The best thing we did after the baby was born was have my mother stay with us for a week after the hospital. It gave us both time to sleep and build up the energy we've needed now. It might be a good idea to see if someone can come up and help you like that.
Keep in mind you will have absolutely NO time for many months after the baby is born - especially if you breastfeed. I would suggest doing anything you like to do with the freedom you have now.
Like get prenatal message - I got one and I loved it.
Go to the theaters etc... we used to love doing this every other week and have only been able to do this once since Mac was born last December.
Have the house clean before the baby comes, and show Brian where everything important is, so he can help you get it. This includes stuff in the baby room; baby clothes, extra diapers, bedsheets etc.
SLEEP IN - this will not happen for a very long time after the baby is born, and sometimes even a full nights sleep is hard to find. (we got lucky but we can never sleep in)
Find used clothes - most friends, family, friends of family etc who have kids probably still have a lot of leftover clothes. It is a good idea to get whatever you can and sort them out by size keeping in mind when they say 6 months it usually fits from 3-5 months old. This way it will be easier when baby goes through clothes like a mad chicken - and this won't be so true until you try and put on a fav outfit they've worn twice to find it doesn't fit anymore.
Exercise - this goes for every time of pregnancy and after. Yoga is excellent or anything similar to that. Keep stretching and keep your body flexible and you will get it back faster after the baby is out then if you don't.
Trust your instincts - I almost lost my daughter because of listening to a doctor instead of my body. Nurses and doctors are very smart and you should listen to them but if your gut tells you they are wrong listen to it. You're becoming a mommy, and we all know that no matter what - mommies know best!
Know baby issues - things baby's can and can't get. Like jonas (spelling is probably wrong) where the baby's liver is not processing the vitamin D. The baby will be orange-ish and the best thing for him/her is an hour or so in the sun every day. Yeast rash vs diaper rash. Babies - especially girls can get yeast rashes which will not go away with the diaper cream. It's sort of whiter than normal rashes and will keep spreading until you get a prescription. Thrush, eczema and others I can't think of are some common baby issues that are easily fixed, and make it less 'scary' if you know a bit before taking them to the doctor.
Sex - it will become scarce after baby is here. You won't want anything near your girly parts for a while (1-3 months +) after the pain of labor. And when you finally want to do stuff it is almost impossible to get into the mood when you have time and as soon as you're ready for fun the baby will most likely start crying.
Food - The last month was my worst for eating lots and being a potato. Don't feel bad about it. Don't eat everything but if you want something then get it. You're going to be uncomfortable and it's worth the good feeling. And you will lose it between carrying lbs of baby everywhere then running after him/her.
Labour - It can seem scary but if you are anything like me you will look back on it fondly and after a while even forget the pain involved. You do not have to prove anything. Some women feel that they want to do natural birth because women have been doing it for years and they can do it to. Honestly of course you can do it! Noone is doubting you, but make sure you know the decision you are making. I have known nurses to push women to wait a little longer before taking anything and when they finally want something the nurse will say it's too close to pushing to give you anything. I suggest to do whatever you want but always leave your options open. I was given the options of epidural or c-section and I chose the first one. If they put you on an oxytocin drip I suggest get an epidural then, and screw morphine, it most likely won't do anything. After 8 hours or contractions and 6 hours or straight contractions (because of the damn oxytocin drip) with no rest it was playing on my nerves and emotional state. Might I say morphine wouldn't even touch the pain. After the epidural I could feel the contractions but more like pushing and not like I was going to burst like before. I was able to rest a bit and enjoy the process of birth. The pushing was still hard but I looked at it as only so many more minutes... I pushed her out squatting which was quite fun as it distracted me from the pain. Feel the babies head coming out, it's really cool to feel why you are going through the pain and it's just weird. You will probably rip, don't worry or think about it, it's common. The last push is really funky and is sooo releaving. Brain should watch the last push or at least part of the baby coming out, it's an amazing experience. Try not to say anything you will regret, you will say a lot of angry things no matter how passive you think you can be. After the birth of your baby remember to pee every few hours whether you feel like it or not - remember they were pumping you full of water with an iv and you will pee as soon as you stand up if you wait too long.
Talk to your doctor about feeding the baby and waking him/her up. The nurses will tell you to wake the baby every 4 hours, but if they are sleeping at night it may be okay to wait 6 hours or so during the night. It's only for the first two weeks. After that do not wake the baby at night unless there is a medical problem with him/her. We never woke Mackenzie up at night and she slept 6 hour nights from the start and 8 hour nights at about a month. Now she is in bed (sleeping and/or playing) from 8:30pm to 7:30 am.
Set up a routine. Baby's and children are creatures of habit. If they know what is happening next they feel like they have some control and you will have a happier baby. Mackenzie never cries unless her routine goes off and she's hungry or if she has a poopy diaper for too long. My mom even decided to read her this one book called 'Oh The Thinks You Can Think' since birth every time she's there. Now at 10 months Mackenzie knows and loves the book and turns the page when you are done.
I wrote you a book! lol. I'm sure I'll think of more... lol
