Friday, March 29, 2013

Preparing for a New Baby Checklist

For the last six plus years, prior to just recently, I've worked as a nurse in maternal-child health. I did some time in labor and delivery, newborn nursery, postpartum (mother-baby), and antepartum (inpatient high risk pregnancy care). It's kind of like, my "thing". I also have had two of my own children, and chose to deliver them at home with the help of the midwive and a doula. So, though all my professional experience has been in a hospital, I know about a many of the other options that are available (or not so available, unfortunately), to mothers and families.

Outside of official work time, I've had the pleasure of serving as a support person for many family members and friends as they've become parents, sometimes just answering questions over the phone, sometimes being right there as a doula for their labor and delivery. For awhile I explored becoming a certified postpartum doula, and completed all the steps just short of turning my packet in on time. I still have it sitting on a shelf, postmarked and everything. Oh well.

It was during my time working on my postpartum doula certification and helping some family members, friends, and even a few strangers, that I wrote up this preparation checklist. I'm currently in a baby lull as I wait for friends to get married and pregnant, so I thought maybe I'd share this on here in case it might be helpful for someone else. It's long, so click on the link just under this picture to read on.





In preparing for your baby, you may have spent hours picking nursery colors, researching stroller prices, and looking through baby name books. However, there may be many more decisions coming up that you haven’t thought about. Will you breastfeed? Who will help you on the first trip to the store with baby in tow? Is it okay if your mother-in-law shows up the day after delivery to “stay the week and help” ?

The following list of questions is designed to get you thinking about your labor, delivery, and the days and weeks afterwards. Don’t be frightened by its length! This list is meant to be as comprehensive as possible, so not all of it will apply to all families. At the same time, the questions may prompt you to think of specifics you need to consider which aren’t on the list. Take your time and read through with your partner, support person, and/or support team, and use the questions as discussion starters to make sure you are all on the same page. Included are many different possible “answers” (though your response may be all or none of the above) and links to more information if you need it. Type right on the sheet or print it out and use a pencil to check things that apply to you, cross out those that don’t, and write in your lists of names and phone numbers. When you are done, hopefully you will feel more prepared, organized, and ready to start your journey as a new family.

The list is as chronological as possible, though many of the things listed will be going on at the same time. The four main sections are Labor and Delivery, In the Hospital / Immediate Postpartum, At Home / The First Few Weeks, and Into the Future.

Labor and Delivery

A word about birth plans:
Do not print out this check list and hand it to your provider – it is far too long and involved, and many providers have a negative view of birth plans, probably due to seeing too many that are long and include unnecessary information. Do, however, use this as a way to learn about the many options available in childbirth, and as a conversation starter with your health care provider. Find out what their standard practices and protocols are, and those of the place where you will deliver. There may be procedures that you don’t need to worry about because they are either not commonly done (like the old practice of enemas and shave preps for every patient), or because they must be done a certain way (for example, if your doctor or hospital absolutely does not allow video taping during the birth). Take a list of the top most important things to you. If you find your provider or hospital is not a good fit for your wishes, the good news is that you can always switch to someone or somewhere else! There is no way to ‘plan’ how your birth will go, but being aware of your options and feelings, and finding a provider who fits with those, is a good way to set yourself up for the best birth experience possible.

The Logistics

I am giving birth at… …and the phone number is…
            __ Home. Midwife’s phone #__________________________
            __ Birth center: ____________Phone #__________________________
            __ Hospital:_______________Phone #__________________________
            __ Other:

This person will be driving me to the hospital/birth center ____________________Phone #_____________. Or if he/she can’t, I can also rely on _____________________ Phone #_________________.

I want to have these people there with me: (Check for any visitor limits there may be)
            _________________________Phone #__________________________
            _________________________Phone #__________________________
            _________________________Phone #__________________________
            _________________________Phone #__________________________

The people at the delivery will be assigned the following “jobs”:
            _________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________
(Jobs may include coach, photographer, host/hostess, doula, back-up doula, masseuse, etc…)
  
Older siblings: My older children will…
__ Be there with me for the delivery (Check with your provider’s policies!)
            __ Be in the building where I am laboring, but not with me, attended by _________
            __ Stay at home with _______________ Phone #____________________________
            __ Be staying with _________________ Phone #____________________________

            Two people I can trust to be ‘on-call’ for childcare if I need it are:
            ________________________________ Phone #____________________________
________________________________ Phone #____________________________

Pets: My pets will…
            __ Stay at home and be fed by _____________ Phone #___________________
            __ Stay with ______________ Phone #_______________ for ____ days

Labor

I am planning on having a:
            __ Vaginal delivery
            __ Cesarean section
            __ Water birth
            __ VBAC
            __ Induced labor

I will take childbirth education classes in this method: _____________________

Environment: I would like…
            __ To stay home as long as possible
            __ Dim lighting
            __ To play music ____________________________ (musical choice)
            __ Quiet
            __ To wear _________________________________ (hospital gown, my own pajamas, etc)
            __ No medical or nursing students, residents
            __ Access to a birthing tub, shower, etc _____________________
            __ To keep my contact lenses / glasses on
            __ To request a nurse experienced and supportive of natural labor / medicated labor

Mobility: I want to…
            __ Walk and move freely while in labor
            __ Move freely in the bed while in labor
            __ Be confined to the bed (necessary for epidurals)

Food, drink, and IV: I want…
            __ To eat and drink freely during labor
            __ Clear fluids
            __ Ice chips
            __ IV fluids
            __ No IV fluids / Heplock only
            __ No heplock or IV at all

I wish to photograph or film… (Check with provider’s policies!)
            __ Nothing
            __ Labor
            __ Delivery
            __ Only after baby is born

Monitoring: I want (and/or do NOT want) monitoring by…
            __ Fetoscope
            __ Handheld Doppler
            __ External fetal monitor used intermittently
            __ External fetal monitor used continuously
            __ Internal fetal monitor used continuously

In regards to offering me pain medication, offer…
            __ Never
 __ Only if I ask
            __ When I look uncomfortable
            __ As soon as possible
           
Pain relief: I want to try these methods of pain relief:
            __ Positioning and movement
            __ Hydrotherapy (water - shower or tub)
            __ Relaxation
            __ Birth ball
            __ Massage
            __ Heat / cold therapy
            __ Hypnosis
            __ Acupuncture / acupressure
            __ Breathing techniques
            __ Aromatherapy
            __ TENS
            __ Distraction
            __ Reflexology
            __ Sterile water injections
            __ IV pain medication
            __ Epidural
            __ Other:_________________________________________________

Labor induction or augmentation: I’d like (and/or do NOT want) labor induction or augmentation…
            __ Only if baby is in distress
            __ First attempted by natural methods (nipple stimulation, walking, sex, etc)
            __ With herbal cohoshes
            __ By stripping of the membranes
            __ With prostaglandin gel
            __ With cytotec
            __ With a foley catheter
            __ By amniotomy (breaking your water)
            __ With pitocin
I plan on delivering the baby…
            __ In bed
            __ In the tub
            __ In _____________ room (for out-of-hospital births)
            __ Wherever I deem appropriate at the time

I would like to try pushing in the following position(s):
            __ Squat
            __ Semi recline
            __ Hands and Knees
            __ Side lying
            __ Standing
            __ Leaning on partner
            __ Using people for leg support (I prefer these people hold my legs:_____________________)
            __ Using foot pedals for support
            __ Using a birth bar for support
            __ Using a birthing stool
            __ However I feel comfortable at the time

During the second stage (pushing time) I would like to…
            __ Wait for the urge to bear down before pushing
            __ Push spontaneously without coaching
            __ Be directed in when and how long to push
            __ Have guidance in when to stop or slow pushing during crowning to avoid tears
            __ Push without time limits
            __ Have the epidural turned down / off
            __ Have a full dose of epidural
            __ Use a mirror to watch baby as he/she crowns
            __ Touch baby’s head as he/she crowns
            __ Avoid a vacuum assisted delivery
            __ Avoid a forceps assisted delivery
            __ Use whatever delivery assistance the provider deems necessary

Other requests: During delivery I would like to…
            __ Help to catch baby
            __ Have __________ help to catch baby
            __ Have the lights dimmed
            __ Have quiet in the room
            __ Not have baby routinely suctioned

Perineal care: I would like to…
            __ Use perineal massage in the prenatal period to prevent tearing
            __ Use perineal massage during delivery to prevent tearing
            __ Use warm compresses to prevent tearing
            __ Use position changes (ex: side lying) to prevent tearing
            __ Have an episiotomy rather than a tear
            __ Have a tear rather than an episiotomy
            __ Have local anesthetic if an episiotomy is needed
            __ Have a pressure episiotomy if one is needed
            __ Have local anesthetic for repair of any tears or episiotomy

Placenta: I would like to…       
            __ Deliver the placenta spontaneously
            __ Not have pitocin through a shot or IV for delivery of placenta unless medically necessary
            __ See the placenta before it is discarded
            __ Have the placenta discarded by provider per protocol
            __ Keep the placenta

For a Cesarean section delivery: I would like to…
            __ Have the opportunity to discuss anesthesia options with the anesthesiologist ahead of time
            __ Have the foley catheter placed only after anesthesia has taken effect
            __ Not have my arms routinely restrained
            __ Have this person (or people, if allowed) in the room: _____________________________
            __ Witness the birth moment by having the drape lowered
            __ See the baby up close before he/she is taken to the warmer
            __ Have the sex announced by ____________________________
            __ Allow ____________________ to trim the umbilical cord (as a substitute for the initial cut)
            __ Have a tubal ligation done during the surgery
            __ See the placenta after it is delivered
            __ Hold the baby in the operating room after delivery
            __ Breastfeed and/or hold the baby during recovery
            __ Have _________________ remain with the baby at all times
            __ Be with the baby as soon as possible after delivery
            __ Keep baby in the nursery for at least the first 24 hours after delivery


In the hospital / Immediate Postpartum

For recovery procedures (stitches if needed, newborn assessment, etc) I would like:
            __ Baby to stay on my chest
            __ Baby to breastfeed during recovery
            __ Baby to go to the warmer for assessment and weighing, etc
            __ To hold baby a few minutes before he/she is taken for assessment

Cord care: I would like…
            __ This person to cut the cord: _________________________
            __ To cut the cord myself
            __ To cut the cord as soon as possible
            __ To wait until the cord stops pulsing to cut
            __ Not to cut the cord at all (Lotus birth)
            __ To bank cord blood ( http://parentsguidecordblood.org )
            __ To donate the cord blood (About cutting the cord)

Feeding baby: I plan on…
            __ Breastfeeding (Why breastfeed?)
            __ Formula feeding

Will I consent to these common newborn medications / procedures?
            -Vitamin K 
                        __ Yes, by vaccination
                        __ Yes, by oral drops
                        __ No
            -Erythromycin/ Prophylactic Eye Ointment
                        __ Yes, at standard time by hospital procedures
                        __ Yes, but delayed
                        __ No
            -Hepatitis B Vaccine
                        __ Yes
                        __ No
            -PKU /Newborn Screening Test
                        __ Yes, both hearing and blood test
                        __ Just hearing screen
                        __ Just blood test
                        __ No

The first bath will be given…
            __ After birth, at standard time by hospital procedures, by nurse
            __ After birth, at standard time by hospital procedures, by parents
            __ A few days after birth
            __ A week after birth
            __ Other:

Diapering: I plan on using…
            __ Clothdiapers
            __ Disposable diapers
            __ gDiapers
            __ A combination of cloth and disposable

To let family and friends know about the delivery, I will…
            __ Call each person as time allows
            __ Send a mass message (ex. phone text or email) to everyone
            __ Designate ________________________ to make the announcement phone calls for me
            __ Set up a phone tree

In the hospital (if applicable) baby will be… (check with your hospital!)
            __ “Rooming in” with me
            __ Staying in the nursery at night and with me during the day
            __ Staying in the nursery and brought to me on request / for breastfeeding
            __ In the NICU (for babies with known issues before birth)

If I have a boy, a circumcision will…
            __ Not be preformed
            __ Be done in the hospital before discharge
            __ Be done later at a bris 
            __ Only be done with pain medication
            __ Only be done with me or my partner present

I plan on being discharged from the hospital / birth center…
            __ As soon as possible
            __ Within 12 hours of delivery
            __ Within 24 hours of delivery
            __ At the standard discharge times (2 days after vaginal delivery or 3 days after Cesarean section)

When I’m discharged I will be going…
            __ Home
            __ To ________________’s house

I will be driven home by ____________________. Their phone number(s) are ___________________.
            In case of a change in plans, I can also rely on _____________________Phone#____________

 

At Home / The First Few Weeks

Visitors: I plan on…
            __ Not allowing any visitors for the first ___ days while we rest and adjust
            __ Only allowing these visitors for the first ___ days:
                        ___________________________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________________________
            __ Asking visitors limit their stay to ____ minutes/hours
            __ Allowing all visitors

My partner will be taking ____ days/weeks off work. He/she has saved up ____ hours/days of paid leave to use during this time.

I will be taking ____ days/weeks off work. I have saved up _____ hours/days of paid leave to use.

This person/people will be staying with me for ____ days/weeks/months:
            _________________________________Phone #_____________________________
            I will set up this area for them to stay in:____________________________________

Our baby’s doctor is ________________________Phone #________________________________

            The baby’s doctor requires that we call him/her to schedule an appointment…
            __ Immediately after delivery
            __ Within the first day after of delivery
            __ At discharge from the hospital / birth center
           
            We need to bring the following to the first appointment (ask your doctor!):
            __ Discharge papers from the hospital / birth center
            __ Midwife’s physical assessment (for homebirth)
            __ Signed papers printed from website and/or faxed to us
            __ New patient form
            __ Insurance information
            __ Other:_______________________________________

“The Nest”: Understanding that the most important thing for me and the baby is rest in the first few weeks, I plan on setting up a general rest and baby area __________________________ (in our bedroom, in the nursery, in the living room, etc).

I will set up diapering areas in these locations around the house, ______________________________.

My baby will sleep in…
            __ Crib in his/her room
            __ Crib/bassinette in my room
            __ Crib side-carred to my bed
            __ Co-sleeper
            __ My bed

Rest: I can rely on the following people to help me around the house, specifically so that I can rest
In the daytime
______________________Phone#____________________________
______________________Phone#____________________________
In the evening
______________________Phone#____________________________
______________________Phone#____________________________
At night
______________________Phone#____________________________
______________________Phone#____________________________

Community: I know the following people who also have babies or small children (put a star next to
those who have breastfed before or are supportive of breastfeeding, if applicable for you)
______________________Phone#____________________________
______________________Phone#____________________________
______________________Phone#____________________________
______________________Phone#____________________________

I am interested in joining the following mother-baby support groups in my area
__ MOMS
__ NAP
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Food: I am planning on…
            __ Preparing and freezing ___# meals ahead of time
            __ Requesting ___# meals from visitors. Their names and the meals I’m asking for are…
                        ___________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________
            __ Ordering food in from…
                        ___________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________
            __The food restrictions / allergies in our household are: __________________________
            __Our favorite foods are: __________________________________________________

Household: The following chores need to be done (for assigning to visitors and helpers)…
            __ Laundry
            __ Dishes
            __ Sweeping floors
            __ Vacuuming
            __ Bathroom cleaning
            __________________
            __________________

Professionals: I know of the following professionals who can help me if I need it…
            Postpartum doula(s) : ____________________________________________
            Lactation consultant(s): __________________________________________
            Babysitter(s):___________________________________________________
            Housekeeping:__________________________________________________
            Other:________________________________________________________

Siblings: I am planning on…
            __ Having ___________ come to our house to occupy the older siblings.
            __ The older siblings spending ____ days at _____________’s house.
            __ Dividing up week days between a few people to occupy the older siblings.
            __ Needing transportation help for the older siblings for the following activities:
                        _____________________
                        _____________________
                        _____________________

Stress Reduction: Activities that help me feel rested and energized, and/or help me relieve stress:
            ____________________________________________________________
            ____________________________________________________________
            Activities that my partner and I enjoy together and that strengthen our relationship:
            ____________________________________________________________
            ____________________________________________________________

I am nervous about / need to learn more about:
            __ Breastfeeding
            __ Bottlefeeding
            __ Diapering / Dressing
            __ Bathing
            __ Circumcision care
            __ Umbilical cord care
            __ Trips out with baby
            __ Bonding with baby
            __ Getting enough sleep
            __ Soothing a fussy baby
            __ Signs of baby health vs problems
            __ Baby safety
            __ Postpartum depression / baby blues
            __ Physical changes after having a baby
            __ Resuming sexual activity
            __ Changing relationships with family members
            __ Costs of having a child / budgeting

Into the Future

When I go back to work / school, baby will…
            __ Go to daycare at __________________________Phone #____________________
            __ Stay with __________________________________________________________
            __ Stay home with _____________________________________________________

Feeding baby when away: When I go back to work / school…
            __ I will pump breastmilk for baby to have at home.
            __ Baby will have formula while I’m gone and breastfeed when we’re together.
            __ Baby will have formula.

Birth Control: I plan on using…
            __ No birth control
            __ Lactation Amenorrhea
            __ Natural Family Planning / Symptothermal method / Fertility Awareness
            __ Condoms
            __ Cervical cap
            __ Diaphragm
            __ Birth control pill
            __ “Mini pill”
            __ Birth control patch
            __ Nuva ring
            __ Depoprovera
            __ Implanon
            __ IUD
            __ Tubal ligation
            __ Vasectomy

When my child starts school, he/she will be…
            __ Homeschooled
            __ Private schooled in religious school
            __ Private schooled in a non-religious school
            __ Public schooled

Parenting choices that are important to me (compare with your partner):
            __ Vaccinations on schedule / delayed / none at all
            __ Attachment parenting
            __ Sleep training
            __ Delayed solids
            __ Schedules and routines
            __ Child-led weaning
            __ Extended breastfeeding
            __ Spanking / No spanking
            __ Stay-at-home parenting
            __ “Baby wearing”
            __ Limited / no TV
            __ Allowance
            __ Chores
            __ Organics
            __ Homemade baby food
            ______________________________
            ______________________________
            ______________________________

The values that I feel it is most important to instill in my children are:
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________

Traditions that I want to continue or begin with my children are:
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________

Things my parents did / Rules my parents had that I want to use…
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________

Things my parents did / Rules my parents had that I want to avoid…
            _________________________________________________________________ 
            _________________________________________________________________
            _________________________________________________________________

Now that you have completed your list, go through and collect the names and phone numbers you’ve written down to create a master phone number list. Make a few copies of this list to post nearby the telephones in your house and on the refrigerator. You may also benefit, particularly if you have older children with activities to worry about, from creating a master calendar that you can copy for others which includes the family’s activities and special events for the months surrounding your expected due date. Remember, people want to help! It’s up to you to tell them what you need. 

Once you have taken the time to develop a plan for your postpartum period, relax. You will find that with this little bit of forward thinking, anything you haven’t considered will likely fall into place – or at least you’ll have some phone numbers of help nearby.

No comments:

Post a Comment