Parental Playground

What to do once you are expecting!

So now that you are finally pregnant, what now? Below are some basic guidelines to get you started on a healthy, happy and less stressful road through pregnancy.

MOTHER-TO-BE:

As soon as feasible:
• See a doctor:
• Tell doctors if you do or don't want to know the sex - it's nice to know the sex before birth so you can buy the right color clothes, etc. - it's nice to not know the sex before birth so you can experience the traditional surprise at birth

Regularly:
• See a doctor:
• Pelvic exams
• Sonogram (ultrasound)
• Non-stress test
• Eat properly - good nutrition helps speed up labor and helps you get through labor without getting exhausted
• Take pre-natal vitamins
• Posture - keep ear, shoulder and hip in vertical line
• Kegel exercises - can help you relax during labor
• Exercise - can lead to shorter labor
• Approx 5 times a day, while sitting or standing, rotate shoulder blades forward (be aware that after the third month of pregnancy, doing exercises lying on your back could compress major blood vessels and restrict circulation due to the weight of the enlarging uterus)
• Exercise video
• Decide whether to breast-feed your baby

FATHER-TO-BE/COACH:

Regularly:
• Remind mother-to-be to do Kegel exercises

PARENTS-TO-BE:

• Be aware that miscarriages are fairly common, so consider holding off telling most people and making permanent changes until later in the pregnancy
• Pick a doctor:
  • When is doctor on duty and how would you be able to get ahold of him/her at different times, e.g., weekends, at night.
• Put reminders on bathroom mirror, refriderator, over sink, in car, etc. to do Kegel exercises
• Take childbirth classes - can help reduce the pain experienced during childbirth and/or help you deal with it better - even if you plan to have an epidural, it won't be administered until 5 centimeters dilations, so you'll have to deal with the first half of first-stage labor no matter what - an epidural usually won't entirely remove the pain...just dull your senses - will usually reduce the length of labor
• Pick a hospital:
  • Is an anesthesiologist available around the clock?
  • Is neo-natal care available around the clock?
  • 15 minutes or less to surgery?
  • Blood transfusions readily available?
  • Monitoring equipment available?
  • Lab services available around the clock?
  • Is staff well-trained?
• Learn CPR (especially CPR for infants)
• Buy:
  • Supportive bra (for use before and after birth)
  • Items on the Hospital Bag Checklist and New Baby Checklist
• Get to know your neighbors and join groups - so you will have people who can help you during your pregnancy (e.g., advice) and after the birth (e.g., babysitting)
• Consider hiring someone to help with watching the baby, laundry, meals, answering phone, etc.
• Ensure you have adequate term life insurance on you (the parents-to-be), especially incoming-producing parents (consider getting approx. five times the parents' annual income for the first child, plus an additional four times for each additional child or dependent, up to a maximum of approx. 12 times)
• Make arrangements for child care for when you go back to work and/or for emergencies
• Invest money for your child's college education, e.g., in an aggressive growth fund
• For a customized, day-by-day calendar that provides you with helpful information about your pregnancy and describes how your baby is developing, visit parentsoup.com

Regularly:
• Ensure baby gets plenty of stimulation (touching, sound (e.g., talking, music)) - to stimulate the growth of nerve cells in baby's brain

If considering an abortion:
• Consider having the baby instead and putting the baby up for adoption

If you move during your pregnancy:
• Get medical records from hospital/ obstetrician/ pediatrician