There are some very important health decisions that you will make in the hospital soon after your baby is born. The best time to think about these decisions is during the pregnancy so that you can ask questions and make informed/educated decisions that you will be comfortable with after you go home with your newborn.
- One of the first decisions you will make is how you plan to feed your baby. This very personal decision should be made after much consideration, please see article on “how to decide between breast and bottle feeding my baby”. This should be a decision that you make and not ones that others make for you. You will be more confident on how you are providing nutrition to your baby if you know why you have made this decision.
- Another decision you will make is which immunizations that you would like for your baby to receive and when. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has information for you to read and it is a topic that you should discuss in detail with your pediatrician (your baby’s doctor). This is one of the many reasons that you should choose a pediatrician before your baby comes. This is something that requires you to research things like; which pediatricians in your local area are accepting new patients, which are close to where you work or live, what hours do they have during the weekends, how large is the practice, and anything else that might be important to you.
- Many people have strong feelings about whether they want their newborns to have a pacifier or not. This is something that you should think about ahead of time and bring then bring a few with you if you are considering the use of pacifiers. In the early days of your baby’s life they are learning how to suck and having more than one way to do that is sometimes confusing. You may choose not to use them to avoid “nipple confusion” if you have decided to breastfeed. Some infants have a strong need to suck and it is comforting to them. You will not know your baby’s needs until you spend the first few days together.
- If you are having a boy there is another important decision that you will need to make and that is whether you want to circumcise him or not. The US is the only country in which boys are routinely circumcised. There are pros and cons to this procedure which is not medically necessary, and sometimes may not be covered by your insurance. This is another good topic to discuss with your pediatrician even though it is your obstetric provider (physician or midwife) who would actually perform the procedure.
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Dr. Cheryl Sharp, Chief Content Officer
Cheryl is a midwife and women's health nurse practitioner who has been caring for women, newborns, and families more than 30 years. She views the opportunity to journey with women through their pregnancy and beyond as a sacred privilege.