My beautiful cousin and her husband welcomed their first child into the world on Christmas day this year. A dedicated nurse, she arrived ready to work on Christmas but reportedly went into labor instead, delivering our newest family addition just days before my own twins celebrated their twelfth birthday. I couldn't help thinking back to that cold December delivery, and how winter babies sometimes require lots of extra preparation.
If you are expecting a winter baby, it's not too late to get ready. Here are three things I would recommend every expectant parent do before the arrival of their wintertime bundle of joy.
Prepare for inclement weather
One of the worst experiences we had after our twins were born was dealing with an ice storm and the subsequent power outage in our neighborhood. Ice storms were not as common in Oklahoma then as they have become in the last decade. We did not have a generator, and we were caught unprepared for the loss of power in our home.
Thankfully, we had a natural gas furnace that we could light manually to heat our home and protect our preemies, but we still had to flee to a relative's house, nearly an hour away on a clear day but a much longer drive on icy roads, because our twins were dependent on pumped breast milk and my pump would not run on batteries.
Consider all the possibilities, and if your home is not the ideal place to be in an ice storm, blizzard or other winter event, find a friend or family member who will be happy to let you stay with them. Then go there, before the roads ice over so you can keep your family safe.
Learn how to safely bundle the baby
When we brought home our youngest child a few years ago, we were told not to swaddle her at home because swaddling can increase a baby's risk of SIDS. How, then, can parents keep their winter babies warm safely when they bring them home?
Preventing drafts in your house, using a safe, infrared heater in the nursery, turning the thermostat up higher than you might normally keep it, and using sleep sacks instead of swaddling blankets can all help keep your winter baby warm safely. I recently wrote more on this topic in another article.
Prepare for winter germs
Winter is flu season. It's also RSV season. And the potentially deadly norovirus can be more prevalent during cold winter months. You want to do your best to avoid germs, but this can be hard, especially if you have your baby right before the holidays. Everyone will want to see the little one, and each hug and kiss potentially carries germs that could land your winter baby right back in the hospital.
You can prepare by talking with your family and making them aware that your first priority will be to your baby's health. Avoiding winter germs may mean skipping large family gatherings, and requiring visitors to take extra precautions like washing their hands before touching the baby or staying away if they feel sick or feverish.
If you have family or friends who you know will not put your child's health and safety first, you are best to avoid them altogether until your little one is older and better able to fight off disease. It is unfortunate that anyone might put their own wants and convenience over the health of a child, but I know from experience that it happens, so don't be afraid to say no to visits from people you do not trust.
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