Congrats mama! It’s almost time for your baby to arrive and forever change your world. People are probably telling you to pack up your hospital bag and to sleep as much as you can.
But today, we’re sharing the little stuff that’ll make life a bit easier those first few months. Because even though your hormones have brought on the nesting phase, your pregnancy brain might leave you feeling like you’re forgetting something.
Here’s our list of 10 fun and productive things to do for month 9 of pregnancy:
1. Treat yourself to a pedicure and manicure
You totally deserve a bit of pampering, plus hands will be featured in a million photos with your little bundle of joy. Not to mention, you’ll probably be wearing flip-flops a lot post-labor.
2. Go on dates
It’s hard to know when you’ll be able to go on a date with your significant other after your baby arrives. So, take advantage of these last few weeks as a family of two by doing things as a couple.
3. Upgrade your phone’s storage
You’ll be taking so many photos and videos of your new baby that you’ll hit your storage max pretty quickly. You don’t want to have that video of your baby’s first coo get cut off, or have to erase the 75 pictures you took of his first bath at home!
4. Get Amazon Prime
Ordering baby items from your phone and getting them within two days is one of the greatest conveniences for new moms!
5. Look for a newborn photographer
Get recommendations from friends or on mom groups on social media. Find out their sitting fees and what they charge to print. Photographers like to take newborn photos taken within your baby’s first two weeks. Save yourself from trying to remember to get a photo session lined up in a sleep-deprived, new mom state.
6. Download e-books and line up your Netflix queue
Newborns need to nurse or be bottle fed 10 to 12 times a day, for about a half an hour at a time. That’s a lot of time spent sitting, staring at your walls. Survive boredom by binge-watching a show on Netflix and reading up in your favorite genre.
7. Get the thank-you’s ready
There will be such a flood of gifts after your baby is born! Get ready by buying thank you note cards now, organizing your address list, and printing labels for your birth announcements.
8. Discover baby gear
Unbox all that mysterious gear you received at your baby shower. Take some time to assemble it and figure out all the buttons, straps, and handles. Trust us, holding a wailing newborn while trying to figure out how your stroller unfolds isn’t a picnic!
9. Two words: noise machine!
You can find tons of smart phone apps that provide the sound of the ocean, a fan, the ocean, or a babbling brook. Your baby will love it, and so will you when it allows you to get some sleep! Also, think about buying a white noise machine that you can keep in your baby’s nursery or by your bedside (depending on whether you’re co-sleeping.)
10. Use some vacation days
Take a day (or two) off just for you. Carrying a baby for nine months is hard work; you deserve some time off! Enjoy being alone, and the ability to do things at your own pace.