How to Prepare for Your Newest Addition

If you are an expectant mother, or were once pregnant, you can all too well understand the intense urge to organize and prepare for the birth of your little one. The term to describe this desire is known as “nesting”. Nesting can be your greatest asset and, at the same time, your worst enemy. I cannot begin to describe the countless times that my urge to prepare the home for a baby has left me in some of the wildest predicaments. I am convinced that nesting is a wonderful instinct given to us as women from our Creator. It not only keeps us active and moving, which is so healthy for you and baby, but it prepares one for the responsibilities to come, offloading a burden that you don’t want to be left dealing with during postpartum recovery.

As with all things in life, you must reason beyond the hormones and approach nesting in a balanced manner. If not, you will be left feeling burnt out and risking excessive fatigue and heightened emotions, all of which are not healthy for you or the baby. Balance is achieved best when prioritizing the importance of tasks. What is necessary versus what is unreasonable? In my greatest moments that the overwhelm of nesting brings, I bring my thoughts and emotions to the Lord and ask Him to help me reason through what I ought to do, and what is just completely unnecessary. There’s components of nesting that directly benefited my family, then other times you could find me crying on a ladder, cleaning spider webs off of my exterior siding (absurd and benefiting no one). Don’t be the woman thirty-four weeks pregnant on a ladder cleaning spider webs, OUTSIDE. It’s not worth it.

The first step to nesting well is to write out your plans. There is so much on our mind as mothers and moms to be that I have found making lists helps me to clearly organize my thoughts. It also puts my husband and I on the same page, allowing him to help me accomplish what I’m setting out to do. There is nothing more satisfying than checking off those boxes and feeling like the efforts you are putting in are bringing your home into more order.

Second, understand that the emphasis and importance you place on a project will not always be a shared value among your spouse and children. We must regulate our emotions and give them to God in prayer, because the Lord knows I’ve experienced moments that if I saw one more fingerprint on the glass at thirty-six weeks pregnant, or dishes laying in the sink (heaven forbid), I was going to lose it. It definitely was not the right heart posture toward my family and the Lord. When it comes down to it, pregnant or not, women were created to nurture and serve, we are designed to be wonderful helpmates. It’s important that, though we have nesting urges, it does not come at the expense of the ones we love most. Be kind, treat them well, apologize for moments of insanity, and continue on with that list (haha).

Prioritize what is essential versus non-essential. I can assure you, you will hit a wall at the end of pregnancy, or at least I always do, having four pregnancies under my belt. For example, our newest addition was born at the end of July. I knew with his arrival that I would not want to prepare for the kids back to school supply needs while I was recovering postpartum. So, while resting on the couch, I shopped for school wardrobes and supplies online and had it all shipped right to my home. When it arrived, I made sure it all fit, everyone was set, and now I was ready for September. This directly benefited my family and took undue stress off of everyone. When I’m nesting, I try to insert myself into that whirlwind of postpartum life. Sleep deprived and desiring to just cuddle with my sweet little one all day, what are the things I don’t want to do or even think about? Maybe this is a question you ask yourself as well. I like to stock up on toiletries, paper products, non perishable foods for quick dinners, diapers, hygiene products, etc. That way, when a family member requests something that they are out of, because a warning is never given when items are running low, I can reach into my storehouse and have it on hand. These are just a few of the many examples of how we must prioritize in the chaos of nesting what is most important. I refrain from meal preparation due to the support system we are privileged to have, but if you don’t have a supportive family or live isolated from family, it may be beneficial to get online and prep some simple meals or allocate money for takeout so that you’re not in the kitchen cooking right after having a baby.

Lastly, utilizing pickup services and online shopping is often underutilized and a great benefit when you’re pregnant. Even though it is fun to shop in stores, I found it personally exhausting to do when pregnant and with little ones in tow. I would come home exhausted and miserable and often forget the one thing I actually went to the store for. With pickup services, you can order, cancel, or in some cases even return items shopped for right from your vehicle. It’s a lifesaver!

There is no greater joy than welcoming a new addition and growing your family. Allow the urgencies of preparation to propel you to accomplish and address the needs of your home in a fruitful way. Do not let nesting become a source of stress, hurting yourself and others. Rather, bring everything to God in prayer and tackle those projects in a responsible way.