Yep. I had a baby and my husband wasn't there.
So I know, LITERALLY every pregnancy is different. But there are a few bits of advice I can give you. Especially if you're military, anything can happen. Here are some things to consider, to give yourself the best chance of sanity if you're doing this by yourself!
Prepare, prepare prepare!
Prepare, prepare prepare!
- Keep your medical records in your purse!
- At about 34 weeks I asked for a copy of my records from my OB. Its great to keep them on hand in case you go into labor and end up somewhere other than your hospital. Happened to me and they said that was the smartest thing I could have done. My OB wasn't open so they couldn't call to get my records faxed.
- Have a hospital bag packed WAY before you think you'll need it.
- at 20 weeks I started packing one. Everyone said I was crazy because thats so early but I would just throw random things in when I thought of it. Glad I did because when my water broke I was alone and only 35 weeks. Luckily, I had almost everything I needed already packed.
- Have somebody/anybody who can take you to the hospital.
- I knew my husband had a chance of being gone so I had a friend (an equally pregnant friend haha) take me to the hospital and she was awesome enough to stay until 5 am with me.
- Have more than one hospital as an option!
- My OB was a 35 min drive without traffic or weather. In Virginia, with the bridges and tunnels that could easily turn into 45 mins to and hour. I ended up going to a different hospital that was closer and had a NICU because I was having a preemie.
- not all hospitals and birthing centers have a NICU so ask when you tour.
- Install the car seat EARLY!
- I installed it as soon as I hit my third trimester. Its not something you want to do after you give birth or even worse when you're in labor.
- Meal Prep!
- Find some recipes that you like, that freeze easy! Make 1-2 a week and freeze them in meal sized portions. Especially if you're going to be alone. The last thing you want to do postparum is to cook for yourself. I made chili, burritos, enchiladas and lasagna. The burritos were my favorite because I could just put them in the microwave and eat them.
- Get snacks!
- Granola bars
- cereal
- fruit cups
- baby carrots
- candy (you know you want it)
- anything quick and easy
- Stock up on household stuff & toiletries
- Keep a stock pile of household stuff and toiletries so you don't have to go to the store, alone, with a newborn when you run out. You will run out. Just buy a little at a time every time you go shopping during pregnancy so you don't have to drop a bunch of extra money. Coupons and sales help!
- Buy extra:
- toilet paper
- paper towels
- paper plates
- all purpose cleaner
- clorox wipes
- laundry detergent
- dish soap
- hand soap
- hand sanitizer
- shampoo/conditioner
- body soap
- pads (light and heavy)
- 1 pack of preemie (just in case)
- I had no preemie diapers or clothes and it was a disaster. She had nothing to wear.
- Keep an extra bag of dog/cat food
- Buying 30 lb bags of dog food with a baby isn't fun. Get it ahead of time or set up auto delivery from a website like chewy.com.
