Planning your fourth trimester: 7 things to arrange before your baby arrives

We spend months preparing for the birth, and often very little time preparing for the weeks that follow it. Yet those first weeks, the fourth trimester, shape how you recover and how you settle as a new family. A little planning now saves a great deal later.

1. Rest

Decide who can take over housework for a few weeks — a partner on leave, family, friends, a cleaner. And give yourself permission to let the house be less tidy for a while.

2. Food

Fill the freezer with a few simple meals, stock up on snacks that need no preparation, and agree who will cook or bring food. Keep a list of local places that deliver.

3. Sleep

Think about who could watch the baby while you nap in the day, and how nights will be shared.

4. Visitors

Choose the people you would genuinely like to see: those who bring calm, rather than those you would have to host. “Not yet” is a complete answer.

5. Feeding support

Save the contacts of a breastfeeding counsellor or local feeding group before the birth, so help is one call away if you need it.

6. Older children

Plan who can look after them in the first days, and one or two small rituals that are just for them.

7. Your body and your feelings

Think about who you could talk to about your birth, and which recovery treatments you might want. Low mood after birth is common. If you do not feel like yourself, speak to your GP or health visitor early rather than waiting to see whether it passes.

Need a hand?

This is precisely what a postnatal doula does: practical help at home, calm company, and time for you to recover. Do get in touch if you would like to talk it through.