If you’re like me and you’ve had your last sweet little bundle of joy and you’re sure your family is complete, here are a few things you (ahem, we) might need to do:
1. Give away the maternity clothes
I know, they’re comfortable—especially those stretchy camisoles and flowy shirts. Trust me, I know. But it’s time. If you have a particularly sentimental piece, consider saving it and turning it into a pillow or fabric squares for a quilt. And if you still have maternity underwear, throw them away!
2. Give away your baby things
Isn’t it amazing how one (or two) little babies can accumulate so much stuff in just a couple of years? The crib in the garage that you keep bumping your shin on. The high chair that hasn’t been used in a year. The Boppy, the Baby Bjorn, the onesies and pacifiers and baby bottles. It’s time to let them go, too. Save a few favorite things to pass down to your kids and find good homes for everything else.
3. See your gynecologist and general practitioner
If you haven’t seen a doctor since your last postpartum visit, now is the time to schedule those appointments. Your health is important even if you aren’t pregnant or planning to be come pregnant. (And if you’re over 40, schedule your mammogram.)
4. While you’re at it, schedule vision and dental exams, too
My eyeglass prescription changed while I was pregnant with my youngest, but I was too busy being pregnant and taking care of a toddler to see the optometrist. Get your eyes and teeth checked!
5. Decide what you’re going to do about birth control
If you have a birth control method that works for you, by all means keep doing that. But if you’re not happy with your current choice, or it doesn’t seem like the right option for the rest of your potentially fertile years, talk to your partner and your doctor. A long-term or permanent solution might be the best (and cheapest) option for you.
6. Commemorate your perfect family
Schedule a professional portrait or go the DIY route and create a piece of art that reflects your family. Or treat yourself to a special piece of mother-child jewelry, whether it’s a charm bracelet with your kids’ birthstones or stackable rings with their names and birth dates. Whatever you choose, it will be a beautiful symbol of your family as it is now—and as it always will be. At least until you have grandchildren.
I hope this was helpful?