Before welcoming a new kid into your home, there are numerous ways in which you can prepare for the baby’s arrival. It is important that you prepare financially to cater for the child’s needs such as clothing, shelter and food. The home should also be prepared with furniture appropriate for the child. There are five ways to prepare for your first childbirth:
1. Financial preparation
Financial preparation involves checking whether your child will be included in the health insurance. If the baby is not covered, you should take the appropriate measures to modify the plan accordingly. It is also necessary to decide if you should stay at home to take care of the baby, or you should continue working. If the costs of child care are comparable to your wages or the salary that your partner is earning, it is important to let one of you stay at home to raise the baby.
2. Preparing your home
You should also make a new room in your home for the baby. This is because the child will need his room either for living or playing. You can achieve this by clearing out your home office or making a spare bedroom. The room should also be made in the kitchen cabinets for storing baby food, bottles, or other items that your child will need. You should also obtain various equipment that your child will need like highchairs, bottles, car seat, diapers, beds, toys or a desk to complete school work.
3. Preparing for delivery of the newborn
The preparation for the baby’s delivery involves attending classes that will teach you how to breathe during labor, how to breast-feed, or how to handle your newborn baby. You should speak to your health care provider to get referrals for the kind of classes you should take to prepare for your newborn. You should also park the vital items that are required during the birthing process such as extra clothing for changing, cameras and other personal items.
4. Don’t take the doctors’ word for it
According to Stewart L. Cohen, it is crucial to have a contact information for the doctors and health providers whom you trust. Keep a careful record of the procedures and practices recommended by healthcare professionals, and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions and get second opinions. While most healthcare professionals are honest and competent, birth injuries are serious and should be guarded against with due diligence.
5. Line up help for after the birth
During the first postpartum weeks, extra help will be valuable. Mothers who do receive help are usually better equipped to assist their babies. You can arrange for a relative to come and support during that period. The relatives will provide much-needed help in laundry, cooking, shopping, cleaning or running errands.
In spite of the level of research and reading that you might do, you should understand that you cannot totally prepare for the challenges that come with pregnancy and new baby. Parenthood usually affects different people differently, so it is impossible to predict how it will affect you physically, emotionally and every other way.