Prevent toxoplasmosis
If you’re hygienic and your pets are healthy, it’s unlikely that you’ll contract toxoplasmosis from interacting with your pets. Take these steps too:
✓Ask someone else to change the cat’s litter box.
✓Wear thick gloves when gardening.
✓Ensure that sandpits are always closed when not in use, and change the sand if a cat has used it as a litter box.
✓Wash all fruit and vegetables thorough before using.
✓Don’t eat undercooked meat.
✓Wash your hands after touching pets and working with raw meat.
CHAPTER 9
Practical matters
Getting ready for life with a baby is half the fun! In reality, you don’t need to pull out all the stops, and less is often more. There are a few practical matters worth putting some thought into, however.
MATERNITY LEAVE
It can be difficult to decide when to take maternity leave. Ideally, you should take a few weeks off before Baby arrives so that you can take it easy towards the end of pregnancy, but then you may have less time with Baby, which is just as important. However, you should try to take at least 10 days off before your estimated due date.
Maternity benefits differ from country to country. Currently, in South Africa:
•You are entitled to four months of maternity leave*:
–You can take this leave one month before your due date, or earlier or later, depending on your health.
–You may not go back to work within six weeks after birth, unless your doctor or midwife says that it’s safe for you to do so.
•Just because it is your right to take this leave does not mean that you will necessarily get paid. Your company’s internal maternity regulations will govern this, but legally they are under no obligation to pay you. You can claim a percentage of your salary from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
•While you are pregnant or nursing, you may not do any work that is unsafe for you or your baby, such as lifting heavy items when pregnant, or handling dangerous chemicals. Talk to your supervisor to make sure this is heeded.
Remember, your employer also has rights, and if you’re thinking about not returning to work after birth, you will need to give your employer a notice period as stipulated in your contract.
* This does not apply to you if you work for the National Defence Force, the National Intelligence Agency or the South African Secret Service; you are an unpaid charity worker; you work in sales and regulate your own hours; or you work less than 24 hours a month.
BABY NECESSITIES
It can be rather overwhelming to prepare for life with a new baby. In the early years, babies don’t need much more than food, love, attention and a few important pieces of equipment. Although these can be expensive, you shouldn’t compromise on quality, and generally the financial impact can be reduced by spreading it over your pregnancy. Also, many of these items will hopefully be given to you by relatives, or lent to you by friends.
Here is a basic list of baby essentials:
Software
•6 vests
•6 cotton onesies or Babygros
•3 jerseys or jackets
•6 bibs
•2 caps
•4 pairs of baby socks or booties – maybe Granny can knit these?
•4–5 receiving blankets
•4–5 fitted cot sheets
•2–3 covering blankets for a cold night
•Fluffy toy
| Accumulate a few packs of disposable nappies during your pregnancy, in various sizes, to lessen the financial impact – make sure they’re soft, absorbent and gentle on a baby’s skin. If you’re not using disposable nappies, you’ll need 30 terry or cotton nappies and five waterproofs. |
Hardware (equipment)
•A car seat (this must have an SABS stamp and be the correct size for Baby’s age)
•Baby carrier pouch or wrap
•Carry cot
•Crib or cot (lead-free paint is essential)
•A camp cot is nice to have, especially for visiting friends and family
•Changing table
•Baby bath
•3-in-1 pram (the wheels should be sturdy enough to cope with fairly rough terrain)
•A nappy bucket if you are using terry nappies
•Musical mobile
Products
Use products that are baby-friendly and environmentally-friendly – preferably organic. Products that contain calendula or rooibos are usually gentler on a baby’s sensitive skin, although it’s important that the base is made from good quality, safe ingredients. Less is more, so use products sparingly; Baby’s skin also needs to breathe. Squeeze or pump-action bottles are a good choice because they’ll make your life a lot easier. These are some important products:
•Baby soap
•Baby shampoo
•Body lotion
•Buttock cream
•Baby oil
•Calendula lotion or surgical spirits to clean the umbilical stump and navel
•Cotton buds
•Cotton-wool balls
•Baby powder or talc (only to be used very sparingly)
| After Baby has been born, don’t immediately remove all the vernix on his skin – this wonderful natural “cream” keeps Baby’s skin supple, nourished and protected. |
CREATING YOUR BABY’S NURSERY
It can be such fun setting up your baby’s nursery, but there’s more to it than just pretty décor. Baby may not even spend that much time in the nursery in the early months, but it’s still worthwhile creating a beautiful space for your little one. Choosing a colour scheme can be fun, but although there are different theories on which colour schemes will help stimulate a baby, and which colours can affect a baby’s mood, this will ultimately boil down to personal preference. Irritable, distressed babies may respond to soothing colours; placid, calm babies may enjoy more stimulating colours. Why not have a neutral background and introduce colour in the form of mobiles and toys?
Top five nursery tips
1.Position the crib in such a way that your little one can see out the door. This way, when he’s old enough to sleep in his own room, he’ll feel less alone. Also, keep the cot away from direct sunlight, windows, heaters, lamps, and wall hangings, furniture or curtains that Baby could use to climb out of the cot.
2.Suspended mobile toys are not only a beautiful addition to a nursery; the movement may actually help to soothe Baby. However, once Baby can push herself onto her hands and knees, you’ll have to place the mobile out of her reach to prevent body parts getting caught up in the dangling cords, or Baby pulling off and placing small parts in her mouth.
3.Make sure the mattress fits snugly and don’t put a pillow in the cot. For safe sleeping, your baby needs a firm and