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When you first heard the news that you were going to be parents, you were probably completely overcome with emotion. The thought of creating a little clone of yourself and bringing it into the world for all to gaze at is something everybody wants – even those that say they don’t! In the space of a few minutes, you imagined how cute their little faces will be when you first meet them. You then went on to imagine all of the fun you’ll be getting up to. You’ll probably even wondered what they’ll be like as they make a life for themselves in a couple of decades!
That was then and this is now, however, and the arrival of the newborn is drawing ever closer. The time you’ve been waiting for is almost upon you – a new chapter of your life is about to begin. It’s totally natural and normal for you to be feeling super nervous if you are – you are about to welcome an entirely new human into the world, after all! All along the way, you’ve probably been preparing for the welcome in some way or another, but when the actual day arrives, there’s nothing quite like it.
I don’t want to overwhelm you, but this is the most responsible job in the world, so you’re going to have to be switched on nearly all of the time. That focus should’ve already, and you should be readily prepared for what’s about to happen in the coming days/weeks! If you feel as though you’re missing a few parts or if you haven’t really gotten ready for it yet, let’s go through a few things you should be doing in preparation of the big day.
Learn!
Over the past few months, you and your partner have probably taken in a whole lot of information, but there’s always more you can feed your brain with. You’re about to be taking full care of a tiny human for the next few years, so make sure you know everything there is to know. A lot of the knowledge you’ll receive will come with experience – you’ll still be learning stuff when they’re a teenager! But it’s good to get as much as possible now. Imagine how difficult it would be should you have little know-how.
Make A Birth Plan
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to write out exactly what you’d like to happen during and after birth. It’s a personal thing, so you can plan out whatever you want – within reason. In this plan, you can tell the midwife and the doctors how you’d like things to go. You’ll include things like the pain relief if you choose to use it, how much contact you’ll have with the baby afterwards, the method itself, and a bunch of other stuff. If you’re having any trouble with it, you can always get the midwife to help you out one day.
Get Everything Bought!
When you’re home, you’ll need to have everything you need there waiting for you. You can’t rely on the doctors and the hospital to provide all of the necessities for you, so you’ve got to head to the store and do some purchasing. Here is a list of baby essentials if you feel as though you’re missing something. Things like a baby monitor and gates are the kind of baby products you should be thinking about.
Try To Keep Mellow
It can be a super stressful time for everyone involved. Even though it’s a magical event, the feelings our bodies go through and the anxiety we struggle with simply can’t be avoided most of the time. So whilst it’s quite a difficult task, you should try your best to relax and not cause any arguments between yourselves! Healthy and laid back parents will often raise a healthy and laid back child!
Communicate
Whatever the situation, it’s good to talk about it amongst yourselves. Get anything you have to say off your chest. Open dialogue is helpful as you can help each other solve any issues that have reared their ugly faces. If you two are still struggling, then you can always talk to extended family members and ask for advice before any problem grows larger.
Document It!
You don’t have to be a celebrity or a video whiz to want to record down the pregnancy and the eventual arrival. It could be a fun little exercise for you two to add a little more excitement to the occasion. You could end up looking back on it in twenty years with nothing but fondness!
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