Planning to have a baby or finding out you’re expecting can be an exciting time, but it also can be totally overwhelming. Your mind spins with a million decisions, from names and nursery colors to which car seat to choose and who you’re going to trust for your prenatal care and delivery.
It’s a lot to think about in a relatively short amount of time, but Beaumont Health System can help. With three hospitals offering a range of fertility, pregnancy, pediatric and postpartum services, they know what moms-to-be and new moms – and their babies – need. To help you understand your options, they’re offering baby fairs in Grosse Pointe and Royal Oak on April 18 and at the Troy hospital on April 25. The Grosse Pointe Fair is from 9 a.m. to noon, April 18, in conjunction with the Grosse Pointe War Memorial’s Mom-to-Mom Sale. It’s at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Farms. The Royal Oak Fair is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 18 in the South Tower Concourse at Beaumont Hospital’s Royal Oak campus at 3601 West 13 Mile Road. Troy’s Baby Fair, a week later on April 25, runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Atrium at Beaumont Hospital, Troy at 44201 Dequindre Road.
Beaumont chose to offer the fairs to potential patients as part of its commitment to giving patients the best possible information about their own health needs.
The fairs offer just about everything you could possibly need to answer the million questions you have while you prepare for baby to arrive.
“It’s a good opportunity for patients to gain more information about our services,” says Dr. Sangeeta Kaur, an obstetrician with Beaumont. “Plus, the more you know about your own health, the better you can communicate with your doctor.”
Whether you’re thinking about having a baby or approaching your due date, here are six reasons attending a baby fair is a good idea:
1. Meet the doctors. Choosing the person who will help oversee your prenatal care throughout your pregnancy and delivery is a crucial decision. So is choosing the doctor who will care for your baby as they grow throughout their childhood. Several OB-GYN and pediatric practices will have representatives at the event, so you can talk with doctors, nurses and/or their staffs and get a feel for who will be the best fit for your growing family.
2. Try before you buy. There are so many products out there for babies that the “baby-store meltdown” is as much a milestone of modern pregnancy as an ultrasound or a prenatal yoga class, and few things are more frustrating than spending a bundle on something that just doesn’t work for you. Vendors will be on hand for demos of all kinds of baby products to help you figure out what you need to prepare for your new family member.
3. Safety first. Babies depend on you to keep them safe while they explore the world. That means learning about car seats, baby-proofing gadgets, and cultivating skills like saving them from choking or knowing the safe way to settle them down to sleep. The baby fairs will provide plenty of product demos and safety information, and even have car seat demonstrations and safety checks.
4. Learn a skill. At the Beaumont baby fairs, you can experience mini-versions of many of the childbirth preparation classes Beaumont offers. You can learn about labor and delivery options, natural childbirth, breastfeeding and basic baby care. These courses are invaluable in boosting your confidence through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. New parent skills don’t come naturally to most people, so learning from someone who is knowledgeable and caring ahead of time can make the adjustment to parenthood much easier.
5. Connect with support services. Beaumont has a wide range of programs that help parents make the transition to this new phase in their lives with ease. Representatives from the Breastfeeding Support Service, the Postpartum Depression Support program, and the Parenting Program, Beaumont’s award-winning parent group and phone support program, will be available to provide information on the services they provide and how to access them.
6. Score some great prizes! All three events will feature giveaways and prize raffles. And with all the expenses that crop up when you have a baby, getting a few things for free is a huge help!
