Deciding to have a baby is possibly the biggest decision you’ll ever make in your life and once you’ve made that decision, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the sheer amount of ‘stuff’ you need to buy, information you need to take in and appointments you need to attend. Your life changes almost unrecognizably the minute the blue line appears on the little stick!

It’s no secret that women like to be in control but unfortunately having a baby is one of those times when you just won't be able to manage every single detail of it yourself. You can however, prepare yourself for most possibilities by gathering as much information as you can before the birth. This includes; speaking to other moms, reputable health professionals such as Sugar Land obgyn, reading books and checking out the Internet.

Learn about the birth process

Whilst you might want to bury your head in the sand about the impending birth, the very best thing you can do is to learn as much about birth ahead of time. The more informed you are about the process, the better your experience is likely to be.

Consider taking a birth class where you’ll learn breathing techniques, best positions for labour and birth, and ways your partner can help and support you during the experience.

Find a doctor you like and trust

The best time to choose your obgyn is around the halfway point of your pregnancy, you need to give yourself plenty of time to select someone who will be a good fit for you and your family.

Don’t forget to talk to your health insurance company to establish how to add your baby to your existing policy and find out what you’re entitled to for labour, delivery and aftercare.

Create a list of birth wishes

As already established, babies and childbirth is one of those occasions you will not be able to reliably plan for. Instead consider creating a short wish list that answers a few key questions:

When would you like to be admitted to hospital
Are you willing to have labour induced
Who do you want with you in the labour room
What are your pain medication wishes
What are your breastfeeding desires

Make sure your birthing partner is fully aware of your wishes and able to discuss them during labour and birth if you are unable to.

Arrange plenty of post-birth help

Those first few weeks after having a baby will pass in a blur of overwhelming love and joy for the beautiful person you have created, as well as extreme tiredness and feelings that you can’t cope. Lining up help and support before giving birth will help to mitigate some of these emotions - moms who get plenty of help are more equipped to effectively care for their new baby.

Sit down with supportive family and friends to discuss what you think you’ll need and decide the best person to help offer you that. The value of having a kind neighbor to help ferry older children to and from school, or your mom stay with you for the first few days to help clean, organize and generally support you shouldn’t be underestimated.