Let’s face it mommas, staying organized is hard! Especially when you have an approaching home birth, are scrambling around trying to plan every tiny detail, and on top of that have a touch of pregnancy brain to add to your organizational problem. So, how do you organize one of the most hectic times of your life? I have some useful tips and tricks to help you get it all together.
I won’t tell you it’s a piece of cake because I’d be lying. It takes hard work, responsibility, and an awesome game plan for a scatter-brained momma-to-be to get organized for a home birth. I’m going to share with you some convenient home birth organizational tips and tricks to help you out along the way + I’ll give you the inside scoop on some of the best organizational products on the market.
Why is it so hard for us mommas to get organized during pregnancy?
Truthfully, some of us have organizational issues before pregnancy, and for the ones who don’t, you may quickly find out that during pregnancy it’s especially hard to keep things together.
Regardless of whether stress or pregnancy brain is to blame, they both lead to the same thing. Forgetfulness, a lack of drive, and being unorganized.
If you’re wondering what pregnancy brain is, it’s simply forgetfulness during pregnancy that may occur from changes in the brain during this time.
Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. If you think you may be suffering from pregnancy brain, read this article >>> 10 Steps to Combating Pregnancy Brain, to learn simple ways to beat it!
10 tips and tricks
Now that we know why we are super forgetful and unorganized, time for some awesome tips and tricks to help you get organized for your home birth.
#1 Do NOT leave your ideas inside your head!!
Trust me, if you leave them in your head, you’ll end up forgetting them.
If it’s something you want to remember, there are a lot of things you can do to help, for example:
- Create a to-do list and put it somewhere where it will be a constant reminder to you. (Sometimes your phone is best)
- Put it in your birth plan.
- Create a reminder in your phone, tablet, or whichever device you use the most.
If you keep it at the front of your mind, you won’t have to struggle to remember while that wall is in your head blocking the very thing you need to see.
Trust me, you cannot rely on your memory!
#2 Educate yourself
The decision to deliver your child at home is a serious decision to make. Be sure you read up on everything home birth.
You should know the risks, benefits, pros, and cons before you decide for sure where you want to give birth.
Not sure if it’s right for you? Here is an article that outlines the pros and cons of home birth to help you decide.
Once you’re sure this is the route you want to go, it will benefit you to read other momma’s stories about their home births. Get a feel for how it is and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the experience.
Although no two women’s stories will be the same, as long as you get a general idea of what to expect there shouldn’t be many surprises in store for you besides the surprise of finally seeing your baby’s beautiful face.
#3 Read up on natural comfort measures
Making the decision to have natural childbirth is an important and heroic choice. It takes a lot of will power and motivation to be at ease with it.
But I have good news! If you have decided to deliver medication-free, there are many natural techniques to choose from that can relieve pain, help you stay comfortable, speed up the process, and make it more bearable all the way around.
Here are a few of the most popular techniques to get you started on your search:
- Hypnobirthing- This is a method of pain management that is used during labor that involves using a combination of relaxation, deep breathing, and visualization techniques. Many natural mommas have had success with this method alone.
- Orgasmic birth- It may sound crazy, but it’s actually a legitimate pain relieving technique. It’s just how it sounds, an orgasm during birth, yet it’s so much more! It is the result of taking advantage of an overflow of oxytocin that’s naturally flowing during labor.
- Aromatherapy, as you may already know, is the use of essential oils to promote health and well-being. It helps with a world of things, and that’s what makes it extremely beneficial for labor and delivery.
But how exactly does this help you organize your homebirth?
If you familiarize yourself with all the best comfort measures now, you can purchase the courses you need, have the supplies, and/or learn certain techniques in time for your homebirth.
These methods will help you have the easiest, quickest, and most comfortable delivery possible. Who doesn’t want that?
For more on these natural comfort measures and more, check out this article. >>> 8 Must-Try Pain Management Tips for a Natural Home Birth
#4 Don’t procrastinate
Procrastination can KILL any plan or goal! When you let it take over, you only hurt yourself in the end. The best thing to do is to get your ducks in a row early on.
A simple way to keep yourself from procrastinating is to set yourself daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
Depending on the extent of the goal, set your self between 1 and 3 daily goals, but keep it realistic.
Side-note: I don’t know about you but seeing my progress motivates me to keep going so I always write down my goals and check them off as I complete each one.
# 5 Create a detailed birth plan!!
That’s right! A birth plan is the best way to organize THE perfect home birth.
If you create a birth plan early on, it makes it much easier to stay on track throughout your pregnancy.
If you haven’t already created a birth plan or aren’t sure if you included everything, this article will help you get started >>> How to Create the Perfect Birth Plan for your Home Birth.
#6 Prepare freezer meals
I know it’s hard to imagine but life has to continue while you’re down! You and your family still have to eat and you are going to be in no condition to be up trying to cook.
For a lot of us, if we leave it to daddy we may be eating ham sandwiches or hot dogs every night for a while.
If you prepare a week’s worth or more, (the more the better) of freezer meals, it will take a lot off your shoulders after you have the baby.
I’m sure we can all agree, preparing and cooking a meal for the family is a process — one we aren’t going to feel up to for a while.
Depending on what you prepare, all you’ll have to do is pop it in the oven or put it on the stove, then set the timer to have a delicious home-cooked meal in no time. (Even dad can do that!!)
#7 Do Laundry
Again, this is something you won’t feel up to after baby arrives. Be sure to do extra laundry if not try to get it all done because your household will need towels, clothes, and bedding before you’re ready to resume your daily duties.
Doing this will give you a little bit of time to recover before you have to get back into the swing of things.
Believe me, you’ll thank yourself later.
#8 Gather/buy home birth supplies
Gathering and buying your home birth supplies early on simplifies the end of your pregnancy.
You can gather it all up and put it in a bag or box in the closet so when you go into labor it’s readily available.
It’s a huge step you can cross off your list of things to do before the big day.
General necessities
- A birth kit which usually includes cord clamps, sterile gloves, mesh underwear, pads, and other necessary medical supplies.
- Clean sheets for your bed afterward.
- Shower curtain, trash bags, or plastic sheets for your bed (or wherever you decide to give birth) during delivery so you don’t get anything on it.
- Comfortable clothing so you won’t be restricted during the labor process. You’ll probably want to pick out two changes of clothes for before and after. Shorts or sweat pants and a t-shirt will do just fine as long as you are comfortable.
- Two large trash bags, one for trash and a separate one to put dirty clothes and sheets in to be washed.
- Thermometer
- X-large overnight pads.
- Camera
- Ibuprofen
Refreshments:
One of the joys of home birth is that you can eat and drink as you please. Here are some quick, easy, and beneficial options.
- Pop sickles, Jell-O or ice chips — Just in case you have nausea.
- Quick freezer meals
- Gatorade, Powerade, water, or other hydrating drinks.
- A power smoothie which you can make ahead of time and refrigerate. There’s an awesome power smoothie that would be a great treat during labor. You can find the recipe on Pinterest, just follow this link.
- Home-baked snacks. These can also be made shortly before you go into labor (If you’re lucky enough to have that big of a heads up.) I imagine something like blueberry muffins, or chocolate chip cookies would be perfect.
Things for baby
- Diapers and wipes
- receiving blanket
- towels
- newborn outfits (think pictures)
- formula and nursery water (if not breastfeeding)
- bottle
- pacifier
This is only a general idea of the things you’ll need. Add whatever you see fit to this list, after all, this is your experience!
And be sure to pin this article on Pinterest by clicking the “P” on the left-hand side of the page. This will allow you to come back to these tips and tricks any time you need to!
#9 Organize and design your nursery
This is one thing you can enjoy and take your time with as long as it’s done before your baby’s arrival plus it will help you stay organized and on track.
You can let your creative side show and design it just the way you imagined.
Must-have items:
- Baby bed or bassinet
- Rocking chair
- Baby swing
- Playpen
- Dresser or a 3 or 4 drawer storage organizing dresser like this one.
#10 Create a place for everything
Librarians are some of the most organized people and their jobs require them to be just that, but unfortunately, most momma’s didn’t receive that organizational training.
So how do the librarians manage it? Well, they simply have a certain place for all their things.
It may sound difficult to do now but the sooner you make a home for everything, the sooner you’ll realize it’s gonna make your life so much easier!
Not only because it makes it simple to find things you’re looking for, but also because just that can help keep your house uncluttered and make picking up so much easier.
You can do this by labeling everything — label drawers, label paid and unpaid bills, label storage totes — simply label everything!!
Items to help you stay organized
The good news mommas, there are products out there that can help us get and stay organized!
From manual entry organizers to electronic assistants (like Alexa and Siri) and everything in between. There’s something for all your needs.
Bill organizer (Box Clever Press Budget Planner)
This bill organizer ensures your bills make it on time by giving you a specific place to put them and keeping them organized so you have no more lost bills.
It also helps you budget by providing you with an area to record all your monthly expenses, giving you a visual of what can be eliminated to help you save money.
Monthly Planner: The Chaos Coordinator
A weekly and monthly planner, organizer, and diary.
This is the only thing you need from day to day to help you stay on top of your busy schedule.
Every momma needs one!
Sonos One (Gen. 2) smart speaker with Alexa built-in
Getting an electronic assistant will make your life so much easier!
You can set reminders, manage your calendar, create and update your to-do lists, and so much more.
Imagine, organizing the most important aspects of your life just by talking to a speaker!
Good news, according to reviews, this smart speaker with Amazon Alexa built-in is one of the best smart speakers out there to help you organize your life. (Source)
Organizational storage options
There are so many storage options on the market that make you say, “oh that’s just what I need!” But we can’t get them all, so I have narrowed it down for you!
Here are some of the handiest and most cost-effective choices I found:
Toy storage & organization
Toy organization will be something that you need later. Trust me, if you use one box for ALL their toys, some things will never be seen or played with again.
Having an organizer lets you put stuffed animals, blocks, and books all separate but with like items. It makes life so much easier and also teaches your child organizational skills early on.
For the bedroom:
It has 9 fabric storage bins which make for plenty of space, plus it’s pretty cheap compared to other options.
The trick is keeping the bins where they belong when your little one gets a little older.
Tot Tutors Kids’ toy organizer
This toy storage organizer bin is similar to the previous one except that the bins are plastic instead of fabric and that means it’ll almost definitely last longer.
It’s also a little larger with 12 bins instead of 9.
For the bathroom:
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say bathtub toys are so annoying! You can’t take them out right away because they’re wet, then if you leave them in the bathtub to dry, you have to clean up toys before you can shower.
The good news is there are awesome storage options for bath toys as well.
THE answer to your bath toy problems! It’s a metal storage basket that stretches across the bathtub and all you have to do is throw the toys in when bath time is over and they will drain effortlessly and be ready for next time.
This one was a close second! Not only is it cost-effective, but since it hangs on the wall in the bathtub it’s out of the way and the toys still drain all the same.
Nursery storage & organization
There are so many products today that simplify the whole nursery organization thing.
From clothes storage to diaper organization, here are a few of the most convenient out there:
This diaper changing station is everything you need– a changing table on top, with three small and three large storage bins below to store all your baby’s diaper changing necessities.
This will keep you from having to go all around the house gathering everything you need.
Fabric hanging storage organizer
If you’re short on storage space, this organizer is perfect for you! It features 6 divided shelves + side pockets to store clothes, blankets, diapers, etc.
You just hang it over your closet rod to create your go-to place for all things baby.
Organizing your nursery has never been easier with this nursery organizer. This one works great for you if you have a baby crib with little or no storage options.
Just hang it on the side of the crib to have access to all your baby’s necessities. This organizer also prevents you from losing important things throughout your hectic day by providing a place for everything.
General storage and organization
It seems like everyone is using these organizational cubes. It’s not surprising though since you can use them for any room in the house + you can continue to build on to them so you never run out of space.
You can use them for organizing and storing important papers or items and this also helps reduce clutter.
There are many varieties and designs to choose from so go ahead, research your options and find the best one for your needs.
Closet organization
Let’s be real for a second, this is one place a lot of us need help. Whether it be because there’s not enough room for all our things or because no one can see inside so we just throw our shoes and other items in and go.
Either way, organizing your closet will make you feel better and bring order to the chaos.
Simple Houseware 5 Shelf hanging closet organizer
This closet organizer comes in handy when you don’t have enough shelf space or storage closets in your home.
You can store towels, folded clothes, and so much more inside and have them handy when it comes time to grab one.
Space-saving hangars
If you don’t have enough space in your closet for all your clothes, there are two products that may really benefit you.
DOIOWN S-Type pant hangers will help you easily fit all your jeans in your closet.
It works by allowing you to put 5 pair of jeans at different levels on one hanger which saves overall space in your closet. They also protect your pants from creases and scratches.
House Day black magic space-saving hangers work similarly except they work best for shirts.
These hangers more than double the space you have to utilize in your closet.
They are an absolute must-have for anyone struggling to fit all their clothes in their closet.
Ending thoughts
It may seem impossible to get it all done by the big day but trust me if you work on getting you, your thoughts, and your house organized, you can do it and make your life so much easier in the process!
Do you have any awesome tips and tricks you have used to organize your home birth? If so comment below and let us know, and don’t forget to pin this article for future reference!
