25 things to do before you have your baby…

5 things…for YOU

• Pamper yourself. Get a great, low-maintenance haircut, your legs waxed (been a while since you’ve been able to shave them yourself?) and a facial. Even if you spend the first few weeks after the birth in your dressing gown, you’ll feel vaguely presentable.

• Enlist the troops. If people ask if there’s anything they can do in the run-up to the birth, take them up on it. Offers of food, future babysitting, and cleaning should all be gratefully accepted. You may think having a tiny baby around won’t take up that much time. It will.

• Raid your local library or bookshop. A gripping novel you’re desperate to get back into makes those long breastfeeding sessions in the middle of the night much more appealing.

• Do your research. You wouldn’t think of running a marathon without doing some training (unless you’re Jade Goody) so why should giving birth be any different? Don’t freak yourself out by reading horror birth stories, but do go to antenatal classes, exercise and read up, so you know what to expect.

• Act local. If you don’t know your postman’s name, have never set foot in your local park and wouldn’t have a clue where your nearest playgroup meets, things are about to change. Getting involved in your community is a great way to avoid feeling lonely and isolated when you’re on maternity leave, so start looking at newsagent’s windows, visiting nearby cafes and talking to other new mums to get a sense of what’s going on in your ares.

5 things…for YOUR RELATIONSHIP

• Go to the cinema. Every week, twice if you fancy it. You can watch telly and DVDs until you’re goggle-eyed once the baby comes, so make the most of your freedom to go to the movies whenever and wherever you fancy it.

• Lie in. Sadly, you can’t store up enough sleep to see you through those first few sleep-deprived months, but at least you’ll have some happy memories of long, lazy mornings reading the papers covered in croissant crumbs.

• Stay up late talking and dreaming about your and your baby’s future. It may be a while before bedtime conversation reverts back from ‘It’s your turn to get her.’ ‘Yes, but she went straight back to sleep when you did her, I had to rock her for hourzzzzzzzzzzz’ etc. 

• Make love. Don’t listen to the voices of doom predicting the death of your sex life once the baby comes - with a bit of effort and creativity it will be just as good, if not better. It will take time, though – stitches and sleep-deprivation aren’t the hottest combination, so get some memorable sessions in now (if you’re still up to it).

• Go on a final, baby-free holiday - even if it’s just a weekend away. You may be yearning for bucket and spade fun on the beach with your bub, but that will come soon enough. For now, dress up for dinner, go for leisurely walks and enjoy long, lazy breakfasts (try to ignore the squawling tot at Table 7 – yours won’t be anything like that, honest).

5 things… for YOUR FINANCES

• Make a will. Obviously, it’s not fun thinking about life’s worst case scenarios but putting your financial affairs (as well as who you would want to be your child’s guardian) down on paper will prevent all kinds of problems should you or your partner die. The Law Society (lawsociety.org.uk) can help you find a solicitor in your area.

• Get all your bills switched to Direct Debit. Bills landing on your doorstep every few days is the last thing you want to worry about.

• Look into Child Trust Fund accounts. Your sleep-deprived brain may not be up to weighing up the pros and cons of savings over stakeholder accounts once your voucher plops onto the mat, so do some research now. Visit childtrustfund.gov.uk for more info.

• Budget. Sit down with your partner and have an honest look at your finances. Think about how you’ll manage when you’re on maternity leave and when/if you go back to work, and put aside some extra money if need be so you don’t get a nasty shock a couple of months down the line.

• Get bargain (and benefits) savvy. If you’ve never been particularly spendthrift, now’s the time to change your ways. Hunt around for the best value baby buys and look into which benefits you are, or will be, entitled to (visit direct.gov.uk)

5 things…for YOUR HOME

• Get organised. It’s amazing how much baby kit, cards, etc pile up, so have a think about where it’s all going to go, then get yourself down to Ikea for some ‘storage solutions’ – hanging dividers for the nursery wardrobe, pretty boxes to store scan photos, sturdy boxes for toys etc.

• Clean. Make the most of your nesting instinct before your baby’s birth, by all means, as you won’t be up for it afterwards. Don’t overdo it on the harsh chemicals, though – bicarbonate of soda mixed with vinegar makes an incredibly effective (and cheap) multipurpose cleaning agent. 

• But, unless you absolutely adore dusting and hoovering, hire a cleaner for after the birth. Even if it’s just for a couple of hours a week for the first few weeks, it’ll be the best money you ever spend.

• Stock up. Bulk buy all the basics: cotton wool, maternity pads, loo roll, nappies etc whenever you see them on special offer will not only save you money, you’ll also avoid trying to juggle massive bags with an unfamiliar, unwieldy pram.

• Get cooking. Making double quantities of any meals you’re preparing now and freezing half will be a lifesaver after the birth on those evenings you’re just too exhausted to even open a tin of beans. Also, get in plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits for the endless streams of visitors.

5 things…for YOUR BABY

• Start a memory book. Record your thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears in a pregnancy diary. Then, once your baby’s born, you can add important info like her weight, first tooth, first word. You may think you’ll remember everything, but trust us, you won’t.

• Get his/her nursery sorted. True, he’s not going to appreciate the Peter Rabbit motifs and fluffy sheep mobile for a while, but you will and you’ll never get round to doing it later. Plus, folding and arranging tiny babygros has to be one of the most exciting activities ever!

• Prepare your birth announcement cards. If you’re feeling super- organised, stamp and address envelopes and get some cards ready to stick on a lovely pic of your newborn before sending out to family and friends as soon as your bundle arrives.

• If you haven’t already, discuss your expectations of parenthood with your partner. If you plan on going back to work when your baby’s two months old but he’s got you down as more of an earth mother type, barefoot, with baby on hip while you rustle up a delicious dinner for when he gets home, you might want to sort some issues now.

• Bond with her. Your relationship with your bump is a special one, so enjoy those hours of stroking, prodding, chatting and dreaming.  Also, take some photos of your growing bump. It’ll be fun to look back on them once your back to your old size, and to show your baby when she’s a bit older.