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Pregnancy - Planning and preparing

Once your baby arrives, you will really have your hands full, so it pays to plan ahead. There are many things you will need to care for your newborn, and there are many things you can do while you are still pregnant to make your life easier down the road.

First you need to think of all of the things you will need. First and foremost, you need a good doctor for your newborn. Make sure you find one that you like and trust.

You will also need to prepare your home for the new arrival. If you already have children, this may mean giving them a talk about what to expect, and explaining to them that you are going to be very busy caring for their new brother or sister.

It also means basic considerations like deciding where the baby will sleep. Some people want the baby to share a bed with them at first (cosleeping). Think about if your bed is large enough or suitable for this. If you do go this route, you should talk to your doctor and read up on safe cosleeping. Then there are cosleepers with dividers, cosleeping bassinets, regular bassinets, and of course cribs.

You will also want a good supply of newborn jumpers and sleepers, cotton undershirts, socks, hats, receiving/swaddling blanket and another warm blanket, possibly a snowsuit, a baby thermometer, a car seat, newborn diapers, wipes, moisture barrier such as a zinc based cream or vaseline, a baby towel, face cloths, mild baby soap and a baby bath. If you are going to be using formula, it's a good idea to have a one week supply on hand.

Other items you may want include:

-nursing bras and pads

-baby bottles if you know you are going to be formula feeding or pumping breast milk

-a breast pump if you won't always be able to breastfeed on demand

-a breastfeeding pillow

-cotton swabs

-a night light

-a pram for getting fresh air and soothing baby

-a pacifier

-a baby monitor if baby will be sleeping outside of your room

-a sling or baby carrier for keeping baby close to you when you are puttering around the house

-a mobile or other suitable toy for baby to look at (newborns are attracted to high contrast black and white toys or shiny objects)

Other things you should do before baby arrives include cleaning up your house, removing excess dust and decluttering. This will make your life much easier. Another important tip is to have plenty of easy to prepare foods, frozen foods, etc. You will be exhausted from having to feed baby every 3 hours or so for the first few weeks. The less grocery shopping and cooking you have to do, the better. Just make sure your food is healthy, because you'll need lots of energy and your nutrition will also affect the quality of your breastmilk.

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