Another baby question...what to pack???

[SusanD]

All those experienced moms out there have been such a fountain of information! Now I have another question. We're starting to talk about packing THE bag (the one that you grab as you're running out the door to the hospital). What should I pack? The books all have their checklists - but I want to hear from real experience. Thanks! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[MrsReber]

Great question, Susan! I want to hear too. You're right, judging from all those books, I'd need a large suitcase to bring everything. They suggested towels and wascloths and all kinds of stuff. Hopefully we won't be there that long!

[BosunsWife]

I put in a set of clothes to wear home, my tolietries that I would normally use if I were going someplace overnight, slippers, nursing nightie and a robe for me.

For the baby I took a going home outfit and a blanket.

Our birthing room also had a cd player so I took a couple of cds to listen to. I also took sugarfree suckers to suck on when my mouth got dry.

We got a ton of stuff from the hospital for the baby, i.e., diapers, wipes, alcohol wipes (for the cord), "snot" sucker (nasal aspirator) and a bunch of other freebies.

[karen w]

I also kept it quite simple, because most things you need for the baby the hospital will provide e.g. diapers, receiving blanket, nasal suction, thermometer, shampoo, and soap etc... For the baby all I brought was an outfit to take him/her home. And don't forget to have your husband bring the baby's car seat when he picks you up to take you home, or the hospital won't let you go!

For me I packed toiletries, a robe, slippers, and a nightgown. I ended up wearing only the hospital gowns. Although they are not the most attractive, they give you a clean one each day, and you will do a lot of bleeding in the beginning, so why mess up your own P.J.'s!! Why not mess up the hospital's instead!! The hospital gowns are also easier to nurse in. So besides the above I also took an outfit to go home in for me. With all of my kids I fit back into my prepregnancy clothes right away(don't hate me!!), But in the first few days it was more comfortable to wear things a little roomy, so I packed sweatpants.

Those are the basics. If you want, you can bring books, magazines, phone numbers of people to call etc... But aside from calling people you may be too tired initially to do much reading etc... And don't bring your own pillows. The hospital will give you as many as you want, and you don't want to get your own pillows all bloody!!

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[lindrusso]

I agree - I kept it simple as well. Some people find it soothing to have music while laboring - I think we had it the first time but I don't think I even noticed! And I didn't do any reading - if I wasn't nursing, I was sleeping or eating! You're not there very long (I only opted for one day the second time - I HATED being in hospital since I'm a very light sleeper), so you don't have time to use much! I can't think of anything at the moment that I had wished I had brought - I think I was too tired and half-delirious to care about it!

[SusanD]

Thanks for the tips! I knew I could count on you guys! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Jen]

OK, I've never actually had a baby myself, but my Mom - who's had two - always told me that when I go visit a new mom in the hospital I should take a package with a nice bar of soap and some nice lotion. She said that most people don't think to take anything "nice" for themselves, and they get stuck with yucky hospital soap at a time when they should really pamper themselves (since it's probably the last time they'll have a chance to do so for awhile!!). I've always done this and many people have told me what a nice treat it was. So maybe this would be something else to think about taking.

[Kristilyn1]

If you are a lotion freak like me--bring your own hand lotion--the hospital kind usually stinks....

As far as baby clothes, I def. opted to use theirs--the cord is pretty messy for a few days and besides, their stuff is soooo nice and soft--I admit it, I stole a couple outfits when I left, they were just so nice and soft.

For myself I kept it simple too, a book--because I HAVE to have a book and then a couple pairs of sweats. I agree with the using their clothes too, because YOU will be pretty messy and it's a shame to mess up your own clothes.

I also happen to love hospital blankets and pillows--so I was all set in that department. I am soooo surprised that no one has mentioned snacks!!!!

I could have eat a horse hours after giving birth and while a lot of hospitals stock up on the maternity floor, chances are they won't stock your favorites.

Kristi

[Kristilyn1]

Oh, one more thing. I'd be very careful with clothes and towels, etc. from home--if they end up tangled in your sheets and go down to the laundry--you will NEVER see it again. Not that they do it on purpose, but hospitals have way too much laundry to find articles that end up down there.

Kristi

[lindrusso]

Kristilyn - good point about the snacks. I too was VERY, VERY hungry and ate like crazy for 2 or 3 days at least! I was so hungry that I didn't even mind the hospital food http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif . It was pretty bad, so if you want something to really chow down on, snacks are a good idea!

[ChristinaK]

For myself I took a couple of gowns, a robe, slides, and socks (your feet get really cold in the hospital especially during labor). I took toiletries but didn't really use them. I used the hospital soap and shampoo and didn't put on any makeup until I got ready to go home.

For the baby I took my own little shirts and receiving blanket. They will provide them at the hospital but I preferred having my own cuter ones. Also, we used our own receiving blanket as a background in our son's hospital picture and it turned out a lot cuter than other pictures I have seen. I also took my own diapers. The hospital where I had my son used the plastic Pampers which I didn't like. I highly recommend the Huggies Newborn diapers. They are tiny and fit better than the stage one diapers. If I remember correctly they have a cut out notch for the belly button/cord so you don't have to fold the top down like you do with the stage 1 diapers. I also recommend taking a pair of hand mitts for the baby. My son had long nails when he was born and I was way too scared to clip them right away. He got upset the first night when they took him to the nursery for a few hours and scratched his face all up. If you think you might want to use a pacifier I suggest taking a couple of types of pacifiers with you. And of course a cute outfit for the baby to wear home!

Another tip I have for you is to have when you first get home if you are having a boy and having him circumised. If so, you have to put vaseline on the circumsion area every time you change the diaper. It is much easier to do this if you have vaseline that is in a squeeze tube rather than in a jar. I found the tubes at Target - it's their store brand.

Hope this helps!

[Kristilyn1]

Oh, one more thing.....I keep thinking of other things as soon as I get off...

Bring a couple of outfits in newborn and slightly bigger outfit. Neither one of my boys fit in their newborn outfits when we left the hospital. (They each weighed around 8 lbs. so they weren't gigantic or anything)but we had to go the next size up.

Diapers. It's always good to have a good amount on hand, BUT watch how many newborn sizes you buy--having boys--they can have directional problems, if you know what I mean. It's not so much the size of the diapers, but the absorbency that makes you have to move up a size. Both my boys used the newborn diapers and within a week, had to move up to size 1 because they would leak. Huggies vs. Pampers--again brands are a personal choice but again, I couldn't use Huggies with my boys because Huggies tend to be narrower in the waist--and my boys were both wide. I use store brand diapers and I have to tell you--it's hard for some reason to decide to do that (I felt cheap) but neither of my boys ever have diaper rash and they have the nice cloth-like material as well.

In reading the above over again, it sounds like I have these really huge kids--and they're not! LOL.

Kristi
I'm getting so excited for you Susan--I remember when I had my first--I knew it was a boy--and how when they first held him up to me, how surrprised I was, I was expecting to "recognize" him--I know that sounds dumb, but I was surprised to see him...duh, right? Maybe someone else knows what I am very clumsily trying to say.

[SusanD]

Thanks so much! I'm printing this thread to take home & use as a checklist. Also thanks for the diaper tips. There's so many brands out there and everyone seems to have their own personal preference. ACK...so much to learn, how am I going to remember it all? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

Kristi - I think I understand what you're trying to say. Even though this person has been living inside me for the past eight months, it's going to be strange to see her face for the first time!

[SueK]

I packed an address book so we could call people the night I had our daughter. I also packed one of those octupus-looking thingies that you use to give backrubs. It felt great during back labor.

I took some comfy pj's for myself and a unisex outfit for the baby, because we didn't know what we were having.

One last thing is something my husband told me to pack. In our Lamaze class, our instructor told us to take a picture of something to focus on when we were having contractions. So I packed a framed picture of our dogs! I didn't really look at it much, but it did generate a lot of conversation with the nurses!

[Shirley Panek]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned a camera! Definitely bring one. We also decided to video the birth, so brought our video camera and tripod. (We didn't video to show people, but it's been nice to go back and watch our son and daughter being born, and relive those feelings. Also, we didn't video "close up" (know what I mean?) - there wasn't anything too graphic to see on the video.) You might have to ask if it's okay to videotape.

We also brought a CD player and CDs. It was a definite plus for my first birth, as I was in labor all night.

Snacks are a good idea. We brought popsicles in a cooler, and Jolly Rancher candies. But I think what I most wanted after the birth was a big glass of ice water.

Good luck! I'll be praying for you.

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Shirley

[SusanD]

Thanks, Shirley - I hadn't thought about the candy/popsicles. Good idea!

[MrsReber]

I already know that we're not allowed to bring in a video camera. It's against the hospital rules. They also have rules against photographing the babies in the nursery for security reasons!

These ideas are all very helpful. I have to start thinking about it, too. I never thought about how messy things would get.