Once they see a positive sign on a pregnancy stick, it’s amazing how quickly moms-to-be start to feel fiercely protective of their developing baby. From eating as healthily as possible, giving up wine with dinner and being extra careful when walking on icy sidewalks, expectant mothers are naturally inspired to do what they can to protect their baby.
In addition to these preventative measures, it’s good to come up with other, less-common ways to protect a brand new baby. With this in mind, check out the following ideas:
Research Cord Blood Banking
While pregnant, you might want to look into the option of cord blood banking. Since you cannot announce right after delivery that you want to try umbilical cord blood banking, it’s important to have the steps in place prior to giving birth. One reason that parents are considering saving cord blood stem cells is because of the way they can be used to treat diseases. Right now, more than 80 health conditions are treatable using cord blood stem cells and 50-plus clinical trials are underway looking at cord and placenta tissue.
Although it can be difficult to think about, if your baby should have a health condition and/or one of her siblings falls ill one day, the banked cord blood could literally save your child’s life. When researching cord blood banks, check for things like how many stem cells are typically collected, options for storing cord and/or placenta tissue and how long it will safely stay banked.
Consider Bed Extenders for Co-sleeping
If you are considering co-sleeping with your infant, there are several points to take into consideration. According to some, co-sleeping may improve the bonding between new moms and their newborns, and if you are nursing, it can make middle of the night feedings easier. On the flip side are safety issues—the last thing you want to do is to accidentally roll over on your infant in the middle of the night. To help give you the best of both worlds, consider a bed extender/co-sleeper.
For example, Macro Baby sells a babybay co-sleeper that securely attaches to the side of your bed. The co-sleeper is the size of a bassinet and it is strong, durable and fits flush to the side of your bed. You can easily reach over and comfort your baby without fear of rolling on him, and the crib-like rails extend around the top, side and bottom of the bed extender, so your infant will stay safe and snug in his own little bed.
Learn CPR
Again, while it can be difficult to think about something happening to your brand new baby, it is important to be as prepared as possible. To learn how to help your baby in case of a medical emergency, sign up for a CPR class, or purchase a CPR Anytime Kit that allows you to learn basic lifesaving skills in about 20 minutes, all from the comfort of home. The infant kit, which costs $38.50 plus shipping and tax, contains a Mini Anne CPR personal manikin, a bilingual Family and Friends CPR Anytime DVD, skills reminder card and instructions. You can watch the instructional video and practice your CPR skills on the baby manikin, and you can also share the kit with grandparents and babysitters.
The maternal protective urge is so strong, it will probably cause you to find all sorts of additional ways to take care of your new baby. By starting with ideas like cord blood banking, bed extenders and an at-home CPR training kit, you will be well on your way to keeping your new baby as protected as possible.