To-Do List For Welcoming Your Little Wonder

Expecting a baby? Here are some to-do’s which can equip you to welcome your little one without being hassled. It is usually that time when we feel pressurized and get goose bumps thinking about how smooth our delivery period will be. We tend to plan, plan and plan but we end up getting stumped when the doctor raises an alarm alerting a last minute complication. When I was due for the first time, however well I was prepared to face the labor I did have nervous pangs when I was in the delivery process. As well-informed couples, we tend to almost manage and leave no stone unturned but when the “the moment” arrives it is totally up to nature to send us into a last minute frenzy.

Here is a list of some to-dos which will help you ensure that you are almost prepared to welcome the new member:

1. Medical check and records: Ensure that the medical file which maintains a record of your health and the baby’s progress during the gestation period filed up to date. Needless to say, ensure the monthly, fortnightly and weekly checks are done. This helps as the doctor is assured of your case and also tells you the position of the baby as the due date gets closer.
2. Delivery bag: When you enter the last leg of your eighth month, keep the delivery bag ready. This is the time when you are less anxious and well aware about the things that could go wrong. Apart from carrying your kit it is ideal to carry the basic clothes that your baby will need. Keep it ready and you just have to pick up the bag when you have to rush to the hospital.
3. Fuel tank fill-up: As the date gets closer so does your anxiety. Ensure that your vehicle fuel tank is full and also ensure that you have a back-up mode of transport ready to take you to the hospital safely. Also keep your vehicle up and working so that it does not give you a surprise on your way to the hospital.
4. Know your pain: As the due date draws closer it is natural for your mind to plays games, especially if you are a first time mom. Even a small muscle pull may make you raise a false alarm. Be sure of the type of pain and stay calm. The birth process is a gradual one so it may not escalate until you ignore the initial signals.
5. Home sanitation: Yes, it is important to keep your house germ and dust free. The crib, the drapes and the common areas need to be cleaned and should be dust free so that the new mom and baby are not prone to cough and cold.
6. Financials: Ensure you have your bank accounts set right before you welcome the little one. At the first steps like hospitalization, discharge or may be any untold exigency, it is good to have liquidity as you don’t want to run around for cash when in need.
7. Back up roles: In most Indian families, we have both set of parents available to take care of the child and mother after delivery which makes lives far easier. In case of absence of this support, look out for options to manage other responsibilities when you and your partner are tied up with the baby. In case you have a child to take care of back home ensure that the support is hands-on with the responsibility of your kid such that the child is not ignored.
8. Comforting your older kid: When I delivered my second child it took me an hour to come out of the operation theater. Till then my son who was barely six years of age kept peeping in the passage of the OT and got restless as he couldn’t see me for a long time. They undergo a huge anxiety and insecurity, they wonder if you are safe or is something being hidden from them. My husband cuddled him and assured that all is well with his mom.
9. Post-partum diet: Before you enter your ninth month, load your groceries to the brim and entrust your house help with their assigned responsibilities so that you can rest for a month or two without worry. Eat well to recuperate from the energy lost in the birth process.

These are some of the points which I think are very important to make you go through the hospitalization a smooth sail process. Keep these in mind and enjoy your new job role. Happy parenting!!

Moushumi says- After 12 years of banking experience, I chose to take a sabbatical for my two doting kids and be an enterprising mother. I am a finance graduate and have studied creative writing for the love of language, I only feel passionate about my interest in writing . I love traveling and writing about places visited and every thought that fascinates me. All this can be read in my blog Life Bytes.