May is pregnancy awareness month and Katie from Moore From Katie has written up a great post that goes right along with most of the things I am going to be preparing for in the next few months. So here is Katie's post:


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Making Preparations for a New Baby

Expectant mothers have approximately nine months to prepare for the birth of a new baby, but still have so much to do on the actual day of delivery and thereafter. The arrival of a new baby is one of life’s great achievements for moms and needs to be enjoyed thoroughly. While the thought of bringing a baby into the world may be a wee bit scary, it is a natural process that is happening daily to numerous women around the world. Things will start to fall into place naturally once the little one arrives.

Even though nothing can fully prepare you for the arrival of a living, breathing little life, there are some things you can do to prepare for the baby’s physical arrival. Let’s look at some essentials that mom-to-be need to take care of before baby arrives:

•    As a new mom one of the important decisions is to source the right pediatrician to care for the baby. It is recommended that a short list be whittled down to a final choice after personal interviews are conducted. It’s essential that mom and doctor be on the same page from the outset.

•    It is advisable for mothers to pack a hospital bag well in advance because babies can be a bit unpredictable and decide to pop out earlier than expected. Items include night clothes, toiletries, going home outfit, books or magazines, CDs and any other personal effects.  The baby will need diapers, baby wipes, blankets, day clothes and a going home outfit.

•    All the baby clothes purchased in anticipation of the baby’s arrival need to be washed with a detergent created especially for babies. The detergent should be mild and not cause irritation because the baby’s skin will be very sensitive.

•    Researching and identifying a good birthing program is necessary; it is the best way for expectant moms to learn all there is to know about childbirth and what it entails. Moms need to prepare to watch graphic birthing videos and receive instruction on labor pains and giving birth.

•    A baby carrier and special car seat for the new arrival will need to be purchased at some point prior to the baby’s arrival.

Once the baby arrives, the job is far from over, in fact, the fun is just getting started. There are some essential things mothers need to do soon after delivery:

•    Babies are exceptionally alert after birth and breastfeeding can be started right away. While breastfeeding is normally toted as the preferred method of feeding by medical professionals, the choice to formula feed or breastfeed is up to the mother.

•    The long-term health care of a newborn is probably not immediately on a mother’s mind, but there is a way to prepare for your child’s long-term health care immediately after delivery; it is known as cord blood banking. Cord blood banking is where the baby’s umbilical cord blood is collected immediately after delivery and stored for the family. The stem cells found in cord blood are used today to treat dozens of diseases.

With these preparations taken care of ahead of time, a woman can feel ready to take the next step into motherhood and enjoy the birth of her new bundle of joy.   

"This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche.  If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact by visiting her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter @moorekm26."