There's a beautiful moment in the last few weeks of pregnancy I like to call the "calm before the storm." I myself only experienced it once. It was right before the birth of my first child, and I had created a little nirvana for my future bundle of joy. There was a darling cradle lined in white eyelet, quiet "Pooh" sketches along the wall and a charming country-pine changing table with all the appropriate changing accessories lining one side. I would stand in the room, feeling my rounded belly, and look at this wonderful cocoon I had created. Everything was perfect.

Until, that is, I actually brought my baby home and really began living there. Soon, nirvana came undone. The white eyelet quickly needed to be changed, and when new sheets were put on, the other sheets began piling up at the base of the cradle. The changing accessories ended up all over the house – powder in one room, alcohol pads in another. The kitchen sink eventually became home to the baby tub, and towels were precariously balanced on the kitchen table. Meanwhile, my friends kept coming over with gifts and bags of clothes, which began lining the walls of our tiny bedroom like a department-store return table at Christmas. Nirvana was suddenly a disaster.

"Aside from those who are dealing with loss or divorce, new moms are the clients I see struggling most," says Christy Best, professional organizer and founder of clutterbug.com. "Mom is going to be completely overwhelmed with all there is to do. She's going to fall behind with paperwork, fall behind with housekeeping, and if she does the family finances, that will start to pile up, too. It's really important for her to get organized early. After Baby comes, there's very little time. She should give herself a break and just have some receptacles on hand. That way, when Baby comes, she can just enjoy. The goal is to create simplicity and be able to enjoy your baby."

We think of the bedding. We think of the furniture. But having storage receptacles on hand is just not something we think about. Here are a few easy pieces to have so you can deal with all the incoming items (because items will keep coming in!) and stop feeling overwhelmed by your own home.

A very common organizing principle, according to Barry Izsak, vice president of the National Association of Professional Organizers, is to store things at their "point of use." But when you first bring your baby home, you'll see that, for toiletries, the "point of use" is loosely translated. The oak changing table in the baby's room is darling, but it's impractical in those first few weeks postpartum when you might not be able to walk up and down the stairs all day. And the apothecary jars in the bathroom are very "Martha Stewart," but are useless when you discover that the baby tub actually fits better in the kitchen sink.

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