Katina Z. Jones - Bottles, Budgets, and Birthplans: What You Really Need to Know to Get Ready for Baby

Bottles,
Budgets,
and
Birthplans

What You Really
Need to Know to
Get Ready for Baby

Prepare for delivery
Choose a pediatrician
Baby-proof the house
Outfit the nursery
Enjoy your new arrival

KATINA Z. JONES WITH VINCENT IANNELLI, MD

Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2009 by F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by
Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

Contains materials adapted and abridged from The Everything Get Ready for BabyBook, 2nd Edition by Katina Z. Jones, 2007 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59869-402-2, ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-402-4; and The Everything Get Readyfor Baby Book by Katina Z. Jones, 1998 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-55850-844-9, ISBN 13: 978-1-55850-844-6.

ISBN 10: 1-60550-097-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-097-3
eISBN: 978-1-44052-025-9
Printed in Canada.

J I H G F E D C B A

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is available from the publisher.

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Contents

Introduction

First of all, congratulations! You are on your way toward welcoming a beautiful new person into the world, expanding your family with the addition of a sweet, curious baby who is sure to brighten your days with each new experience you explore together.

If youre like most parents, youve got lots of questions about your developing little one and the year ahead. How can I plan for my babys arrival? Should I breastfeed? Will I bond with my baby? Where can I find a playgroup? Are cloth diapers or disposable diapers better? How will I know what to do?

One of the great things about these nine months is that youve got some time to figure it all out! Bottles, Budgets, andBirthplans: What You Really Need to Know to Get Ready for Baby is your resource for pregnancy and beyond, answering some of the questions most frequently asked by new parents and offering advice to those for whom this baby may be number two, three... or five! It provides 280 tips and tricksone for each day of your pregnancyto help you stay informed and get excited for babys big debut. Youll get ideas for decorating the nursery, tips for finding a great daycare provider you can trust (or determining that you will stay home with your baby), recommendations for choosing a pediatrician, suggestions for how Dad can bond with baby, tricks for giving your post-pregnancy social life a boost, and more.

As parents, embrace your roles with a sense of humor, an open mindand most importantlyLOTS of love, and get ready for the adventure of your lives! Whether youre singing to your baby in month two, decorating the nursery in month six, getting ready for labor in month nine, or taking your baby to the zoo for the first time, youre building an unbreakable bond with a special being only you and your partner could have brought into the world. Enjoy it!

Part 1

Youre Pregnant!
Now What?

Once your doctor confirms your pregnancy, youll likely receive a due date, and then the countdown begins. While nine months sounds like a long time to get ready for your babys arrival, youll be surprised at how quickly the time passes. In just three trimesters, youll have so many decisions to makefrom what to name the baby and where to give birth to how, when, and with whom youll share the baby. You might even need to make some decisions regarding how or when youll return to work once the baby is born.

There are lots of practical concerns as well. For instance, where in your home will you make room for babyand how exactly will you decorate the babys room? How will you go about babyproofing your home, and what changes will you and your husband or partner need to make to your lifestyle in order to be the best parents?

1. Get Organized

Once you settle down from your state of euphoria, its time to start thinking about what you need to do next. Sit down, grab a pen, and start making a to-do listchances are, once you start telling everyone the good news, youll be too excited to stay focused on your next steps! To really stay on top of things, make several lists, including Appointments, Calls to Make, Budget Issues, Insurance Policy Review, and Parental Leave Policy Review. Some newly expectant moms even keep a journal with tabs for each of these items so that they can keep a running record of information throughout their pregnancies. This is one of the best ways to stay organized, and its something you can carry with you to your doctors office.

2. Take Your Vitamins

Naturally, youll want to be sure that youre doing everything possible to ensure the healthy development of your baby starting with making your first doctors appointment. At (or even before) your first office visit, your doctor will likely tell you to start taking prenatal vitamins immediately. This you will do to help meet the extra nutritional requirements necessary for a healthy pregnancy; also, the folic acid in each vitamin will go a long way toward helping to prevent spina bifida. If youre taking any medications, ask your doctor which are safe to continue taking and which youll need to either discontinue or modify until after babys arrival. Dont make any assumptions, especially if this is your first-ever pregnancy.

mommy info

Be sure to schedule your first appointment with your obstetrician as soon as possible. That way, you can be sure to get a good start on prenatal vitamins and you can get answers to any questions about what lies ahead in the months leading up to your babys birth. Come prepared with your list, and take lots of notes.

3. Spread the News Carefully

In the first few days after you learn that youre pregnant, you may be so excited about the news that you want to shout it from rooftopsor tell everyone you see. However, its often best to wait at least until your pregnancy is confirmed by your doctor. Some expectant moms choose to wait even longer, until the end of the first trimester, since miscarriage rates drop after that time.