What Expectant Mothers Should Know Before Going To The Hospital

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Here are some basic things moms need to know before delivery:

1.     Allow feeding to begin naturally

     Nature knows that both the mother and the baby will be exhausted in the first days of the baby’s life. Healthy, term newborns have extra fluid and nutrition at birth and are often not hungry in the first 24 hours. Too often, mothers are pushed to feed the infant in that first day of life – the mother is told to wake the infant up every three hours to “try to feed”. A sleeping infant is not a hungry infant and waking him up only results in the baby fighting and crying until he is allowed to go back to sleep. The mother ends up crying and feeling like a failure because “my baby won’t latch on”. What both the mother and the baby need in the first day is rest. “Trying to feed” is not “feeding” – it is “trying”. If the infant latches on and sucks, wonderful, but if the infant fights, refuses to latch on or falls asleep, the mother needs to listen to her infant’s clues and stop trying. The baby is not going to starve. The mother will be forced to “try to feed” again in three hours and by that time the infant might be hungry and latch on and feed just fine. Gradually, over the first few days, the infant will become more alert, be more hungry and will feed more aggressively at regular intervals, but forcing feeding in the first day of life just creates problems for everyone.
Breast is best but formula is fine
     No one has to be reminded about the benefits of breast feeding, but for some mothers, it just doesn't work. Other mothers may find themselves with a hungry baby and a low breast milk supply and need to supplement with formula. Fatigue and stress are the quickest ways to shut down breast milk production and most new mothers have both. If your baby acts hungry after you've breast fed him, don't hesitate to give him formula until he acts satisfied. Don't worry about the myth of "nipple confusion". The baby's only confusion comes from wondering why mom isn't feeding him more when he is hungry.

2.     Never wake an infant after 10 pm

     If your baby is hungry, he will wake up and then you’re on duty to feed him.  But if a healthy, term infant is sleeping in the night, he is just fine and you should keep sleeping, too. As soon as you can, after getting home from the hospital, you need to move the infant out of your bedroom and into the nursery. Otherwise, you both keep waking each other up unnecessarily with tossing and turning.

3.     Don’t buy a lot of stuff

     Bottle warmers, sterilizers, and baby bathtubs make great shower gifts, but, in general, they just take up room and are worthless. The same goes for most “newborn” outfits that your infant will outgrow in about a day. Start with a good car seat, a solid crib (in another room) and 1 month to 2 month-sized clothes. Make sure you have gone over the car seat instructions fully and know how to install and remove it from your car before you need it.

4.     Know your insurance

     Know exactly what routine care will be covered, how long you will be allowed to stay and (God forbid) what is covered if you or your baby have a medical problem. If you are having a boy, be sure to find out what, if any, coverage there is for circumcision. It is impossible to find out this information on a weekend, so do it now.

5.     Talk with your doctor

     You and your doctor need to discuss what will happen on the delivery day. Talk about what will happen if you go past your due date or if your labor doesn’t progress. What are your views on induction, on spinal anesthetic and on C-Section? Have your doctor write out what you have decided on and sign it so you can have it with you if you are delivered by an on-call doctor.

6.     Check Bilirubin

     If your infant looks at all yellow in the hospital or at home, have the bilirubin checked. Don’t rely on someone’s opinion that “It looks O.K.” If the first test shows even mild elevation, have it checked again in a day or two to be sure it isn't rising. The test is easy, fast and safe and can prevent a serious neurologic problem.

7.     Plan for a 1 week vacation

     I knew mothers who planned to go to a family reunion or host a Christmas dinner in a few days after delivery. It always resulted in a disaster for everyone. Plan on a full week of doing nothing but resting, nesting and getting to know your baby after you get home from the hospital. If you had a C-Section, plan for a full 2 weeks of doing nothing.

8.     Take all advice with a grain of salt

     In the hospital, almost everyone who walks into your room will give you different advice. Doctors, nurses, and lactation consultants will frequently contradict each other. Even baby books aren’t consistent. Remember that everyone who tells you about babies is telling you about some other baby. Listen to all the different opinions but, most importantly, listen to your baby. Babies aren’t subtle and your baby will be very clear about what he likes and doesn’t like. That doesn’t mean you have to carry him all night just because he’ll cry if you don’t. It means that, as the parent, you get to decide what works for both of you, no matter what someone else says.