We have to buy so much stuff. We have to get our house baby-proofed - whatever the crap that is. We have to have classes through the hospital and my friend wants me to use her Douala (I'm having a C Section!! ) and oh my god how are we going to organize all this???
Here is my thinking.
BIG piece of paper (stolen from work).
Write the months out like a huge calendar.
In each month have an appointments section, a research section, a 'buy now' section, and a testing and stages section. We put it up in the hallway and tick off when we do something.
On a companion piece of paper we write the contacts of all the health care and baby care professionals we have to deal with.
I wasn't going to have a shower but there is so much stuff that it kinda makes sense from an organization point of view. Maybe we can put all the non expensive items on the list?
Are there baby planners? Like wedding planners? Maybe I should just hire someone to do the thinking for us since we are totally disorganized. Yeah, throw money at the problem!!!! If we had had a wedding planner maybe we would have put the right address on the invites.
Oh indeed, and we are having twins!
I will let you know, I am usually a planner myself. But I was so scared about the pregnancy that I wouldn't let myself look too far in the future. And you know what? Everything was fine. Did we have a pediatrician before we delivered? No. I asked the docs at the hospital who they recommended and interviewed her on the phone, thinking that if I really hated her, I would only see her once or twice. Did we fret over the cribs? no. I was too worried that I would lose the babies that we got one hand-me-down crib at 30 weeks ! We did have a shower from friends and got a baby monitor, clothes and lots and lots of diapers. I did research the hell out of strollers and buy the one that I thought would work the best for us on public transportation. (Graco Snugride). We didn't baby-proof the house, because they can't move anywhere to get into anything for at least the first 5 months.
ReplyDeleteSome things had to be decided after the birth anyway, such as breast pump stuff and bottle stuff. My kids did have a preference and we had to try a few bottles before we found one that worked for them. We had to go with the flow w/ breastfeeding.
So in rambling all this time, I KNOW it is overwhelming when you think of all the things you feel like you need to do, but I think your idea of a calendar sounds really great. If you would like to run some stuff by me, I'd be happy to give you my assvice as well! :) Happy planning!
Huge congratulations! I am just in 3rd trimester and it only hit me recently that things need to get done. Don't wory though, you DO have time.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm! Charts!!! Sounds like a great plan, (and man, do I ever love me a good plan!)
ReplyDeleteHow did the second trimester get here so fast? And healthy twins?!? Such joy all the way around.
ReplyDeleteDarling, why do you think I stuck my head in the sand and avoided doing all those things until, oh, like a month or so ago? Sheer panic and sense of being overwhelmed. So you are MILES ahead of where I was - which means you will do just fine. I love the idea of the big paper on the wall. Definitely have as many baby showers as you can. Although people may not get you what's on your registry, just the process of registering will force you to think about all the things you'll need.
ReplyDeleteSo breathe...it's going to be okay!
Yes on the doula! I had a doula and a c-section. Although my c-section wasn't scheduled. She was with me in the hospital from 3pm through the baby's birth at 10:40, and for a couple of hours after. The support was great, and she took awesome photos in the OR right after the c-section. Maybe you can make arrangements for a doula who will be with you for the c-section and right after, and then postpartum at home later.
ReplyDeleteI would totally recommend mine, and she's not horribly expensive.
There are totally baby planners, and with twins: you should go for it! How freaking exciting though!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I was just joking that I need to babyproof my house now (even though I haven't even had my IVF cycle yet) because I can't be trusted around sharp edges... I totally knocked myself out on a freezer handle! Hopefully my kids will have more coordination than I do!
Yes there ARE baby planners. At least in DFW.
ReplyDeleteOK. All of this talk about stuff to get ready makes me edgy. I haven't done much in terms of research to buy stuff, but I guess they only need a little when they first get here. The crib is the only thing I may get early because they can be on a multi-month waiting list, oh and the twin stroller that Sunny in Seattle is considering. Suddenly I feel like I need a really big sheet of paper. ;-)
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