First-Time Mother's Guide To Preparing For Your Baby

Are you going to be a first time mom?

Giving birth to your first child might seem a little intimidating at first, but some advanced preparations would make it a lot easier.

Go for pre-natal classes. They would help a lot. Breathing exercises during labor would help you manage the pain and stop yourself from pushing before time. Learn to relax. During the early stages of labour, breathe deeply, in and out in rhythm. When the contractions come and it is time to push baby out, don't hold your breath. Take a deep breath and release it slowly while you push. Prenatal classes should teach your proper breathing exercises (among other things) so that you would be prepared for that big event. Check if your hospital organizes such classes.

Pack your bag at least one month before your baby is due. Get yourself a duffle bag. Two if you go out to work. The baby might come out anytime, so be prepared to grab your stuff and head straight to the hospital when the water bag bursts. What to pack for the hospital goes into detail about what you should bring with you when the time comes.

How is baby going home? Are you going to walk all the way back home with baby in your homes or are you and baby going back in a car. If baby is going to be in a car, please, for the sake of your baby's safety, get an infant car seat. It is better to be safe than sorry. Prepare all these ahead of time.

On the day itself, once you get to the hospital, it is unlikely you would get a chance to eat anything. You would probably be allowed to sip water, but food is probably out. When I got to the hospital, I was given an enema, (Standard operating procedure at the hospital I went to so baby wouldn't come out together with faeces.) No food was allowed after that and that first birth took 12 hours from waterbag bursting to my baby emerging. Strength is needed for pushing out baby, so I followed some wise advice and drank a bottle of chicken's essence (a form of tonic. Use whatever's recommended in your culture) before heading for the hospital.

Once the contractions come, resist pushing until the doctor says so. If you push before you are fully dilated, not only would you waste energy as the hole would still be too small for baby's head to come true, you could traumatize baby, pushing her against the wall before the door is open, so to speak. Wait for the doctor's okay before you push.

As for pain relief, pick whatever you are comfortable with. I went fully with natural labour while my sister had assistance using an epidural that killed off the pain completely. Honestly, the pain in labour is tremendous, so do at least consider using the pain relief the hospital might offer. I had a pethidine jab with my next baby which relaxed my body and made labour easier, and faster.

Finally, once baby is home, make sure the baby's room is ready, or at least baby has a comfortable place to sleep and your home is well stocked up with all the baby essentials - baby bath supplies and diapers come to mind. Then relax and enjoy your time with your little one.