Making Your Life Work with a New Baby and a Disability

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Making Your Life Work with a New Baby and a Disability-min

Living with a disability as a new parent can be stressful. However, to help put your mind at ease, there are three areas you need to focus on first: your finances, your health, and your home. Here are some steps you need to take to be ready for your baby.

Making Your Life Work with a New Baby and a Disability-min

Really Plan for Your Future as a Parent:

When you have a baby, you have to start thinking a little differently when it comes to the future. You’ve likely thought about how you will save for college and other expenses. But as you make all of the happy plans for your family’s future, you also need to spend some time thinking about the not-so-pleasant possibilities. It’s important that you have a will, as well as some financial peace of mind, set up to protect your spouse and family when you are not around.

Burial insurance can provide a much-needed layer of security for your new family by giving them some extra cash for final expenses, medical bills, and personal debts. It’s a great supplement to a life insurance policy so your loved ones will have less to stress about during an already emotional time. You may also want to consider setting up life insurance policies for your child since those funds can be used in a variety of ways as your little one becomes an adult. In addition to a healthy savings plan, making these arrangements now is a wise move for new parents.

Start Taking Better Care of Your Health:

All parents should plan for all kinds of future, but you should also take some extra steps to keep yourself healthy enough to care for your child. Raising a child is a lifetime commitment, and the choices you make now can affect whether you are able to see all of those amazing milestones, including graduations, weddings, and grandchildren. Some of the lowest-risk lifestyle choices you can make, such as not smoking and getting exercise daily, will help you live longer and stay healthier.

Aside from extending your life, developing healthy habits now can also give you the energy needed to keep up with your new role as a parent. With small measures, like staying hydrated throughout the day (dehydration can drain your energy) and getting seven to eight hours of restful sleep, you can keep up through all the stages. Uninterrupted sleep, however, can be pretty impossible with a new infant, so use these tips to get yourself through those inevitable sleepless nights. Sleep when you can (usually when the baby is sleeping), and don’t feel guilty about accepting help from your spouse, friends, or relatives.

Prepare Your Home in Every Possible Way:

 Once you have your finances and self-care worked out, you should begin to get your home ready for your new baby. Creating a home that’s accessible should be your first priority, and making smart changes will only help you out as you and your family grow older. Universal accessibility upgrades, like ramps instead of stairs and grab bars in bathrooms, are just as helpful for new parents and children as they will be for aging in place later on. Plus, getting these updates out of the way now means spending less time and money on them in the future. Of course, making accessibility upgrades can be costly. If you’re a homeowner, a home refinance could give you an infusion of cash to help you pay for any needed modifications. This can be a great option if you plan to live in your home long term.

It’s also important to allow yourself to nest in your home, especially if you are a new mom. Stock up on necessities in your nursery, pantry, and kitchen well ahead of the new arrival. Try to spend some time on cleaning and cooking as well, or think about asking a loved one to organize a meal train for those first few weeks after the birth. The latter also allows friends and relatives to visit with your new baby while providing convenient meals for your family.

There’s never a way to be 100 percent prepared for parenthood, but at least you can prepare the aspects you can control. If you can make sure your finances and home are ready, you’ll have more time to concentrate on the most important things: yourself and your new baby.

Written by :

Ashley Taylor

disabledparents.org

Photo Credit: Unsplash

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