BUY LIFE INSURANCE Term insurance, which pays a specific sum if you die within a certain term, like the next 20 years, is usually the cheapest and most efficient avenue. Several financial planners suggested that women apply for coverage even before becoming pregnant, or at least early in pregnancy, to avoid potential issues later. “Pregnancies can sometimes be complicated by things like gestational diabetes, et cetera,” said Byron Udell, president of AccuQuote, an online insurance brokerage. “The insurance companies sometimes, but not always, postpone decisions to cover them during their third trimester, especially if there are any issues.”

How much insurance you need is a personal calculation, but even a stay-at-home parent should have some. Parents also need to ask themselves a variety of questions, including how much income they will need to replace. Buy the insurance outside of your employer so you can take it with you wherever you may go, the experts said.

DISABILITY INSURANCE This insurance, which pays a portion of your salary for a period of time if you become disabled, doesn’t tend to rank high on the priority list, but financial planners suggest considering it. Group policies offered through your employer typically pay about 60 percent of your current paycheck, some advisers said. “First look at what is available through your employer,” said Clarissa R. Hobson, a financial planner in Colorado Springs, Colo., who acknowledged that the coverage wasn’t cheap. “Some coverage is better than none.”

CHOOSE A HEALTH PLAN Ideally, you want to think about this before you’re expecting so you can choose the plan with the best maternity coverage. And be sure to inquire whether there are any out-of-pocket costs to avoid surprises later. You generally have about 30 days to add the baby to the plan after the birth — precisely the time you’ll be the most sleep-deprived. So think about how to best optimize family coverage ahead of time. How much more will it cost to cover a new child? Is it more cost-effective to put the baby on the mother’s or father’s plan?

SUSPEND FLEXIBLE SPENDING New mothers going on leave may need to turn off contributions to flexible spending accounts if there is no longer a paycheck to deduct from. The same goes for commuter cards. Speak with your human resources department about spending deadlines, particularly on flexible spending. My human resources department told me that claims must be made while the account is active. Once you’re back at work, you can flip the active switch back on, even outside the open enrollment period, because it’s considered a status change.