6 Things I’m Doing in Month 9 of Pregnancy to Get Ready for Baby #3
If you read my last post, 5 Things I’m Doing at the Beginning of the Third Trimester to Get Ready for Baby #3 , you know I’ve been slowly working my way through my to-do list as we get ready to welcome our third baby. Well, here we are in month nine, and the countdown is officially on! With my due date getting closer, I’m shifting from the bigger-picture things to some of the smaller details that I know will make life a little easier once baby is here.
This is my third time going through the newborn stage, so I have a pretty good idea of what we actually use, what I can skip, and what I’ll be glad I took the time to prepare ahead of time. There are still plenty of things on my list, but these are six things I’m making a priority before baby arrives.
1. Getting Cord Blood Banking Set Up
One of the first things on my list was getting our cord blood banking set up for baby #3. This is something we chose to do for both of our other kids, so we plan to do it again this time around.
Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells that can be used to treat certain diseases, and researchers are continuing to study additional potential uses through clinical trials. For us, this was one of those decisions where we weighed the cost against the possibility of needing it someday.
Financially, it may not make sense for everyone, especially considering how small the odds are that your family will ever need to use it. But my husband and I decided that, since we had the means to do it, we would rather have it available than wish we had done it later.
The biggest thing to know is that you need to have your collection kit ready before you go into labor. It’s not something you want to be scrambling to order at the last minute! This was one of those things I wanted to get squared away early so that it was one less thing to think about as we get closer to delivery.
2. Getting a 529 Plan Ready for Baby
Another thing on my list is setting up a 529 plan for our newest addition. If you aren’t familiar, a 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings account designed to help families save for education expenses. Your contributions can grow over time, and qualified withdrawals can generally be made tax-free. There are also some additional permitted uses, depending on the circumstances and current rules.
If you know anything about compound growth, you know that starting early can make a big difference over time. We already have 529 plans set up for our other two kids, and we’ll absolutely be opening one for this baby, too.
Technically, this is something we’ll need to finalize after baby arrives because we’ll need their Social Security number to open the account. But instead of waiting until we’re in the newborn fog to think about it, we’re working with our financial planner now to get everything ready ahead of time. That way, once we have the necessary information, we can get the account opened and start saving without having to figure out the logistics from scratch.
I know this isn’t the most exciting item on a baby prep list, but it’s one of those small things that can make a difference down the road. And knowing it’s taken care of is worth it to me!
3. Picking Out a Coming-Home Outfit and Announcement Sign
This one is a little more fun! I’ve shared some of the baby items we’re reusing for baby #3, and at this point, we have a lot of the essentials covered. Between the clothes we’ve saved, the swaddles, and all the other newborn necessities, we really don’t need much. But I do think there’s something special about picking out a few things specifically for each new baby. Even though this isn’t our first time bringing a newborn home, it’s still a big milestone, and I want to have a few special things ready to celebrate it.
We’re also not finding out the gender ahead of time, which has made this part a little different! Rather than trying to guess or scrambling to find something after baby arrives, I decided to get both a boy and a girl option ready. I found reasonably priced outfits and announcement signs for each, and we even had a few things embroidered with our chosen names. So, regardless of whether we’re bringing home a little boy or a little girl, we’ll have something ready for those first pictures.
One of the questions we get when people find out we’re waiting until birth to learn the gender is how we could possibly prepare. Honestly, it’s been easier than you might think! We have names picked out for both, and I’ve been able to find plenty of things that work for either option or purchase two versions of something special. It’s a small detail, but one that’s made the countdown feel a little more exciting.
4. Putting Together a Postpartum Basket
If there’s one thing I think can easily get overlooked when you’re preparing for a baby, it’s getting yourself ready for postpartum. It’s so easy to spend all your time thinking about the nursery, the clothes, and everything the baby will need that you forget you’ll need some things, too!
I’ve had two previous births, and I’m hoping for another natural hospital birth this time around if everything goes as planned. Regardless of how delivery goes, though, having postpartum supplies ready at home is something I know I’ll appreciate.
The hospital will provide many of the basics you’ll need immediately after delivery, and I always recommend asking what supplies you can take home with you. Those items can be a great starting point, but I also like having a dedicated basket or cart in my bathroom with everything organized and ready to go. When you’re home with a newborn, there is already so much going on. The last thing I want to do is search through drawers for something I need while trying to recover.
I’ve found that Frida Mom has some of my favorite postpartum products, from their disposable underwear and ice packs to their cooling foam and other recovery essentials. You certainly don’t need to buy every product out there, but having a few of the things you know you’ll use can make the transition home a little easier.
5. Setting Up a Changing and Nursing Station Downstairs
This is one of the things I’m doing differently this time around, and I’m especially curious to see how it works! With our first two babies, we lived in a one-story house, so it was easy to keep everything in the nursery. Diapers, wipes, burp cloths, pajamas, nursing supplies — it was all in one place, and I could quickly grab whatever I needed throughout the day.
Our current house is a little different. The nursery is upstairs, while our bedroom, kitchen, and main living areas are downstairs. I already have the nursery set up with all the usual necessities, but I know I’m not going to want to walk up and down the stairs every time I need a diaper or a burp cloth, especially while I’m recovering after delivery. So, this time around, I’m setting up a small cart downstairs with the things we’ll use most frequently.
My plan is to keep the cart stocked and move it between rooms as needed. That way, everything is easily accessible whether I’m sitting on the couch, feeding baby in our bedroom, or spending time with the family downstairs.
I haven’t done this with either of my other babies, so it’s a little experiment for this round! I’m hoping it saves me some unnecessary trips up and down the stairs and makes those early weeks a little more manageable. I’ll report back on how it works out once baby is here.
6. Packing Our Hospital Bags (Including a Little Something for the Nurses!)
This is the one I’m still working on! With my due date getting close, I know it’s time to get our hospital bags packed. Thankfully, being a third-time mom means I have a pretty good idea of what I actually used during our previous hospital stays and what I could have left at home.
Our hospital rooms have everything we need, but they aren’t overly spacious, and I find that having too much stuff everywhere just stresses me out. So, I’m trying to keep our packing list relatively minimal while still making sure we have the essentials for labor, delivery, and our first days with baby. I’m planning to do a separate post on what I’m actually packing, since I think that deserves its own list!
The other thing on my hospital prep list is putting together our nurse baskets. This is completely optional, but it’s become a little tradition for me with each pregnancy. I like to make two separate baskets: one for our labor and delivery nurses and another for our postpartum nurses.
I fill them with individually packaged snacks, energy drinks, hair ties, pens, notebooks, and other little goodies that I think might be useful during a shift. Nothing extravagant or expensive — just a small thank-you for the people who are taking care of us during such an important time. From what I’ve seen, the nurses usually bring the baskets back to the nurses’ station so everyone can share.
Of course, this isn’t something you need to do, and it isn’t necessary to have a positive hospital experience. But if it’s something you enjoy and have the means to do, I think it’s a thoughtful gesture. At this point, putting together the nurse baskets has become part of my own little pregnancy ritual. When I’m shopping for snacks and getting everything organized, it feels like one more sign that baby is almost here!
And that’s my current list! If you’re also in the final weeks of pregnancy, I’d love to hear what’s on your month-nine checklist! Is there anything you always make sure to do before baby arrives, or something you learned after your first baby that made subsequent pregnancies a little easier?
We’re Getting Close! Until next time! XXX, McKenzie