The Ultimate Checklist For Your Third Trimester

4. Calendar It Up

The first days after you have a baby are often really busy, but they should be spent figuring out this parenting thing and recovering, not dealing with a constant spread of visitors. Be smart with your visiting schedule, and don’t overdo it with visitors in those early days. Calendar it in and use that same calendar to drum up support from those around you while you’re adjusting. Family and friends who can bring meals, take the baby while you sleep or shower, or even just help clean up, will make a massive difference.

5. Have A Cook Up

You aren’t going to feel much like cooking just after your baby arrives, and with the sleep deprivation and general exhaustion, your partner won’t be up for it either. To avoid falling back on unhealthy junk food, do a really big shop and have a day cooking up a number of meals that freeze well. Use a slow cooker if you have one and stagger it over a few days, or just get a few big pots on the stove and start cooking some favourites.

6. Do A Clean And Wash

Mums often wish they had someone clean their house for them before they gave birth, because it takes time before you’ll have the energy and it’s nice to start on a fresh slate. If you can afford it, hire someone to clean your home before your new arrival shows up. Alternatively, ask someone in your family if they’d consider lending a helping hand to get everything cleaned up. While they’re doing that, you should be focused on washing all your child’s clothing, blankets and baby items. These should be washed in a child-friendly washing powder, for sensitive skin.

7. Read A Baby Book

You’ve probably read a lot of books about the pregnancy journey, but in the third trimester, it’s time to start reading about the baby. Get yourself some books on the early days of babyhood and beyond. Once your munchkin is in your arms, you might not have as much time to read, so it’s smart to at least familiarise yourself with some stuff first if you haven’t had that much experience taking care of babies. Remember, every parent does things differently, so if you read something that doesn’t suit you, you don’t have to follow it.

Next Page: More Things You Need To Get Done For Your Third Trimester

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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