Packing for the Hospital.
Your time is getting close. The nursery is done, you’ve bought the baby gear, the baby clothes are freshly laundered and folded in drawers, you’ve written your birth plan, done the hospital tour, but wait! Have you packed your bag for the Big Day? For some reason, with both my pregnancies, this was the very last thing I got around to doing, even though friends around me were going into labor weeks early and getting
caught short.
So, with this in mind, here is a packing list for you to print off and execute. Do it NOW, you never know when you might go into labor!
Mom’s bag:
Night gown and dressing gown
Clean underwear (although let’s face it you may end up sporting the attractive hospital disposable pants!), include socks as your feet may get cold in labor.
Wash bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, any medication you routinely take, hairbrush, make up, yes I said make-up, as you will no doubt have photos taken with the baby, Hairbands (last thing you will want to deal with when you’re in labor is your hair flopping in your face), lip balm.
Frozen fruit pieces like grapes and strawberries for during labor (you may have to smuggle these into the hospital - shhh!).
You may want to take along some of your own pillows or other items from home to make you feel more comfortable.
If you plan on breastfeeding, a Boppy pillow www.boppy.com
Again, if you plan on it, other breastfeeding supplies like pump, breast pads and nipple cream, although the hospital may well provide some or all of these.
Magazines (may be wishful thinking but you never know!).
Dad’s Bag:
All the important documents like medication forms and copies of birth plan to give to doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas.
Sleepwear (the nurses really don’t want to see your hubby in the buff!).
Wash bag, all of the above, including mouth wash (may sound weird, but the last thing you want is hubby gently leaning over you telling you to breathe when he just finished that tuna sandwich!)
Food/drinks/snacks
All the gadgets (hospital allowing): fully charged cell phone, MP3 player, camera, video camera, laptop or iPad for Skyping and all accompanying chargers and wires.
Cash for hospital parking, cafeteria, etc.
Car seat correctly installed in the car.
Baby’s Bag:
Going home outfit – ah, the fun bit. Even though I knew I was having a girl, I still brought a neutral outfit as well just in case she popped out a boy!
Receiving/swaddling blankets.
PS: It is also a good idea to have pre-registered at your hospital of choice so you don’t have to mess around with filling out forms in between contractions!
Next week, packing the diaper bag!
Posted by Claire Turner
Hampton Roads, Tidewater, Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, nanny, childcare, babysitter, sitter, live-in, au pair, provider, AuPairCare, nannies, children, child, kids, multiples, twins, triplets
