Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Hospital Bag…Am I Missing Anything?
Listen. I know first babies are rarely on time (or even early), but I’m convinced this kid is coming within the next couple days. My bag and the baby’s bag are waiting by the front door…before I put them in the car, am I forgetting anything?
(also: WOW, this blog has gotten boring)
P.S. Our birthing instructor strongly suggested that we bring swim trunks in case I use the jacuzzi or shower and need help in or out. I believe her exact words were, “We’re used to seeing naked women in Labor and Delivery. We’d rather not see a naked man.”
Comments on this post
I am no help on the list but I wanted to chime in that I’m cracking up about the naked man comment.
27. October - 10:54 amsizzle´s last [type] ..Time with my favorite little guy
Chargers and connection cords for the camera & video camera. Also, I had clothes for laboring in. I found them more comfortable than the hospital gown and my doctor said that as long as they had easy access to my lady bits, it was cool. So I work an old jersey skirt I didn’t care to keep and a sports bra. Not for everyone, but I really enjoyed having the option.
27. October - 10:56 amMary´s last [type] ..Thinking Ahead
How long are you staying? I’d recommend snacks, books/magazines for while you’re there (the baby was often sleeping or in the nursery) – we brought DVD’s and the playstation. Also, you’ll want toiletries/shower stuff, shower shoes/flip-flops, potentially your own clothes (I wore my husband’s t-shirt to feel normal w/visitors coming), snacks, and stuff like your vitamins or other meds you take. We didn’t need swaddle blankets – they have plenty and ours would have gotten lost.
27. October - 10:57 ammjb´s last [type] ..11 months
Nice Erin Condren planner.
27. October - 11:11 amregan´s last [type] ..vee-log!
I’m probably in the minority here, but my only suggestion would be to bring your own panties–something you don’t mind being ruined, just in case. The mesh panties they gave out in my hospital were horrid and uncomfortable. Even with the gigantic, diaper-size pads you’ll need at first, I would have been much more comfortable and much less irritated if I was wearing my own underwear (or at least something made of cotton and not vinyl mesh).
Now that I’ve shared my post-childbirth panty preference with the Internet, I think I’ll go hide under a rock! :)
27. October - 11:12 amJimmie´s last [type] ..Adventures in Eating
I second the entertainment options. Books/podcasts/whatever, just in case things go slowly and you something to do.
(also EEEEE! I can’t believe it’s almost time!!)
27. October - 11:18 amBlythe´s last [type] ..Lush Life
Don’t forget to bring your baby nurse! You’re not planning to take care of that kid yourself, are you?
27. October - 11:20 amTina´s last [type] ..Asparagus, Tomato, Steak and Goat Cheese Salad.
I love that you make little boxes to check on your lists!! I just cross mine off. But your way you can still read what’s on the list. SMART.
I don’t know what Jimmie’s talking about. I love those mesh panties. For reals. (I even took some home with me.) But yeah, bring your own, just in case. That is a good idea.
I didn’t bring my own shampoo and conditioner. They gave me some sort of liquid soap that was called something like “bodywash/shampoo/conditioner”. It was horrible and made my hair match the way the rest of my body felt. Not good.
Things never went slow enough to need anything to entertain us. But it is a good idea to have something there. After the baby is born can get boring too.
HOORAY!
27. October - 12:08 pmIsabel´s last [type] ..In which we take our kids to Germany
Champagne.
Deck of cards or some other small game or portable DVD player or SOMETHING to keep you entertained in case you’re stuck in a holding pattern and are BORED OUT OF YOUR MIND (project much?)
Your own towels.
Toothbrush and toothpaste and gum (especially for Bill. “STOP BREATHING NEAR ME, CHRIS.”)
And I think that’s it! I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU OMG.
27. October - 12:29 pmHome Sweet Sarah´s last [type] ..The Rules of Meetings
I was a LOT more comfortable in my own clothes than I would’ve been in a gown. I spent most of my time in a vneck tshirt (easy to pull down and nurse in) and a pair of old pj pants.
Makeup helped me look alive in those first photos.
Your own shampoo and soap for that first shower, since the hospital stuff is pretty gnarly.
I’ll put my CLE hat on and say that you should bring along a sleep style nursing bra (or at least one with soft cups that cover a range of sizes), since a) you don’t know what size you’ll be and b) even once you know you’ll be bouncing back and forth between cup sizes with each feeding for a few weeks.
We had a set of iPod speakers which we used a lot.
Remember to bring the battery charger for your camera!
I was actually pretty surprised by what the hospital did supply: long sleeve t shirts, tons of diapers, nipple cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush for the baby, blankets, burp cloths, even an aspirator and thermometer to take home.
I’m baffled by the suggestion to bring stuff to do . . . I was wayyyy too busy nursing, trying to sleep, taking photos and entertaining visitors to do anything recreational!
27. October - 1:16 pmHollyLynne´s last [type] ..Magpie Wednesdays
I didn’t mind the mesh panties from the hospital at all.
Also, I’d be hesitant to labor/recover in my own clothes. I went through a couple gowns during recovery alone — all the yucky postpartem stuff.
The one thing I didn’t see on your list? The softest toilet paper you can find! Hospital toilet paper is CRAP, and using my own, soft stuff was much better postpartem. (TMI: you don’t actually wipe — you just “pat, pat,” as my nurse said.) My nurses thought I was brilliant, though, for having it.
27. October - 1:22 pmNanette´s last [type] ..My girl wants to potty all the time*
Bring a hair tie along with some toiletries from home for your post-birth shower.
I also brought a journal and pen and made notes and wrote down the birth story–although you could do this on your iPhone. I delivered at Providence Portland and they called me a week or so later and asked how everything was while I was in the hospital and it was nice to have written down nurses names that we loved, so they got credit for being so great.
27. October - 3:37 pmI second the skipping the crappy mesh underwear/pads. They SUCK. (Also, if you end up with a c-sec, those rest RIGHT in the area of the incision.) I found that Depends are perfect because you can just take a package of them, use them and then toss em in the trash. By the time you get through the pack, you can switch to thin pads because your bleeding will have slowed down by then. They are so comfy, they hold a lot of blood (sorry), and you can also fit one of those fancy crotch ice packs in there for your sore hoo-ha.
They should provide a squirt bottle for you to spray warm water on your “self” when you pee so it doesn’t sting, and those are also good to clean yourself instead of TP when you’re sore.
Bring your own bath towel. The towels at the hospital barely will cover your pinky finger they are so small. Make sure you take a colored towel so the hospital staff doesn’t mistake it for one of theirs.
Last thing that SAVED me was Soothies. They are gel breast pads you can get at CVS and they are cool and soothing on sore nips. They also absorb some leakage and are reusable a few times if you clean them.
27. October - 4:20 pmEarplugs or a fan. I found it tough to sleep in the hospital. My husband can sleep through anything, so he could listen for the baby.
27. October - 4:43 pmOh, that made me laugh! I don’t know if it was mentioned in the above comments, but I forgot (all three times) to bring my own soap/shampoo and had to use this nasty, semen-like body wash in the gross hospital shower. It was baaad. So. Bring your own shampoo.
27. October - 5:51 pmAnd good luck, Rhi!! I’m so excited for you! You look wonderful and are going to be such a great momma. :)
Amanda Brown´s last [type] ..A Walking Tortoise-Shelled Blast of Hilarity
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but either leave extra room in your bag, or tuck in a small tote to bring home hospital freebies and other stuff you may acquire during your stay (prezzies!).
28. October - 9:03 amI’m totally giggling at the naked man comment, too.
Maxi pads. The ones they have at our hospital are big enough to be used for a menstruating horse.
28. October - 9:30 amAngella´s last [type] ..Here, There, and Everywhere
I find hospital gowns to be really uncomfortable and I hate doing and undoing the snaps to nurse so I prefer to pack my own clothes for after delivery. Yoga pants work well. It also makes me feel a bit better about my appearance!
28. October - 12:08 pmOK, this is going to sound vain, but bring at least a teeny bit of makeup for those first post-birth photos. I didn’t with my first child and I look DREADFUL in the pictures. The second time, I put on concealer, a little bit of blush and a swipe of lip gloss, and it made the pictures so much easier for me to look at later.
Also, I absolutely loved the mesh panties they gave me at my hospital! They were super comfortable and I ended up taking a bunch home with me!
Ooh, this is so exciting…
28. October - 12:51 pmYou have had a lot of great suggestions, so I have a couple of don’t s for you.
Don’t accidentally purchase scented giant maxi-pads…they sting!
2. November - 7:24 pmDon’t buy cotton panties to ruin in your pre-pregnancy size. There’s nothing quite like talking to your husband on the phone while trying to explain panty sizing and hearing a saleswoman who is helping him get excited because some package comes with an extra free pair.