If I’m being honest, I received a lot of great advice while I was pregnant. And while we’re on the subject of honesty, I also received some unsolicited and not so great advice too (don’t we all?). Luckily, I have some great friends and a wonderful community of folks who have children but most importantly, I trust them and therefore, I value their advice.

While I received a lot of advice, not included here, there are three pieces that stood out to me for some reason. I’m not talking “sleep when the baby sleeps” type advice, I’m talking useful tips that we’ve already implemented in the short three weeks we’ve been parents.

No disrespect to the sleep when the baby sleeps advice but it’s not always possible or ideal. Maybe when Mason gets older it will be feasible but right now, it’s not. So what is feasible?

3 best pieces of advice I received while pregnant

Have a bottle of champagne ready

To drink or not drink after you have a baby – that is the question. Whatever you choose, it’s a personal decision and it’s yours alone. For me, having my best friend tell me to have a bottle of champagne in the fridge ready when we got home from the hospital was clutch. As I got to the end of my pregnancy, I was craving a cold glass of champagne and planned to have it be my first beverage. Lucky for me, I said it enough times so my friend Jennifer brought over a bottle of champers a few days after we got home and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.

Next, focus on the things you can control and don’t stress about the rest

This was HUGE for me. As time went on and we were getting closer and closer to our due date, I found myself getting worked up and stressed over things that I couldn’t really control. Unnecessary stress is not a good thing for a pregnant person or the child. So, I took a step back and a deep breath and started to focus on things I *could* control just a little. For me that meant, attempting to get our house in order before baby made her arrival.

Lastly, make sure your partner keeps you fed

This was the piece of advice we didn’t know we needed. Kid or no kid, I’m always hungry so John keeping me fed is part of our relationship anyway. However, I had no idea that I’d be so hungry (and thirsty) while breastfeeding/pumping. It’s pretty unbelievable – the thirst is real. John has been great by providing me snacks and water on demand while feeding our little angel.

Parents, any advice that worked really well for you in the beginning?