Nine months of pregnancy is a long time to prepare for the birth and return home with your baby. Meanwhile, many future mothers pass the next trimesters in the blink of an eye, and when it is time to give birth, they notice that they have not properly prepared for it. What do you need to think about and what to do before the birth in order to go to the hospital without nerves and focus on the birth of the baby?

When you think about preparing for childbirth, you most often think of packing a bag for the hospital, completing a layette and arranging your home with an infant in mind. Meanwhile, there are a few more things that you must take care of during pregnancy to make it easier for you and other family members to function during your stay in the delivery room and after returning from it.

To give birth in a good hospital …

According to the regulations in force, it is up to you to decide which hospital your baby will be born in. It is important that it is a place that will provide you with both comfort and safety. Before you choose the right facility, check:

  • How far is the hospital from your home or other place where you will be before the birth?
  • Does the hospital have qualified staff, what are the competences and experience of its employees - doctors, midwives, nurses?
  • What kind of delivery conditions are offered by the hospital - first of all, is it a general birthing room with only a curtain to separate you from other women in labor, or does the hospital offer a more intimate single room?
  • what - apart from the standard equipment - can be used in the delivery room, so for example are there any items that facilitate childbirth, e.g. balls or sako bags?
  • What are the procedures in the hospital if there are complications during childbirth or if the newborn needs to be provided with advanced medical care right after birth?

- Prospective parents are increasingly asking whether the hospital has its own intensive care unit for newborns and specialized equipment such as ventilators, respiratory support devices or incubators. This is important because thanks to this, the child will be cared for if necessary, and help will be given to himplace, without the need to transport to another medical facility, and immediately - because in many cases every moment matters - says Dr. Ewa Kurowska, MD, a gynecologist from the Medicover Hospital.

To give birth the way you want …

When choosing a maternity ward, you must also answer the question: will you want to use anesthesia? In various institutions, patients have a greater or lesser influence on the course of labor. They can walk, use the bathtub or change their position freely, both during the first phase of labor and during pushing. Some hospitals still have a routine perineal incision, so it is a good idea to discuss this with your doctor or midwife in advance. It is a good idea to include this in your birth plan. It is also worth making sure that you can use pain relief methods in the selected place - non-pharmacological and pharmacological anesthesia. Some facilities require prior notification of anesthesia.

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How to prepare a layette for a baby? See [TOWIDEO]

Worth knowing

What are the so-called Standards of Perinatal Care?

It is an extensive Regulation of the Minister of He alth, which defines what a pregnant woman is en titled to and what procedures are to be followed by the medical personnel caring for her. According to the Standards, every woman has the right, inter alia, to for antenatal education, community midwife care, use of non-pharmacological methods of pain relief, drinking during childbirth, and choosing a comfortable position for pressure. Moreover, the person taking care of a pregnant, giving birth, obstetrician and a newborn baby may be a midwife who has statutory competence to care for a physiological pregnant woman. Unfortunately, although the regulation is a medical standard of a normative nature and is part of a generally applicable legal system, it is not treated as binding by most hospitals. The monitoring carried out by the Rodzić po humanku Foundation shows that most hospitals do not even attempt to introduce it.

To get to the hospital safely …

The location of the hospital is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing where you are going to give birth. Not only the distance in kilometers is significant, but most of all how long it takes to get to it - and at different times, including during peak traffic hours. It is good to test a few variants of the route and the prevailing traffic volume on themdifferent hours. When thinking about how you will get to the hospital, decide whether you will be taken by, for example, your partner, family, friends or a taxi. In the latter case, write down the numbers of several corporations on your phone right away. If you choose your own transport, make sure that the car is functional and refueled, but also choose a deputy driver - in case the selected person could not give you a lift for some reason.

To have relevant documents and test results …

On admission to the maternity ward, hospital staff will require you to show certain documents and provide up-to-date test results. Here is a list of documents that you should have with you when going to the hospital:

  • ID card,
  • pregnancy record,
  • birth plan,
  • a document that confirms valid social security,
  • written PESEL number and tax identification number - employers or your own if you run a business,
  • current results of basic tests - blood group and Rh determination, last blood count and general urine test, all ultrasound performed during pregnancy, WR test (test for syphilis), HBS antigen test (for hepatitis B), and also the results of culture from the vaginal vestibule and anus for streptococcus,
  • results of other tests and consultations, e.g. cardiological or diabetic.

To have company during childbirth …

No one is surprised by the sight of men in the delivery room. Many couples decide on the so-called family childbirth. Many women admit that it makes them feel safer and safer, and they even feel less pain. Sometimes, however, the presence of a loved one at birth, instead of helping, is disturbing. So when preparing to welcome your baby to the world, think about which solution is best for you.

To protect the child from diseases …

Even during pregnancy, you should read the calendar of obligatory and recommended preventive vaccinations for children. This will help protect the baby from many, sometimes really serious diseases, the treatment of which could even require a hospital stay. The first, compulsory vaccinations - against hepatitis B and tuberculosis - are performed on the first day after delivery.

To eat he althy after childbirth …

Taking care of your child will take a lot of time and energy, so many everyday matters will most likely end up at the end of the priority list. This may be the case, for example, with cooking. Therefore, during pregnancy, while you still have strength, plan future he althy meals for a while, and then prepare and freeze their base meals.elements to which you will later add fresh, e.g. vegetables. Stock up on products that have a long shelf life, such as groats, rice, flour, sugar, oils, etc. Thanks to this, you will not have to think about the menu or spend a lot of time cooking or shopping later. When planning your meals, remember that you shouldn't eat spicy or hard-to-digest food while breastfeeding, and include it in your postpartum menu.

In order not to think about the bills …

Another everyday thing that should be taken care of before the solution is home finances. When a child arrives at home, it's easy to forget about the electricity or telephone bill, so if you have the option, make all the payments in advance. Thanks to this, after giving birth you will be able to focus on what is most important to you.

Home birth. What advantages does it have?

Source: x-news / Dzień Dobry TVN

Category:

Childbirth