37 weeks pregnant: Nursery, baby layette and a general pregnancy update

I’ve got less than four weeks left of my pregnancy – or, well, perhaps it’s also more than four weeks, as nobody can yet predict the day and time a baby decides he or she wants to enter the world. I have tried my best to be ready with the nursery, the baby layette and all things bureaucracy to be well prepared to meet our baby girl as of right now.

However, it’s not that I am completely relaxed, believing that I have organised, bought and done everything. I don’t think I will ever even get to this stage – as I had to add more to dos to my baby to do list every day over the past weeks, while, at the same time, I tried to check other points against the list. There was – and I assume will be – always something else, such as buying the final last bits and pieces (think nursing pads, breast pump, hay flowers and raspberry leaf tea), arranging appointments for acupuncture with my midwife, signing us up for birth at the hospital. Plus, the application forms – let’s not even start with those. If you live outside of Germany, let me just tell you this: There are several forms – some less, others more complicated – to be filled out and sent away right after birth when living in Germany, so I did want to make sure I prepare them all with the necessary information.

So, my maternity leave has not been too relaxing so far, especially because I also continue with my freelance jobs, meaning I do have to work a few hours every day. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed, that, on top of everything, my SI joint has been blocked for over a week now, making it nearly impossible for me to walk. Therefore, I once again do have even more to dos for the list (think osteopathy appointments and such). It’s a vicious circle.

I know, I should relax. Leave my perfectionism behind and don’t stress about everything so much. But that’s hard to follow with such a huge event like the birth of one’s first child taking place so soon.

But let’s focus on more fun things – I do not want to sound too negative. I just assume every pregnant woman comes to a point in her pregnancy when it starts to become exhausting, when even breathing is difficult, nerves are raw and one can not wait much longer to finally meet one’s baby girl or boy.

Kinderzimmer-Babyerstausstattung-Lea-Lou

Instead: Let’s talk shopping and home decoration yay! I have developed a nesting madness and obsession with tidiness which I have not known before. I did not want to shop just a bed for our baby girl, it had to be THE bed with THE baby nest, THE mattress cover and just THE most perfect canopy. I spent days, nights, weeks, even months on Pinterest, in online shops and actual stores, comparing products, prices, colours, to finally buy everything I had chosen, hoping it would fall in place just perfectly.

Luckily, it did. I am so happy with and touched by how beautifully our home turned out that I find myself standing in front of the crib every day, hugging the half-moon pillow, rearranging the baby clothes on the ladder and sometimes even crying a tear of joy and excitement about just how cute it all is.

I so hope my little girl will sleep like an angel in her Babybay bed, will love the mobile over the changing table, will be impressed by the canopy above her bed and will find the Moses basket in the living room cosy.

I admit, we did spend a lot of money on the baby layette – probably way more than it would have been necessary. I do want to add here though – despite it sounding egoistic and not sustainable at all – that I had an amazing time re-doing the apartment. I have enjoyed it all so much: choosing things, buying, unpacking, building and / or arranging them. I do not regret one single Euro I spent, I am sorry if this sounds silly to you.

For everyone who is interested, who is also expecting a baby or has (a) child/ren already, I am listing the products we bought below. I will add links whenever possible so that you may even copy some of the things I bought if you like them, too. Please note here though that I have chosen and bought everything myself, none of the things are a collaboration or advertisement.

However, I do have a promotion code for you to use for the Etsy shop of Fluffy Peaks Designs, where I bought the feather macrame piece. By using the code LEALOU10 you can save 10 % on any order in the shop. The code is valid until the end of March 2019.

I do hope I can inspire some of you with my images and words and that the list below may even give some of you helpful information. Let me know if this has been the case; I am generally interested in hearing how your nest-building has developed during your own pregnancy? Did you enjoy re-doing the house as much as I did? I look forward to reading from you!

Love,
Lea Lou

Bedroom:

Babybay Boxspring, for the first months
Grey baby bed border / nest by Cam Cam Copenhagen
Bonne Nuit poster by MIMI’lou
Colourful wall macrame piece by Wohngeschwisterchen
The blush bed cover is by Westwing Now, and the beige fur and Boxspring bed from IKEA

Nursery:

Baby crib “Linea by Leander”
Grey Canpoy by Smallable (the model is sold out, but check the link for similar canopies)
Feather wall macrame piece by Fluffy Peaks Designs (via Etsy)
Dream catcher by Owls Road Studio (via Etsy)
Black ladder to be used as cloakroom by Smallable (the model is sold out, but they do have several similar ladders available)
Half-moon pillow by Kyddo Shop
Baby nest by Cam Cam Copenhagen