Getting Ready for Birth and Banking

The ability to give birth to a child is one of the most amazing things a woman will ever experience. Preparing for a child means getting ready for incalculable changes in your life, not an easy task, especially when you are trying to prepare for childbirth. Typically, childbirth is associated with lots of anxiety, doubts and new experiences. It is an event in which things will not be totally under your control. However, you can lessen the dilemmas and predicaments of childbirth with proper planning.

Preparing for Childbirth

Preparation for childbirth should begin as soon as you become aware of the fact that you are pregnant. During those nine months, you should prepare for childbirth as much as possible. Remember, the more you know about giving birth, the better prepared you will feel for this wonderful life events. You can begin your preparations with the following

• The first thing that you should do is to select a doctor or a certified midwife for regular check-ups as well as to discuss questions about pregnancy and childbirth.
• To learn more about pregnancy and childbirth consider joining childbirth preparation classes. Here professional nurses and educators will tell you and your partner everything you need to know about childbirth, birthing choices, newborn care, breastfeeding, and much more.
• Create a birth plan, where you can detail your wishes related to childbirth, and consider the many decisions you will make during your labour and postpartum time.
• It is also a good idea to contact your health insurance company. Learn more about what you are and are not covered for, discussing the various options available to you thoroughly. Weigh each option carefully and then choose the one that is most appropriate for you.

Besides these preparations, you should also prepare your home for your newborn, think about your future family planning needs, and begin exploring childcare options if you plan to work outside the home. And if there is already another child or two in the home, now is a great time to start getting him ready for their new sibling.

Hectic Third Trimester

The third trimester is the most hectic phase of your pregnancy. During this period, you should talk to your doctor or midwife to learn more about vaginal delivery and cesarean section, as well as pain management options. At this point in time, you should also gain knowledge of how to differentiate between false labour, true labour and pre-term labour.

Besides conducting research to locate the best diaper services and products, baby care supplies, and infant car seats, you should also decide where you would like to deliver your baby. While making a decision, you should not only consider the various options available to you in your health insurance policy, but also any health problems you may have, your susceptibility to pregnancy complications and risks that can arise during labour and delivery. Depending upon your personal situation, your options for where to give birth can include hospitals, birthing centers and home birth options.

However, this is not the only important decision you will make during the third trimester. If you haven’t already discussed the issue with your partner, now is the time to begin talking about and looking into cord blood banks. Umbilical cord blood banking is fast becoming a popular choice with many parents who are looking to preserve these important stem cells and help keep their family healthy.

Eighth Month of Pregnancy

During the eighth month of your pregnancy, you and your partner will be engrossed in several activities including:

• Pre-registration for your hospital stay. This is a convenient way to eliminate the need to register when you check-in to the hospital on your day of delivery.
• Scheduling a tour of the birthing centers to find out more about the locations facilities as well as parking passes, meal service, visitor related-rules, etc.
• Selecting a health care provider for your baby.

34th Week of Pregnancy

By the 34th week of your pregnancy, you should decide whether you would like to donate your baby’s cord blood to a public cord blood bank or get it preserved in a private cord blood bank for personal use in the future.

If you decide on cord blood banking, you should establish contact with an appropriate cord blood bank no later than the 34th week of pregnancy. This will give the bank enough time to send out a cord blood collection kit to you. Don’t forget to tell your doctor about your decision so that adequate preparations can be made for cord blood collection after your baby’s birth.

Last Week of Pregnancy and Bag Preparation

By the last week of your pregnancy, you should pack your bag for so that you are ready to head off to the hospital and can focus on labour and delivery rather than whether you have your toothbrush. Here are a few items that you should include in your bag:

• Cord blood collection kit
• Camera and/or camcorder
• Contact information for family and friends
• Items to help you relax and pass the time such as cards, books, CDs, or MP3 players
• If you’ve chosen one, then don’t forget the object you will use as your focal point during labor
• Items to make you more comfortable like a robe, slipper, and personal pillow
• Personal care items and toiletries