The fourth trimester isn’t technically part of the pregnancy process, but it’s become a well-known phrase for the first three months of motherhood. The changes that we undergo during that time are so overwhelming, it feels like an extension of the pregnancy. In the midst of coping with the physical effects of giving birth, there’s also adapting to your new life as a mother.

It’s a wonderful period in life, of that there is no doubt — but it’s also a challenge. It’s a time when everything that you once knew, everything that you considered to be important, is pushed into the background. The needs of a newborn are so all-consuming that you’re quickly going to lose focus of anything but your baby.

However, while your world may have shrunk, the outside world is going to carry on regardless. All those tasks you did prior to giving birth are still going to be necessary. You’re going to have to work through your finances, do your grocery shopping, have a social life, and the household chores are going to begin to mount up. With a helpful partner, you can mitigate some of this — but there’s no doubt that you’re about to begin the most difficult juggling act of your life.

Focusing on the household chores, there are a few ways you can make the fourth trimester requirements easier on yourself. The preparations for this begin during your pregnancy, and you can then layer on help after giving birth that can ease the transition all the more. If you want to keep on top of your home while caring for your new baby, then there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

1) Hire A Cleaner

Even if it’s just for a short while, or just one day a week; you’re going to need as much help as you can get. Full house cleaning when you’ve just given birth is not going to be possible. Clean as much beforehand as you can, then outsource the main bulk of the work at least for a transitional period when you bring your baby home.

2) Declutter While Pregnant

Be extreme about it, too. If you’ve not used an item in the past six months, then it’s got to go — or at the very least, be banished to the attic. Why? Well, the last thing you’re going to want to be faced with during those first few months is mess to wade through to find something you need. You’re going to be sleep-deprived; you need to do all you can to make your life as comfortable as possible.

3) Place Trash Cans Everywhere

As well as the delights of motherhood, one things a baby will bring into your life is an awful lot of trash. There’s empty wrappers, clothing ruined by spills, and a thousand and one other bits of detritus that you’re going to have to deal with. Place trash cans throughout your house in anticipation of this, so you’ve always got somewhere to neatly dump trash in the moment you need to.

With these sorted out and some input from your partner, those early days of managing motherhood with the rest of your life should be easier than you ever imagined they could be.