You need to be a little careful when "birthing it" as the batting can stretch if you tug on it too hard, and then you can have problems with lumps as you quilt.
Eleanor Burns leaves a pretty good size opening and then she rolls up the quilt from the corners to the center and then births it...It looks like it wouldn't stretch as much this way.
You could spray baste it... but I would still pin baste it too, to keep the layers from traveling while you quilt it.