For weeks, I've been completing tasks on my lengthy pre-Trai to-do list. As a soon-to-be career mom, I knew that it would time some forethought to hit the exit ramp of my career, even for a short bit of time, while entering the high octane world called motherhood. Once I finally completed the entire list, it was such an accomplishment for me that I shouted it to the world on Facebook.
On the same day, a sweet soror of mine who is now 31 weeks pregnant said, "Help! Inbox me your pre-baby to do list..." Well, here it is:
1. Read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" & Watch Childbirth Prep DVD. (Do not pay those fools at the hospital for something that you can get for $10 off of Amazon!)
2. Schedule and go on a hospital tour. Pre-register while you are there. You will be too pre-occupied managing pain to remember your health insurance stuff, so just pre-register to have it already on file. All you will need is you and daddy's IDs.
3. De-clutter your entire house and prep the nursery. Have Daddy and friends assemble everything baby (including crib, high chairs, stroller, etc.) Just think "simplify!"
4. Plan your Exit/Entry Plan with your Supervisor at Work. Have him/her to sign off on it, and submit to your HR department for FMLA benefits. You may also have additional department of labor paperwork for you AND your physician to complete. Also make sure that Daddy has done the same, especially if you have a C-section and need his support at home a bit longer.
5. Make your list of "things to do" when you return to work, if necessary.
6. Schedule pre-natal massages and pedicures. They are not frivolous, but help manage circulation and pain.
7. Choose godparents and delegate what you need from them.
8. Ask your friends/sorors to pull together a rotating dinner calendar. The last thing you want to do is COOK when you get back home. I don't want to cook when I'm not pregnant...
9. After your baby shower, wash everything and organize in the nursery. Try to send thank you notes out ASAP because you won't have time after baby comes. In fact, you can delegate that task to a wonderful family member or godmother.
10. Pack hospital bags for you, baby AND daddy. Make your playlist and bring comforting things (I have my back massager, my favorite pink/green blanket, me and Adam's prayer box for when we prayed to conceive, and some pictures of my family at home.) Pack a "homecoming" outfit for Baby KG too.
11. Finish your birth plan and put it in your hospital bags.
12. Determine who can and cannot come to the hospital after birth. I'm sure the hospital will have limits, however, you may want to keep it as low key as possible to get some well-deserved rest. Plus, we are too fly to let people see us look a hot mess, as a brand new mother should...
13. Make sure the car seat is installed and inspected by State Police. Baby cannot come home until its done.
14. Connect with new mommy friends for support. (You know where to find ALLLLL of us, especially from LC!) For example, I've connect with a good friend of mine to help when I start trying to nurse.
15. Buy/upgrade to a new PDA, planner, or home organizer where you can keep up with everything in one place when you return to work. I call it my brain. I have space to keep up with my professional and personal stuff, baby's stuff, Adam's stuff (he's in graduate school now), all in one place. Mine is called Pinky the Brain.
16. Tour daycare centers, choose one, and make a deposit at least two months before you are due. They fill up quickly for infants.
17. Interview and choose a pediatrician, since appointments will start almost immediately after birth.
18. Inquire with your employers concerning how to add baby to your insurance.
Yes, I had several more items on this list that were specifically career-related but I find it quite odd that there are very few -- if any -- authors that are seriously discussing what it takes to exit/enter the workforce generally, or academic life specifically. Do you have other suggestions to add to my starter list? Leave your comments here...
Check out mealtrain.com for an easy way to organize friends/family bringing meals!
ReplyDeleteI'm nowhere near being preg-o, but I'm coming back to this list when I am!
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