New parents should know that preparing for labor means more than just packing your hospital bag. Preparation for this wonderful and important day starts from the early signs of pregnancy, especially when you are already into your third trimester. If this is your first child, you would not want to panic as you venture into the unknown when your new baby is about to be herald into this world, and realise that you have forgotten this and that. So for a less stressful childbirth and delivery, it helps to plan ahead as there would be a million and one things to do once the baby is born.
Hence you should develop a checklist for pregnancy week by week at the early stage. And start ticking off item by item as to what you should be preparing yourself for when you are coming close to 35 weeks pregnant. Retain you sanity by being prepared in advance. And get a couple of good baby care books, parenting books, pregnancy books, or prenatal exercise books to prepare yourself, and you may want to know the signs of real labour versus false labour as well.
What Do Prenatal Classes Offer?
It is literally speaking – back to school! Prenatal class during pregnancy will prepare both the dad and mum for the eventual child birth and the caring of your baby. Such classes are also bonding sessions for mother and child, and for the father to be more involved in the pregnancy stages. These classes typically offers pregnancy tips, pregnancy guide, pregnancy facts and pregnancy information to new parents. You might also want to consider courses, talks or seminars on baby care, breastfeeding and even infant CPR.
Attending prenatal class will prepare you to make you feel comfortable and confident in your birth process. You will then be able to better make informed choices on issues such as childbirth options, pain management options during child labour, feeding options and circumcision for your new baby boy or not.
- Childbirth Options: Options include natural birth, water birth or caesarean. These days, water birth is starting to gain popularity.
- Pain Management Options: This is very much dependent on the pain tolerance of the mother. You should discuss this thoroughly with your doctor.
- Feeding Options: Options include bottle feeding, breastfeeding, or a combination of both. Should you decide to do breastfeeding for your baby, you may also want to attend a breastfeeding class and learn how to use a breast milk pump. On the other hand, should you decide to do bottle feeding, there is the ready-to-feed liquid instant formula or powdered baby formula. In addition, you have a choice of cow milk baby formula, organic baby formula, etc.
Through prenatal classes, you will also meet other parents-to-be that can result in parental groups with people going through the same experiences as yourself. It can also provide avenues to establish support system within the group to help one another.
Know the Hospital & Getting There
You will not want to end up panicking and fumbling at the first signs of labour. You should book a hospital tour of the labour ward to familiarize and rehearse yourself to know which routes to take to reach the hospital and traffic conditions through the day, where you should let the pregnant woman alight, where you can park your car, where the labour ward is and what documents you must have with you. For example, it is important to find out where is the door that is still opened for your access into the hospital should you go into labor at 2am in the morning. While on your tour, you should also ask questions like whether your baby will be allowed to sleep in the same room as you are, how many people can be in the delivery room, the hospital and delivery charges, etc. As to what to pack into your hospital bag, please read on to the below section for recommendations.
Pre-registration is good if your hospital or baby center allows for this to be carried out in advance. This minimizes the hassle of paperwork filling when you are in the midst of your labor contractions. In addition, if you have decided on having a caesarean, you will need to make reservation for an appropriate date for the child birth.
What to Prepare at Home for Your New Baby?
One of the first things you need to do is to decide where the baby should be when the new baby is home. Should the baby be sleeping with you, sleeping in your room, or sleeping in a separate room? And if the baby is sleeping in a separate room, which room should it be, and would you be able to hear the baby crying at night or would you need to have a baby monitor instead? The baby monitor is useful as you may not always be by your baby, and it gives you some comfort as you go about doing your daily chores in the house. Once you have decided where, next will be to decorate the baby room.
When decorating the baby room, while you may want to make the room cute and beautiful, do pay attention on the safety aspects and make sure it is practically organised to be of convenience to you. Well, efforts to baby proof or child proof your home will be a continuous journey as the baby grows. In furnishing the baby room, basics will be baby crib / baby cot, baby changing table and a comfortable arm chair or rocking chair for feeding. Do choose an appropriate baby crib or baby cot so that your new baby can be comfortable, and read up about the safety areas to watch out when choosing the baby crib or baby cot.
After you have gotten about preparing your house and the baby room, the next thing is to prepare what to stock up. This is really dependent on what you want, but below is a list to start you thinking.
- Electric breast milk pump / manual breast milk pump (for breastfeeding)
- Baby diapers – disposable vs reusable
- Baby changing mat
- Baby clothes
- Alcohol-free baby wipes
- Baby lotions
- Nappy rash cream (read more on diaper rash / nappy rash)
- Nipple cream (for breastfeeding)
- Baby bath
- Anti colic milk bottles
- Bottle warmer
- Newborn baby formulas
- Baby pacifiers
- Baby toys and Baby musical mobile
- Baby fever pads
- Baby strollers
- Sanitary pads (for the mother)
What to Prepare for the Big Day – Arrival of Your New Baby?
By the third trimester, your baby will definitely be kicking up a storm in your tummy. This is when you want to start paying attention to your baby’s kicks, twitches, punches and the periods when your baby is most active. You will need to monitor your baby’s activities closely to watch for potential signs of stress on your baby that may need your doctor’s attention. And also, to watch for signs of your baby’s impending arrival!
Should your partner be driving, do advise him to keep his vehicle’s petrol tank topped up always. You would not want him to be scrambling to find a petrol station when you are having contractions. In addition, a baby car seat is important as you may not want to compromise the safety of your new baby, and in some countries, enforcement is strict so much so that without one, you may not be able to bring your new baby home. Your new baby is fragile and you should start to take steps to protect it.
Keep important contact numbers readily available with you and your partner as you will never know when you will need them. Know the call procedures especially where it involves services, for example calling for a taxi or cab, or using the GrabTaxi or Uber app. I believe you won’t want to be experimenting with new things when you are having contractions. Below is a list of good to have numbers to get you started.
- Your doctor
- Hospital labour ward
- Taxi or cab booking reservation
- Emergency ambulance (in case you need it)
- Confinement assistant (they don’t come readily available, hence prior arrangements should have being made in advance)
- Pet sitter (if you have pets that need to be looked after)
- Your partner’s office secretary or colleague (in case you can’t reach your partner for whatever reason)
While not entirely critical, you or your partner should get yourself a good high resolution digital camera or high definition video camcorder to capture those precious moments. You would not want to miss those adorable moments of your new baby on his or her arrival into this world, as there is no way that you can have it re-enacted. These are essential equipment for that excellent baby photograph albums or baby flip book to map out the development of your new baby as the baby grows up.
And your hospital bag must be ready to go. You may want to prepare a separate for yourself and the new baby. Your hospital bag should always be readily accessible and you should have the hospital bag with you wherever you go, and when you are at home, keep the hospital bag near to the main doorway. A list of things below for your hospital bag to get you started.
- Hospital and insurance information
- Mobile phone with charger and extra battery
- Comfortable sweater, jacket or cardigan
- Maternity bras, maternity underwear and nursing pads
- Spectacles (if you are wearing contact lens)
- Hairband and / or hair clips
- Coins (for vending machines in hospital or birth centre)
- Camera or video recorder with extra memory card and battery
- High energy snacks for both new mom and dad
- Toiletries and personal items (toothbrush, toothpaste, facial wash, facial cream, moisturising lotion, etc.)
Discuss with your doctor on the child birth options, be it opting for natural birth or caesarean section. Water birth is also starting to gain popularity in some countries, hence you should explore all the possibilities in advance. Besides the childbirth options, you should also address the pain management options with your doctor and learn how the delivery could unfold. While not a decision entirely necessary before child birth, it is best that you understand about breastfeeding and bottle feeding, and have an idea what you would want for your new baby. Do plan your maternity and / or paternity work leave so that you have proper planning ahead.
Last but not least, you should discuss with your partner and your family on the name options for baby registry. There are many online websites that offer suggestions, or simply buy a baby name book to plough through it to select what you think best fit your new arrival!