Short Version: I wonder whether I need to be getting more organised.
Tell me if I'm wrong. By the time most of you wake up in your respective time zones and read this, I will be thirty-six weeks pregnant. I have, you know, stuff. After yesterday's car seat purchase, I officially have the sort of minimum requirements needed to get us through the hospital stay and, say, the first two days at home. It's not washed. It's not neatly laid out in a cute, fully-decorated nursery. It is, in point of fact, stuffed into the built-in robe in the spare room such that I can close the door and no visitor will know we even have stuff.
I haven't packed a hospital bag. Mr Bea asked when I was planning to pack a hospital bag. "I guess sometime..." I said, equivocating over whether to delete another 500 words of the essay on surrogacy I've been rewriting over and over again for several weeks now. "Damn, I've gone and contradicted myself again. I'm going to have to completely restructure this whole argument. We also have to pre-wash everything at least once, but you know, they say first stage of labour lasts eight to twelve hours, and is it just me, or is that heaps of time to throw some stuff into an overnight bag and put on a couple of loads?"
"And maybe arrange the nursery, set up the bassinet, put a few spare meals in the freezer, that type of thing?"
"For example."
"It depends. Are you also going to be rewriting your essay still?"
"Ah! I think I've worked it out! Do we own a copy of anything by Kant?"
Probably it'll all get done in a flash when my nesting instinct kicks in suddenly, any day now.
Right?
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I'm the other way - trying to convince myself that it's real by setting everything up.
Oh and I guess I should pack a hospital bag one of these days...
So far, everything I've accomplished has been done because of an inability to sleep otherwise. Not having the nursery ready was keeping me up at night. Not having chosen the doctor our child would see at well-child visits, same. Needing to enroll in birth, nursing, infant care classes, ditto. Now all those things have been done and I don't sleep (it's now 4:39 am) for peeing so many times per night.
Things I still haven't done: Pack the hospital bag--I'm having trouble convincing myself I'll need more than my toothbrush and some pillows. Also, making my own list of names. These things do not keep me up at night, therefore they do not get done. I just can't get my undies in a bundle over them for some reason. Other people are positively vexed when I tell them we haven't chosen a name yet, but I'm all, What? We'll figure it out!
Yeah, well, even if they don't get done, nothing's going to stop your baby from arriving whenever he's ready. 36 weeks. wow! I am SO happy for you :-)
I have actually been thinking about posting about the hospital bag in retrospect. Maybe at some point when I'm not typing with just one hand (and holding Yirmi, who's nursing, with the other) I'll do it... BTW, I did eventually pack mine :-)
Wow a car seat, now that must make it feel like it is close.
I say get the bag pack, you probably wont be in a good frame of mind during that early stage of labour and no doubt forget some crucial item.
I am very excited for you.
I think you said it to me best - even if you don't believe that it'll happen, it's best to be as prepared as you can be. Just in case, you know?
(As an aside, Baby O came at 37 weeks, literally the day after J and I packed a hospital bag.)
So I'm thinking that the nesting WILL kick in at some point.
But if it doesn't, it really can't hurt to run a load of laundry and pack a bag, yeah? :)
Gosh, 36 weeks. That's awesome, Bea.
I was very much like you - nothing was organised and I packed my hospital bag while in labor! By the time I did all that I really wanted to be at the hospital and got out of the house in ugh boots!
Oh, and when we got home the place was a mess and I had to rush out of the house to get a few baby necessities (rocker was one!).
In hindsight - it would have been so much nicer to have had everything set up...
well I packed my bag when my water broke that Tuesday morning, because I thought I had all the time in the world..HA. Life is really funny sometimes.
Yet, here you are, 36 weeks , I am so freakin happy for you. Don't worry about the bag, etc. It will get done just take good care of yourself these last few weeks.
D. has already started nesting at 5 weeks of PG, which consists of sudden decisions to re-carpet the basement and nagging me over the phone, "Have you thought about this? Or that? Why not? Nine months is not much time." It is driving me up the wall. I'm putting him on a flight to Singapore, where he and Mr. Bea can finish getting your place ready while you work on that essay.
I had to start nesting early...Mr S is so meticulous, no project can be completed in less than a snail-like pace. I feel lucky all my nagging has gotten us to where we are now.
DUDE. Thirty six weeks?! You really need to pack your bag. Seriously.
The first stage of labor....not always so long.
I had never had a contraction that I felt, not even a BH's contraction. Until 8 the day Ethan was born. It went: contractions, 8:00, 1-2 min apart. Hospital directly, settled in by 10. Fully ready to push at 2, no time for an epidural. 2:47, he was here. So don't COUNT on it. Just saying.
I mean, CHANCES are you'll have time, but....
I would have NOT been a happy camper to not have packed my own bag.
Don't worry too much about the nursery because you have your cosleeper so you likely won't even use it too much in the begining.
As a word of caution, though...positive thinking isn't a way to make things happen, but negative thinking doesn't NOT make things happen, either!! :)
Oh Bea....your little one will be here before you know it and this crappiness will all (mostly) be over.
Praying hard for you.
I'm for packing the bag proactively... I'll tell you why - this particular bag is ALL ABOUT your comfort.
Oh yeah, don't pack any stuff for baby except a going home outfit and a blanket - everything else is provided by the hospital. No reason to lug extra stuff, eh?
You're almost there!!!
you're plenty ready for baby. the other stuff is more for you. will you feel less panicked if the hospital bag/nursery/wardrobe is ready or more so? the home stuff can clearly happen whenever you get to it, and the hospital bag is soooo unimportant in hindsight.
no matter what kind of advance consideration you give it, you'll figure out what you really need when you get there and have plenty of opportunity for someone to fetch it. a spare pillow from home and a camera are the only essential things you'll want for delivery that can't be fetched afterwards or found when you get there.
Oh, you know what helped? I didn't actually pack the bag but I wrote a list and pinned it to a bag and left it in the hallway. And then, Josh threw everything in a bag when he headed to the hospital. Though I used none of it. Literally none. It would have been more helpful to bring a big empty bag :-) Except the camera. That we used.
Well, that's one of the advantages of a planned c-section. One of the few. You know when you have to pack. :-)
Honestly, all you need is the carseat, somewhere for baby to sleep and an outfit to come home in. You're doing just fine. :-)
Pack your hospital bag now. I say this because you will be there in the very near future. If for some reason, you aren't ready, then you will have to rely on Mr. Bea to pack your stuff. I don't know about your husband, but mine isn't so good at packing the necessities for a hospital stay. The last time I was in the hospital for gallstone problems, he forgot my toothbrush on 2 separate trips home. I ended up going to the hospital gift shop so I could brush my teeth. I am guessing you may be a little busy during your hospital stay and you might appreciate a few of your things.
You probably have everything you need for the small person inhabiting your midsection, but you might want some socks, underwear, basic toiletries and stuff for you!
I'd pack a bag. But also I would tend to unpack and then repack several times. I can't believe your 36 weeks already. So close now. Its very exciting!
Also a wow on the 36 weeks. Time sure sped up here or something!
If not the nesting instinct then maybe panic will serve you well?
Panic usually really moitivates me.
I didn't start the nursery till I was around 32 weeks.
I also put off packing my hospital bag. I don't know. I was in the state of denial.
But I would recommend at least getting your hospital bag ready. You'll have time to do everything once the baby gets home. (or you can just get your hubs to do it. haha.) As soon as I started labor my contractions were less than 4 minutes apart, and out she popped 8.5 hours later.
I couldn't imagine packing a bag. Considering an hour later my contractions were less than 2 minutes apart. I barely managed a shower and phone call to the labor ward.
I keep thinking that I really should get on with things, but inertia is hard to fight. Plus there's a little bit of me that can't help but think that if I act all confidant, something is bound to go to shite.
But you're 36 weeks! Hop to it, girl ;)
J
Get ready because it can come sooner than you think LOL
At least pack your bags because it is a bad feeling when the time comes and we are no ready. Lyla gave one week notice and I had to move fast... trust you will not have much time after baby is here. On the other hand, do what you a re comfortable with, having the minimum necessary should be good, but definitely pack your bag LOL
Cant wait to meet your baby
I'm 39.5 weeks and still waiting for that nesting thing to kick in.
I figure I have the car seat (admittedly in the boot in a box but at least I have it!), I have a bassinet and its got sheets on it, and an outfit for bub to wear home.
Bag packed? Nursery painted? House cleaned???
ummm... not yet!
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