Preparing for your baby’s entrance into the world can sometimes feel like a huge military operation. You will probably already have your labor bag, your maternity notes and your plans ready to go. What else can you do to try and make your baby’s entrance go as smooth as can possibly be?

A good thing to practice before you have to actually do it is to do a practice drive to the hospital. Practice the fastest and safest routes to the hospital, and try them at different times of the day. It is safe to say that it will be a fairly quick journey if it is on the middle of the night; the best time to practice is the times when there will be most traffic.

Also, check where is best to park and where you can leave the car. You don’t want to come out with your bundle of joy to find that your car has been towed or clamped!

Before you have your baby, cook a few meals that easily freeze. The last thing on your mind when you get home is cooking a family meal. So, make a great batch of tasty meals and just take them out and reheat them when you are hungry. This saves a lot of time and a lot of hassle and leaves you time to rest.

If you have any other children you need to think about where they are going to go when you go into labor. Of course, you may go into labor at any time of the day including the middle of the night. So, you need to make early arrangements for someone else to take care of your other children. You also need to make arrangements for someone to be able to take them and pick them up from school.
In the last few days, you will probably want to clean the house from top to bottom to welcome the new arrival. If you can, get friends and family to help out. Don’t burden yourself with the whole task yourself. Although, many women have reported their waters break or contractions starting while they were actively cleaning the house!

Make sure you outline to people who are going to want to visit when they can and when they can’t. Don’t let people overwhelm you; it is natural for people to want to visit, but they must remember that you need your rest!