If you’re an expecting mother, you want to make sure that you take actions so that you don’t run into problems when you eventually go into labor. You might not know exactly how you should proceed when you’re having your first child, though. Inform yourself on what to do before delivering a baby with these tips.
Make Arrangements with Your Hospital
Making arrangements with a hospital is vital when preparing for the delivery of your baby. After settling on a hospital to use, you should pre-register with it. Then, you can figure out transportation and where to enter when the day of birth arrives. Obtain the phone numbers of your health care provider so that you can easily contact them whenever you need to. Creating a birth plan and giving this to your doctor ahead of time is also necessary. Within the plan, you can describe your desires regarding how the doctor and medical team carry out the procedure.
Pack Your Hospital Supply Bag
A hospital supply bag will hold the belongings you may want or need before and after delivery. Without it, you might feel much more uncomfortable during those times. This is why packing it is part of what to do before delivering a baby. Just what goes into the hospital bag, though? Although it can vary somewhat from person to person, here are some items that you’ll probably be glad to have:
- ID, health insurance documents, hospital documents, and any other related papers
- Comfortable clothes such as a soft robe, socks, and slippers
- Nursing bra and pads
- Your essential toiletries like a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant
- Lip balm
- Your phone charger
- Snacks
Decide on Saving Cord Blood
Following your baby’s birth, you can have your doctor save the blood from the leftover umbilical cord. The reason why you may want to bank cord blood is that it contains stem cells that can act in treatments of blood diseases, should your child need them in the future. If you want to have that precaution in place, you should get in touch with a blood bank that will preserve those stem cells well before delivery. They’ll send you the materials that your doctor will use to collect the cord blood and they’ll also come pick it up from the hospital. Not everyone knows this, and some miss out on this opportunity as a result.
