Apparently in the year and a half since I had my first baby, all reason went out the window. Not only for our first outing did I stare at the diaper bag and dumbly wonder what I was supposed to put in it, I apparently totally forgot how to pack for the hospital.
Pretty sure I didn’t use three-fourths of the stuff that I packed. And since I have so many readers soon to have their own hospital adventure and bringing home their own little package of joy, I thought I’d share my thoughts on what worked, what didn’t and what I totally forgot.
First things first – Baby stuff.
The going home outfits– Bring as many as you want. Choices are a good thing. A very good thing.
Burp rags – Yeah. Totally unnecessary. Your milk doesn’t come in for a couple of days and then, maybe, you’ll get spit up. If for some reason you do need one at the hospital, make the nurses get one for you. That’s what you’re paying them for.
Blanket for baby/ride home – You could take this or leave it. We ended up getting to take home one of the swaddling blankets from the hospital and I’m pretty sure that’s what ended up in the car seat with D.
Nursing cover – This was a good/nice thing to bring. I had lots and lots of visitors the first couple of hours after D was born. Just the way I like it. Even after most everyone left, there was still one or two hanging around. So the nursing cover was really nice. Unfortunately D liked the dark/warmth and would instantly fall asleep instead of nursing, but my mantra is they’ll eat when they are hungry. Another thing to keep in mind, with E the cover totally intimidated me. I couldn’t get the hang of trying to nurse and manipulate the cover. So, don’t feel like you have to rely on the cover. If it’s time to nurse kick everyone out of your room.
Things I needed to bring – baby finger nail clippers. Apparently there wasn’t a single pair on the labor and delivery floor. Something about one of the pediatricians wanting the baby’s nail cut until he had a chance to look at them. Dumbest thing I ever heard. My kid had nails that looked like he was on crack. I’m cutting those things the first chance I’d get.
Stuff for Mom.
Binding – didn’t use it in the hospital. The binding is nice, but with nurses coming in to check your uterus every so once in a while, it would be hinderous and just awkward.
Shoes – used the flip flops, didn’t use the slippers. I did use the slippers a lot more in the hospital stay with E, but mainly because she was in the nursery a lot more (hospital rules – I gave birth at two different hospitals) and the previous hospital also had a cafeteria with yummy-ish food. Also, I had almost no one in my room with E. With D I think there was only about 2 hours that no one was in the room except me and Andy.
Mommy Clothes/Nursing bras – Nursing bras, yes (if you’re planning on nursing) and make sure you pack the most comfortable ones. Clothes. I terribly under-packed. Why I thought only one outfit and no pjs was a good idea is beyond me. I ended up wearing a hospital gown the first day I was there, which I was totally ok with. It was comfortable enough and I wasn’t getting up and down and up and down. However. The no pj thing bothered me. When it came to sleeping I really just wanted my comfy pants and t-shirt. Pack pjs. You’ll need them.
Necessities bag – just about everything was needed. You could leave shampoo and conditioner at home as the hospital gave me the baby shampoo to use, however, I’d take it. It’s nice to feel like an adult (no matter how good that stuff smells).
I also grabbed my boppy (much needed if you have one); computer – not needed for me. I was planning on getting on and “playing” but never had the chance with all the company I had and any down time was spent watching cable – something we currently don’t have at home…which is fine because it means stuff actually gets done; book to read – again I didn’t need it. A couple times I did wish I had a magazine to look at, so that might be something to consider; cords for cell phones – YES!; camera – never used it (am I a terrible mother?) Used my iPhone. I would still plan on bringing one.
Birth Plan – didn’t even have one. Unless you include the one that was in my head… which was to have a baby as quickly as possible and without any drugs. The reason I didn’t have one? Well, for one reason I really didn’t have any idea what I would put down. Secondly I had a good friend, who happens to be a nurse, tell me that when you come in with a birth plan, most of the times the nurses look down on that – it’s like you’re coming in and telling them their job. Secondly she told me that most all women coming in with a birth plan end up in c-section. Crazy. My birth plan probably would have gotten chunked anyways because everything went so fast.
So there you have it. My list of sorts. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment sections.
Leave a Reply