5 Non-Typical Things To Do Before Baby Arrives

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Transcript

You’re listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast, episode number 7. Today I am giving you my list of 5 non-typical things to do before baby arrives. You’ve heard tons of suggestions about how to prepare for baby in your house, in your life, in your body… but I want to veer from those lists today. I want to remind you of what I think are some of the most important things that we forget, or don’t even think of, things that we have to do before baby gets here. Can’t wait to share.

Hey, this is Laura Lima, holistic nutritionist and founder of New Mama Nation, and host of The Love & Lettuce Podcast.

I am here to help mamas know what to eat to give them energy and help them feel fantastic, so they can better enjoy life with their littles. And remember, this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only, and does not replace medical advice from your healthcare provider, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. As always, please consult your healthcare provider to find out what is right for you. With that said, let’s get to the show.

Could you use more energy, mama? I mean, who couldn’t, right? Get my free New Mama Energy Guide, where I’ll give you 10 tips to increase your energy, stat. Go to bit.ly/newmamas to get your free copy.

If you’re expecting a baby in the near future, you’ve likely seen these lists telling you what to do before baby arrives popping up on your phone or your computer lately. (How does Google know?!) But that’s not what this list is about today. Obviously, the importance of getting ready for baby’s arrival cannot be overstated, true. But you’ve got other tutorials and checklists for that. (Like this one, in fact!)

What This List is Really About

Today, though, I want to focus on some other equally, if not more, in my opinion, important things to do before you become a mama. These are things that I’ve only realized the importance of in the past few years since becoming a mom myself, and especially since having my second baby. I’m going to talk about these 5 important things that I believe that you should do before baby arrives, but I’ll give you a little background first.

How This List Started

So here’s how this not-so-typical list started. I actually dreamed up these 5 things, this list, while I was in the thick of it. I’m rocking Maggie, who is now my 16-month-old, but at the time she was 7 months. I remember it like it was yesterday. So I was rocking her back to sleep when she simply would not nap for longer than 30 minutes. If you listened to my podcast episode last week, then you would have heard me say that she is now an expert long napper, which I am so grateful for, oh my goodness, but back then it was not the case.

So when she wouldn’t stay asleep after I put her back down in her crib for the third time, I took her in the car and I drove around while she (quickly and easily) fell asleep. And I proceeded to continue thinking of all the things I wanted to share here.

For me, the car has always been a surefire way of ensuring my girls get a good nap, if and when needed.

I don’t know if you can relate to that, but car naps used to be everything to me, especially for my first, Ellie, who literally did not sleep longer than 30 minutes, unless we were in the car.

Anyways, the things I’m talking about today are for your wellbeing, mama. This is not a checklist to help you get baby’s room ready, or to ensure that you have the best educational toys, or even to help you know what to pack for the hospital or prepare for your home birth. Like, those are all really important things. But this is not about that today.

These today are things that I strongly feel you must do before baby arrives in order to be best prepared, mentally and emotionally, for your new life. Not for baby, but for you. Yeah, I’m calling this “your new life.” Because it will be; it won’t be the same as it is now. And of course this is in the most amazing way and we “wouldn’t trade it for the world”… but it’s still one of the most gigantic changes we will ever go through.

I mean, you’re becoming a mom. Take time for yourself before baby.

This new little being will rely on you for virtually everything, including all of their physical, mental and emotional needs. And that’s just the thing. You will soon become someone’s everything, so before baby, I want you to take some time for yourself, to be by yourself and do the things that light you up, fill your cup, and truly enhance your well-being.

That said, the things on this list might seem somewhat similar to one another. But I’d like you to really take each one in. If it’s something that would float your boat, I want you to revel in it, really take the time to experience it, enjoy it, be mindful of how it feels to be in that moment.

This list may also seem a bit simplistic, but before baby, that’s the point.

These are the simple things that I don’t want you to overlook. These are the very things that I personally think about with longing, and that some days I would give anything to drop everything and enjoy. (Especially back when I created this list, when Maggie was in the really little baby stage).

I know it may sound ridiculous to you now, but believe me when I say that one day, you might just long for experiencing one of these again, like, long for it, crave it, need it. Not that you won’t be able to, but it’ll just take a lot more planning and preparation in advance.

So be deliberate about taking action here and make it happen for yourself. Don’t skip over this part of pre-baby preparation; soak it in, my friend.

Side Note About Mom Guilt

Now, before we get to the list, I have to do a little side note about mom guilt. Here’s the thing: Motherhood is everything to me, and I truly love my kids with every single cell of my being. But I’m also a person outside of being a mama. And that person loves being on her own and enjoying some of her favourite things. This doesn’t make me a bad mom, and it won’t make you a bad mom, either.

Honestly, mom guilt needs to be a thing of the past. Because honestly, if we don’t put ourselves first, then we will have nothing to give to others. So don’t feel guilty when those feelings come up of wanting (or needing) to get out for a while. Not only can doing it make you an even better mom, but having those feelings makes you human.

Alright, with all that said, let’s get to that list already… am I right?

Number 1 thing to do before baby

Okay, number one: Go for a drive by yourself. Blast your music, put on a podcast (like this one!), or listen to an audiobook. Or, if you want, turn everything off and listen to your thoughts. And also, go for a walk by yourself, ditto. Same exact thing, listen to your thoughts, look at the nature around you, and just enjoy it, take it all in. Listen to something, don’t listen to something, go with a friend if you want to.

But for me, being by myself in these things is the key factor; it just gets me to unwind. Like honestly, some days I would kill for just 20 minutes. Like, even 10 minutes of alone time in my car. I’m telling you, I never realized how important it was to me until I had kids, to be able to put on a podcast and zone out (while obviously paying attention to the road if I’m driving, hello!) is pure bliss.

I did actually get the opportunity to do this when I used to car nap with both girls. Yes, car nap is now a verb to me. But then I was constantly on alert for the moment when one of them woke up, so I didn’t really truly get to enjoy this in the same way. I loved it, but it was, it was different. So when I get the chance to go for a drive by myself, even just to the grocery store, those few minutes each way are precious. And I may or may not make it last longer on purpose.

Number 2

Okay, number two: Sleep in, and savour it. And while you’re at it, go to bed early and savour the fact that you know you’ll be sleeping all night without interruption. I mean, minus bladder wake ups, obviously. Now I know talking about sleep may seem obvious, and I used to roll my eyes when people told me, enjoy your sleep while you can! Like, I know! But I just felt that this list would be incomplete without mentioning sleep.

And I’ll go a step further by suggesting that you really make it count by lounging in bed with a book if you’re a reader, or with your phone if you’re a scroller. There’s something about knowing you don’t have to be anywhere or you won’t be called by anyone (ahem, kids) that just feels luxurious. So just completely soak it in.

Number 3

Alright, number three: Binge watch a series. Watch the entire thing, and then choose another series and watch that one too. Listen, I am a TV show junkie, give me all the movies, all the series and just all the Netflix or Prime, and I am one happy girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love to check things off my list too and get it done. But there’s something about relaxing on the couch and getting lost in a show that floats my dang boat. Same with getting lost in a book. Actually, I almost gave this one its own separate point, but I thought, no, it’s too similar, so I didn’t.

But seriously, like, just binge watch a series, take it all in, truly enjoy it. Just let your mind get right into the show. Don’t think about what you have to do later or what you should be doing instead; just completely enjoy.

Number 4 thing to do before baby

Okay, number four thing to do before baby arrives: Make yourself your favourite bevy, whether it’s tea, coffee, fill-in-the-blank, whatever, and sit down with it, and soak it in. So if you’re having a hot drink, enjoy the hotness of it. You might want to curl up with a book, some music, a TV show. Or you might just want to enjoy sitting in silence with only your thoughts for company. Either way, appreciate the hotness of your coffee, or the coldness of your drink, and truly soak it up.

I mean, this one seems, like, all of these seem so easy and so simple and like, duh! But I really, like I said before, I thought of this list when Maggie would not nap without being in my arms, and so I couldn’t do any of these things. And, yes, obviously, I try to soak up every minute of motherhood. But yes, there are times when you do just want your baby to stay sleeping when you put her down. Well, that’s every time, you want her to stay sleeping so you can do what you need to do. So you can be with your other kid because she needs you too, because you just want alone time. And that’s okay.

So this is why I’m emphasizing these things so much in these five things on the list today. Because they’re overlooked until you can’t do them anymore. Or, I shouldn’t say that because you totally can, but until you can’t do them anymore in the same way, or without lots of preparation. So just do it, love it, and soak it in; you will be so glad you did.

Number 5

Okay, here is the fifth thing: Write a list of things that bring you joy, that you’ll be able to refer to when you need a minute. It could be anything, taking a bath, reading a few pages of your book, walking around the block, even just doing nothing while taking some deep breaths. In fact, this is actually a really helpful strategy I use when I need to bring my nervous system down a notch. It works, like, just do nothing while taking some deep breaths.

So I want you to make a list of these things so that you remember. It’s literally a list of things that I’ve said today, those things might bring you joy, or it could be completely different things, but you are responsible for your own list because you know these things that light you up, that float your boat, that just make you completely relaxed and completely feel like, ah, yes.

So write down that list for when you need it. Then you can quickly go to your list in those moments of, oh my goodness, I need something right now to bring me down. And you choose one thing on the list, or you choose a few, and you do it.

I feel that this one, number five, is important for you to do before baby comes while you can easily recall those things that bring you joy. Because yeah, things can get a little murky, and remembering them can be tough at those times. Think about what makes you smile, feel calm and lights you up, and write it all down. Refer to that list whenever you need to gather yourself and take a breather.

The Bottom Line

Well, how does all of that sound to you? Like I said before, I know they seem so simple, and they are. But these are the things that can be a lot harder to come by once baby’s here, at least in my experience. So reveling in them now is my number one suggestion to you pre-baby. I hope this list has given you pause and gotten you excited to do some, or all, of the things on it, “while you still can”. I use quotations because this is another phrase that people told me that I rolled my eyes at.

Obviously things are gonna change, I get that. But still, you’ll still be able to do all of them once you become a mom, of course you will. But to do them without having to get someone to watch your little one, or wait for their next nap and hope it lasts longer than 30 minutes, or figure out how to keep them entertained while you do your thing… well, it’s simply easier before that becomes your reality.

So my friend, take it all in, truly take the time to savour those things that you love to do and that fill your cup. I can promise you, you will feel so grateful that you did. So tell me, have you ever considered the things on this list if you’re currently expecting, or did you before you had your baby?

In my opinion, it is so important for you to take yourself into consideration here and not just baby, their room, all the things like a stroller, car seat, bassinet, crib, bottles, and so on and so on. Take this time before baby for you, mama.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Take a screenshot of it, tag me on Instagram in your story, or send me a DM, and let me know. Find me @lauraannlima. I will see you there! And if you’re not already subscribed to this podcast, do it. That way when a new episode comes out, you’ll see it right there on your phone. 

And don’t forget to get your free copy of my New Mama Energy Guide. Just go to bit.ly/newmamas for instant access. Thanks for listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast. To find out how to work with me and for more great info, check out newmamanation.com. This is Laura! Until next time, love and lettuce.