I have found the process of preparing for a baby extremely over whelming and have spent many hours in tears wondering how on earth we can afford everything we need, worrying that we are running out of time and becoming more and more confused by the sheer amount of choice out there. Today, however I decided to bite the bullet, I went shopping and bought a few bits. To make it seem less over whelming I have been focusing on what I need for my hospital bag and the first few days at home, here is a list of my purchases so far:
Breast pads,
Maternity pads,
Maternity mats, (what fun!)
nappies,
baby wipes,
a night shirt,
muslin squares,
5 sleep suits,
a blanket.
Next on my list are a dressing gown and a car seat so we can get the little one home.
Here is everything so far. Not a lot but it's something!
...my daughter has just had her first baby - the cost of everything was very daunting, but through Freecycle she has managed to get most of the 'big' things - car seat included. It might be an option if Freecycle operates in your area.
ReplyDeleteEverything has been 'ship-shape', clean and passed on with very good hearts...and she is so grateful.
Good luck, Sue.
Aw Hun! I empathise (mum to a toddler and six week old) so if you need to vent or get the opinion of a fellow recent pregnant lady feel free to MSG me for unbiased tips/advice. Just remember you can only plan so much and as a super organised person, for me, just letting go and going with the flow was the hardest part. Baby's are people with strong opinions and wen they arrive they have a LOT to say on what you need to provide them with. With baby three I doubt I'll even pack a labour bag because my baby came in 20min and I didn't even use any of it! Afterwards my hubby just brought me anything I needed. Whatever happens you will muddle through and that's what it's all about. Nobody is perfect. Just good liars. (I have bribery biscuits in my changing bag for monster toddler tantrums<------ imperfect mothering... But it works).
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you! Really, you have bought the key things already. There's so much hype about what you MUST have but you and I (different generations as we are) both grew up with less than the modern baby, and we both survived, didn't we? 14 years ago, we borrowed a car seat from a friend who was 'between babies' and we were given an old pram by a neighbour. Later on, for the second baby, we bought a secondhand cot and double buggy from adverts in the newspaper. We had plenty of friends who were surprised by our refusal to go into debt to prepare for the babies, but it all worked out well. Do you have people you can borrow from? Or decent secondhand shops?
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the overwhelming bit, spot the hormones! Your friend, Lianne, is right - you will muddle through fine, just like the rest of us. It just doesn't FEEL like you will when the hormones get you down.
Bless you.