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After your baby arrives, there’s a lot to think about.

Follow these links from the CDC to learn more about how to help keep you and your baby healthy and safe, as well as learn about certain birth defects and medical conditions.

● Health

Breastfeeding: You and your baby gain many benefits from breastfeeding. Breast milk is easy to digest and has antibodies that can protect your baby from bacterial and viral infections.

• Proper Handling and Storage of Breast Milk: Safely prepare and store your expressed breast milk to maintain its high quality and keep your baby healthy. Make sure your baby’s caregivers know how to safely prepare and store the breast milk, too.
   
• Breastfeeding and Medication: If you’re breastfeeding, you might worry about whether to take medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and dietary or herbal supplements. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about any medications you are taking.
   
• Breastfeeding and Travel: Travel need not be a reason to stop breastfeeding. A mother traveling with a nursing infant may find breastfeeding makes travel easier than it would be if traveling with a bottle-fed infant. Find helpful tips for traveling while breastfeeding, and learn about vaccinations for international travel. You can also find information about breastfeeding and travel in the Traveler's Health Yellow Book.
   
• Breastfeeding and HIV: If you have HIV, don't breastfeed. The virus is in breastmilk, and you can give HIV to your baby by breastfeeding.

Jaundice and Kernicterus:  Jaundice can sometimes lead to brain damage in newborns. Before leaving the hospital, ask your doctor or nurse about a jaundice bilirubin test. If you think your baby has jaundice, call and visit your baby’s doctor right away.

Vaccinations:  Vaccines are very important to your baby’s health. Follow the schedule found at this link to be sure your baby gets his or her shots on time. And if you miss any, check with your doctor about getting back on track

• Parent's Guide to Childhood Vaccinations: This booklet tells about 13 childhood diseases and the 9 vaccines that can protect your baby from them.

Newborn Screening: Within 48 hours of your baby’s birth, a sample of blood is taken from a "heel stick," and the blood is tested for treatable diseases. More than 98% of all children born in the United States are tested for these disorders.

Hearing Screening: Your baby should be screened for hearing loss before 1 month of age, preferably before leaving the birth hospital. Learn more about newborn hearing screening and what happens if your baby doesn’t pass the screening test.

Thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for this great article. You can find more of their publications at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/after.htm