Master Bedroom Update // Preparing for Baby (and a home birth)

THE FARMHOUSE We made a few changes to our master bedroom recently in preparation of the arrival of it's new tenant, our baby girl. With her due date just a few days away, I eagerly got this space finished up last week.

all sources are listed at the bottom of this post

I've always liked having my babies sleep near me when they're little, at least until they slow down on night nursings. So putting a hanging crib up in our master bedroom was pretty exciting. Isn't the crib lovely? I first saw it here and immediately bought it for Brooks back when space was tight at the Dexter House. Not only is the crib easy to fit virtually anywhere you have a couple of square feet to spare, but it also helps to soothe the baby by bouncing and swaying whenever they fuss. (For the record, I'll pull the pillow and stuffies out when baby arrives.)

The other new addition to our master bedroom, is this old Ikea unit, which we're using to store baby's nighttime essentials: diapers, wipes, swaddle blankets, burp rags, and pj's. That way we won't be running back and forth to the nursery (where the rest of her clothes are stored) in the middle of the night. I may eventually swap the shelving unit out for the antique hutch that used to be in our bedroom (and just change her on the bed), but that piece is currently at the Porch House being used for staging (yes, the Porch House is still under renovation).

Those are the essentials we have for baby in our master bedroom, but we have made a few other additions/changes in preparation for a home birth. We've done home births with all of our kiddos thus far (Wilder at the Bryant House, Brooks at the Dexter House, and now baby girl at the Farmhouse) and have enjoyed them. 'Enjoy' is probably not the right word here - labor is labor and they don't call it that for nothing - but being at home has made for a more comfortable and peaceful birthing process for me. My favorite part is waking up the next day in my own bed. Yes, I am a homebody through and through ;)

Speaking of our bed, you may have noticed it's made a little haphazardly in that photo. In preparation for labor, I made the bed with sheets and our usual quilt, covered that with a waterproof mattress cover, and then made the bed again with our not-so-nice sheets and a blanket we can quickly pull off. That makes for easy cleanup and a quick tuck-in after baby is born. And in case you're wondering about the sensibility of a wool blanket on our bed in the summer, Garrett needs it since I have the AC on full blast and still can't stand more than a sheet. The joys of pregnancy ;)

Another addition I've made to our bedroom is lots of lavender, which is supposed to be a calming scent, so I have it on both sides of the bed. My nightstand also houses my favorite Ina May labor-prep book, a couple of kids books, and lots of enjoyable paperbacks for those long nursing sessions to come. Plus there's a giant-sized box of Tums tucked on the bottom shelf because pregnancy indigestion is a real thing.

Of course there are quite a few other supplies we have on hand for the home birth: a box of medical supplies from our midwife, old towels, trash bags, a large bowl, an inflatable tub, and hoses/adaptors to fill said tub up. It's great to have everything on hand, but I'm secretly hoping this labor goes so fast that we won't even have time to set up the tub ;)

You may remember that our 4-year-old, Wilder, is not much of a sleeper and usually ends up in a sleeping bag on our floor sometime in the night. Well that hasn't changed. I'm not sure how Wilder's continued tenancy in our room will play out with the frequent night wakings of a baby, but I'm hoping that it will be the kick Wilder needs to finally stay in his own bed. All night long!

A mama can dream anyway ;)