Remember that feeling. That feeling of thinking your pregnant, but really not knowing. You run as fast as you can either to the doctor, or straight to the drug store and pick up a pregnancy test. Then when you finally get the results it sinks in, and you realize the things you have to do to plan for the new arrival. Well the first thing to remember is that you have seven or eight months to do this. There is no rushing needed. Just sit back and relax the first couple of months. You will have plenty of time to run around and by baby stuff..You will even have more time if you take some advice from someone who has done this six times, soon to be seven.
Ready. All righty then..
The first and the most important thing to do is to get yourself a doctor. If you do not have insurance, and you would be surprised at how many people do not. Go to your local clinic and they will be glad to guide you through your pregnancy. There is no excuse not to go to the doctor during your pregnancy. There are plenty of resources out there now a days, so excuses just don’t cut it.
The next most important thing, and you have to do this. If you are a drinker, smoker, or a drug user, STOP IMMEDIATELY. And let me tell you something. I do not want to hear the excuse that you can’t. You can, and you need to. It is that simple. I myself have been a smoker for 15 years, but every time I was pregnant. I quit as soon as I knew, as hard as it may be to do this, I still did it. After all, you are taking your child’s health in your hands. And it is not the right choice if you choose to keep doing any of those things mentioned. Please just stop doing it. It is so much healthier for you and your unborn child.
Don’t jump to conclusions. If you happen to get an ultrasound, and the doctor tells you it is a boy, just act as if you didn’t know. I mad the huge mistake of doing just this. I was told my 3rd daughter was a boy all through my pregnancy. I went all out and bought everything I could for a boy, Everything blue, and baseball, and football stuff. Just your typical run of the mill boy attire. Boy was I ever surprised and out a lot of money when it was time to meet my new child. Of course I was stunned for a moment. And I got over it in seconds. But I had a lot of returning to do. Believe me it is not something you plan on doing after coming home from having a baby. So my advice to all you soon to be mothers. Wait. Wait until you have the baby before you go and by blue or pink… Stick to the yellow and the greens first.
Get up and exercise. Don’t just sit around and veg out in front of the television all day. You got to get up and move around. Go walking around your block. Buy a stationary bike. Move around. The more you sit, the more lazy you get, the more you eat, and the more you gain weight.
You have to eat and take your prenatal vitamins. When you go for you first of many doctor appointments, he will prescribe you prenatal vitamins. Take them. Do not discard them. They are necessary for you and your baby to have a healthy journey together. And eating, let’s not forget about eating. What is that old saying? You really aren’t eating for two. The hell you aren’t. You eat. You eat anything your little heart desires. Well except of course a lot of salt . But mix and match things. I’ve heard a lot of pregnant women do that. Me. I didn’t. I just went to Burger King a lot and ate a whole lot of Whoppers. I swear my 5th child, my son (finally) was going to come out as a Whopper. I must have eaten about eight a week. I bet you can’t guess if I gained weight... OK, OK so I gained 62lbs.. Yipes, that was a lot if you think about it. But I didn’t care, as long as the doctor said I was doing well ,and my son was healthy I ate when I was hungry and so should you.
Buying things for the new baby. Oh boy this is the fun part about being pregnant. There is a lot of work ahead of you. But you can get it all done in a jiffy if you do it the way I did it. First of all go to a store that has everything you need, like a Super Walmart. You can find everything here. And if you don’t have one of these stores, well then you will have to go to a few stores to get everything then. : { But this is what I did. It took me 1 pregnancy to realize there was better way to get things prepared. First I am going to list the things that you will need immediately.
Diapers (and don’t buy but a couple of bags of newborns, they grow amazingly quick), baby wipes (not perfumed), diaper pail (not really necessary), formula, bottles, extra nipples, pacifiers, talc powder, diaper cream, baby bath (not perfumed), baby oil, baby bath ( but a sink works just as good), car-seat, baby carrier, one-piece out fits (about 5 each day), baby gowns (I loved these, very easy to put on and take off, and they cover the baby completely), blankets (about 5), socks ( about 10 pairs), and last but not least a bassinet and a diaper bag.
These are the things you need as soon as you get out of the hospital. They are the essentials. You can go and buy a crib and outfits when your home and the baby is a little older. Unless of course you are one of the fortunate ones who can afford to spend a ton of money on a nursery and half the store. Unfortunately most people are not that lucky. I am one of those people, but I found the way to get everything I wanted and more, it just took a few months to get it. And can you guess what it was? LAYAWAY. Yup, that was my secret, I put everything I needed on layaway. The only thing you can’t put on layaway is the formula. But everything can’t be perfect. It took me 14 weeks and everything was here. I had diapers and baby wipes for a year. And every time I thought I was running low on anything I had bought, I would go and put more stuff on layaway that way I knew I would have it in the near future..
So that is my take on everything you need to do while your pregnant.
To all you soon to be Mommie’s out there. Good luck on your journeys. Take care of yourself and your unborn child. Be good to yourself, and please be sure and see a doctor.
