When you find out you are pregnant, a range of emotions often run through your mind. Initial joy can quickly be replaced by fear and anxiety. This is because whilst expecting a baby can be a wonderful experience, it can also be really stressful too as you try to prepare for your new arrival. Some mothers don’t even plan anything at all until the last minute as at first nine months seems like a really long time. However, you will soon find that the earlier you start preparing for your baby the better. More on Preparing for Your Baby's Arrival
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Anticipating the arrival of a new baby is an exciting experience. There are a number of preparations to be made, and many decisions to make. One of the most important decisions that parents have to make – especially mothers – has to do with the nourishment of the child. A mother must determine whether she will breastfeed her child, or feed her child through the use of a bottle.
I know how difficult that this type of decision is. I have been there, and had to make the decision as well. Here, I will expound on some of the pros and cons related to breastfeeding. I feel that it is important to know and understand these so that you can make a better informed decision overall. More on Breastfeeding - Pros and Cons
Filed under Baby, Breastfeeding, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
by Jennifer Shakeel
Many expectant parents are swept up in the romance of having a new baby. We tend to get so excited over the arrival of baby that we forget to think about the changes that are going to take place, whether we want them to or not. As wonderful as being a new parent is, whether this is your first child or second or third, having a baby will change your life forever.
I think that it is a given that restful nights of sleep are a thing of the past, and for at least one parent, so are regular showers. New parents often sleep two or three hours at a time, because their infant has a bi-hourly or tri-hourly feeding schedule. It often happens that the parent has just fallen asleep only to awake to their infant’s crying. This irregular sleeping schedule changes little throughout the average baby’s first year of life. I laugh at this really; I have three children, the first two slept through the night from the moment they came out. The most recent addition to our family though, has an agenda all her own. Some nights she sleeps through the night, some nights she is up every 45 minutes, other nights she is up ever two or three hours. I have decided that it depends on where the moon is sitting in the sky and the direction of the wind.
More on How a Baby Changes Your Life
While it may seem as though being pregnant for nine months can last for years, especially the last trimester, it really doesn’t. Before you know it your pregnancy will be complete and you will have a beautiful baby boy or girl. The question is, are you ready for baby to come home? Do you have the essentials? I don’t mean the baby’s room necessarily, though a crib or basinet is important, but I do mean the items that you are going to need to take care of your baby once she/he is longer inside you.
Let’s start with the basics, diapers and wipes. Whether you are planning on using cloth diapers or disposable diapers you need to make sure that you have plenty of them on hand. If you are going to use disposable diapers I recommend that you at least have one package of newborn diapers, which typically will fit a baby up to 8 pounds. I wouldn’t go and buy a case of diapers until baby is born and you know his weight, because you don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of diapers that baby can’t wear. As far as wipes go, I always opt for the natural ones that are for sensitive skin. That is just a personal preference.
More on Preparing for Baby: Essentials for Your New Child
by Patricia Hughes
One of the biggest worries during pregnancy is the fear that something is wrong with the baby. Women who experience this fear breathe a sigh of relief during prenatal visits when the baby’s heart beat is heard. Hearing the baby’s heart beat and movements is reassuring for these mothers. There is a way for you to monitor fetal movement at home, with fetal kick counts.More on Doing Kick Counts to Monitor the Baby
by Patricia Hughes
Choosing your baby’s doctor is a big decision. You may want to start thinking about it and checking around before your baby is born. This person will care for your baby for well visits and through illness. You need to find a doctor that has a similar philosophy about infant care and that you are able to communicate with comfortably.
Finding a Pediatrician
There are several sources of information about pediatricians. One good place to get a recommendation is from friends or family members. Ask your friends with babies and young children about their pediatricians. Also ask your obstetrician (OB) for suggestions.
If you are new to the area or don’t have friends with young children, you can ask your health care provider for a recommendation. If you are pregnant, you will be asked for the name of your pediatrician in the hospital. If this is your first pregnancy, the time to shop for a doctor is before the baby arrives.
More on Choosing A Pediatrician For Your Baby
by Patricia Hughes
If your baby is born in a hospital, testing will begin immediately after the birth. Depending on where you live, your baby may be tested for a variety of disorders. In addition to testing, there are several procedures that are common after the birth of a baby. Become familiar with these procedures so you can make decisions and include these in your birth plan.
The baby’s first test is the APGAR. This is done at one and five minutes after the birth to evaluate the baby’s condition. The test was developed by Dr. Virginia Apgar to assess newborns. The test assess five areas to determine baby’s condition at birth. These are Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance and Respiration. Each area is given a score from 0 to 2. The total possible score is 10. Don’t panic if your baby doesn’t have a perfect score; most babies don’t.
More on Newborn Testing - What To Expect
Will it be a boy or a girl? Women having babies today have an option their mothers and grandmothers didn’t have, they can find out the gender of the baby before it is born. Throughout human history, mothers had to wait until the baby was born to discover the gender. With testing such as ultrasound and amniocentesis, you can learn the baby’s gender while you are still pregnant.More on Will You Find Out Your Baby’s Gender?
Picking a baby name can be a daunting and challening task for a parent to be. Every year the social security administration compiles a myrad of information. One piece of information that is useful and interesting to parenting planning a baby is their Top 10 Names. This can be a valuable tool in helping a parent pick their childs name. You can go back over time and enter the year you want along with the ability to request the top 10, 20, 50, 100 or even 1000 names for that particular year. They also provide top names by state, popular twins names. You can visit this tool at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Without further ado, here are the top baby names for 2006:
| Rank | Male name | Female name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob | Emily |
| 2 | Michael | Emma |
| 3 | Joshua | Madison |
| 4 | Ethan | Isabella |
| 5 | Matthew | Ava |
| 6 | Daniel | Abigail |
| 7 | Christopher | Olivia |
| 8 | Andrew | Hannah |
| 9 | Anthony | Sophia |
| 10 | William | Samantha |
Filed under Baby, Baby Names, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
There are so many things to think of during your pregnancy. As you prepare for the birth of your child, no doubt you have already set up a nursery for the new arrival. Between the baby shower and other items you may have purchased, there is no doubt the new baby’s nursery has every possible thing you could think of. Just in case, here are 5 things every nursery needs, and then some.
More on Top 5 Essentials For Every Baby Nursery
