From Pregnancy to Due Date: 3 Most Important Things To Do To Prepare For Baby

It's easy to get caught up in the fun decisions during pregnancy, like decorating the nursery, but there are some serious decisions to be made before the due date that can affect the outcome of delivery and the health of your baby. One difficult part of planning for baby is finding a checklist of decisions that should be made, and then gathering the necessary information to make informed decisions. This article provides three top issues to be aware of and the resources to understand them. Issues such as cord blood storage, hiring a birth doula and researching the NICU level of the birth hospital are all important to understand when preparing for baby.

Copyright © 2020 Melis Ann

In early pregnancy, you see your Obstetrician and begin tracking your pregnancy. Before you get settled on an Obstetrician, however, you want to understand which hospital the doctor is associated with.

Hospitals where babies are delivered should have a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that is qualified to handle complications that arise. There are many different levels of NICUs that define the level of expertise that a hospital is qualified to provide. The NICU level is directly related to infant mortality rate, affecting both premature and full-term babies.

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During your second trimester, you will want to explore the idea of hiring a birth doula, or personal labor coach, to assist you during labor and delivery.

Studies show that having a doula present during labor helps decrease the duration of labor, rate of c-section, complications, medications and rate of postpartum depression. Doulas receive training and certification and are internationally becoming more popular.

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By the third trimester, you will want to understand the different kinds of stem cells that can be collected at your baby's birth and the different methods for storing them.

There are many conditions that can be cured using stem cells from umbilical cord blood that make this option an important consideration for the future health of your baby or another child in your family.

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Disclaimer: Note that this website portrays my opinion. I want to help others consider a new or different view. Any action taken based on these opinions is the responsibility of the reader.

Copyright © 2020 Melis Ann
Original content written by Melis Ann published only on HubPages at the following web address: http://melisann.hubpages.com/hub/From-Pregnancy-to-Due-Date-Most-Important-Things-To-Prepare-For-Baby

Preparing for the birth of your baby is both overwhelming and exciting. It's important to research the details regarding issues such as hospital NICU level, hiring a birth doula, and storing baby's stem cells. Your doctor may bring up the opportunity for stem cell banking, however, you will want to do independent research on this topic to understand all of your options. Birth doulas and hospital NICU levels are not topics that your doctor will initiate with you at your prenatal visit, although your doctor will make a great resource to you on these topics if you ask. Knowing that you've taken care of important decisions that can affect your baby's health, you can relax, enjoy being pregnant, and focus on the fun parts of planning for baby.