Lots of babies are born every year, and in the case of a disaster, many will be affected. There will be pregnant women, women in labor, newborn babies, older babies. These will be some of the most vulnerable people on earth in times of crisis. How can parents prepare to protect themselves and their youngest children in case of an emergency?
Pregnant women.
In the throes of a disaster, I imagine pregnancy will be put on the back burner. It will be very important for pregnant women to have adequate shelter, food, and water, but whether or not they actually have these things is not something anyone (besides the woman herself and her family) is likely to be focused on. Obviously, she should be the person making sure she knows how to purify water, and have a backup of safe foods. Knowledge of foraging is always great, but for a pregnant woman is even more important, to ensure she doesn't eat plants that could cause problems in her unborn baby.
Any woman who is pregnant should have a good basic knowledge of birth, the signs of labor, and what to do with the baby, in case she is the only one around when the baby is born. Some babies need help to breathe at birth, and some babies have other needs. All pregnant women, in fact, all women period, should learn what they can about the process of birth and how to help when needed.
Women in Labor.
Women in labor are going to have an especially hard time. This woman needs to be in a safe place, either alone or with someone who knows what they are doing. Birth is usually fairly simple, and if in doubt, a good policy is "hands off". A woman's body is designed to birth, and while there are emergencies, and problems do occur, the vast majority of women can and would give birth just fine if they needed to.
Newborns and Young Infants.
The biggest fear for newborns would be an infection of the umbilical cord, or if for some reason a baby were separated from it's mother. Death of mom would be a particularly tragic happening and is beyond the short scope of this article. It is vitally important that young infants are fed often, and this piece of their care can be incredibly easy, or incredibly difficult, depending on whether the mother nurses her baby.
It is probably going to be vital for the survival of our babies that they are breastfed. Formula is fine in a world where there is a clean, steady supply of water, but it is lethal in places where the water supply is contaminated. There will be many women who have young babies who have only been bottle fed if and when SHTF, but those mothers do have a chance to save their children. Even men can and do produce milk given enough nipple stimulation, so a mother who chose to dry up could begin again to nurse. My advice is nurse your babies from the beginning, anyways. There are many benefits to it, even in modern America, and in the case of disaster, it could mean the difference between life and death.
Diapers are something that will be in high demand, and I imagine that people will begin to hoard them, and change them less often than is necessary for rashes to stay away. I would suggest that people learn about natural infant hygiene, or elimination communication, in case they may need to forgo diapers altogether. Also, learn about different absorbent materials you could use instead of diapers. Make mental notes where you can get them, but don't expect too much. EC would be my personal choice.
As for baby getting big and needing to begin solids, baby food isn't so vital after all. Many babies in many countries don't eat solid foods until they are a year, and in the case of a breastfed baby, this is perfectly acceptable. If you found yourself having to provide mash for your little one to eat for whatever reason, you can chew it yourself first, and then give it to your baby.
Of course, this is only some things I thought of, to get you started. Many other things that you need to consider for yourself include transportation, sleeping arrangements, long term schooling, and any other number of baby related issues. Educate yourself and become the best prepared parent (or parent to be) you can.
And remember, there will be orphans and young kids that need your help, not just your own. Is there anyways you could plan for a few more children than you have already? And even if you are currently on birth control, it could easily go away, or run out. What would your new situation be and how could you plan to survive in case of an unexpected pregnancy? Lots of thing s to think about.
