Guest Post: Katie Moore
Getting
Ready for a New Baby
Preparing
for a new baby can be a very fun and exciting process while an expectant mother
prepares her mind, body and home for a new addition to her family. Here are a
few tips for helping a woman get ready for the great journey leading to motherhood.
Fostering
a Healthy Baby
First
and foremost, it's important for expectant mothers to take care of their
health. The baby will pull all the
nutrients he or she can from the mother's body so good nutrition will go far. Prenatal vitamins promote healthy growth for the baby as it contains folic acid, an
ingredient that encourages healthy brain development. Eliminating as many toxins from the environment will also be
better for mother and baby in the long run. Things like reducing exposure to BPA (found in canned food
and some plastics), eating organic food (as the budget allows) and staying away
from tobacco smoke are healthy choices.
A health care provider can give further advice about what foods and
drinks are safe for a particular woman during pregnancy.
Baby
Gear
When
it comes to all the baby gadgets and gear, all babies truly need is a safe
place to sleep –along with healthy nutrition and a loving family; the rest just
makes life a bit easier. When preparing a nursery, refer to registry lists and
ask other moms what they found helpful or superfluous. Having plenty of
onesies, wipes, powder, gentle lotion and receiving blankets in the nursery are
great items to stock up on early. Other great inventions that help out mom
include breast pumps, bouncers, pacifiers and baby monitors.
Regarding
having a safe place to sleep, it is of the utmost importance to reduce Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome, or SIDS. Baby needs to a
firm mattress in either a crib or bassinet. A fitted sheet should be the only bedding. Blankets and pillows are not safe. Crib bumpers are controversial as some
believe they are suffocation hazards, while others feel they are good
protection against the hard crib rails.
This is a personal choice.
A car seat
is also required for when it’s time to take baby home. They can be intimidating
to install, so stopping by the local fire or police station will ensure this
life-saving device is being utilized properly. The hospital won't let mom leave
with the baby if she doesn’t have an approved car seat!
Being
Prepared for Delivery Day
First time
moms will probably want as must information as possible regarding what will
happen on the day of birth.
Hospitals and clinics offer classes on childbirth, breastfeeding and
infant care. Attending these
classes can reduce fear and manage expectations of what's to come.
Moms will
need an overnight bag to take with them to the hospital. Packing in advance will help make sure
that nothing is forgotten. Items
to include can be clothes for mom to travel home in, clothes for baby to travel
home in, chapstick, music and other items to keep focused during labor, like
movies or pictures.
Some
moms prepare a 'birth' plan that outlines what they want to happen during the
birthing process. Including what
birthing techniques and medicines that they are comfortable with is what the
birth plan is great for. What's
most important is to relax and take someone you trust to go through the process
with you.
In planning
for delivery, thinking about post-delivery optional procedures is also
important. Choices concerning circumcision and cord blood banking are important
options to bring up with your doctor in advance of the big day so proper
preparations can be made. Cord blood banking is where the umbilical cord blood is
collected as soon as the baby is born and sent to a private facility for storage.
Families choose to save their child’s cord blood as a potential medical
resource for the family to be used in the future to treat an illness that
affect the family.
With
these steps considered or followed, a mother can feel better prepared and more
relaxed about the changes that delivery day will bring; the most important one
being a new baby!
Katie Moore wrote this
article. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses
maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this
niche. If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie
please contact by visiting her blog, Moore From Katie or her
twitter @moorekm26.
