SingaporeMotherhood | Baby & Toddler
July 2026
10 Things to do Before You Give Birth
Fact: Pregnancy brain is real. As you approach your due date before you give birth, you may be wondering if you’ve forgotten something important. Don’t worry, it’s normal. While you can’t predict when your baby will decide to make an entrance, there are several practical tasks you can do to make those first few days with your newborn less stressful. Here’s a checklist worth ticking off before you head to the delivery ward to say hello to your baby, as well as a more detailed list of things you can do in your third trimester, before giving birth.
The Quick Before-EDD Checklist
- Pack your hospital bag
- Install your baby’s car seat (if needed)
- Finalise your birth plan
- Wash baby’s clothes and bedding
- Arrange for postpartum meals
- Charge your phone, camera, and power bank
- Arrange postpartum support
- Finish any important paperwork
- Set up baby’s sleeping space
- Take one last photo of your bump
The Detailed To-Do Checklist Before You Give Birth
1. Join a mums-to-be forum
When I was expecting my firstborn, I was a constant bundle of nerves. After reading every single pregnancy book I could lay my hands on cover-to-cover, and boring non-preggy friends with updates of foetal growth, I discovered the SingaporeMotherhood Birth Month Telegram Groups. Lo and behold, there were mums-to-be who were just like me! We shared our doubts, fears, anxieties, and joy, gasped over each other’s birth stories, breastfeeding woes, and are still talking about our babies — who are now in Primary Six!
2. Keep up with your fitness
If you’ve been active even before pregnancy, good. Keep it up. Exercising during pregnancy is one of the best ways to reduce prenatal discomforts. Keeping active can also promote emotional wellbeing, and a smoother labour.
(See also: HOW PILATES CAN HELP EASE YOUR PREGNANCY, LABOUR, & CHILDBIRTH EXPERIENCE)
3. Confirm your confinement nanny
Most mums hire their confinement nanny through word-of-mouth recommendations. However the more popular ones tend to be booked months in advance. Hence it is best to have alternatives ready. You can engage one from a confinement agency, for instance. Do your research first, and ask friends who have done so. Read up on how to find a confinement nanny and the five important questions to ask before hiring her. The confinement nanny or the agency should also be able to advise you on confinement essentials to buy and stock up on.
(See also: YOUR SEARCH FOR THE BEST CONFINEMENT NANNY IN SINGAPORE STARTS HERE)
4. Order your confinement meal
Even if you do not plan to have a confinement lady, you can still enjoy home-cooked confinement meals thanks to confinement food delivery. I did that, and had absolutely no regrets. The meals arrived warm, tasted amazing, and came in such generous portions that there was enough for hubs to eat as well. Most confinement caterers use less salt and no MSG in their cooking; some even include lactation-friendly ingredients so as to help new mums get breastfeeding off on a right start.
5. Book your postnatal massage
Did you know that the different races in Singapore have different racial confinement practices? One thing that we’re sure new mothers, no matter what race, would appreciate is the postnatal massage. Pregnancy and giving birth puts stress on a woman’s body, and postnatal massages address these concerns, while offering various other benefits including a reduction in swelling, improved lactation, and better sleep. Find one here.
6. Enjoy a prenatal massage
Not every mum-to-be goes through pregnancy glowing like a fertility goddess. Some suffer from bloating, water retention, swelling, indigestion, constipation, backaches… you get the idea. One way to ease them all? Get a prenatal massage. Check out these pampering prenatal massages in Singapore and book one for yourself. You know you deserve it.
7. Think about child care arrangements before you give birth
If you are currently working, who will be looking after your little one after your maternity leave is over, and you return to work? You may have family or relatives who can help out. You may have a domestic helper who is able to do the job. Or you may be thinking of hiring one. If not, this is the best time to start thinking about child care options in Singapore, and do your rounds of infant care centres if you plan to put your baby in one.
(See also: 11 SECRETS TO CHOOSING THE BEST INFANT CARE CENTRE FOR YOUR BABY IN SINGAPORE)
8. Train your domestic helper, or hire one if you need to
Some parents prefer to have their foreign domestic worker take care of their baby, or hire one to do so. Parents who have done this say you should get yours early so that you (or your parents, or someone whom you trust) can teach the FDW what to do, and ensure that she is well-equipped with the skills to manage a baby. In addition, they advise putting in CCTV cameras at home so that you can monitor your helper remotely. Finally, having your parents go over to ‘hangout’ and help with Baby a few hours a day can ease your helper’s load and give her time to rest.
9. Do your maternity photoshoot, and arrange for your newborn photoshoot
Yes, do it, especially if it is your first baby. Immortalise these memories and look at them again in a decade or so when your little darling is growing into tweenhood and you’re wondering why you ever had children 😛 These are some of our favourite maternity, baby, and family photographers in Singapore. We’re also big fans of this photographer mum’s work!
(See also: DAWN AND NICHOLAS’ WHIMSICAL NIGHT-TIME MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT)
10. Take an antenatal class
Parenting does not come naturally to everyone, but if you are determined to be the best mum or dad that you can be, parent coaching can help. These antenatal classes run the gamut from holistic hospital-based classes, to active birth classes that focus on breathing techniques, to lactation sessions that prep you for breastfeeding. Generally, you can start antenatal classes between weeks 16 and 20 of pregnancy. At home, you can also bond with baby early, and enjoy pregnancy. It’s certainly an experience you’ll never forget!
Things People Often Forget for D-Day
- Pack snacks into your hospital bag
- Download entertainment for the hospital
- Prepare newborn-sized as well as 0–3 month outfits and diapers, as babies grow fast!
- Brief siblings and caregivers on what to do when labour starts
- Arrange care for siblings, and pets, if necessary
- Confirm your transportation to the hospital, and check the fastest route there
- Ensure that you have enough phone storage for the gazillion photos you’ll take
- Charge your power bank
:: Bonus :: Do your Mental Preparation before you Give Birth
In the midst of getting things done before you give birth, it is easy to forget that much of childbirth, and becoming a parent, is mental preparation. With that in mind, take time out to:
- Discuss expectations with your partner
- Think about your support network
- Prepare, but accept that birth does not always go according to plan
- Rest when you need to, without feeling guilty
And if Baby Comes Early?
Don’t panic. There are few essentials that can be quickly set up and/or procured: a safe place for your baby to sleep, some clothes for baby, diapers, and feeding support. Thanks to delivery apps, much can be done while you are in the hospital, after you give birth. Pro-tip: Get family and friends to help with these while you rest. Everything else can be settled in the days to come.
(See also: 10 Things to do After your Baby is Born)
Additional text: June Wan
Featured image: Ömürden Cengiz on Unsplash
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