We live in a time and a place where the journey into new motherhood isn’t exactly esteemed. There seems to be an incessant race to gain back our figure, our work, our schedules in an ever-shrinking period of time.
While it may be difficult to cordon ourselves off from the world and all expectations for 6 whole beautiful weeks, there are some things we can do to preserve this precious time as much as possible.
Here are the 3 things I’m doing to assist a calm and focused welcoming of my newborn in August.
1. Declutter
While I don’t have a whole lot of clutter around, there is stuff that’s come about since my last major clean-up. Stuff like kids clothing that’s too small or well past handing down, school books that they’re finished with, toys they’ve moved on from, crafts that have seen happier days, even some books that I’ve acquired but never finished or fallen in love with, despite trying. I’m using these school holidays to dig into all of this stuff and remove anything that we no longer need or want in our home.
MY TIP: If you’re expecting a baby soon and haven’t done much of a declutter recently, I’d highly recommend one. It will free up space in your home and time in your life, as you won’t have to clean up, around or over stuff that you don’t really need. This means more time to rest and enjoy that new little one.
2. Take Time Out/Off
While the concept of taking time off before a baby arrives is one that I think is full of merit, I’ve never actually done it, and know that I won’t have the luxury of a weekend away this time either. So instead, in the lead up to my baby’s arrival, I’ve booked a fortnightly massage. I’ve never done this before but know that my body really needs it to continue functioning as best it can during the final exhausting weeks of pregnancy. I’ll also get my hair done and book some sleep-ins!
MY TIP: If you can’t schedule in some time away, be sure to schedule some time off from your regular duties. If you’re working outside the home, finish work that little bit earlier if you can. Book a regular massage or physio session, schedule a sleep in at least one morning a week, make long hot baths/showers a priority, make time for gentle exercise, sit down to enjoy a cup of tea – don’t sip it while you multi-task a million chores.
3. Adjust Your Expectations
One of the simplest things I can do to prepare for the peaceful arrival of our 6th baby is to adjust my own headspace. I have high expectations for myself, so to cater to this, I just need to be a bit more organised and schedule work stuff a long way out. For the past few months, I’ve been scheduling blog posts and newsletters and prepping our spring marketing calendar. I’ve been making sure that what can be outsourced IS outsourced and that everything with the home and business will continue to run as smoothly as possible without much input from me. And accepting that when things don’t go to plan, it just doesn’t matter!
MY TIP: Part of adjusting your expectations is about adjusting your routine or schedule. In general, a new baby will throw your routine out the window, regardless of how carefully crafted it might be. So, expect that you probably won’t keep your current routine for the immediate future and instead create a new starting point by scheduling in meals, and then older kid’s chores to coincide with meal times. This ensures the whole family continues to work together as a team and it means that the bare necessities will still get done. Particularly if – like me – you’re the kind of person who needs to wake each morning to a tidy kitchen! Honestly, everything else can fall by the wayside, but that kitchen bench has to be clear, baby!
If you have a baby on the way and are feeling the need to prepare simply and peacefully for the arrival, I have just thing – especially created for my Simple Life, Peaceful Home mamas, but I’d love you to benefit from it too.I’ve put together a gentle but extremely practical calendar of actions for the final 30 days before baby is due. If you feel that might be pushing it, just move it forward to start 6 or 8 weeks prior to the due date. Whatever works best for you and your family. All the very best!
