Pinterest has evidently discovered I’m pregnant. Every time I open the app on my phone, my feed is completely full of baby bedding {like}, baby clothes {love}, and lists of everything I *must* have before the baby is here {meh}. Don’t get me wrong — I think those lists are so helpful for first time, and even second time, mothers. But I learned the “hard” way that you don’t necessarily need to stress over checking off every box on the list right away.
Before my daughter was born, I poured over these lists. I read about what items I had to have in my hospital bag. I consulted friends over the items I just needed for my baby. I carefully built a registry of all the supplies we would need for our little one’s survival. But before a single item was purchased, my daughter was born eight weeks early. I walked into the hospital without a packed bag, without an infant car seat installed in my SUV, or any baby equipment at home. And you know what? We were just fine. {Granted, I did bum some lotion and chapstick off a good friend when she stopped by to visit – thanks again, Angela!}
I had a shower when my daughter was three weeks old and preparing to come home from the NICU. It helped with all of the necessities like pacifiers, diapers, wipes, and clothes. My family filled in pieces like the car seat and a bassinet. And that was honestly all I needed at that time.
I did eventually purchase other items like the pack n’ play, a swing, and the Bumbo. But for those first few days, weeks, and even months at home, we didn’t necessarily need them. There are some items I never even purchased — and we haven’t ever missed them.
As I’m now preparing for the arrival of my second baby this fall, I am taking a completely different approach than I did before. Of course, I saved most of the items from my daughter’s infancy. But I’m not stressing over the little things this time. If I don’t have the proper number of pacifiers before this baby is born, my husband can run to the store. If I don’t have a picture perfect nursery together in time, the baby won’t have a clue. All the baby will really need is a full belly, a clean diaper, and a place to sleep. So this time, I am focusing on just replacing the few items that were worn out and cleaning up the others that were in storage the past few years. I’m sure a few of the boxes on the baby “must have” list will remain unchecked. But if it’s not all done in time, we’ll be just fine.
Did you have everything together before your baby was born?
Great read! You just never know what can happen at any time, but family and friends always come together to make sure things get done!