Oh the joy and anticipation of that BIG day! Every moment that passes by you relish the thoughts of extreme jubilation of finally getting to meet the new love of your life for whom you’ve been praying for. As the weeks wind down and the final few days are nearing closure your emotions are off the Richter- scale. Your mind races as you try to avoid anxiety. Am I really ready? Do I have what it takes? This is a ginormous responsibility!
Calm down, don’t stress! You can do this! Take deep breaths and level your emotions. As you already know this whole pregnancy journey can be an emotional roller-coaster anyway. Nothing helps eliminate and eradicate anxiety like doing the following three things>>> Planning, Preparing & Praying.
Outside of choosing the perfect names, creating baby registries, and picking out color schemes for the nursery there are critical, bare necessities that need to take place which are vital to your successful transition into parenthood.
BEFOREHAND:
· Program all important numbers on your cell phone and by every home/ work phone. ie: Fire, ambulance, doctor’s office, doctor’s personal cell phone, Dual/Midwife’s number, hospital, birthing center, etc.
· Write, print and pack your birthing plan. Also keep a backup one filed electronically on the cloud or google docs or the like.
· Take several test drives to know your best route. Have the address already programed into your navigation service.
· Get a tour of the hospital/birthing center ahead of time. Complete the orientation to familiarize yourself with the proper admittance procedures.
· Schedule/take Birthing, Breastfeeding and Infant CPR Classes. Your local hospitals will offer these services.
· Setup your infant’s car the seat. You can even get it installed by the fire department ahead of time.
· Have your bags packed with all your essentials.
· Stash Cash for the unexpected in addition to having a savings account for your baby.
· Shop, stock, and store essentials items in an organized manner so helping hands will find it easy to serve.
· Loosely think through a breastfeeding schedule as the infant will mainly dictate the initial feedings.
· Get plenty of rest and drink ample fluids daily as you never know when the special hour will happen.
· Setup nursery for your bundle of joy! Baby should be the first thing you see when you enter the room so position the crib accordingly.
After Arrival:
Upon the arrival of your sweet baby here are a few tips for the first 7,000 hours of life.
Bonding with Baby and drinking ample fluids is crucial to nursing. Always talk or sing to baby unless it’s a night time feeding and you don’t want to stimulate an awake state.
· Breastfeed: as soon as possible after birth. Keep nurses from administering a bottle or pacifier.
· Burp Baby over your: shoulder, hand or knees.
· Diaper changing: Have everything in arm’s length before starting. Don’t cover umbilical cord. Talk or sing to baby. Never leave baby alone. Always keep hand on baby.
· Bathing: Sponge bathe baby with warm water. (This can be done on changing table.) Clean umbilical cord with alcohol and cotton swab. Never clean ears or nose with q-tip. Talk or sing to baby. After navel falls off you can submerge baby in warm water. Check temperature using your elbow. Hold baby securely while bathing.
· Solid Foods: Introduce one at a time. Use this order ~ cereal, vegetables, fruits, entrée meals with meats at various stages of development. Refer to your pediatrician.
· Monitor: Your baby at all times via audio or visual/audio. Not in a panic mode but to help you recognize your baby’s patterns. Baby Monitors allow you to understand the needs of your baby with ease.
SICKNESS/INJURY:
If child is sick have this information ready before phoning the doctor:
· Temperature
· Changes in behavior
· Changes in eating/sleeping patterns
· Symptoms ~ coughing, vomiting, sneezing, excessive crying etc.
Temperature: Take temperature under arm and call doctor only if temperature I s100.5 or over.
Fever: Never give newborn meds before talking with doctor.
Gas: Burp baby more vigorously. Watch your diet. Don’t eat things that cause indigestion.
Choking: Symptoms of choking are >>>Wide eyes, Bluish Color, Inability to Breathe or cry.
Never stick finger in child’s mouth as you could cause further blockage. Let child cough it up. If he/she is coughing don’t pat on back as this could exasperate it. If not able to cough or is making a high pitch noise when breathing then begin CPR. Don’t stop CPR until relieved by a professional or unless baby coughs up object or is breathing on his/her own.
Burn: Remove any clothing from burned area quickly. Burned arms or legs should be put in cool water. Other parts of body immediately apply a wash cloth dipped in cool water. Call doctor as soon as possible. Don’t use any ointment, grease or powder. Don’t touch blisters. Follow doctor’s instructions.
Fall: If baby falls from changing table or bed be prepared to answer certain questions. For example: How high was the fall? What kind of surface did baby hit? Is there a bump or bruise? Where exactly is it? Did baby lose consciousness? Did baby cry immediately? Is he/she behaving normally now? Has he vomited or gotten sleepy since the injury/fall?
POSTPARTUM SELF-CARE:
Honor your body’s need for sleep. Schedule your sleep times. Sleep when baby naps if at all possible. If you can get helper while you nap that would be nice too. Power down your electronics for a deep rest.
· Let people bring you meals. The less you have to do the better in the initial days.
· Shower daily. Trust me this will have never felt so therapeutic!
· Keep hydrated and remember to eat. Boy is this easy to forget.
· Get some fresh air by taking walks outdoors. Take on the solitude of Nature.
· Begin journaling or at least bullet pointing key milestones or gratitude notices on a calendar.
· Ask for and accept help. Let your tribe support your Team Baby Mission. Delegate tasks. Take full advantage of those who want to help you in this season.
· Read. Read. Read. Equip yourself with knowledge as this is a time of learning how to become.
· Take in the moments. Reflect. Practice mindfulness. Relax! You’ve got this!
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