OkcPets Magazine March 2022

24 OKC Pets • March/April 2022 Bringing a Newborn Home to Your Fur Babies by Kelsey Warren-Bryant O ne of the first clues that I was pregnant came from my female dog, Boo. A black Labrador Boxer mix, she stared at me from the foot of the bed, her face partly gray from middle age. I gen- tly patted the covers as an invitation to join me, but she just stared, panting heavily as if something monumental had changed about me. A few days later, I found out it had! Until I saw that little blue plus sign for the first time, my two doggies were the only babies I had. My husband and I adopted Houdini and Boo, a sibling pair from the same litter, from our family after they had turned five years old. They quickly became the center of our lives. For five years, our routine consisted of walks, playing fetch, training, and nightly snuggles in bed. It was just the four of us, a married couple with a bonded dog pair. But then within nine months, everything was about to change — and in truth, no- body ever told me just how much. Prepare Sleeping Arrangements Ahead of Time One thing I hadn’t considered before bringing home our newborn baby was our sleeping arrangements. Houdini and Boo had slept in the same room with us for five years. What had become a comfortable routine quickly unraveled with the addition of our newborn daughter. With her waking up every two hours (on a good night), sleep became paramount for the next few months. Simple things that were just a way of life before — a sharp tail wag against the floor, a growl or bark, begging to be let out- side in the middle of the night — became downright anxiety inducing. Until the little one was ready to move into her own room, things had to change with our sleeping arrangements. If we had practiced having our dogs sleep in the living room a few weeks before our baby’s arrival, it not only would have pre- pared us better for the change but also our pups. Remember that this is a big change for them as well, and anything you can do to make that transition smoother will save you and your fur babies some stress. Con- sider beforehand how often your animals wake you up on any given night and wheth- er you might need to prepare your sleeping arrangements accordingly. Stock Up on Pet Essentials Becoming a first-time mom, I was clueless as to what I would need for the baby. Cloth or disposable diapers? Formula or only breastfeeding supplies? What baby items