The moment when you get the news that you are expecting your entire life starts changing from that moment. Parenthood is a beautiful journey and you do not start it knowing everything about raising a child. But, from the moment you realize that you’re about to take care of another human being, you start to panic. Babies are not like your pets, they require constant attention and care. Therefore, in the months before your child is born, there is a lot of strategic planning and chaos around the home. You and your partner will no doubt be reading all kinds of books and asking other parents for advice and tips. Everything will be done to ensure that when the baby is born, there is no issue.
However, while you do some planning for after the birth of your child, you might want to backtrack a little. Before your baby comes into the world, there are many important decisions to make. From the nursery to clothing and feeding, you have to update yourself on anything and everything. While each parent has their own way of dealing with the pre-birth stage, there are some cool and fun ways you can prepare yourself until your child is born.
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The Initial Stage: How to Cope
It is no secret that new parents often find it hard to cope with their changing circumstances. There are some easy ways to stay calm and deal with your situation, even if you are worried about your first child. One of the main ways of handling yourself is by making a proper checklist. This entails a summary of everything you want to do before the baby is born and how much time you want to do it. The list could contain grocery items, home renovations, details of a baby shower and other things you want to get done. Making a list allows you to stay busy and out of your head until your child is actually born. It is also a good way of rationalizing your thoughts and staying on top of things even when you are worried out of your mind.
There are some other ways you can prepare for the birth of your baby. They allow you to have a fixed set of instructions and tasks that will make the post-birth process simple. So, without further ado, you can take help from the following five ways to prepare for childbirth:
Buying Clothes
Whether you are thinking about going for a kids clothes sale or simply want to have some items lying around for the baby, this is always a good idea. New parents tend to wait on purchasing baby clothes until birth but that can be stressful and less efficient. Babies grow like crazy each week so it is better to stock up on winter and summer clothing in a variety of sizes so that you are not caught off guard. Your child deserves proper care so ensure that you have their clothing all ready to go when they come into the world. You can choose clothes for both boys and girls in all colors to adhere to a gender-neutral theme. Buying on sale is also a great option as babies will grow very fast and you can save more money this way.
Getting a Crib
Another issue that new mothers tend to face is separation anxiety. It is common and expected as pregnant women spend nine months in close proximity to their kids. Therefore, after the birth, they want to maintain that closeness. However, this cannot be the case and one needs to start preparing for the baby sleeping on their own. It is better to get a crib and set it up so you do not get used to keep the baby in your arms 24/7 and allow yourself room to breathe. You can check your options online or even go to IKEA to look at the kinds of cribs available. The idea is to get something that is not too big but also not too small. Be sure to check out state of the art options that are sturdy and safe for your future child.
Painting the Nursery
A good way to lessen your anxiety and giving yourself a creative outlet is by focusing on your baby’s nursery. If you haven’t made plans to build one, or if you are simply going to use a spare room for the baby, rethink your decision. A nursey built from the love and care of your parents can have many positive impacts on a kid’s life. Therefore, you can spend your time choosing colors and schemes to come up with a stunning nursery. When the baby comes, you will have a room ready for its arrival. If you are not aware of the gender of your child, you could always go with some cool gender-neutral colors and do a modern twist on it. Besides this, using artwork and themes are great to stimulate the baby’s mind before it even learns how to speak, so be sure to incorporate that as well.
Pick a Pediatrician
If you have not already arranged for a doctor for your child, now is the time to do so. You can do a simple Google search about the best pediatricians in your area, or even asks friends and family about the doctors they trust. This is important because any sort of situation could arise where your baby gets ill and you need to have a doctor who can help immediately. This is a good thing to get out of the way before the baby’s birth as its entire medical history will be on file with one doctor. This will make things so much easier for you and your partner. You can even have a consultation during your pregnancy before making a decision.
Recording the Moments of Your Pregnancy
Your pregnancy is a beautiful time where you sit and reflect on life. Since your child will not know your experience, it is a good idea to record special moments and then show them to your kid when they grow up. You can create a flipbook with your partner and use pictures and designs to decorate it. Next to these items you can add quotes and feelings from a particular day and record it forever. This is not only a wonderful present for your coming child but also a good way to hold on to memories.
Conclusion
In the end, you know better than anyone how to deal with pregnancy jitters and calm yourself. You can definitely take the advice given up to spend your time wisely before the baby comes. However, also make sure to get lots of rest and spend time with your partner to relish the moments you have.
