Thursday, May 2, 2013

Items I packed for the hospital

So, I did a ton of reading before going into labor, and tried to get as many ideas as possible to bring with me for my stay in the hospital. So, here is what I came up with, and what I used/didn't use.

Toiletries-any given items that you may need, toothbrush, facial cleanser, shampoo, etc. 

A few pairs of clothes to wear at the hospital-comfy and still maternity. (I got a pair of pajamas from my mom and dad for Xmas and I thought I could totally wear them after giving birth. They would be so comfy and definitely fit by then, right? Wrong. I didn't fit into them until about three weeks later...). 

----A word on panties: There are mixed feelings about the mesh panties that the hospital provides. If you feel like there is a chance you will not like wearing this fine pair of lingerie (really, they are about as sexy as wearing Crocks...), definitely bring your own. Make sure they are ones that you are totally okay with throwing away, they will probably need it. Personally, I did not care. I thought the mesh ones were just fine. I did have the wonderful experience of wearing them at 33 weeks during our hospital scare (more on that elsewhere), so I knew that I could tolerate them after giving birth. 

A deck of cards. -Ha, right, I had a few things on my mind. Playing Solitaire was not one of them... 

Magazines and a book. See previous comment.

Slippers- I wore them a little bit, but I was more comfortable in just socks. I did read that you should wear slippers that you don't care about because they could get pretty messy. I never wore them during the actual child birth. I was so flipping hot that I barely wore anything.

Robe- I wore this a bit after giving birth, but I was mostly too warm for it.

Nipple butter-the hospital will most likely provide some for you if you ask, but I preferred using my own. I HIGHLY recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter. Three months down the road breastfeeding and I have yet to have cracked or bleeding nipples. Hallelujah! Bonus--you can also use it on your baby's bum when they have a rash. It works really well for this too. 

Christmas Eve with the extended family. We were definitely packed and ready for Adalyn to make her appearance!

iPod (or cd's, etc.)...I never actually used this, but we brought it along. Hindsight, I really wish we would have used the iPod, because then my most painful moments would not have included the soothing agonizing sounds of Jewel (a cd that the nurses so graciously provided...). 

A few outfits for Adalyn- We ended up only using one outfit-her going home outfit, but we did pack a variety of sizes (newborn and 0-3 month) because we just did not know how big she was going to be.

A baby blanket-it was January in Wisconsin... 

Car seat- You cannot leave the hospital without one. 

Car seat cover-again, January and Wisconsin.

Baby hat- the hospital provided one, plus we got one from this group of ladies that knit hats for new babies at the hopital, and we got another one as a gift from a family friend while we were there. I think we were set...

Boppy- some people say not to bring them, I did anyway. I used it, and thought it worked well. 

Items for the hubby-clothes, toiletry bag, snacks (that way he didn't have to pay $10 for a sandwich at the hospital and/or something else to have when sharing my meal was not filling enough).

iPad and laptop-I didn't update fb with every contraction, but I did post after Adalyn was born (and after we called the grandparents, of course). 

Camera-make sure you have batteries, memory card, film-if you are old school

Cell phone and charger

Hard candy-I actually forgot we packed them!

Squishy ball-for when the contractions became really intense.

I packed our bags about 6 weeks before I was due. They say to do it about a month before, but again, 33 week scare... Some items couldn't be packed right away, such as our cell phones, so I made a list of those items and put it on the fridge.

That's it! At least I think so...It's been a while, and I am a tired mommy... :) Honestly, you don't need much more than just the basics. You will be too busy cuddling with your beautiful creation to care about much else.
 
     

 

 

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