Things Learned from My Birthing Experience

1. Prepare a birth plan and print many copies My OB was out of the country when I gave birth. We scheduled my CS to be on the 39th week but my baby wanted to see the world much earlier than we had planned. Hence, a reliever had to perform the operation. It was a good thing I had multiple copies. It was easy for my husband to just hand my birth plan to the reliever. 
2. Prepare the SSS and the PhilHealth documents You have to submit the Maternity 1 Form of SSS at least sixty (60) days within conception but not later than the date of delivery otherwise you will not be able to claim your maternity benefit. You need to get the Maternity 2 Form that you will fill out after you give birth. You have to get the Claim Form of SSS from your employer and this has to be signed by your HR. You also need to get your Member Data Record and list of contributions from PhilHealth. Usually, HR can do this for you but if they cannot, you can always go to a nearby PhilHealth office. They have a priority lane for pregnant women.
3. Prepare the HMO enrollment form Once you give birth, you want to make sure that you enroll your bundle of joy to your HMO so that your baby is covered. Check the enrollment requirements with your HMO. You never know what needs your baby might have once the baby is born. In our case, our son had to go through photo therapy.
4. Prepare an envelope containing all the documents My husband was more stressed than I was during labor. While the nurses told me that I should already be feeling the contractions, I did not feel a thing. My husband on the other hand was stressed because of the errands he had to run. It was a good thing that I have put all the documents in one envelope except for our marriage contract. I did not know they will ask for this because I only checked for documents needed for delivering the baby. The marriage contract is needed to process the birth certificate of the baby. This requirement will be submitted to the local civil registry. We were able to claim this two weeks after our baby's birth.
5. Prepare a list of things to bring to the hospital This will take a lot of cognitive load from your husband when packing. My husband just had to look at the list to pack what is needed to be packed.
6. Know where everything is While having a list helped my husband for sure, he still had to find the items on the list. Make sure you know where everything is. Better yet, put together all baby's things so it's easier for your husband to locate in case of an emergency delivery. Again, save yourself the hassle and pack the Go Bag early. Do not be like me. :) 
7. Wash baby's clothes, swaddle and cloth diapers It was a good thing that we washed the baby's clothes already. All my husband had to do was to pack the clothes.
8. Pack your Go Bag This will save your husband a lot of stress. All he will need to do is to pick this up. Remember to put the envelope in the bag. A colleague of mine advised me to bring the Go Bag everywhere because you never know when you will have your baby. Obviously, I did not heed her advice. I will also post the items on my list and even the things I wish I had on my list.
9. Learn how to use your sterilizer and your pump These gadgets should be very easy to use. However, learning how to use these prior will give you more confidence when you actually will use them already. This also gives you an idea of other paraphernalia that you may need. In our case, we had to get a place where we place the items that have been washed but not yet sterilized, special basins where we can wash and rinse the baby items, water containers that will store 100mL of distilled water for the sterilizer. This has made sterilizing items so much easier thanks to my husband who does not rest until everything is streamlined.
10. Sterilize everything you anticipate to use when baby arrives It is not advisable to pump on the first week. I know this because I have read books, watched videos, attended lectures and joined forums on breastfeeding. However, sometimes no matter how much you will things to go the way you want them, they don't. In my case, I apparently have short nipples. I did not even know that was a thing! This made latching close to impossible for my baby. I had to bottle feed my baby so I had to pump. This meant my husband had to sterilize my pump parts, bottles and nipples while we were at the hospital because my baby and I had to stay an extra night for the photo therapy. More on our struggle to latch later.
11. Set up the crib We bought a crib and had it assembled but we did not put the sheets on the crib. When you get home, the last thing you want is to still worry about these things. We are lucky because our in-laws took care of all these. When we got home everything was perfect. I suggest that you do not push your luck and prepare this ahead of time. 

I had to pause five times while writing this so that I can attend to our son's needs. Pardon the lack of coherence. I will add more if there are things I have forgotten. 

Search for the Wooden Crib

My brother and SIL have offered their Play and Pack pink crib but but because a) I am still unsure of the gender of my baby b) I am nesting c) eventually we will have to buy a wooden crib too for when the baby grows bigger, I have checked wooden cribs out as well. I have looked at so many wooden cribs today and I have identified the following shops that I would like to check out:

• Mothercare  I have not checked the price range of Mothercare cribs but the crib that Daphne Osena got for her first kid was still used by her other two kids. Also, my husband wants to make sure that the crib is safe and I know Mothercare sells items safe for kids.

• Youji & Me I have seen some of their cribs online and I like the brand Cuddlebug. I like this brand because most of their cribs can be converted into toddler beds. They also make use of non-toxic paint and really good wood.  I hear they hold warehouse sales and in 2014 it was around September or October. This is perfect for me because by that time I can already start shopping!

• Baby Company I know they carry Cuddlebug as well but I am unsure if they have a lot of choices.

• Rustan's They carry Cuddlebug along with other brands. At Alabang Town Center, they have one display unit and the others are just shown in pictures but are also available for sale.

• Ikea If only we have Ikea in the Philippines! They have nice crib options and beddings that will fit perfectly in the crib. They have a lot of cribs that can be converted into a daybed as well so I think it will be a good investment. There is one seller on Lazada offering an Ikea crib so I might consider this as well.

There are also online shops offering second hand cribs from Japan but I do not think my husband will be interested in purchasing a crib once owned by a stranger. If you are interested though, here is one of the sites I saw:

• Abebe Beybishop This shop offers Japan surplus items for kids. They have wooden drop side cribs. Please note though that drop side cribs have been prohibited by US already because there have been many infant deaths associated to drop side cribs. Eventually, the mechanism weakens or the assembly is incorrect so some babies get trapped in between the drop side and the base of the crib. For more information you can read about it here. 

I initially wanted a drop side crib because it will allow me to push the crib next to the bed. This way we can co-sleep without sharing the bed. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages co-sleeping because it increases the chances of the baby getting suffocated so I was thinking this was a great work around. Also, this should help me in late night feeds but after reading the ban on drop side cribs, I have decided against it. Some cribs like those of Ikea and Mothercare allow the removal of the sides once the child is older so that it can be converted into a daybed but the sides cannot be conveniently removed and then placed back.

I am really learning a whole lot. I guess it is good too that I am nesting this early.