Third Trimester To-Do List

I was an unorganized mess this last pregnancy with Elliott! I mean, I did start nesting at like 14 weeks so everything was super clean but when it comes to things that need to get done I was a major slacker. To help you avoid being in the same situation I found myself, here is a list of things to accomplish during your third trimester!

Month 7
-Find a pediatrician: most allow interviews while you are still pregnant, so take advantage and get to know the doctor well!
-Take/Plan maternity photos: Depending on how big you are, you may want to take these early on in your third trimester. I had ours done at 28 weeks and love them because my bump was small enough to fit in the dress I wanted to wear, but big enough that you could tell I was definitely in my third trimester!
-Talk to your insurance company: Find out what you are covered for, what baby is covered for, how you can get a free breast pump (to get one without going through your insurance, click here)
-Pre-register at the hospital: I totally forgot to do this early on and at my 36 week appointment I was scolded for not taking care of it earlier haha. You definitely want to get this done because it is a LOT of paperwork that no one wants to deal with when they are in labor!
-Hire a newborn/birth photographer: These slots usually fill up quickly, so make sure you hire your photographer early on to make sure they’ll be available around your due date. To read more about why we decided to have  birth photographer, click here.

Month 8
-Have your baby shower: My girlfriend here threw me the cutest shower when I was around 36 weeks and it was perfect! I was still feeling good enough to get cute and go out and there wasn’t really a chance of me going into labor before then.
-Find a babysitter for older children: We are lucky to have several friends who live close by who have all offered to help with Reagan when I went into labor. If you don’t live by family, it’s good to set up plans early on because you may need more than one person on standby to help when the big moment arrives.
-Organize the nursery: If you have older children, go through their clothes and find what you want to reuse for this baby. Organize your diapers by size so you aren’t digging through size 2 diapers when you’re trying to find the newborn size in the middle of the night. Take inventory of blankets, burp cloths, and other heavily used items and see if you need to restock on some new ones. Set up baskets to use as stations around the house full of breastfeeding and diaper changing necessities so you aren’t always running to the nursery.
-Set up your automatic payments: Make sure your monthly bills are set to automatic withdrawal because I guarantee you will not remember to do it on your own when you’re sleep deprived and physically drained.
-Write a birth plan: If you want certain things to happen during your birth, talk to your doctor about your plans and make sure they’re okay with it. Then start writing your birth plan to give to providers at the hospital when you go into labor.

Month 9
-Pack your bags: Pack one for you, one for hubby, and the diaper bag for baby, and put them in your car. To see what I packed in my hospital bag the second time around, click here.
-Stock up on non-baby items: Things like shampoo and conditioner, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, paper plates, trash bags, and lots and lots of snacks!
-Set up meals/make freezer meals: We are lucky to have a huge support system through church, so our meals for the first few days/week will be provided by different members of the congregation. After those first few days, we’ll be on our own so we stocked up on freezer foods from the grocery store and lots of snacks for Reagan to eat. Another option is making freezer meals to put in the crock pot, but I’m terrible at making these and remembering to use them so we opted out.
-Pamper yourself: Get a mani/pedi or have a friend come over and do them for each other. Get a prenatal massage, get acupuncture or acupressure (if you’re trying to induce labor!) take midday naps and just try to relax. I’ve been trying to just put my feet up when Reagan naps and let myself rest and have alone time every day instead of stressing about what needs to be done.
-Clean the house: hire someone to do this for you if you can afford it, or enlist hubby and tackle tasks together one at a time. Having a toddler makes it pretty impossible to keep our place clean, but I at least have the rooms picked up and the dishes done every night so if case I go into labor I can come home to a clean-ish house.
-Install the car seat: Most fire stations and police stations have people who can check to make sure your car seat is installed correctly, this is especially important if you are a first time parent. We thought we knew what we were doing the first time and it was almost comical how wrong we were. The hospital will not let you leave if you don’t have an infant car seat and they come out to make sure you put it in your car correctly, so this is a must early on in the 9th month.
-Clean out your car: Again, having a toddler means tons of crumbs and toys everywhere, so we bought a dust buster and keep it in the car to clean up little spills and messes as they occur. Get rid of old receipts and trash and make sure everything has a place.

I know that’s a long list of things to accomplish, but the third trimester seems to creep along so slowly anyways so sometimes it’s nice to have a lot of things to do! Let me know if there’s anything else you would add to this list in the comments below!