This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Poise for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
With less than three weeks until my due date I’m starting to stress out about the massive to do list that I have. I keep thinking it’s not that much and then I wrote it all down and it was A TON. Especially since a lot of the tasks that I have to do are on bigger side. As an example one of the things I have to do is haul my 37 week pregnant self into the attic find all of Kyla’s old newborn clothes and all of Mason’s old newborn clothes. It’s not an easy or short task especially since once I’m done I have to wash all the clothes!
I’m not just thinking about what I have to do these last few week before baby comes but also how I’m going to handle having three little ones at home. Since this will be my fourth delivery I’ve done this whole postpartum thing before but never with this many children. I know that I won’t be able to take much of a maternity leave due to the nature of my job(s) so it’s very important to me that I make sure I’m taking care of myself, all of the kiddos and my responsibilities. While the challenges will be different this time around (I’ve added another job to my resume since having Kyla) I’ve determined the things that are “Musts” vs “Things that Would be Nice” to help me the best mama I can be in the months after delivery.
1. Self-Care is the number on thing that all new moms should be focused on. If we’re not healing properly we can’t take care of our brand new babies or older kids properly. One of the best things I ever did for myself my last postpartum experience was taking sitz baths. It seemed to speed up my healing process much quicker (combined with no stitches) than with Mason. You can purchase pre-made sitz bath pads or make your own.
2. Get on top of the cleaning BEFORE birth. The best thing you can do is identify your problem area. For me it’s often laundry. Add that it’s upstairs and involves a lot of bending and lifting and it’s just not something I want to have to do a ton of once the baby gets here. For the last two months I’ve been super on top of my laundry following a routine I had set up years ago that I had fallen out of. I fell a little behind the week of Christmas but am just about caught up now with only one load left to do besides the baby clothes. From there on out I can do just one load every other day which is awesome! The same can be done with your dishes, don’t let them pile up do them every day, after every meal, that way when you go into labor your cleaning time will be minimal. The point here is that you want to maintain everything so that if you’re not doing it all the week your baby comes (as you shouldn’t be) everything doesn’t get out of control. Having the house be out of control won’t help your mental state.
3. Meal Plan/Prep. I can tell a huge difference between the weeks I plan our meals and the weeks I fly by the seat of my pants. I’m lucky that B is a great cook and will be home since this is his off time so I can rely on him to cook most of our meals but I still want to be prepared so that 5pm doesn’t roll around with us wondering what’s for dinner! Even though I don’t have much time left I plan on making some easy freezer meals as well as scheduling out the whole month of January along with a huge grocery visit so that we’re more than ready when dinner comes around!
4. PURGE! As I’ve been preparing for this baby I’ve been getting rid of things and throwing things away left and right. We don’t have a huge house AT ALL and even if we did just like most people we have way too much stuff. I still have a lot to do when it comes to purging but I’ve been making sure to get rid of things every single day. Within the next week or so I will do a trip to our local consignment and thrift stores to get everything I’ve gathered recently out of the house. I hope to continue this trend by donating a bag every single month until I’m happy with what we have! Another thing I’m concentrating on is being mindful of what we purchasing and returning the things we really just don’t need.
5. Have you noticed a trend here? It’s all about getting organized. Which is why I’m so excited that my new planner, The Day Designer is here and ready for me to start using. I went with a daily planner this year just like I did last year because I have a ton to do and write down every single day. My hopes are this planner keeps me organized every day with my constant to do list while giving me peace of mind that I’m not forgetting anything like doctor’s appointments and Mason’s school activities.
The postpartum period technically lasts about 6 weeks. Doing the things on this list will help you tremendously in those first six weeks. With that being said I want to point something out! While formally it’s only 6 weeks your body has just undergone a huge change. You grew and birthed a baby. You deserve at least nine months to recover from that entire experience. You may find that in that time frame your body and your priorities are just “not the same”. Please know that is normal! You are not alone. One of the biggest things I noticed after giving birth to Mason and starting to exercise again is that I suffered from SUI (stress urinary incontinence), it was the same with Kyla too. I would be working out and next thing you know I’d have to be running off to the bathroom. You may even be experiencing it now while coughing, sneezing, laughing or lifting. Like I said earlier, you’re not alone, 35 million women experience SUI.
While pregnant and within three months of having your baby your best best is Poise pads to help keep you dry and lessen any embarrassment you may feel. After that I plan to try Poise Impressa Bladder Supports since it helps discreetly prevents leaks for up to 8 hours without the use of a pad. It’s inserted the same way a tampon would be inserted however it does not absorb leaks like a tampon would, instead it helps to support the urethra to help stop leaks BEFORE they happen.
It comes in three different sizes so you can find the perfect fit for your body.
Start with the Impressa Sizing Kit to find the size that works best for you and fits the best. This Poise Impressa coupon will help you save some money another thing that’s super important after having a baby ;).
Looking for more postpartum must haves and tips? Head here.
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