Hey Sweeties,
There were a few things I attended ahead of birth when preparing for baby. For as long as I can pretty much remember I have always said that during pregnancy I would read up and attend as much as I could to feel prepared.
Do I still stand by that advice? Definitely. But it’s about finding and consuming the right things as there’s so much advice out there, and when preparing for baby things can quickly become overwhelming.
I kept with wanting to know what we needed, options for birth and understanding labour, basic care, and keeping baby safe.
I generally stayed away from reading other peoples birth stories.
NCT Signature Antenatal Course
I signed both my husband and I up to an antenatal course run by NCT because to me they seemed the go-to for these sorts of things, but I have since learnt that there are equivalent independent local mum-to-be classes so do some research before committing.
For meeting other local (first-time) parents-to-be it’s fab, the three other mums (and dads) I met on the course I am still good friends with a year on, and our WhatsApp chats have been a lifeline on many occasions, for advice, humor and general conversation.
From memory, I think the course lasted six weeks or so and the first class covered introductions, course outline, and some basic tips about how to hold and bath baby. After that each class pretty much covered a different method of birth and types of pain relief. There was one session about breastfeeding.
On reflection, having so many weeks looking at different birth options for none of us to have the birth we planned for (not said negatively, that’s just the reality of child birth), it seemed a bit pointless. But that is on reflection, as first-time parents you really have no idea and can’t be critical or know properly what you need to know in order to influence course content.
Looking back now, I would have liked more on feeding and been told the realities of it and how hard it can be, whatever option a new parent chooses. I breastfed for about six months with formula top ups, but my breastfeeding journey was a struggle.
Baby First Aid
I attended the Baby & Child First Aid course* with the British Red Cross following meeting them at the Baby Show in London.
I have done several adult first aid courses but I really wanted my husband and I to understand baby first aid. The course was excellent and I would highly recommend other new parents consider a similar course if possible when preparing for baby.
Hospital Tour
I am not sure if this is offered by all hospitals, but if you are opting for a hospital birth then it’s worth asking your midwife if tours are available if this isn’t something already routinely advertised.
It was my plan to have my baby in the birthing suite, a midwife-led unit, as I wanted something calm, intrusion free and the ability to use the birthing pools. Planning and preparation is so key for a positive labour and for me that required knowing where we needed to go on the day, and being able to visualise the space.
The tour also included a visit to the labour ward, somewhere I wasn’t planning on going but still good to familarise myself with. And thank goodness I did, ha!
Shopping on a budget
Even though I didn’t have a specific budget as such for shopping when preparing for baby, I knew I wanted to get what we needed for as little as possible. Some things I absolutely wanted new, but other things I was prepared to source second-hand if possible.
Let’s be clear though, once you have babies, your money will be spent on your children forever so you can’t really budget long-term from that perspective. Children are a cost BUT, there are ways to get what you need cheaper than buying everything from new (unless you are one of those parents that just has to spend the maximum amount of money on things for baby).
Before my son arrived, there were a few things we bought new i.e. the cot, newborn clothes etc. but much of what we purchased I managed to secure second hand such as the baby bath and bedside crib (that was actually new, just never used), and one year on charity shops are my favourite places to source toys, books and clothing.
Baby Show at Olympia, London
This was well-worth attending as I wanted to go mostly to see what equipment was available and see it in the flesh, as well as finding out about companies that offered first aid, baby skincare, hypnobirthing and other antenatal and baby classes etc.
Fortunately we’re quite sensible my husband and I, and there were several things we were shown that I knew were not really for us. And for all the hundreds of prams being wheeled around, the one I liked most was actually one of the most affordable (from Mothercare).
For a day out it was certainly worth attending and helped us both get on the same page when it came to baby shopping and preparation.
Setting up the nursery
Asides from the cot that we purchased new, we already had a chest of drawers that we could free up for the nursery, and there was existing built-in wardrobes. I received my nursing chair from a friend as she no longer needed it, and the changing table I got second-hand.
We also purchased the Gro-egg digital room thermometer from new and later a baby camera once he was going to bed and down for naps without either me or my husband being with him.
Second-hand sources
eBay, Facebook marketplace, and baby & children nearly new sales have been my absolute go-to, particularly in the initial set-up for baby and for a few things as he has gotten older.
Definitely do your research before you buy as you’ll be offered and recommended so many things that look fantastic and seem to be something you won’t be able to live without, when in reality you’ll either never use or could have sourced a different, cheaper alternative. So be sensible.
Babies grow quickly and essentially in the first few weeks and months they do just eat, sleep and poop. I would recommend buying the basics but the rest I would suggest waiting to purchase so you can be sure you actually need them.
How did you prepare (or maybe you are preparing) for baby? What advice would you share that I have maybe missed?
Until next time x
