Newborn Essentials

What You Really Need Before Baby Arrives

Preparing for a newborn can feel overwhelming. One quick search online and it seems like you need dozens of products before your baby even comes home. In reality, newborns need far fewer things than most lists suggest. You don’t have to buy everything at once. Starting with the basics — and adding items as you learn what works for your baby — is usually the calmest and most practical approach.

A Safe Place to Sleep

Your baby will spend much of the first weeks sleeping, often in short stretches day and night. A simple sleep space next to your bed makes nighttime feeding and care much easier. Most families choose a bassinet or bedside crib. Swaddles or sleep sacks can help newborns feel secure, but you don’t need a fully designed nursery right away — closeness matters far more than décor.

Diapers and Daily Care

Expect many diaper changes each day. Having diapers, wipes, and cloths for spit-up ready will cover most of your needs. You don’t need an elaborate changing station. A simple, practical setup that’s easy to reach — especially at night — makes a big difference.

Simple Clothing

Newborn clothing should be comfortable and easy to put on, especially during nighttime changes. Footed pajamas with zippers or magnetic closures tend to be the most practical. A small number of outfits is enough at first — babies grow quickly and laundry becomes part of daily life.

Feeding Supplies

Your feeding setup will depend on your plans and your baby’s needs. Some families need very little equipment at first, while others find bottles, a pump, or additional support helpful later on. What matters most is knowing where to turn if feeding challenges arise.

Bathing and Grooming

Newborn care is simple. Babies don’t need frequent baths in the early weeks. A safe way to support the baby in the bath, gentle products, and basic grooming tools are usually sufficient. Many parents keep things minimal at first while they recover and adjust.

Getting Around Safely

A properly installed car seat is essential before leaving the hospital. A stroller or baby carrier can make daily life much easier. Many newborns settle well when carried close to a parent, which can be especially helpful during fussy periods.

Start With Less — Add As You Go

One of the most common regrets new parents share is buying too much before the baby arrived. Every baby is different. Some love being swaddled, others resist it. Some sleep easily in a bassinet, others prefer being held. Waiting to see what your baby responds to can reduce stress, clutter, and unnecessary expense.

The Most Important Preparation Isn’t a Product

While practical items help, the biggest difference in how parents experience the early weeks usually comes down to preparation and support. Knowing what to expect — and having someone experienced to guide you when questions arise — can make the transition into parenthood feel calmer and more manageable.

If you would like clear, personalized guidance on preparing for your newborn or support after birth, Terri offers consultations for English-speaking families in Israel.

📞 You are very welcome to reach out to discuss what would feel most helpful for you.

Giving Birth in Israel

What Foreign-Born Mothers Should Know

If you grew up outside Israel and are expecting a baby here, you might be wondering what birth in the Israeli hospital system is really like.
Many women prepare for their births — by reading books, taking classes, and imagining the experience. But when it comes to how birth actually works inside Israeli hospitals, it can still be a mystery.
Policies, routines, language, and hospital culture can be quite different from what you may know from Canada, the US, the UK, South Africa, or Europe.
Understanding these differences ahead of time can make a big difference in how confident and calm you feel going into labor.

The Israeli Hospital System: Different, Not Necessarily Better or Worse

Israel has excellent maternity care and very experienced midwives. At the same time, the hospital culture can feel more medical and protocol-driven than what many women expect.

For example, you may encounter:

• Different approaches to monitoring during labor

• Less emphasis on privacy in some maternity wards

• Policies around newborn care that vary from hospital to hospital

• A faster pace in busy delivery rooms

None of these are inherently negative — but they can feel surprising if you’re not expecting them.

Choosing the Right Hospital Matters

One of the most important decisions you can make is which hospital you choose for your birth.
Hospitals in Israel differ significantly in their policies around:

• Natural birth support

• Epidural availability and timing

• Immediate skin-to-skin contact

• Zero-separation policies for newborns

• Rooming-in options after birth

Many women assume that all hospitals operate the same way — but in reality, the differences can be quite significant.
Understanding those differences can help you choose a hospital that aligns with your preferences.

Birth Support Can Make a Real Difference

Giving birth in a system that is not your native one can sometimes feel overwhelming.
This is where additional support can be incredibly helpful.
Working with a doula who is also a trained midwife and lactation consultant means you receive guidance that combines practical knowledge of the Israeli system with deep clinical understanding of birth and breastfeeding.

Support can include:

• Preparing for labor within the Israeli hospital system

• Understanding your options during birth

• Continuous emotional and physical support during labor

• Breastfeeding guidance after birth

For many women, having someone who understands both the medical system and the emotional experience of birth can make the whole process feel much more grounded and reassuring.

Preparing Ahead Changes the Experience

Birth is unpredictable, but preparation helps you walk into the experience with clarity instead of uncertainty.
Knowing what to expect — and knowing that someone is there to support you — can transform how you experience labor and the early hours with your baby.
If you would like help understanding the Israeli birth system or preparing for your hospital birth, Terri offers private birth planning consultations for English-speaking mothers.

These sessions provide clear information, practical guidance, and space to ask any questions you may have.

The Postpartum Woman

Almost all of the focus in the postpartum is on the newborn baby, I see the surprise time and time again in the woman’s face when I ask the postpartum woman how she is doing? I also see the gratitude for asking. The postpartum focus needs to be strongly also on the woman, the woman who has transformed into a mother. This transition in name to motherhood may be immediate after the birth of the baby but it is not immediate in the woman. It is a transition that takes time and support, support both physical and emotional. As a former Canadian Midwife I work to support each woman’s transition, especially after birth. I hold space for each woman’s experience, as all woman go through the transition to motherhood differently.

Assessment of the newborn baby for Tongue tie

Firstly, if your baby is latching onto the breast well, there is no pain or any pain has resolved and your baby is gaining normally after your milk has transitioned, you do not need to worry about tongue tie. Not all babies need to have their mouths assessed by a specialist. The babies that I want as a Certified IBCLC Lactation consultant to assess for tongue tie are the babies that are:

• not able to latch on to the breast or not able to sustain a latch on the breast

• babies that are causing their mothers persistent pain or injury of the nipple

• babies who are not gaining when they should or who are not gaining enough

When I do assess of these babies I want to do it in a calm, gradual way. I want to observe the baby in many different moments. For example:

• when the baby is sleeping, where does the tongue rest when sleeping

• when the baby is crying, what is the shape of the tongue when crying

• what does the suck feel like when the baby sucks on my gloved finger

• Can the baby stick their tongue out of their mouth

• what is the shape of the babies tongue when it is moved

• what does it feel like or look like under the babies tongue

All of these assessments take time and patience. I am not usually able to observe all of these situations in 2 minutes of assessment, it may take as long as 30 minutes.

There is a lot of discussion within the lactation consultant and pediatric communities about tongue tie and its over diagnosis. This is a valid discussion, as we do not want babies whose tongue is normally functioning to be released. I always have this discussion in mind if I feel it is warranted to even assess a baby for tongue. I am learning all the time on how to assess more accurately, more through and more research based. In the last 4.5 years I have been a working Certified IBCLC lactation consultant, I have sent 4 babies in for further assessment for tongue tie by an experience specialist. Many times before sending babies to these specialist I recommend osteopath treatment to first help improve the babies tongue mobility. I only forego osteopath treatment if it is an S.O.S. case where a baby is unable to latch on to the breast due to poor tongue mobility and that baby has many markers for an anterior tongue tie.

What I have realized over my years as an IBCLC and previous years as a Canadian Midwife, is that I must not take this responsibility lightly. That I must not fall in to the current pattern of over-diagnosing tongue tie and cause babies unnecessary pain. I am also grateful that I work in private practice, which enables me to take the time needed to assess slowly and thoroughly. I am also grateful that I am able to see many of my clients over many weeks to help see the larger perspective and spread out the support for women and their babies.

The Canadian Postpartum Midwife Way

I soon knew my favorite part of my job as a midwife in Canada was after the baby was born. That is when the hard work begins, when most of the support is needed for mothers. This is when I believe my job as a postpartum midwife was that to fill the community support void. Coming to see women in a scheduled way in the postpartum and not waiting until a problem arises to visit. Having a neutral trained professional visiting women in the postpartum helps them feel informed and emotionally supported. Gives new mothers or returning mothers reassurance that they are doing well with the work of being a mother, that their baby is well. Not having to leave the comfort of your home for the first weeks of your babies life for weigh- in’s and well baby checks. I loved watching women’s confidence build with each visit or if not helping them set goals to overcome challenges and not giving up.

If I am able to ease some of the uncertainty in the postpartum that women experience then I am happy. It fills my bucket to help women overcome what ever challenges arise after their baby is born.

Even though I left my profession as a Midwife behind in Canada and no longer catch babies, I do not feel less fulfilled because I still get to be with women during their pregnancy, birth and postpartum here in Israel. I get to share the Canadian Postpartum Midwife way with my clients in Israel, share with them this beautiful model of care.