Eight weeks left.

Yet somehow, my to-do list seems to be growing exponentially.  

I still need to sign up for daycare, find a pediatrician, write a birth plan and magically transform our laundry room/closet into a nursery. Most overwhelming? Figuring out what kind of stuff, and how much of it, to buy.



What kind of baby carrier do I need? Is a stroller necessary right away? What's the deal with cloth diapers? Does baby need a bassinet and a crib? What even is a Boppy?

To find the answers to some of my questions, I drove over to the Holiday Inn in South Burlington on Saturday, March 8, for the 3rd Annual Pregnancy & Baby Expo sponsored by Naturally You Childbirth. It was more informative (and fun!) than I expected.

My only complaint: For an event geared toward pregnant ladies, there should have been a lot more food. The kale and dried cherry salad from the Healthy Living  booth was to die for, but I could have eaten an entire tub of the stuff (which the friendly nurse practitioner staffing the booth invited me to do — if I could find myself a bowl).

I wended my way through the 40-plus vendors: photographers specializing in newborn photo shoots (a little too Anne Geddes for my taste); anti-circumcision advocates ("His Body, His Choice"); folks demonstrating car seat safety (fingers crossed the hand-me-down seat I plan to use still meets standards); and Lunaroma Aromatic Apothecary, which was handing out samples of "Baby's Bottom Balm" (smells like lavender).

Here's what I learned:

Burlington Babywearers meet regularly in Burlington and Addison County to discuss the basics of wearing your spawn. The coolest part? They have a lending library of carriers, slings and wraps. If you can't decide which one to buy, you can borrow one and try it out free for a month.

Kadina Malicbegovic, who paints naked bodies as one half of the Burlington performance art duo The Human Canvas does belly painting at baby showers!  

April Wanner, who owns the Milton-based Milo & Company, makes beautiful baby clothes and cloth diapers. Local, reusable and handmade.

Bradie Hansen's fuzzy woolen creatures are adorable — especially the owls with hair. Her Shelburne-based company is called Jabo and Belles: Handmade, and she's starting a craft-therapy group for new moms with Alice Pollvogt of Nature + Nurture Parenting. 

You can't talk breastfeeding in Burlington without some veteran mom launching into an impassioned rave about lactation consultant Sally MacFadyen. I finally met the lady. 

And, yes, I saw real placenta art, courtesy of placenta encapsulation certified specialist Tara Carpenter of Happy Bellies. I have to say: It was kind of pretty.

Megan James is the managing editor of Kids VT. She'll be blogging about her pregnancy until the baby arrives — hopefully in early May.