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When you first discover you are pregnant, you’ll probably feel every emotion imaginable! There will be delight, fear, anxiety, stress and sheer elation to contend with over the next few weeks. After all, growing a life and then looking after a baby is seriously hard work. And in the middle of all that will be the birth itself.
It’s perfectly normal to be afraid about what will happen. First-time parents are never fully prepared for welcoming their newborn into the world. Most of it is learnt on the job. And every day is a steep learning curve. The most important thing you can do is to find all the people in your life that can offer help.
Start by announcing your pregnancy to the closest members of your family. They will all undoubtedly be delighted and happy for you. Each set of Grandparents will already be offering bucket loads of parenting tips and advice. It’s OK not to want to do things their way. But at this time, they know a whole lot more about it than you do. There could be some hidden gems of advice in there you’ll hold dear one day.
Next comes the shopping. Most Grandparents will want to buy at least one of the big things like the cot or the pram. Other members of your family will offer hand-me-downs that will save you hundreds of pounds. The one thing you need more than anything though is nappies! You will get through more nappies than you could ever imagine, and it’s going to be at least a year before the nappy nightmare is over.
As the bump gets bigger, poor Mummy will get more and more uncomfortable and tired. Make sure you have the biggest assembly jobs done by then. New cots, carriers, and prams come in lots of bits. If you have a baby shower, try not to leave it to the last minute. Hosting a party is a big ask when you’re really tired.
If you have a Christening for your newborn, your church may need you to start making arrangements soon. Naming ceremonies also need to be booked in advance as many venues can get quite busy. You might already have some christening gift ideas to share with the family. It’s lovely to have a big event to welcome the baby into the family. You’ll probably be too busy and too tired to make all these arrangements once the baby is born.
In the last four weeks, you can pack your ‘go’ bag and start the ‘nesting’ phase. This is largely hormone led. Extra cleaning, rearranging the furniture, and excess spending can all happen at this time. Eventually you will feel ready, but all you can do is wait for the baby to decide he’s ready to arrive. It could be a long wait, although most first babies are on time or early, and labour doesn’t tend to last as long as subsequent births can.
When the baby is finally here, the real work is about to begin. Get all the help you can, especially when you’re feeling nervous about things. You’ll soon settle into the role! Congratulations.