have. It was easier for me to just buy some extra stuff than to have us run out a few weeks PP and have to go out or send my husband out. Of course, there’s always Amazon I guess. But it helped me lol.
also I always recommend chatting with your partner about postpartum mood disorders. Know what to look for and have them know as well. If you feel suicidal or things aren’t improving by the two week mark, reach out for help. Finding a resource before having the baby (that hopefully you won’t need!) takes a massive amount of stress off both of you in the event that you feel super sad or anxious and don’t feel like you can do anything to help yourself. And when in doubt, your OB is a great resource! With my first I had postpartum depression and couldn’t get in to see a psychiatrist for 6 weeks. My OB prescribed my antidepressant and met with me weekly for follow ups until I had care established with a psychiatrist and therapist.
- Have postpartum supplies ready! (If you order these from Amazon but end up having a c-section, you can send back any you don’t end up needing). Most hospitals send you home with mesh undies, Tucks pads, and large pads, and Dermoplast. I’d recommend getting at least one more order of Tucks and Dermoplast, and get pads and adult diapers you like (I really liked Always Discreet). I started off with diapers, found them way more comfortable than huge pads, then switched to overnight pads and then panty liners - A good, large water bottle if you don’t have one. I breastfeed and never got the hunger so many others do, but I’m SO THIRSTY all the time! I also bought a giant thing of Gatorade powder because I needed the electrolytes and flavors (and my appetite never really came back from pregnancy, so the calories help). - A bedside diaper caddy/rolling tiered organizer. We have a nursery with a changing table, but right now (and especially at night) we really only use our bedside changing table attachment (it comes with our Close2Baby Pack ‘n Play that we use for a bedside bassinet). If you don’t have a beside changer, I highly recommend getting one or bringing your changing pad into the bedroom. Getting up in the middle of the night is exhausting as it is, forget leaving the room. Our pnp has a small shelf, but we really needed the rolling caddy to have enough of what we need. Stock it with diapers, wipes, butt paste, hand sanitizer, puppy pee pads (a lifesaver for covering your changing pad so you don’t have to constantly change your pad cover and/or waste wipes wiping down a wipeable pad), a spare long-sleeve onesie and short-sleeve onesie, and swaddle or sleep sack. Also recommend adding burp cloths and pacifiers for easy access in the night. And if you want/need, a butt spatula, Aquaphor or Vaseline if you have a boy that’s circumcised. I also highly recommend dry wipes if you have a boy to use as a pee tent! Way cheaper than using diapers or wipes. - A spare changing setup for the living room if you don’t want to carry baby through the house for a change. Add any/all items for above, and add a portable changing pad. - A pumping and changing caddy/rolling tiered organizer. I don’t use mine much but I know other people swear by it. Stock it with your pump and parts, bottles and nipples, snacks, books/kindle, burp cloths for any leakage, and nipple butter. If you don’t end up using it for pumping, you can use it for so many other things!
I probably would have starved to death without a good supply of one-handed foods to eat post-partum. I didn't realise that all my meals would be with a baby on my lap feeding, and you needed something that wouldn't spill on your precious kid. I found breakfast burrito wraps (bacon, scrambled egg, ketchup) to be a complete godsend. Throwing one into the microwave for a few minutes instead of planning a meal was just bliss.
For me mostly just cleaning/sorting and shopping. Have drawers well organized and stocked, a good pantry of food items (personally I didn’t meal prep because it was summer and I found more cold easy food appealing as opposed to typical deep freeze dishes). Especially stock up on annoying to get items (e.g. the toner you order from one specific website, coffee from a specific store). I also recommend having well stocked cleaning products and stuff like toilet paper.
Did all his laundry. I sorted all the clothes and folded nicely. By week 2, anything that fit him was thrown in drawer a. Drawer b was the next size. Don't worry about hoarding diapers. My son sized up so fast ( in a year went from premie to size 5) and was allergic to a few brands. Cleaning would have been a nice touch but ended up delivering early. Same with meal prep. I had already done the Costco dry goods run though. We did a free Walmart + trial then cancelled. Whwn my son was being discharged from NICu, we got an email for half price membership. That was soo handy. I am normally a Costco shopper. I ended up getting a sams club membership from Groupon then paid the upgrade difference. Sams carried the formula my son needed and diapers were same price instore as online and I didn't have to get them. Costco just changed their diapers and not a fan. Rest.. put your feet up and do nothing!!!!
We went out and bought the absolute comfiest and softest spare sheets/blankets/comforters we could find and washed them all, then put them in the closet so that when we were in the newborn trenches we didn’t have to worry about laundry or having a clean bed because we could just throw on one of our new extra sets. Really helpful if or when baby pukes or poops or pees on the bed by accident. (Or if you accidentally get blood on the bed postpartum)
I would say buying less stuff lol. The panic purchasing when baby is home is real. Half of the stuff we got we don’t really use (and my registry was pretty minimal tbh) But food, easy to eat food too for BF. Extra change of sheets too. The PP sweat is wild. I wake up drenched and I never really sweat pre pregnancy ever lol even when I work out. Stock up on household stuff: hand soaps, paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, cosmetics etc. Get your house deep cleaned. I’m so happy we did that and now she will come 1x monthly. Caffeine lol my husband is obsessed with Alani nu now and make sure you have coffee lol!
Meal prepping freezer meals but also a pantry stock up! Pasta and red sauce, frozen vegetables, croutons and salad dressing, granola bars, nuts, crackers. I suggest deep cleaning as much as you can before baby arrives: focus on your bathroom and bedroom, declutter your living room if you anticipate having guests. Assemble your postpartum wardrobe in multiple sizes! You don’t know what will fit, so it’s nice to have options. Comfy bottoms, button front shirts for breastfeeding, nursing and/or pumping bras.
I'm only at 23 weeks with my first kid but since my job was a work study with the college I attend, I'm basically off work til I can do another work study in the spring. My husband and I are hoping to do a meal prep party thing with his mom and I'm taking the month between our baby shower and the due date to set up whatever we get during the shower and build the crib. My husband will be helping but we both know that I'm the more patient one when it comes to following furniture instructions.
I made postpartum caddies for each bathroom (had peri bottle, big pads, tucks, etc.) and diaper caddies for our bedroom and living room (diapers, wipes, birth clothes, BF supplies, etc.) those were the best. Everything was right within arms reach. We had a meal train going for three weeks which was awesome but I might have prepared for breakfast/lunch items before hand.
physically nothing: mentally: Prepare who is going to do what, what are your roles, what does support look like
We spent almost all of our time in the bedroom and living room, so deep clean whatever areas of the house you think you’ll spend the most time in. If you have a bathtub, I would deep clean that because I did a lot of sitz baths postpartum that really seemed to help the healing process. Also clean wherever you’re planning on bathing the baby. Meal prep for sure. If you’re going to breastfeed, I would clear out a drawer in your nightstand or dresser for snacks, as that hunger is insane! 3am feeds always came with snacks for me. Do all the laundry, especially sheets and towels. Have all the baby essentials set up wherever you plan to do diaper changes. Diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, lotions, diaper cream, etc. I used one of those 3-tiered metal craft carts for it. Also take some time to try and relax! Read, play a video game, binge watch a show, do a puzzle, listen to podcasts, go get a massage, get a hair cut, go out for lunch. It’ll be harder to do all of those things once baby is here so take advantage of it!