Stuff fathers must take care of post-birth
Here is a list of the things and chores that matter during the initial few days
Previously, I had written about what fathers must know when they learn about the arrival of their baby. Here, I list down a few things you must know just before hospitalisation and post-birth.
Before taking mom for delivery, it is always good to inform the hospital that they should be expecting you. They have few arrangements to make and delivering a baby needs hands and equipment. Carry the file that you have been maintaining for the past nine months. Take the mediclaim, identity and debit cards of mom and you. Also, carry some cash. Put comfort clothing for mom in a bag. Would be great if you keep this ready a couple of days ahead of the expected date. Have someone to lend you some money as a backup. You never know what expenses you might run into.
The moment has arrived. You can hear the baby cry from far away. You wait till the doctor opens the door and gives you the news. “It’s a baby girl”, he says. Time stops. Everything you have been hoping for has come true. You cannot control your emotions and your relatives are jumping with joy. This one moment is absolute bliss.
The next few hours will be spent informing everyone about this little bundle of joy. Take some time to spend with the baby and the mother. That moment when the doctor hands over the baby to you is incredible. Congratulations, bro.
The pre- and post-birth paperwork
While at the hospital, the staff will come to you with a lot of papers to sign before the delivery. Be sure to read them once. There would be a paper that would take off all the responsibility from the hospital or the doctor. Give it a careful read. You will have very little time. If you have a friend or relative, ask them to read it through.
One of the papers you will fill is to register your baby’s birth with the municipality. The form will ask for mom and pop’s details along with the address. Ensure that you provide your email address too. We will get to why this is required a little later. It also has a line for the baby’s name. If you have not decided it yet, you can fill it in else leave it blank. The hospital authorities will send the filled form to the municipality and get your baby’s birth registered with the Department of Health. The local sub-registrar for birth and death will be the issuing authority. We will go through the procedure for registering the name in a bit.
Other than these two sets of papers, hospital authorities will reach out to you for regular stuff like discharge, prescriptions, etc. Keep the cash and card handy. You will need them.
Unexpected hospitalisation
There are times when the baby might be required to be hospitalised. No first-time parents are prepared for this. Neither would you. There are many reasons for your baby to get neonatal care. Some of the common ones are respiratory issues, infection, pneumonia and jaundice. Remember when I told you about taking care of your money? This is where it would hit you badly if you have not done it already. Your baby cannot get health or life insurance until she has completed 90 days. So, you would need cash in hand. This is also where a friend or a relative would be helpful. Though the amount varies based on the hospitals and the service, a safe number would be 1 lakh. I may be overdoing this, but ensure you have access to a good amount of money. Hopefully, you would not need it.
Clothing and accessories for the newborn
While you enjoy your moments with your loved one, this is also the time to not lose sight of what you must do from now on. Let me get you back to business, father. Get the clothing for the newborn if you have not already. The hospital will give you basic clothing for a couple of days. Having clothing for at least a week would be good.
The baby would still have the cord which will fall over the next few days. So, keep her free of any irritation. Go with the set of a cap, undergarment and a wraparound for a week at least. This means you would want to have 7 pairs or more ready. Babies need to be changed every now and then, so better safe than the scramble to buy clothing. Switch over to a zip-over maybe a week later once the cord is off her. Comfort, convenience and weather are the only factors while choosing your baby’s clothing. Do not go for fashionable stuff.
Babies sleep a lot and so providing maximum comfort with a baby bed would be important. Get one with a mosquito net and a good cushion. You also have the option of creating a simple baby quilt using old clothes and bedsheets. Ask your mother or mom-in-law, they would know. Many artisans make this comfortable clothing. I feel homemade quilts are best over fancy ready-to-buy items. Also, remember you will need them only for the first few months.
Many parents also go in for a cradle. I hardly find it useful. It consumes a lot of space. Mom would not want the baby to be away and so the cradle will most likely become an overhead. Buy it if you really want it.
The diapers. Yes, the diapers. Diapers are usually categorised either by age or weight. You could get it from a local medical store or subscribe to a monthly supply from Amazon. Saves you money. You will be changing them from now on.
Many newborns do not latch on to breasts initially making life horrible for moms. If they cannot latch, they bite and this becomes worse by the hour. One of the easiest ways to provide relief to mom is by buying her a breast pump which she can use to pump the milk into the bottle and feed the baby. Breast pumps could be automatic or manual. Some popular brands include Medela Symphony, Pigeon and Philips Avent, among others. The price could vary from a few hundred to upwards of INR20,000.
Getting your baby’s name registered
This is the most important task post-birth. Thankfully, it is not that complicated these days. As mentioned earlier, you will be asked by the hospital authorities to fill up a form for the birth of the baby. This is where the email becomes important. The hospital authorities send this form to the local ward office to get the birth registered. Once under process, you will get an email from the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, about the confirmation of the process. Here is how the email looks like.
It will have the name of the local ward office that the name will be registered at. Look up the office address and note down the working hour timings. You will have to visit the ward office to get the name registered and get a copy of the birth certificate with the name on it.
Once the registration is complete, the registrar office will send another email with the certificate. The email looks like this.
In case you find any issues with the digital copy, you can respond to the same email. They are prompt and will respond.
Next comes your visit to the local ward office to get the name registered to get a physical copy of the birth certificate. The best day to visit the office would be a weekday. The entire process takes about an hour or so. Here is what you will need to do.
Fill up the form at the local ward office with the required details. It will also ask for the name.
Attach a copy of the form you had filled at the hospital as well as the digital copy that you received on email. The digital copy is, however, not mandatory.
Attach your and mom’s identity and address proof. The AADHAR card works the best in this case.
The officer in charge will type in the details and hand over a rough copy for you to proof. Read through every word and check the spellings. You must not go wrong here.
Once you confirm, the officer will make a final registration and hand over a copy to you. Ensure to take as many copies as possible. As per procedure, 1 copy is free. You can take up to three (based on the office’s discretion). An extra copy would cost you Rs 10 or so.
Though I have covered all the steps required, note that the process may differ from state to state. You can also visit the central government’s website for any specific queries like what if your kid was born outside India and more. Here is the link to the most frequently asked questions.
Health insurance for the newborn
Your next step must be to get the health insurance or mediclaim in place. As mentioned earlier, your baby cannot get health or life insurance until she has completed 90 days. So, these days are crucial. If you already have health insurance, you will have to switch to a family floater plan to add your baby’s name to it. The family floater plan is nothing but health insurance for the family. The premium will surely be on the higher side but remember you plus one now. The cover would also increase. Also, note that the insurance will cover your kid till she is 21 years only. You will need the following documents to get the health insurance processed.
Birth certificate with the name on it.
Discharge certificate. This is so that the insurance company knows your kid is in good health.
Photograph of the newborn. Many health insurance companies ask for this to issue a cashless card.
If you do not have health insurance for yourself, you must get one now. The risk of not having health insurance is too high.
So, there you go. A small rundown of the stuff you need to know post-birth.
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