| Having a baby is surely one of the most thrilling - and | | | | what you can do without. My advice is to stock up on |
| scariest - things that happens in the life of a young | | | | the obvious things like nappies, baby wipes (surely one |
| couple. You know it's going to totally change your life; | | | | of the best materials ever invented!), a few changes |
| you just don't realise quite how much until your baby | | | | of baby clothes, feeding bottles, and some infant |
| arrives! Here are some things you can do now to | | | | formula if you're not planning to breast feed. Apart |
| prepare for the big day. | | | | from that, get a crib, car seat and baby bath, then see |
| Get plenty of rest | | | | what you need once baby arrives. It's quite likely you'll |
| You are unlikely to get much sleep the first few days / | | | | be blessed / saddled with some hand-me-down stuff |
| weeks / months of your baby's life, and will soon | | | | from friends and relatives, which could save you quite |
| become accustomed to snatching a few minutes | | | | a bit of money. |
| whenever you can. So until then, make the most of | | | | Attend an ante-natal class |
| the peace and quiet to get as much rest as you can. | | | | You'd be well advised to attend an ante-natal class to |
| Enjoy your partner's company | | | | learn a bit about how to care for an infant. This should |
| Likewise, once your baby arrives, she's going to | | | | cover practical issues like how to bath your baby and |
| demand most if not all of your energy, and for a while | | | | change nappies, and also discuss the merits of bottle |
| everything else will become secondary. So invest in | | | | versus breast feeding, various sleep positions, etc. |
| your relationship with your partner now: go out for a | | | | Apart from the educational aspect, these groups also |
| meal or catch a movie, go for a walk together, make | | | | often become informal support networks that continue |
| love, spend time with your friends. | | | | to meet up once the babies have been born, and |
| Candidate names | | | | eventually evolve into playgroups for the youngsters |
| You'll likely be doing this already, but prepare a list of | | | | as they grow up. |
| candidate names. Even if you're convinced it's going to | | | | Read and discuss |
| be a boy, think about some girl's names just in case, | | | | Books, television and the internet also offer a wealth |
| and vice versa. You also need to think about the | | | | of information about all aspects of infant and childcare |
| thorny issue of whether you're going to saddle her | | | | which can help you to know what to expect and how |
| with Great Aunt Gertrude's middle name or not, and | | | | to deal with various situations that may arise. You don't |
| whatever you decide, make sure you manage the | | | | have to become Doctor Spock or anything, but would |
| grandparents' expectations in this regard. | | | | be well advised to learn as much as you can before |
| Equipment | | | | the big day, rather than fumble along cluelessly when |
| Babies need a lot of stuff, it's a fact. But as a first-time | | | | you're sleep deprived after your baby is born. |
| parent you're unlikely to know what's important and | | | | |