Getting Ready for Baby. The Emotional Checklist.

getting ready for baby, emotional checklist,

1. A Self-Care Menu.

How you will take care of yourself? Do you have a plan for breaks, hobbies, or interests. What things that make you feel alive, renewed, and refreshed? Do you have something planned for 2 minute break, a day off, a weekly treat?  

2. Date Night Plan.

A plan for regular alone time with spouse – Have sitters in mind, a budget, and ideas for free ways to get time without the kids. These are just as important as budgeting for diapers.  

3. Girl Time Plan.

A plan for girl time. You can’t get all your emotional and intellectual needs met by your kids and your husband. Keep up with your most amazing friendships. Get rid of friends who aren’t really good friends. No charity cases, no drama queens, and no judgers. You don’t have time for that.

4. Healed Childhood.

Reparent Yourself. Don’t rely on your kids to make up for your childhood. Make yourself feel like you wish your parents would’ve done.

5. Motherhood Vision Board.

A vision for motherhood on your own terms. Start from scratch and create a vision of what you want motherhood to look like. Don’t rely on only what you’ve seen. Dream big.

6. A Strong Intuitive Voice.

Expert advice is everywhere but your intuition is more powerful and helpful. You’ll need to know how and when to take care of yourself. And what is best for your family.

7. Piece(s) of Yourself You Won’t Give Up.

What makes you you. Don’t give up the things you do and love once you become a mom. You may have to scale it down, but don’t give up dancing, yoga, naps, working out, traveling, reading or having a good time just because you are a mom. Budget yourself in.

8. Feeling Whole, Worthy, + Loved (just as you are).

The best way to have your kids feel like they are loved, worthy, and whole just as they are is to model that yourself.

9. Ability to Ask for Help.

You will need help. Learn to enjoy asking for help and receiving it. If you act like you can do it all, you get stuck doing it all.

10. Ability to Have Fun.

Ability to be Cool with imperfection. Your kids want you to be authentic and true. Not some ideal, perfect, June Cleaver mom.

11. Feeling beautiful.

You kids will likely inherit your body image, your insecurities, and the overall way you talk to and view yourself.

12. Strong Self-Esteem.

Few limiting beliefs – You’ll pass on your limiting beliefs about money, love, sex, men, your body, your in laws, or following your dreams. Your fears, your attitude, your

13. Get Out of Funks.

Some times having kids puts you in a good mood. Sometimes you get in funks or bad moods. If you have a bad morning, can you turn your day around? Don't lose a whole day because you had a bad start or finish. Practice making every day a good day regardless of what is going on.

14. See the Best in Yourself + Others.

Stop picking on yourself. Stop judging and being critical of yourself and others. A mother’s job isn’t to fix, change, or even worry about her kids. Her job is to the see the best in them. So practice seeing all the good things about yourself and others today.  

15. Grateful + Happy with Your Life.

It’s easy to get FOMO (fear of missing out) as a mom. There will always be someone doing more or having more than you. You might think you or your kids could be better, stronger, faster, more organized. It’s more beneficial to be easier on yourself and celebrate where you are and where your kids are at any moment. So stop comparing yourself to others today.

16. Ignore Judgement of Others.

Be confident in who you are and your choices. People will always have something to say about how you parent or how your kids are acting or not acting. Practice today not letting the judgement and comments from others knock you off your balance. 

 

 

If you want to learn more about how to prepare for motherhood, you can follow our blog. Take our online workshop. Try one of our free quizzes. Sign up for our newsletter. Or follow us on social media @approachingmotherhood 

Approaching Motherhood is an organization dedicated to empowering women to have a full, happy, motherhood experience. We help provide you with a strategy and a set of tools that will put you on the path to modern motherhood that will leave you feeling competent, empowered, and successful in the next stage of life.

Posted on June 9, 2015 and filed under popular.