Third Trimester Pregnancy Checklist: Preparing for Baby
You’ve made it to the home stretch, Mama! Your little one will be here before you know it. Here are a few things to do to prepare for your baby’s birth and arrival home.
Mama, you’ve nearly done it! You’ve grown a new tiny human inside you for more than 27 weeks and have made it to your third trimester. Hopefully, the days of morning sickness are behind you and you’ve settled comfortably into this new state of being. Whether this is your first baby or your third baby, whether you are carrying twins or carrying as a surrogate for someone else, you’ve reached the home stretch. You. Are. Awesome.
As you prepare for your little one’s impending arrival, you might want to start making a third-trimester checklist. Creating a pregnancy checklist by putting pen to paper (or finger to phone!) will help ensure that you don’t miss anything that will help you be well-prepared for your baby’s delivery and eventual arrival home.
1. Creating your third-trimester checklist
Buy remaining baby items
A stroll down the baby aisle at your local superstore might have you convinced that you need fancy contraptions and deep pockets to have a baby. However, this is simply not the case! You can stock up on a few must-have items and wait and see if you will want or need any of the additional products available in the baby aisle.
Must-have baby items for the first few weeks
- Car seat
- Crib or bassinet
- Diapers and wipes
- Baby clothing- one-piece outfits are easy when babies are little!
- Baby thermometer
- Nursing pillow (if you plan to breastfeed)
- Baby bottles
Extra items that are nice to have with a newborn
- Baby carrier or wrap
- Stroller with infant insert or car seat adaptor
- Newborn lounger
- Baby monitor
2. Purchase postpartum items for you
Although much of the focus after your baby arrives will be on your baby, don’t forget to care for yourself, Mama! Postpartum hormones and body changers can be tough to deal with, especially if you aren’t prepared for them. You just carried a baby for nine months, so be sure to give yourself some grace and go easy on your recovering body. Pack yourself a bag of essentials that can help you transition to life with a newborn in those first few weeks.
Must-have postpartum items for Mom
- High-waisted, comfortable underwear that can accommodate large pads (and a c section scar, if your baby is born that way)
- Stretchy, comfortable pants and leggings that fit comfortably over your tummy
- Ice packs for all the areas that will sting after delivery
- A squirt bottle for cleaning and cool relief
- Pain medication
3. Pack your hospital bag
As you approach your due date, you might feel the urge to nest. You may want to clean and prepare for baby’s arrival so that you can truly relax and soak up the days with a wee one when the time comes. While you satiate your nesting urge during your third trimester of pregnancy, don’t forget to pack your hospital bag! A well-stocked hospital bag filled with all the necessities will help bring you peace of mind that you are ready to go when the time comes.
Must-have items for your hospital bag for mom
- Your birth plan. You certainly don’t need one- not every mom-to-be plans out her birth experience and that is absolutely okay. But if you do sit down to make one, don’t forget to pack it!
- Sure, the hospital will provide some, but having your own on hand will make showering and everything else a much better experience.
- A robe. Something that is easy to throw on if the hospital is cold or so that you can walk the hallways once you feel up to it.
- Slippers/slipper socks. To keep your feet warm and to walk around your hospital room.
- An extra-long phone charging cord. You’ll want to keep your phone charged so you can text friends and family pictures of your sweet new bundle!
- Extra pillows for postpartum comfort.
- Nipple cream. Whether or not you plan to breastfeed, nipple cream will be your friend for your first few days postpartum.
- A Bluetooth speaker and a music playlist for birthing and afterward.
Must-have items for your hospital bag for your baby
- A going home outfit. Everyone will want pictures!
- A car seat or infant carrier.
- A pacifier, if you plan to use one with your baby.
4. Download helpful parenting apps
Oh, the joys of parenting in the 21st Century. These days, you can do most things from your smartphone, from order dinner to book a flight and everything in between. You can even download apps that will help make your first few weeks and months home with your little one as easy as possible (although they can’t help you catch up with sleep. Bummer!). Try these apps to help you breeze through your first few weeks with a newborn.
- Glow Baby– Track your baby’s milestones to make sure that their growth and development is on target. You can also interact with other Glow Baby community members and ask questions such as “is the normal?” and “what would you do?”
- BabyPage– Stop thinking about making a baby book for your little one and just do it! The BabyPage app makes it easy to develop a beautiful keepsake baby book for your little one’s first few weeks and beyond. The app will prompt you to upload pictures and stats and well as ask you open-ended questions to truly help you create an album you can cherish for a lifetime.
- BabySparks– This app will help you find new ways to engage with your baby every day that are age-appropriate and help encourage brain development in those first few months. You can also track milestones and learn about your baby’s brain development.
Happy third trimester, Mama!
