What to Pack?!

Hi A.,
Other than clothing, the hospital will provide most of what you'll need, but make sure you bring something really loose & comfortable for the ride home (especially since it's a long ride).
And here's a tip someone gave me that I didn't think of myself, & it ended up being so necessary:
If you're planning to nurse, bring a nursing bra. You'll need it when you get dressed to go home! And you might want to wear it even in the hospital. And pack some nursing pads. Otherwise, you'll leak all over.
Also, bring your camera & lots of film!!
Good luck & have a wonderful time with your new baby! Congratulations!
S.

A.,
After my first child I swore to buy and bring a maturnity bathrobe. I did bring it with my second child and felt so much more comfortable. Especially since my daughter was emergency c-section and I stayed longer. Oh yeah, just wear flip flops to the hospital. (Or slippers) It is great to have something to slip on to go to the bathroom. You'll do great whatever the situation. You are a Mom now and improvising is what you do best! best wishes.

Let's see......your own shampoo and conditioner if you don't want to use the hospitals, toothbrush, deoderant, hair brush, pony tail holders if you have long hair and don't want to mess with doing your hair. Makeup if you want too. Comphy clothes-t-shirts, sweat pants or cotton pants, socks, slippers (if you get cold feet) or flip floppes for bathroom trips and hall walking. Robe if you don't want to double up on the hospital gown for walks. Nursing bra if you plan on nursing too!! Just think of what you need now to be compfy at home and you'll be fine!

For baby......Carseat (you'll have to put baby in it in the room at discharge, they want to make sure that you guys can get baby in properly), small diaper bag with coming home/first pic outfit, some light weight and one heavy blanket since you don't know what the weather is going to be like. The hospital already provides diapers, small pack of wipes and a binkie at birth that you take with you.

Good luck and Congrats!!

S.

The one thing I would have packed was better clothes for myself that would be comfortable to wear after the baby is born. I had a c-section so I was there longer than I expected and I did not have that much to wear besides the hispital gown. Also, I would not pack any clothes for the baby besides the out fit you want to bring them home in. When the nurses take the baby you may never see their clothes agian! Plus they will put a shirt and diaper on them and they will proabbly be swaddled the entire time anyway. The hospital actually gives you almost everything you need for the baby while you are there. Hope this helped, I wish you all the best!!

My son is 26 months old now so I don't remember exactly what I packed but what I do rememeber is that I took a bunch of magazines, his baby book, thinking I would need something to do to pass the time... I wish I would have left that home.

I also packed a bag for my husband with clothes and a toothbrush... so glad I did that because we ended up having to stay in the hospital longer then I thought so he didn't have to go home and get more clothes.

You just never know what size the baby is going to be... I bought a newborn outfit for my son and he was 10 lbs 4 oz and barely fit in it... we had to take it off him as soon as we got home.

Wishing you a safe and happy delivery!

Oh and I would also pack a few pairs on undies that you don't care about getting messed up... they are way more comfy then wearing the netted panties they give you.

funny you borught this subject up as I'll be 37 weeks pregnant this friday and just packed my labor bag for th hospital.
here's what I packed:
2 pairs of yoga pants/maternity stretchy shirts to wear home and if visitors come by
socks, since your feet get cold
nursing pads/breast cream
bodywash/all my hygeine products
pads
lotion
camera
baby book, so they can do the hand and footprints for me
extra batteries for camera
phone and charger
razor in case I feel like shaving
ipod, movies for husband to watch
my own pillow

for baby:
carseat in the car
a few diapers, they usually supply you with these and wipes
a few onsies, and an outfit for pictures and a warm take home outfit,a hat and some no scratch mittens.

good luck on your birth and delivery.

How exciting for you!! Don't forget an outfit for baby to come home in. I recommend getting a preemie sized outfit so that it will actually fit the baby. My son was 8lbs 1oz and was swallowed up whole by the newborn size. They also make "just born" size Gerber onesies that were perfect. But the ultimate item that I swear by and tell all my friends...a pack of Depends. Yes, the adult diapers. They are so much more comfy than those HUGE pads that the hospital gives and you can just tear them off when you are finished. All the nurses thought it was such a great idea and you don't have to worry about blood creeping places where you don't want it (like sheets or your gown) since you will be laying down the entire time. I even wore them for a few days after getting home and just added a light days pad in the middle and changed that so then I wouldn't ruin any of my underwear. Have fun and no worries!

I had my first 4 in CO, so not sure what hospitals provide here, but here are my suggestions: outfit for baby, pacifier, soft blanky. For you: nursing jammies, maybe a robe, skid-proof slipper socks, toiletries, hair stuff, hair ties or rubber bands, music, camera! For daddy (was the most needy): pajamas, change of clothes, lots of snacks, change for vending, home pillow and blanket. Have fun!!

I agree with who ever said to pack a premie outfit! My little one (born in July)was 8 pounds 4 ounces and he swam in his newborn outfit. He looked so silly with the legs and arms rolled up! LOL!

I also recommend making a phone list of people you want to call. I now most of us have cell phones but some hospitals don't receive great reception. You may need to use the rotary one in your room. Besides that, it's convenient to have handy if you need to hand the list off to another family member. (We ended up doing this as I wasn't coherant for a few hours after surgery!)

And pack snacks! I didn't but a family member did. I was so hungry around midnight and it was a great thing to just lean over and pick out a granola bar instead of waiting for a nurse to come around.

Good luck and if you have any questions let me know!!

i don't know if you wear contacts, but if you do bring your glasses and eye drops. and chapstick. maybe it was the huge loss of fluids but my lips were so dry and so were my eyes!

this all depends on how long your labor is. for my first baby (i have four now) i was laying around for 24 hours before she showed up, so i was soooo bored for the first couple of hours and it was hard to sleep. i brought two gameboys so my husband and i could link and play games together. i also wish i had brought a movie or two.

hope this helps and congrats!!!
:) jenny

don't forget to pack body wash toothpaste etc , and SHAMPOO ! I totally forgot mine. and take a book. and a bathrobe and slippers or thick fuzzy socks , hospital floors are COLD. and don't forget and infant carseat and blankets to put on it when you take baby out of the hospital it might be chilly .

Wow A., congratulations. You are doing great. You are not totally clueless. What I took was the basics and they provide you with toothpaste and toothbrush and bathroom in your room. You will need deoderant. A bathrobe and some socks. Everything else I took was not used. You are totally tired and worn slap out if you have a natural delivery like I did. You are really not going to care about make up or anything like that . The baby will keep you up all night and the nurses are great at getting you things you need. I ate cereal and grits every morning around 2 am when I would feed the baby. Just relax and enjoy it. Call me if you need anything else. ###-###-####