The Gangubai Kathiawadi actor Alia Bhatt has just announced her pregnancy and her fans cannot help but go ga-ga over the news. The actor put out an Instagram post that showed her lying on a hospital bed undergoing ultrasonography with the screen of the monitor showing a red heart sign. Her husband and Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor can be seen sitting beside her bed wearing a cap with his back to the camera.
If you’re in the same boat as Alia and are preparing for motherhood for the first time, here are 5 tips on how to go about it.
Tips On How To Prepare For Welcoming Your Newborn
1. Get Over Your Fears
Listen to yourself and stay with your feelings but don’t be too harsh on yourself. Don’t give in to too much worry because you will learn as you go.
The first thing that you feel after getting the good news is that your heart jumps with joy. And then you cannot wait to give the news to all your dear ones. They come over or send all their love to you and your soon-to-be-born bundle of joy. But after a few days, when all this merriment settles down a little bit, the first emotion that you’re likely to experience is fear – fear of the unknown. How will you handle the responsibilities? How to know what’s right and wrong for your baby? What if you’re not a good parent? After all, no one prepares you for parenthood and there’s no instructional manual for it. Listen to yourself and stay with your feelings but don’t be too harsh on yourself. Don’t give in to too much worry because you will learn as you go.
Read: 6 Badhiya Yoga Asanas For Pregnant Women
2. Find A Doctor
Ask around your family and friends for a good paediatrician. Also, do your own research and know the paediatricians who are empanelled at the hospital where you will give birth. This process may seem a bit too early or like you are rushing things, but it is a time-consuming process and you may take quite some time to decide on a well-experienced doctor. So, it’s best to start early. Time will fly and you will find yourself in the hospital bed sooner than you expected.
3. Baby-Proof The Home
Your little one will be super-curious and will try to discover every nook and corner, and will manage to bump into everything every now and then.
This will not be needed immediately because it will take some time before your baby starts crawling. But there’s no harm in starting right away. Your little one will be super-curious and will try to discover every nook and corner, and will manage to bump into everything every now and then. So, you need to be careful of the sharp corners and bends. Opt for round-edged beds and other pieces of furniture. If your home has stairs, install gates so that there is no scope of him/her tumbling over the staircase. Install locks for kitchen cabinets and drawers, so that all the cutlery and bottles are out of reach. Better still, keep the doors of rooms like your kitchen and balcony locked at all times. Keep medicines and everything not meant for human consumption like plant fertilisers and pesticides out of bounds to prevent dangerous accidents.
Read: How To Sleep Comfortably During Pregnancy
4. Strengthen Your Bond As A Couple
Maintain a healthy relationship as a couple because that acts as the primary foundation for a loving home for your little one. Be very clear about how you want to raise him/her. Discuss everything under the sun – the values you want to instil in him/her, the kind of school you want to get him/her admitted to, etc. Although you may not agree on every aspect, draw a compromise to ensure that you’re on one page as a couple and, in turn, contribute to your little one’s physical and mental health.
5. Chalk Out Your Budget
…make a note of all the expenses that your baby will need and adjust your budget accordingly for all other expenses.
Once your little one is born, he/she will be the centre of your world. It goes without saying that your monthly budget will also revolve around your baby’s needs. A major chunk of your budget will be required for your baby and the expenses will only grow with time. So make a note of all the expenses that your baby will need and adjust your budget accordingly for all other expenses. It is also essential for you to discuss whether both of you have to work to tide over your expenses or whether one of you will prefer to be a stay-at-home parent.
Preparing to welcome a new family member is no mean joke. It definitely has its physical demands, but its mental demands are no less. And the responsibilities of a parent never cease to exist, even if your little one is all grown up. Because, especially in the Indian context, a child always remains a child for his/her parents, no matter what the age is. So, the above tips will help you #BeALittleMore conscious of how you need to prepare for welcoming a new member into your life.
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