Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

How to Prepare for Maternity Leave

| Leave a Comment

When my first baby came I was so unprepared. Now I would do everything differently. If you're expecting here's how to prepare for maternity leave.I am the first to admit that I was 100% unprepared for maternity leave. My baby was due at the end of June and because of some complications I was having (which was hindering my ability to work), my OB was talking about putting me off as early as the beginning of March. Given my unpreparedness, there was no way we’d be able to handle an additional three months on top of what would be a yearlong leave from my job. The only thing I did know was that money would be tight.

It was a huge wake up call to find out my income would inevitably be almost 60% decreased on leave for twelve long months. To say it was an adjustment would be an understatement. I learned a lot though and when the time comes for future children we will be much more prepare following these few self-imposed rules.

Beef up the Savings

We had zero savings when our daughter was born. Not even an emergency fund. Thankfully we got our act together and stashed a small one away once we realized how unsafe we were being but it wasn’t easy. If we have more kids I will be spending the whole gestational period saving more money. If my doctor wants me to go off early again I need to be able to do it and not worry about the financial repercussions. I need to be able to take care of me and my (potential) baby.

Adjust Your Budget

Again, we didn’t have a budget when I went off with our daughter, big no-no. Now that we have a money monitoring system in place, if we have more kids I will adjust it to accommodate the changes. You need to figure out what your new baby will need (diapers, clothes, potential formula, medical appointments etc.) and make sure the money is allotted. Also make sure any income changes are addressed for the time off work.

Prepare Your Life

Do as much prep as you can before your income and time is potentially reduced. There were things we didn’t necessarily need right away (high chair, crib) but we bought when we had more disposable income and had time to shop sales.

Also spend time preparing for the first few weeks at home. While you have time and energy, prep your freezer for easy meals or you may find yourself eating out more than you’d like. Those first few days, weeks, are exhausting and if you are the primary cook, you will really want easy meals. Your spouse will be tired too and be so thankful when you tell them there’s a meal already prepped in the freezer for them to throw in.

Whether it’s your first or fourth, being pregnant and bringing a new baby home will be a change in every aspect of your life. Don’t be like me with my first pregnancy, sit down as soon as you find out your pregnant and figure out what changes you need to make in your life!

What things did you do to prepare for maternity leave?

Having a Baby Doesn’t Mean Your Life is Over

| Leave a Comment

Bringing a baby into the world will definitely change your life but perhaps not in the ways you think. Here's the reality of it all.The other day a friend on Twitter was making a bunch of comments about how many things she had to accomplish before the baby was born because once the baby came, she’d never have time. While this is partially true in some regards she was referring to things like eating out, going to a movie with her husband, enjoy exercise.

Planning for Life with a New Baby

The reality is though that your life doesn’t actually end when your baby comes. I remember being exactly where she was, frantically trying to plan my new life but in actuality there is no point in trying to plan anything until your baby is actually here. I’m also here to tell you that despite how it may feel, your life isn’t actually going to end when the baby comes, it just changes. Life is certainly different once you add an extra person to care for but to assume you’ll never do things like going to a movie again is ridiculous. If anything, you can use the baby as an excuse to spend more time together.

You can assume that the first few weeks will be spent close to home. There is an adjustment period for everyone. Finding your routine will take time but it doesn’t take long to start finding your groove and venturing out a bit more. New babies are actually easy to take places. While they do have a lot of gear they sleep a lot and are usually easy to calm with one of two things, sleep or food, both of which can be taken care of just about anywhere.

You can be sure to have friends and family who will be all too willing to come over for some baby cuddles while you and your spouse spend some quality time together- something you will both need-to feel some normalcy again. Take them up on this offer! The first time you leave your baby it will be difficult and you will spend most of your time thinking about them but, in my opinion, it’s good for you and baby to get used to being apart for short durations. It allows them to start recognizing that you can be apart but that you’ll eventually return, this is good prep for back to work and/or things like pre-school.

I don’t know where the notion that once you have kids your life ends but it’s not at all true. It is true that your life changes, but to assume it will end, is unfair. Kids actually have a way of making most things more enjoyable. You will find joy in things that you had totally forgotten about; parks, museums even things like going for walk are more enjoyable with a little one to share in the experience.

If you’re expecting your first child, don’t waste your time trying to accomplish a bunch of ‘’before baby’’ list items because your life isn’t ending, it’s just changing. You’ll still do the things you enjoyed before baby, it will just be different, and for the better in my opinion.

Did you frantically plan before having a baby?