Third-Trimester Preparation Checklist

Around weeks 28 to 31

• Confirm where you plan to give birth and how you will get there at any hour.
• Decide who is caring for older children and pets, with a backup.
• Start a simple list of what you would want someone to do for you in the first week home.
• Begin batching freezer meals a few at a time.

Around weeks 32 to 35

• Set up the sleep space and the feeding and changing stations.
• Wash and put away the first sizes of clothing.
• Install and check the car seat, and practise the buckles before you need them.
• Discuss your birth preferences with your healthcare provider.

Around weeks 36 to 40

• Pack your bag and keep it in the car or by the door.
• Write down key phone numbers on paper, not only in your phone.
• Agree the visitor plan for the first two weeks and tell people early.
• Confirm any postpartum or newborn support you have arranged.

Prepare the return home, not only the birth

Most families plan carefully for the day of birth and hardly at all for the fortnight after. Reversing that ratio makes the transition home noticeably easier.