Pregnancy 101: Preparing For Childbirth

Congratulations on your pregnancy! You're about to embark on one of the most amazing and life-changing experiences known to humankind. However, there are a lot of things to prepare for before your little one arrives. So for the next nine months, you will have plenty of time to do so, but there are some things that are a bit more important than others. So today, we are sharing the most essential items that you should prepare for before your due date!

Mentally Prepare and Process The Upcoming Changes

It's important to give yourself time. Prepare your mind for the changes that are about to happen, and don't rush into things. Make sure you have enough time to get everything ready, especially if you've never been pregnant before. It can be overwhelming trying to get everything done at once, so try not to get overwhelmed by all of it if possible! Speak with your partner about how you feel, ask for help from family and friends if you need it, remember that being pregnant is a lot of work (especially in the beginning), and pace yourself throughout this journey ahead.

Financially Prepare For Your Baby

Planning and preparing for childbirth and your new baby can be extremely challenging and even overwhelming for some new parents-to-be, especially when it comes to finances. As your family grows, so do your expenses; that’s why you must begin planning and budgeting before the stork delivers your special little package. Here are some tips on preparing financially for the baby:

Know your budget and stick to it.
Start a new savings account and cut out unnecessary expenses.
Make sure that you are covered under health insurance.
Talk to your employer about maternity/paternity leave so you can set aside a separate savings for the time you will be away from work.

As part of this plan, make sure that you have enough money set aside to pay for childcare during the first few years of your child's life if necessary (keep in mind that Medicaid only covers certain services). Plan ahead for how much you'll need once your children become students; this may mean saving up over several years' worth of income taxes during their youth so they can attend college without having any loans when they graduate from high school or university–yes, this is far, far in the future, but before you know it, these 18 years will fly and college will be here.

Make The House Baby-Friendly

Setting up the nursery in advance is a huge help. You will have time to get used to having your baby in the house and can start feeling more comfortable before you need to go through that process. You will want a place for your baby to sleep, play, eat, bathe and change diapers. This could be a crib or bassinet. It might also be a bedside co-sleeper or bassinet that attaches right next to your bed so you can keep an eye on them at night (it’s not necessary but many parents do it).

Research, Research, and More Research!

Reading parenting books and doing research on the internet are great ways to prepare for childbirth. The internet can be a valuable resource, but it can also be overwhelming and misleading. If you want to learn more about breastfeeding, talk with other nursing moms or your doctor about their experiences. They can help you figure out if breastfeeding is right for you, how long you should breastfeed, and how much work it will really take!

Have a Solid Birth Plan in Place

It's essential to come up with a birthing plan before your baby gets here, because there are many decisions that need to be made months before your due date. For example, will you be having a home birth or a hospital birth? Will you use a midwife or a doctor? And more importantly, will you donate or preserve your child’s stem cells? By choosing to store the cord blood with a private cord blood bank like AlphaCord, you are preserving your baby's stem cells for your newborn and family for possible future use. A baby is a 100% match to their own stem cells, which can be used to treat non-genetic diseases and cancers. They can also be used for siblings and family members. Treatments using a family member's cells can be twice as successful as those of a non-relative donor. The reason why you must decide if you plan on using a private stem cell bank is because there are storage fees involved–whereas public donation is free, but there are also setbacks for that (read the full blog for donating vs. preserving cord blood here).

Understand That You Are Not Alone

Once you've learned how to navigate pregnancy, the next step is to prepare for your new baby. This can be a stressful time, but it's important to remember that you're not alone—you have a team of people working hard for you and your child! The most important thing to do is ask for help as soon as possible. If you start feeling overwhelmed by all the choices in front of you, or if one task seems too much on its own (for example: preparing paperwork), ask someone else to handle it while letting them know what needs to be done. The sooner they know what they're doing and where they need information from/about/to, the quicker everything will get done. They'll also be able to offer advice along the way so that their experience with newborns is useful for everyone involved! If possible, try asking questions about other families' experiences with similar situations before making major decisions, such as whether or not breastfeeding will work well enough in this situation because there are many factors that can affect this decision (such as personal preference).

Conclusion

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when preparing for childbirth and your baby’s arrival. It will be stressful at times, but the rewards are well worth it. We wish you good luck and hope that this guide has been helpful! If you would like more information on stem cell banking with a trusted private bank, contact AlphaCord today!

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