Welcome to your final stretch, Mama! Do you have your set of the third-trimester checklist? Can you believe you are getting too close to meet your sweet little bundle of joy? The third trimester is difficult and challenging. You’re getting larger every day, your labor is starting to feel more real, which means everything must be set and ready.
So, if you’re interested in what the absolute third-trimester checklist is before your baby comes to the world, continue reading!
1. Attend your childbirth class
You must attend to your childbirth class near the end of your pregnancy so all the advice and tips that you learn lingers in your mind until your big day. If you are enrolled for a 4-week or 12-week course, make sure to complete the class by 36th or 37th-week.
2. Enjoy your baby shower
Once your little angel arrives everything will about her or him, so take this much deserved, love, care, and attention and have fun! Don’t forget to pen a thank you note and send to your friends a week after your party. Most baby showers are hosted during the 7th month of pregnancy
Join a baby care class, breastfeeding class (if you’re planning on breastfeeding) and a newborn CPR class.
Review your childcare skills such as bathing, diapering, clothing, etc. Breastfeeding is also a discovered skill so going to breastfeeding class can help you get started on the right track. This is important knowledge for new parents, grandparents or anyone that will be taking care of your baby to know newborn and infant CPR. We do hope you never have to apply it, though, you’ll be very thankful if you ever do.
3. Prepare your hospital bags and get them ready with your birth plan
Just in case you didn’t know, the baby sees the world earlier, so you want your bags ready. If you’re a high risk, it’s best to have them in the car prepared with you when you visit your last prenatal appointments. This is if there’s an urgent situation and your doctor wants you to be admitted to delivery immediately right after your appointment.
4. Install a baby car seat
The birth center or hospital will not allow you to leave without a correctly installed baby car seat.
5. Cook and chill food for after your childbirth
What you can cook and eat for dinner is the last thing you want to worry about after giving birth. Besides, you need some healthy and nutritious meals in your house to have good milk production. Cook some nourishing freezer meals that will be quick for you and your husband to heat up.
6. Start munching 6 dates every day
This may sound strange to anyone, but eating dates effectively helps with the uterine tone. Pregnant mothers who ate 6 dates every day have had quicker labors and delivery.
7. Clean, fold and organize all your baby clothes
8. Shop for any baby things that are still needed
There may be some baby things and a third-trimester checklist that you still need to buy such as a stroller, baby carrier or car seat. This is the right time to review what you don’t have yet and shop for the must-haves.
9. Choose your pediatrician wisely
You talk to all these excellent doctors and now you must pick one. Don’t forget the full name of your pediatrician because the birth center or hospital will ask once you’re in.
10. Arrange your support system after giving birth
Do you need immediate support from a postpartum doula so you can get some rest? Will your family come to assist you in your first few weeks after delivery? Will your best friends visit and bring food? Organize a support system near you and ensure a breastfeeding consultant in your neighborhood as well as a mother support group to meet new friends.
11. Cherish your last few moments of pregnancy
You’re probably tired of your baby bump for 9 months and so ready to meet your newborn. However, there will be times when you’ll miss the feeling of having a baby inside your tummy. Enjoy these last few days with your pregnancy and do something fulfilling for yourself such as getting a massage, mani, and Pedi or a wax. The end is coming, or should I say a new beginning for you!
12. Ready yourself during the third trimester
The third-trimester signs are tough and uncomfortable to deal with. Being pregnant is a challenging responsibility. You might be always feeling sick or can’t have a good long sleep. So, it’s important to make more time to focus on yourself.
13. Make time to release stress and have a “Me” time
This will be different for everybody. Find quality time each week from now until you give birth to have some alone time and release stress. Life is always busy and making time for yourself, even just for one day will make a difference.
14. Write a letter to baby
The idea of writing a letter to your baby while they are moving inside your tummy is wonderful. If you and your partner will start writing a letter to your baby every year and planning on giving them to their future daughter when they become mothers. This is a great practice that a couple can start right now.
15. learn about mental health after childbirth
When it comes to being a new mother, remember to be ready for the emotional and psychological state of giving birth. Know about the warning signals associated with post-delivery depression and trauma. Be open and talk about it with your husband or loved ones so they can also keep an eye on.
16. Prepare for your post-delivery recuperation
So almost all moms focus on getting ready for childbirth but miss the recuperation part. Recuperation from childbirth is no walk in the cake and there are various things that you want to arrange and prepare.
There you have it! This is a comprehensive third-trimester checklist to help every new mom get ready and embrace parenthood. It’s tough, but you’ll get by. Every day is a learning experience. Organize your record with checklists and scheduling sheets arranged by time and priority.
Also read:
Top Notch Funny Baby Shower Gift Ideas
How to Keep Baby’s Heart to be Healthy During Pregnancy?
