Guest Post ~ Before Bringing Home Baby

Pregnancy is a beautiful experience for many women, even if the delivery aspect of it may seem daunting and a little scary. In fact for most women childbirth is easier more often than not, and knowing what to expect before the big day arrives should help make it even easier.

Before Baby

In the weeks leading up to a baby’s due date it’s important for women to familiarize themselves with delivery day related things, such as how long to wait before going to the hospital, what to do if their water breaks and whether or not she wants a natural birth or one with an epidural. Most hospitals require expecting mothers to fill out paperwork requesting an epidural when registering for birth so it doesn’t have to be filled it out in the middle of giving birth. However, women are free to change their mind about the epidural at any time.

There are many other considerations for expecting parents before their baby arrives. For example, it is becoming a popular trend for parents to use a cord blood bank. Cord blood banking is the process of saving a newborn’s umbilical cord blood for the stem cells contained within. Stem cells harvested from the umbilical cord may be used later in life to possibly help treat the child, or a sibling, if a medical need arises.

The Unexpected

As challenging as it may be, women should try to remain calm on delivery day. Like with many moments in life, certain things just cannot be predicted. Fortunately, having a back up plan can be a simple solution to something unexpected. For example, women should try to have a secondary mode of transportation to the hospital in case the primary driver is too far away when she goes into labor. Also, to avoid stopping to get gas on the way to the hospital, it’s a good idea to try and keep the gas tank filled in the weeks leading up to delivery.

The Big Day

Due dates can be predicted by doctors, but there’s no way to determine exactly when the baby will come. Any time after 37 weeks and before 42 weeks a mother could go into labor. Contractions may start early, but an expecting mother may not be going into labor just yet. There is no mistaking real contractions; however, knowing how to time them and what the stages of labor are is vital. A doctor, childbirth education classes, and baby books may provide pregnant women with information regarding the stages of labor and, what to look for during contractions and approximately what stage she is in at any given time.

"This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche. If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26."