How to Prepare for a Newborn: Essential Tips for First-Time Parents
Oct 21, 2024In a moment, your entire life's course shifts. It's no longer you and your loved one. It's you, your husband, and the life growing inside of you. It feels both as though life is suddenly breathed into you while simultaneously leaving you light headed from the intense and sudden change in direction.
The reality that a tiny, perfect, and god anointed little baby is growing inside your womb and you are now called to love, cherish and raise him or her is a gift beyond measure.
If you feel both nervous and excited... You feel like 99% of parents, so welcome aboard! We're happy to have you here with us on this wild ride. As a mother of five and a parenting consultant (Founder of BeBaby), it is my honour to put together this simple guide to help you prepare for this upcoming journey!
In the following guide we will go over:
- Creating a safe and comfortable nursery
- Stocking up on newborns essentials
- Establishing feeding
- Managing sleep and introducing routines
- Planning for postpartum recovery
- Establishing a support network
Becoming a parent is both the most important thing you will ever you do in your life while also being the most challenging one. Preparation, information and guidance can help turn stress into excitement and increase your confidence.
At BeBaby we provide a multitude of programs to help discerning parents such as yourself find the guidance and support they seek to be the happiest and healthiest family they can be. We invite you to schedule a complimentary discovery call with us so we can help you find the right program for you (click here).
Creating a safe and comfortable nursery
Your baby may not end up using his or her nursery for the first few months and he or she will likely sleep in your room at first. The American Pediatric Association recommends that you keep your baby in your room for about 12 months. That being said that may not always be feasible depending on your sleeping arrangements and how easily your baby wakes to sound. One thing is clear, the first 3 months or so, your baby should be in a bedside bassinet beside your bed. When he or she reaches the max of weight, length or age recommendation of your chosen bassinet you will then want to move your baby to a crib.
When choosing a crib you will need to decide if you wants a simple crib, one that transforms into a toddler bed or even a 4:1 that transforms into a twin bed. When it comes to selecting a baby mattress, we recommend you choose a natural fabric that is breathable, easy to clean, water proof and has a newborn vs toddler side. A newborn side is firmer to accommodate a lower body weight while the toddler side is softer for your growing toddler.
You may choose to buy a changing table however most parents will end up using a couch, bed, carpet and other surfaces around the house to change diapers as they go. If you have back problems, then a dedicated changing table may be useful. We have prepared a list of our favourite recommendations, one of which is a 4:1 crib that also includes a newborn changing table within its build.
Finally we highly recommend a diaper pail! Diapers are stinky and when your little one starts eating solids, the stench will increase. A diaper pail prevents nasty odours from spreading to your home.
Many parents opt to have a rocking chair in their nursery while others actually prefer to place it in the living room so they can use it while participating in family daily life. The second option is our personal recommendation but nothing prevents you from moving your rocking chair if you decide that you don't like it. We gave placed two options of rocking chairs inside our list of newborn essentials!
Stocking up on newborn essentials
SHOPPING SPREE ANYONE? There is nothing cuter than a tiny piece of clothing intended for a newborn baby. Everything in tiny format is automatically adorable. A newborn doesn't actually need that much clothing. If your baby is born in the summer you will want a variety of short sleeve onesies, perhaps a few shorts for fun, and then a few light cotton pyjamas with feet.
If your baby is born during a colder season you will want some long sleeve onesies, soft cotton pants as well as fleece pyjamas.
Now the rest... well thats up to you and your budget!
When diapering you have two choices: reusable diapers or disposable diapers. Reusable diapers are an entire subject on their own so we will focus on disposable diapers.
We recommend. you start with one box of newborn diapers AND one box of size 1 diapers so that you may adapt to the size of your little one. With Amazon delivery, you can then order more of the size that fit your baby best once you get home. You don't want to stock up on boxes of every size because you won't need every size. Your baby will likely jump up a few sizes along the way. We personally prefer Pampers Swaddlers for newborns and then usually change to the overnight 12h one's at 3-4 months.
Before your baby comes home you will want to make sure you have a nursing pillow as well as a hand pump and/or an electric double pump. Linked below are our recommendations:
We also recommend that you have a thermometer and vaseline to check your little one's temperature. A Frida mom is always good to have on hand along with saline to help your little one if he or she is congested.
Finally a good diaper cream as well as a hydrating cream will go a long way:
If you intend to either formula feed or mix feed you will want to have some bottles on hand! We recommend the following bottles and nipples. It is crucial that you remember to change your babies nipples as he or she ages so as not to cause feeding aversions.
Preparing for feeding
Have you decided if you would like to breastfeed or bottle feed? Did you know that 95% of women who WANT to breastfeed CAN however due to lack of support. In fact only 13% of women exclusively breastfeed at 6 month postpartum.
It is not for lack of will. Many women are absolutely determined to breastfeed and do so through pain, exhaustion and tears of frustration. simply put even though breastfeeding is natural does not mean that it is easy. Most women WILL need some support throughout their breastfeeding journey if not ALL.
So my suggestion to you, is use a portion of the money you would end up spending one ormula and instead invest it on getting a breastfeeding consultant before your little one is even born. You can speak to one of our breastfeeding consultants about your options here. Remember that formula will cost new parents anywhere between $2500 and $3600 in the first year, and thats before factoring in the costs of bottles and cleaning supplies.
Managing sleep and establishing routines
'To sleep like a baby' clearly only refers to the first 24h of a baby's life! When a baby is born he or she is TIRED! And as a result will sleep ALOT. However by night two they feel a LOT better and often proceed to sleep poorly effectively baptizing their parents to the realities of sleepless nights with a newborn. Thankfully you can expect their sleep to get better again by day three and begin settling into a newborn sleep pattern.
Newborns have very short wake windows and may only be awake for 15 minutes at a time and then sleep for anywhere between 30 min and 4h. Using a swaddle in the first few weeks, followed by a velcro swaddle can help your little one get the best sleep possible. We also highly recommend the use of a video baby monitor. If you are a highly anxious person and foster great fears of SIDS, then we recommend you consider investing into a Dream Sock from owlet to give you peace of mind.
At 6 weeks of page your baby will start forming his or her sleep patterns, in other words you want to help your little one sleep as well as possible BEFORE 6 weeks so that the RIGHT patterns form. You will also want to make sure you introduce a bedtime, and wake time, as well as routines for bed and for naps.
Some of the most common sleep problems in newborns are:
- Colics
- Reflux
- Gas
- Day & nigh confusion
- Overtiredness/Overstimulation
It is important to remember that sleep needs to be taught which means most babies will need guidance navigating their sleep journeys. At BeBaby we offer sleep education which is intended to begin at birth and through the first year of life to establish healthy sleeping cycles from day one and ensure you little has the best sleep possible for brain development. Click here to find out more about the different BeBaby Sleep Programs available to you!
Planning for postpartum recovery
Pregnancy in itself is a hugely demanding experience that takes a lot from a mothers body. It is crucial that you eat and rest well during AND after your pregnancy. Birth is like a triathlon and it can leave you feeling tired and drained. Plan to stay home for a while after having your baby and have someone cook for you if possible. Do not plan on cleaning the house or performing any difficult tasks. You need to allow yourself time to rest. After birth you will bleed what we call loch. It can take up to 5 weeks or more for this to stop. It is important to track your loch. A sudden increase in loch when it had begun subsiding is usually a sign that you may be doing too much and need to rest. If you'd like day to day help in the postpartum period for direct guidance to optimize a safe and healthy delivery, consider working with a BeBaby consultant!
One of the many thing you and your partner will want to be on the lookout for is Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum Depression. Although you may have heard about the Baby Blues, you may not know much about PPA and PPD. Having a baby will cause a huge and sudden shift in hormone levels which can affect how you feel,. Add to that the sudden understanding of the magnitude of the journey ahead of you and you may feel yourself getting a bit nervous! Lack of sleep and changing dynamics in your marriage, friendships and your career can all contribute to you feeling your emotions fluctuate. It is incredibly important that your partner be aware of all of this and be the emotional support YOU NEED. YOU CANNOT BE THEIR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AFTER BIRTH. I hope that was loud enough for the people in the back.
Would you ask someone who just ran a triathlon and then got run over by a car to help you load your groceries into the back of your car? NO. A man cannot ask a woman who just went through pregnancy and birth who is now a walking milk tap running on no sleep, to help him figure out this emotions. This may sound a little harsh, but it's really important that your partner understands this and puts in place a support system for himself beforehand so that HE can be your source of support. If you opt into a BeBaby program you consultant will be there for you AND him, ensuring you BOTH get the support you need in this momentous life event when you need it in a healthy and supportive way so you can experience the beauty of parenting TOGETHER.
Want a list of our favourite postpartum items? Click here!
Establishing a support network
Speaking of... not everyone should be a part of your support network! But also... you need a support network!
Parenthood isn't meant to be done alone, you need a village. Now your village needs to consist of people who can help support you and uplift you when you need it the most. Your village CAN'T be the people who tend to weigh you down or demand much of you. We aren't saying you need to cut out those people from your life, but rather that they shouldn't make it to your short list of 'support system'. Ideally you want to choose a few family members, friends, and even other mothers in your community and speak to them before having your baby and ask if they can be part of your support system. A support person can be someone who answers questions when you have them, or does a load of laundry for you on Friday, or perhaps who can come and sit with you while you feed your baby. Anybody who can bring you food is good to have around!
It is CRUCIAL that you prepare for parenthood by taking childbirth courses, introduction to breastfeeding, infant care and sleep etc. Having a baby is not something you want to to 'estimate'. This IS important. A 1h webinar isn't going to cut it!
We also highly recommend you lineup professional support like a birth educator who can answer questions in early labour, a breastfeeding consultant to establish breastfeeding with, an early sleep consultant and more. BeBaby consultants are all that wrapped into one so we invite you to book a complimentary call with us to find out if not only our 1:1 services are right for you but also how you can get into our preparatory classes as listed above.
BeBaby comes with a community of likeminded parents who also wants to do their best at this parenting thing. They don't want to just wing it. They know how important this is and they are pouring their hearts into their families.
If you take anything from this article it should be that parenting is magnificent but also challenging. The best way to ensure you have a great journey is by being prepared... And that doesn't just means having a crib!
So get the cute onesies but also make sure you lineup some education and support!
Want to know more about BeBaby's support? Click here
