Baby Arrival Brief · Week 10

Postpartum support plan & the Dec 4 readiness checkpoint

Monday, November 30 – Sunday, December 6, 2026

9 days to Dec 9 ≈ week 39 Checkpoint Fri Dec 4

⚖️ Decisions due

Support roster — locked. Every day of the first two weeks has named coverage: night nurse shifts, family days, and who's on call. No gaps, no "we'll see." Due: Friday, Dec 4.
Sleep-shift plan. Who covers which hours overnight once the night nurse's shift ends (or on her off nights). Agree on it now, not at 3am. Due: Friday, Dec 4.

This week's actions

Run the everything-functional checkpoint

Friday, Dec 4. Walk the list: RELX base installed in the Forester (since Nov 14) ✓, crib assembled with Newton mattress + fitted sheet ✓, both nursing stations stocked ✓, hospital bags packed and by the door ✓, baby-documents folder complete ✓, freezer full (batches 1 + 2) ✓, emergency sheet on the fridge ✓, Toby's caregiver confirmed ✓. Anything unchecked gets fixed this weekend — not next week.

Lev + BlairFri, Dec 4

Final gear-gap sweep

Check the Babylist against what's actually in the house. Fill only true gaps — a missing pack of newborn diapers, an extra fitted sheet, batteries for nothing (the Hatch is rechargeable). Resist the urge to buy "just in case" gear; December-you wants less stuff, not more.

LevDue Thu, Dec 3

Lock the postpartum support roster

Confirm with each person directly: night nurse start date and weekly schedule, family help days (from the Nov 23 calendar), lactation-support contact (hospital LCs + one outpatient backup name), and Blair's OB/midwife postpartum check-in timing. Put it all on one shared calendar.

BlairDue Fri, Dec 4

Confirm Toby's hospital-days handoff

Final confirmation with the caregiver: dates, keys, food, walk schedule, vet number. Print the one-page care sheet and leave it on the counter — the handoff may happen in a hurry.

LevDue Fri, Dec 4

Deep dive · The postpartum support plan

The first two weeks run on a simple principle: Blair recovers, the baby eats and sleeps, and every adult in the house has a defined job. Here's the roster.

Overnight coverage

Night nurse (booked Nov 6): her contracted nights and hours — the backbone of the plan.
Parent shifts on her off nights and after her shift ends: agree the split now. A common shape — Lev takes 9pm–2am, Blair takes 2am–7am (or vice versa) — so each of you gets one unbroken 5-hour block. Write it down; tired couples renegotiate badly.
Keep the Hatch Rest + feeding log by the nursing station so handoffs don't require a conversation.

Daytime coverage

Family help days (confirmed Nov 23): one extra adult in the house for weeks 1–2. Their job description: hold the baby so Blair naps, run laundry, cook or reheat, walk Toby. Not "visit the baby" — work the house.
Visitor boundaries (set Sept 28): still in force. Short visits, washed hands, no drop-ins, quiet hours respected. Blair's rest outranks everyone's excitement.

Food

Freezer batches 1 + 2 (≈ a month of dinners), the meal-delivery backup shortlisted Oct 26, and a standing grocery list on the fridge for whoever's helping. Nobody cooks from scratch in week one — that's the rule.

Blair's recovery supplies

The Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit (ordered Oct 11) goes in the hospital bag and then to the bathroom at home: disposable underwear, ice maxi pads, perineal cooling pad liners, healing foam, witch-hazel perineal wipe liners, cleansing bottle. Amazon listing

Feeding support

Hospital lactation consultants before discharge — ask for a visit even if things seem fine on day one.
One outpatient lactation contact saved in both phones (pediatrician's office usually has a referral).
The backup layer is already stocked: Comotomo bottles + Bobbie Organic Gentle sealed on the shelf (ordered Oct 11). A 2am feeding problem gets solved with supplies, not a store run.

Watch-outs (logistics, not medical advice)

Know the postpartum warning signs your OB flagged — keep their after-hours number and Prentice's number on the emergency sheet, and agree in advance that either of you can call without debate.
Northwestern lists perinatal support resources including a postpartum-depression crisis line (312-926-8100) — save it in both phones now. Having the number is not pessimism; it's logistics.
Schedule the check-ins: Blair's postpartum visit timing confirmed with her provider, and the baby's first pediatrician visit (24–48 hours after discharge — already arranged with the pediatrician chosen in October).

The whole plan fits on one page: who, when, phone numbers. Print it, fridge it, and share it with both grandmothers. If it's not written down, it's not a plan.