Free Printable Baby Shower Planning Checklist

This would have been really helpful when I was planning my friend's baby shower and even when I was planning my own baby shower.

Check out this FREE printable Baby Shower planning checklist from Unoriginal Mom

Free Printable Baby Shower Planning Checklist - unOriginal Mom

Preparing for baby checklist

One of my friends is pregnant and I made this list for her based on lists which my sister and best friend sent with a few changes.

Essentials for baby:

1. Infant car seat and stroller (available as combo at stores) or convertible Car Seat
2. Crib
3. Changing Table (not essential but helps your back!)
4. Crib Mattress
5. Changing table pads
6. Mattress cover for crib (3 at least)
7. Changing station pad covers (3 at least)
8. Boppy (nursing pillow) and a slipcover (this doubles as baby support later)
9. Diaper bag
10. Bath tub and cushion that goes in tub for babies
11. Diaper disposal system

Layette essentials:

1. Onesies (0-3 months) - at least 3  & (3-6 months) - 3 or more  (baby grows very fast in the first few months, so it is wise to buy more in the 3 to 6 months range)
2. Sleeper suits with foot covered - at least 3
3. Button down sweater or hooded fleece siuts (for cold season babies) - at least one
4. SwaddleMe with the velcro for swaddling baby
5. Socks/booties/mittens/caps - babies need to keep head, hands and feet covered for the first couple of months since they can't regulate their body temperature yet.. also, their nails tend to scratch their faces.. (socks can work as mittens too)
6. Bibs/burp cloths - several
7. Wash cloths - helps when bathing baby
8. Towels - at least 3 (hooded ones are nicer)
9. Receiving blankets - at least 4 to 6 (bigger ones to swaddle baby)
10. Thick blankets - at least 2 if baby is born during cold season
11. Diaper holder/ organizer - to keep diapers/lotion/oil/wipes etc. handy for diaper and dress changes
12. Diapers - I prefer Pampers swaddlers sensitive brand coz they were the best for my daughter and most leak proof for her - (babies need at least 7 or 8 diaper changes every day in the first few weeks)
13. Diaper wipes - the ones that are not perfumed are better for new babies. Sensitive ones are not perfumed, for the most part
14. Mattress protector sheets (u get these for crib mattress just like the regular ones) - they are waterproof so it is good to have at least one for the mattress)
15. Dreft laundry detergent (wash baby clothes before use the first time and always separately in baby detergent)
16. For mom - nursing pads (disposable ones are better)

Bathing and other essentials:

1. Baby wash (head-to-toe) Aveeno or Burt's Bees is what I used for my daughter
2. Baby nail cutter (I prefer Safety 1st brand - still use it for the kids)
3. Nasal aspirator (it is also called nasal bulb) - need to remove stuff from nose
4. Brush/comb - needed if baby has lots of hair :)
5. Baby lotion
6. Petroleum jelly or diaper rash ointment
7. Temporal thermometer
8. Regular thermometer (non-mercury - think you get it from the New Baby class)
9. Baby tylenol (infant drops)
10. Mylicon gas reliever (check doctor before use - good for gassy babies)

Other extras that are optional:

1. Glider/ottoman (This was a huge plus for me - saved my life. I still use it to rock my daughter)
2. Baby sling or carrier - try out several brands to find the right one to work for you.
3. Baby monitor (needed if u live in 2-level houses) - go with video monitor if baby's sleeping separately at any point.
4. Bouncer seat (for times when baby is bored of looking up at the ceiling and even for colicky babies)
5. Swing (helpful in calming baby or swinging baby to sleep) - was very useful for my daughter - she slept in it for a few months.
6. Play yard (again for 2 level houses since it serves as a crib and diaper changing area)
7. Bottle feeding supplies (Bottles, nipples, bottle sterilizer, bottle warmer, bottle brush cleaner)
8. Breast pump & accessories
9. Nursing cover
10. Portable Changing pad

Bloody Show, finally!

After being 3 days past my due date, I was beginning to despair of labor ever starting for me. I hadn't had my mucus plug come out or any signs of contractions.

Yesterday afternoon, when I got up from a nap and went to the restroom, I saw some drops of blood - they were pink and brown. Since then, I've been seeing a few drops every time I go to the restroom. I was so happy to see the "Bloody Show" as this is called. This means that my cervix has not started to ripen and that some of the blood capillaries have broken. This means something is happening down there!! Yay!!

Also, since last night, I've been having light period-like cramps along with back pain but not regularly. This is still not very painful but mostly uncomfortable. Once in a while, there's a painful one but for the most part, not too bad. When I spoke to my sister today morning, she said that's how contractions are - period-like cramps with back pain. They get worse in intensity & more frequent and more painful as time goes on.

I'm excited that this is finally going to happen and hope it happens without being induced but am also nervous... :)

1 day to go...

It's hard to believe 40 weeks has flown by and now, I just have 1 day to go for my due date! My baby doesn't seem to have any interest in coming out though. I had my doctor's appointment yesterday and I'm not dialated at all - not an inch. She said the baby needs to drop down a little more too. I've not lost  my mucus plug yet either. :(

I'm so disappointed. I was hoping my baby would arrive soon - I'm so excited to meet her. I don't want to be induced and would like to go into labor naturally. However, I have other commitments and dates and it's going to be difficult to meet them if the baby doesn't come out soon. My doctor has said she will prefer to wait till 41 1/2 weeks to induce me if I don't go into labor by then - which is going to be around 5th of August, which is going to be very late for me.

I have an ultrasound and NST (Non Stress Test) scheduled for next Monday - the 30th and then the decision will be made about induction. I'm really hoping the baby decides to come out before then.

Waiting....

Just 4 more days to go and I'm just waiting for when my daughter decides it's time to meet me.

The waiting is hard - I hope she's doing ok in there.

New CEO of Yahoo! pregnant and due in October!

One of the main topics buzzing around the web over the last few days is the news of Yahoo's new CEO Marissa Mayer who was appointed and announced the same day that she was pregnant and due in October! It's great that Yahoo! is open to the idea of hiring a pregnant CEO and kudos to her for considering taking up such a challenging job at this time in her life. 

One thing which bothered me though is that she has announced that she will be taking a very short maternity leave and will most likely be working through most of it. I don't want to judge but as somebody who's 9 months pregnant and looking at getting back to work after 12 weeks of maternity leave, it's hard not to judge whether she's doing the right thing or not. Sure, it might be easier for her - she's rich and she can hire a bunch of people to take care of her baby. Her working is going to come at the expense of missing time with her baby and she's probably ok with that. Something's always gotta give - it's either going to be her job or time with her baby. That trade-off is something very personal and something every mother is going to have to make.

The thing that bothers me is also that she's going to set the expectation that other women in tech are going to be expected to do the same. It's already a tough environment out there for women in tech and this is going to make it even tougher for women in tech to have families and not let it affect their career.

Just 10 days more..

I can't believe time has flown by so fast and it's only 10 days away from my due date. I still haven't had any contractions yet and am feeling ok for the most part.

I have feeling concerned though - the last 2 days the baby has not been moving much; my feet have swollen a  lot and I've been having some nausea. I have my 39th week doctor appointment tomorrow and am nervous about it. My mucus plug hasn't fallen out yet.

I just found out that one of my friends had a baby boy on July 13th - 5 days after her due date. I wonder if that's going to happen to me as well.

There's a lot of stuff happening right now. We just found out last week that my father-in-law needs to have open heart surgery immediately. He will be getting the surgery next week in India. Unfortunately, because I'm due around the same time, my husband won't be able to go and help out. We're hopeful everything should go well and he will be fine but it's a lot of stress around this time.

Baby Shower

I had my baby shower on June 23rd and it was so much fun. It was a co-ed baby shower. My husband and I did most of the organizing and my sister helped with the final preparations for decorating & shower games.

We ordered baby shower invitation cards from Vistaprint and mailed them out. We had a tough time finding a good place to host the baby shower but eventually managed to find a place which wasn't too expensive but still nice. We catered the food from the same place and ordered centerpieces and baby shower take-home gifts online. We bought the decorations, balloons and some of the baby shower games from iParty. We ordered a beautiful cake from Jacques Pastries in NH - the cake was delicious and so beautiful.

Two of the baby shower games - Baby Charades and Baby Items Memory Game - we organized that ourselves. We printed some baby related things on paper and couples had to participate - one had to act out and other had to guess. It was a lot of fun and everybody participated in it. For the memory game, we bought a bunch of baby items and organized on a big tray - everybody was given a minute to remember everything on the tray and then write it down. That was a fun game too.

Overall, it was a fun day and went very well. The food was good and everybody had fun. We got a lot of great gifts from people who came - I had put my registry on Amazon; so most people had just mailed the gifts home. A few people bought the gifts over when they came too. I appreciated all the gifts but one of the best gifts for me was a beautiful baby blanket from one of my friends which she had crotchet'd. It was lavender and white with small hints of pink. It's so thick and beautiful that I'm sure my baby will love it.

Childbirth Class and Birth Plans

I have less than 6 weeks to go and I'm getting so nervous and excited. 

We had a very busy weekend. First, we had my 34th week doctor's appointment on Friday and she said everything looks good - height of the fundus & my weight gain was all good. We also went to get some pregnancy photos taken of me and my husband... they came out well and I'm so excited to frame them and hang them in the baby's room. 

We took the childbirth class yesterday and it was interesting, scary and exciting at the same time. Watching the videos of woman giving birth was scary but when the baby comes out and the mother holds the baby is a magical moment. I can't wait to experience that moment. We also did a tour of the hospital and I liked the hospital - the rooms were nice and spacious for labor and recovery and they leave the baby in the mother's room - they don't really have a proper nursery. 

I'm trying not to have too many expectations about the birth in case something goes wrong and things don't go the way I want to - then I won't be disappointed. My husband feels that I might end up having a c-section because I'm small. I'm hoping to have a vaginal delivery. Sometime over the next week, I'm hoping to create a basic birth plan which is still flexible. 

My main decision is still about the epidural. On one hand, I'm nervous about if I can take the pain. On the other hand, the epidural forces you to be on your back and you lose sensation in your lower body and that scares me - losing control. I guess to a certain extent, you do lose control as you go through labor but the fact that I can't get on my feet or feel my stomach to push makes me nervous. This is a decision I need to make soon though. What do you guys think?

Latest baby shopping update

We bought the crib mattress as well to go with the crib. We bought a crib mattress on BabiesRUs which was on sale which was "organic" and "green" but it felt like green-washing to me and didn't fit well in the crib. Eventually, after some thinking, I decided to go with my original choice. It had good reviews and was universally recommended as the best organic mattress.

Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic Lightweight Crib Mattress

We also bought the car seat with matching stroller caddy. I decided on the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat after looking at the options on the market and reviews online. I also decided to go with the stroller caddy instead of fullsize stroller since the full size stroller is so heavy and I wouldn't be able to lift it if I needed to take the baby for a walk.

Chicco Keyfit 30 - Cubes

Chicco KeyFit Caddy Stroller Frame

We also bought the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle 'n' Swing after some research. It can swing in 2 different directions and had a lot of options. It also had a power supply instead of just batteries which will be a huge relief. :)

As we start using these, I will post more reviews on these. 

7 weeks to go!

Suddenly it feels like time's flying by... I've got slightly less than 7 weeks to go and I'm so excited.

The baby's moving around so much more now and it's uncomfortable at times but still wonderful to feel.

We've decided on the baby's name. When we were discussing baby names one day, I suggested a name that my husband had suggested before but I had rejected it. The more I thought about it, I liked the name and mentioned it again. I did some research on the name online and liked it more...

As soon as I mentioned the name, the baby started kicking around a lot and she was moving so much. The husband started talking to her using the name and she was so responsive and moving around.

I don't know if she actually heard the name and responded to it or she was just moving around but we chose to take it as a sign and that's going to be her name barring unforeseen complications. :)

Her last name is going to be my last name - at least, that's what my husband wants. I'm not so sure about that. Traditionally, where I'm from in India, baby takes the father's first name as his/her last name. But in the US, baby's tend to take the father's last name and it's easier that way. But my husband wants my last name to be the baby's last name. While I'm ok with that, it feels a little weird. I'm worried about what my husband's parents and relatives are going to think.

I know I shouldn't care about what other people think but doing something out of the norm is still a little uncomfortable and I'm not sure what to do.

Well - we'll make the final decision when the baby's born, I guess.

9 weeks to go...

Can't believe I just have 2 months to go... I'm so excited!

The baby's starting to move around a lot now and it's so nice to feel her move even though it's uncomfortable at times. She seems to be more active in the morning and in the evening and sometimes around lunch time.

My heartburn's gone up a lot and it's getting uncomfortable to move around these days.

My husband and I are still considering names for the baby. Somehow, I think the baby's name is going to be decided very close to when she's born or after she's born.

We assembled the Storkcraft Glider and Ottoman that I ordered on Amazon - so far, I'm liking it. It creaks a little once in a while but hasn't bothered me so far. I guess I'll know more about how much I like it after the baby's born.

I ordered the Babyletto Modo 3-in-1 Crib in Expresso - I received it a few days ago but have yet to assemble it.

28 week update

I had my 28th week appointment with my OB-GYN yesterday. Everything's normal, according to her - I've put on the correct amount of weight, my uterus is at the right fundal height - my stomach looks about the right size. So far, so good. I'm happy that everything's going ok so far.

I asked her about the pelvic pain I've been having - she said that's pretty normal because the baby is putting more weight and that's putting pressure down on my pelvic floor. She suggested a pregnancy harness - I've to go buy one and check it out.

I also asked her about the abdominal pain on my lower left side - she said that's probably a bruise on my uterus from the baby kicking or moving repeatedly. She said there's nothing really to do about it and it will go away on its own.

Overall, a good visit. My next visit is a month away and I will be doing a growth ultrasound then. While that's normal, I have a feeling she wants to make sure the baby is in the correct position since I think the baby is in breech position right now. At the beginning of the pregnancy, when I had asked her how many ultrasounds she will be doing, she said only one - the 20th week one. But now, she's suggesting a 32 week one. So we'll see how that goes.

I'm excited to see the baby again and hope she's doing well.

In other news, the baby's kicking and moving most days now. It feels strange some times but I'm happy to feel her move. I felt her hiccup for the first time last night. It didn't bother me and I've been told it doesn't bother her either, I was excited to feel that.

I ordered the glider/ottoman for the nursery yesterday on amazon. Below is the one I ordered. It was on sale for $129, which I felt was a pretty good deal.

Stork Craft Tuscany Glider and Ottoman

Blood tests were ok!!

I had given blood tests for the GTT and Iron deficiency tests last Thursday. I called the Doctor's office today morning and they told me the results were normal.

Whew!!

I'm so relieved. I have a history of diabetes in the family and I was worried about getting gestational diabetes.

Feeling down...

I'm just having one of those days when you just feel sad - you're trying not to cry but everything is conspiring around you to make you cry.

What finally made me break down is something quite silly - I had sent my baby registry to my sister. It had some of the things I wanted to buy for my baby - we had talked about some of them and she had wanted to see it. It was not complete - there were some things I still needed to add but it did have a few things which I had spent a lot of time and research choosing them.

The first thing she said was that a lot of the things were very expensive. They were not that expensive but you could find same stuff in other brands which were priced less. She had some suggestions which were valid & made sense and I made the changes. For other items, I guess I just felt bad that I had spent so much time on deciding on them and she just thought they were a waste of money.

I know I'm being sensitive on this but I guess I would have appreciated a little comment in how some of the items at least we're pretty or nice.

It was the final straw that broke the camel's back. I just started crying after I kept the phone.

Update: I thought about this overnight and looked at my registry again. I think it's fine - I will probably add some stuff later which are less expensive basics but the stuff I have right now are things I want. If people don't want to buy me those things, I am fine with that - I will buy them for myself.

However, to make things more easy for others, I will probably remove some of the things which seem expensive out of the registry and put in a private list for myself. That way, other people don't have to feel bad.

Staying at home

A couple of days ago, I spoke with a friend of mine who has a 7-month-old baby and she told me she has decided to quit her job and stay at home for a year to take care of her baby.

Her parents who had been helping her out so far could not anymore and she had to leave the baby in daycare for a few days. She really didn't want to do this. This was a tough decision for her and she will need to make some sacrifices with respect to her lifestyle and finances but she's happy with her decision.

I'm very happy for her and also jealous at the same time.

Even though my baby's not due for a few more months, even before I got pregnant, I've always wanted to stay at home to take care of the baby for the baby's 1st year at least. Unfortunately, it's not going to be possible for me. My husband's company's health insurance is not good and we (my husband, me and the baby) are going to be on my company's health insurance. I'm going to take 12 weeks off work to take care of the baby but after that, I'm going to go back to work and it's going to be so hard.

I'm willing to make all the other sacrifices but not willing to take a chance with health care - particularly given my health history and a new baby.

I hope I'm making the right decision but I shall have to wait and see how things work out and how I feel after the baby comes.

Mexican food does not agree with me

Normally, I like to eat mexican food or american mexican food, anyway. Eating a veggie burrito bowl at Chipotle is one of my favorite things to do.

However, ever since I got pregnant, I've realized that I can't do that anymore. I first tried to eat at Chipotle in the first trimester. I had such a bad case of gas that I did not eat any mexican food for a long time.

Now that I'm in the middle of my 2nd trimester, I thought I'd take another shot at it yesterday since there was a new Chipotle near my office. Boy, oh, boy - was that a mistake!! I was mostly fine yesterday but since today morning, I have had a very bad case of heartburn and acid reflux.

I've learned my lesson - no more mexican food for the rest of this pregnancy!