Packing Your Hospital Bag

Laura at The Land of Syd has such an informative blog...and if you cannot tell already, I just adore her and her little one Sydney. Laura created this uber-helpful list of things to pack for the hospital:

(Copied straight from Laura's blog)

You see the lists everywhere - From handouts in childbirth classes to the chapters in the What To Expect/Girlfriends' Guide books . . . Lists and lists of what to bring to the hospital when Baby decides its time to make his/her big debut. And, with my girlfriend Annie less than 6 days away from Baby Girl B's September 1st due date (Ahhhh!!!), I thought I'd share a few Helpful Hospital Tidbits, learned from personal experience, for my Mom-to-be friends.

Some Things To Bring:

1. A small notebook w/ pen. Go figure, none of my hospital checklists mentioned this most important, do not forget item! But, I can tell you from firsthand experience, this was probably the best thing I brought to the hospital. Once your sweet bundle of joy is here, you will become this child's personal secretary. You need to count Baby's poops and pees (seriously!), you need to time breastfeedings (at least 20 minutes per boob), you need to keep track of when you had your pain meds (the nurses aren't always on the ball with your next dose of percocet) . . . You will write down who visited you, who send flowers, who brought cookies and gifts . . . I even jotted down funny memories from those first few days with Syd - "Sydney has a very hairy back; she reminds me of my dad." Hehe! Once we came home from the hospital, that notebook became my personal Bible. I never went anywhere without my trusty book. It was a bit obsessive, but it was helpful for me to keep track of Syd's feeding and sleeping schedule as well as all the gifts received and thank you notes sent. I didn't do it forever - My last entry was right around the holidays, when Syd started sleeping in 8-10 hour increments. It's fun to flip through now and see the little notes I would write - "Big poop, heavy spit-up" or "We can't get over Syd's huge head of jet black hair".

2. Shower Slippers. You know, like the ones we used in the showers of Old Dorms. The hospital bathrooms are not Four Seasons-quality. So, protect your pedicure! Plus, you will be totally out of it and not so steady on your feet (especially if you have a c-section), so you will need the extra traction.

3. Mom. I don't know - There is something about giving birth that makes you really want your mommy. Even Tori Spelling wanted her mom when Liam was born . . . Not so much for new baby Stella, but then again, Tori did just publish a tell-all book about what a crazy whack her mom is . . . Anyways, back to my own Mommy . . . When Sydney cried, I looked to my mom to tell me what to do. When I needed to shower, there was Mom, helping me limp towards the bathroom. When the phones wouldn't stop ringing and I was too tired to think straight, let alone chat with friends and family, there was Mom to play Proud Grandma and take messages. Becoming a mom definitely makes you appreciate your own mom 10x over!

4. Your Own Breastpump. Granted, most hospitals have breastpumps on hand all the time, but you never know when they will run out of tubing, or an idiot nurse will think the hospital has run out of tubing. Make sure your breastpump (I swear by my Medela Pump-In-Style) is ready to go in case your milk comes in and Baby doesn't feel like cooperating with feedings. You don't want to be subjected to manually pumping your boobs. It is pure torture, let me tell you! Also, stash some breastpads and lanolin in your pumping bag as well. I was told the hospital was out of boob cream by one nurse. During the next shift, the new nurse brought me 50 packets. Who knows. Better to be prepared!

5. Your Boppy. Again, you've got plenty of pillows in the hospital, but they can be cumbersome to arrange and re-arrange during every feeding, especially if you're working around a sensitive c-section scar. Just bring the Boppy, don't worry about getting icky hospital germs on it and wash the cover when you return home.

Some Things You Don't Really Need:

1. A stash of nursing nightgowns. I brought 2 for my 5-day stay at Durham Regional. I wore 1 and only for a few hours when Current-Pregos Amy and Kat came to meet Sydney. At all other times, my wardrobe of choice was the standard-issue hospital gown. Sure, it's ugly . . . But, (1) it's comfortable; (2) it's convenient for nurses who will be checking all sorts of funky things "down there" every few hours; and (3) if it gets disgusting (there is so much "stuff" going on post-baby, it's not even funny!), you can throw it in the trash and get a new, clean one.

2. Baby Book. Your child's Baby Book is such a special memento. Do not bring it to the hospital where it will get dirty, crinkled, water-logged or food-stained. The nurses will take your baby's footprints on small pieces of cardstock paper, so you can easily paste it into the baby book later on. The aforementioned notebook will help you keep track of all important details, which can be entered into the baby book once you've got a clean surface and pretty pen handy at home.

3. Your Inhibition. Check it at the door, friends. Your husband will see parts of you that you haven't even seen (Dan, I'd like you to meet my intestines and uterus. Intestines and Uterus, meet Dan.). Doctors and nurses will poke and pry at you at all hours of the day and night during the length of your hospital stay. You will discuss catheters and nurses will listen at the door of the bathroom while you try to take that 1st post-birth pee (sorry, girls, not kidding here!). The lactation consultant will arrive and get all touchy-feely with your boobs. And, yes, as I mentioned before, your mother (or husband, whoever you prefer!) will give you a shower and see parts of your body that have figuratively just been through a train wreck, complete with blood and gore. A good pre-birth bikini wax comes in handy here!

Other Helpful Hospital Tidbits:

If possible, try have Baby early in the week, so you will get to watch plenty of good television during your hospital stay. Syd was born on a Thursday. I had Grey's Anatomy that evening and then nothing for the next 4 days. There weren't even any Law & Order reruns on. It was pretty boring!

Do not change a single diaper while you are in the hospital. That's what husbands are for!

Drinking sweet tea with lemon will help with that 1st post-birth pee. Water just doesn't cut it and I was willing to try anything to avoid getting that catheter put back in.

Be persistent. Get familiar with the "Call" button attached to your bed. Let the nurses know that your meds are up and you need your next dose. Be vocal about any unusual pains you may be having (I was very itchy post-surgery, an apparent reaction to the morphine). Don't let them forget about you!!

Be nice. Common sense - Nurses are more likely to be attentive if you are happy and smiling, then cranky and mean. However, I was definitely happy and smiling and overly thankful, but I definitely had some idiot, unattentive, not-so-friendly nurses. Another pro for having Baby early in the week. No one is happy to work on weekends, even nurses.

Ask the nursery staff to show you how to give Baby a bath. It's so helpful to learn from the pros and provides a fun "field trip" out of your hospital room.

Take advantage of the nursery! Sydney hung out in our room all day long, but she went back to the nursery at night. She would be brought to us every 3 hours for feedings. This worked well! You get the benefits of "rooming in with baby" and you also get to sleep . . . which you won't get much of when you are home alone with a crying baby and there isn't a nursery staff ready and waiting to help you.

Take it all in. Snuggle up with Baby for a mid-afternoon snooze. Have midnight chats with your hubby about your 1st impressions of Baby. Make up funny songs about breastfeeding. Spend some time just staring at this cute little being and welcome them to the world!

Thanks Laura...I cannot wait to have a little one of my own and put all of your great tips to use!