5 Resources for Expectant Moms that Make All the Difference!
Finding out you are expecting marks a pretty monumental day in a person’s life - possibly THE MOST monumental. It can also be slightly, okay super, overwhelming as you think about all of the changes coming your way.
As an organized person by nature, I wanted to find some shortcuts to make me feel on top of it throughout the upcoming nine months. I uncovered some great resources that made all of the difference and am so pumped to share them with you!
More than anything, I’ve found that people are so helpful - with advice, hand-me-downs and so much support. Entering into this parenthood tribe is pretty cool, in my book!
Here are five resources and services that have allowed me to enjoy each and every day of my pregnancy and took a ton of the guesswork of my plate:
Outsource Your Nanny Search to Indy Nanny Concierge: I work with a lot of clients to decipher the value of their time. Sometimes your time is more valuable than a particular service costs. Other times, you might be weighing whether learning a new skillset (in this case, sourcing a nanny for your family) is something that will be beneficial in the long-run.
When it came time to finding a nanny for our little Pair of Baers, I knew I would get sucked into the process and spend several months combing through Care.com profiles, interviewing potential candidates, calling refererences, and would ultimately still question my final decision because I’d never been a mom before and had never hired a nanny.
Enter Morgan Corya, the Indy Nanny Concierge. An Indianapolis-based career nanny, Morgan takes all of the heavy lifting off the parents to be’s plate. She created our Care.come profile, prescreened all of the top nanny candidates that fit our criteria, and lined up in-person interviews with her top three candidates for our family.
We found an absolutely amazing nanny that will be caring for our kiddos and I can’t tell you the weight that has been lifted off my shoulders knowing they will be in such incredible hands. It was so helpful to have Morgan guiding the process too - she knew exactly what questions to ask, and made us feel incredibly secure in our decision.
Once we had fallen head over heels for our nanny, Morgan handled the negotiation process, provided a legally recognized contract and developed a personalized nanny binder for our home. Money well spent as I was able to focus on my business and help clients in the final few months of my pregnancy!
Morgan is offering The Baer Minimalist readers $500 off any package (Offer valid until June 1, 2019)! Reach out to her today to book a consultation and get that nanny search started!
Rent Your Maternity Wardrobe from Rent the Runway: Maternity clothes….mehhh! They leave quite a bit to be desired! And boy, are they pricey!
I didn’t want to be left with a closet of maternity clothes at the end of my pregnancy for a variety of reasons (I probably wouldn’t be able to wear them again and there isn’t much of a resale market). So, aside from a black jumpsuit, two pairs of jeans, two tanks, one long sleeve shirt and workout clothes purchased from Gap, Old Navy and Target, I didn’t invest in any clothes that I would have to discard after these babies were born.
Instead, I joined Rent the Runway Unlimited and RENTED my maternity wardrobe (while also stretching my pre-pregnancy wardrobe with a little creativity). Rent the Runway offers maternity clothing making it so fun to dress that growing bump! I always had four pieces on rotation and could plan ahead for the events I had each week. A true life-saver and something I will likely continue once I come back from several weeks of sweats and baby snuggles.
Whether you’re pregnant or not, save $30 on your first Rent the Runway order today for a one-time look or a revolving wardrobe that doesn’t clutter up your closet.
Sign Up for Weekly Advice from Lucie’s List: A good friend told me about Lucie’s List when I was beginning to stress over how much “stuff” I would need to register for and purchase for the twins growing in my belly. They have example registries with research backing all of their recommendations for both singletons and multiples - this truly saved me.
Whether you are pregnant with one or multiples, Lucie’s List also has a customized weekly email that touches on the major topics that may be puzzling us mom’s to be.
Utilize Babylist for Your Registry: Setting foot in Buy-Buy-Baby can be overwhelming for someone who has yet to become a parent. There are so many options, and unless you bring a friend along who has been through parenthood before, you will probably leave in a puddle of hormonal pregnancy tears over what truly needs to be on your registry.
Once I’d scoured the Lucie’s List recommendations for twins, we were ready to create our registry. And Babylist came to the rescue.
This site allows you to register from the comfort of your couch and pull in any item available for sale online, including small makers and Etsy. We still made the trek to Buy Buy Baby to test drive double-strollers, but were in and out in about 20 minutes. Everything else was easilly pulled together on my Babylist registry as I came across items that were highly recommended or just too cute to resist.
Invest in Prenatal Yoga at Kompose: The day after we announced our big news, a pregnant pal invited me to prenatal yoga at Kompose with Robyn. And every Sunday since, I’ve spent 75 minutes stretching, learning yoga positions that can help thoughout the labor process and taking time for a little self care alongside a revolving group of other mommas in various stages of their pregnancy.
This is such a great way to connect with the little one growing in your belly, but also has made me feel so connected to other women who are experiencing this journey into motherhood. And don’t even get me started on the amazing music that plays throughout (much of which has made its way onto my labor playlist).
Last weekend, my husband even came along to a prenatal partner workshop that focused on how your partner can support you through the labor process. And it involved lots and lots of massage, which I’m certainly not mad about.
So now I need to know, what was your lifesaver during your pregnancy? Let’s chat about it in the comments to pay it forward to all the other mommas to be!
The Baer Minimalist helps busy families create ORGANIZED + STYLIZED spaces and events throughout Indianapolis.
To keep up to date with all of the tips, tricks and inspiration doled out, subscribe to our newsletter, The Minimal-List, here.