The last trimester is about looking after your growing baby and getting everything ready. This time can be quite stressful, so here are a few tips to help you prepare for your baby.

Enjoy some alone time with your partner while you don’t need to be worrying about the baby. It doesn’t have to be intimate if you are not feeling romantic, but go out to dinner or rent some movies to watch together. You can use this time to touch on some parenting ideas that you may have. You may even focus on making the nursery perfect. If you know what gender the baby will be, you can create a sky blue nursery for your new bub. Or you can research interior design tips on how to have a baby girl nursery that is pretty and pink. 

Make extra meals 

When you make a meal cook extra and freeze the remainder. Freezing meals is essential for when your baby’s due date is near. When your baby is born, it is going to be a busy time, especially if you are breastfeeding. You will be too busy and exhausted to worry about cooking decent meals. Soups, casseroles, pies and stews all freeze exceptionally well.

Getting packed

Getting your hospital stuff ready is exciting. You will need a bag for yourself and one for the baby. Travel-sized toiletries are lovely to have as they supply you with enough for the hospital stay. Pack plenty of snacks and goodies not only for yourself but for whoever is going into the hospital with you. This may include your partner, your mum or a close friend.

Be pampered

That’s right, spas and beauty therapists are not just for the non-expecting mums. There are plenty of places that cater to pregnant women with select packages that include facials, manicures and pedicures.

Organise the finances

You can save yourself so many headaches just by getting your paperwork and finances in order before your baby is born. Setting up a direct debit is a good idea and consider paying the mortgage in advance if you can. Setting up a post-baby budget is a good idea as babies do cost money. If you are taking leave from work, you will need to make money last until you return to work. You may have accumulated various expenses during this time, such as buying baby supplies. You may have even gone through expensive processes in getting pregnant, such as IVF sex selection. 

Keep fit

You will be putting on weight and may get tired, but it is not the time to become inactive. Studies have found that women who keep fit during pregnancy have lower weight babies and shorter labours. Being fit will help you to deal with the demands of being a mum. As you get closer to the due date, keep active.

Start researching

Start by reading bits and pieces on what you can expect during the birth and afterwards. There are some great tips out there that can help with the struggles of pregnancy and being a new parent.

Taking the baby in the car

Do you have everything to transport the baby safely? It is a legal requirement that you have a proper capsule or rear-facing seat correctly fitted before you take bub in the car. There are motoring authorities that can fit and install your car seat professionally, so it is tight and secure.

Getting organised early can help you not feel so stressed and worried that something will end up being forgotten. Over time if you think of something, you can easily add it to the bag. It is a significant change, and you can transition into motherhood more easily if you are organised and prepared.