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Packing for the hospital..
I was bored the other night so I started packing my bag for the hospital. I consulted three different lists, but I wanted some advise from real moms. This is currently what I have packed:
For Me:
Nightgown for labor
Nursing pajamas
Yoga pants and nursing top
1 nursing bra (currently only have one. Still have to get another one)
Nursing pads
Three pairs of underoos
Pack of pads-- or sanitary napkins, as my mother still calls them 
Slipper socks
Headband
All mini toiletries packed and ready to go.
For the Monster:
Two receiving blankets
Two onesies- a newborn size and a 3 month size
Two outfits to come home in- one with short sleeves, one with long sleeves
Sleeper with attached mittens
Extra pair of mittens
knitted hat
Anything I am missing? Anything that I don't really need?
Re: Packing for the hospital..
You really don't need clothes for the baby, except for an outfit to come home in - and even that you don't really need, unless you want to take pictures. They put them in side snap shirts (which are great until the stump in their belly button falls off) and hats.
For yourself, make sure you have a phone charger and your insurance card.
GL!
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
Phone charger-- didn't even think of that! Thanks Eagles!
Dumb question: if I pre-register, will I still need my insurance card?
a robe. even tho they gave me 2 gowns, i still felt like i wanted something of my own to wear when i wandered the halls trying to get into labor/deal with fake contractions.
i work on a postpartum unit at a hospital in the city (just transferred there from another floor so i'm still a newbie) and although I don't have any kids here's my take on your list-
like lachute said I wouldn't pack a gown specifically for labor. They will prob require you to wear the standard hospital gown w/the snaps. I would stick to wearing the underwear the hospital gives you. They are so comfy anyway and this way you won't risk ruining your underwear. The hospital will also give you pads too, so I think I would just bring a couple of your own but I know I would stick to using the hospital's supply. I think I would bring slippers or flip-flops- they will be easy to put on esp if you have a c-section. And plus the hospital has slipper socks (although I've never worn them before so I don't know how comfortable they are.) Def bring your own toiletries! I'm sure the first chance you get to shower is probably the best feeling in the whole world!
I think I would only bring an outfit for the baby to go home in and a pair or two of mittens. I always feel bad when the baby gets the clothes the parents bought dirty (spit up, poop, blood) and then the clothes just sit around in the patient's room until they are discharged (gross), although you could just give them to DH and he could bring them home.
Everything else looks good, I know I would just try to bring as little as possible..it's sometimes such a project when the patient is discharged and they have a million bags, flowers, balloons, the baby, etc..
Congrats on the baby! That's so exciting! I remember you from theknot; you were always so helpful. I saw caraellen is also pregnant!
If you have a boppy, I would bring it. I ended up with an emergency c section and it helped a lot to have something to prop the baby on while we were trying to get the hang of breast feeding.
I'm in the minority but I liked having my own underwear. Just make sure you bring granny panties.
All chargers for cell phones, laptops and video camera if you're bringing them.
I packed granola bars and a box of cookies. They were originally for DH to snack on while I was in labor but they ended up being great to have around to snack on because I was starving after not eating for 3 whole days. I have also heard that if some women have the baby in the middle of the night food options are slim pickings in the hospital.
I brought the baby book so they could stamp his little feet in them. If you are delivering at Bryn Mawr they put the little feet stamps on white stickers that you can just stick in your book so you don't need it.
No clothes needed for the baby. I brought an outfit for the baby for the day we had a lot of visitors and the RN's were irritated about it. I guess it makes their job harder because they have to take the clothes off to check vitals and stuff.
In my toiletries, I made sure I packed my hair dryer and flat iron. I use the flat iron everyday and it just made me feel better to be able to do my hair especially for the ridiculous amounts of pictures that will be taken.
Make sure you have room to take stuff home from the cart they wheel in your room everyday. You can take everything in the cart...the diapers, extra formula (if you're not breastfeeding), and I took home their receiving blankets and little hats they had him in.
Hmm, I am not sure - I was definitely asked for that and my license. Obviously you can't pack your license until you are leaving though
For all the KU ladies - if you are looking at breast pumps the Medela PISA is on sale at Target this week
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
I'd take out the pads from your bag. THey will give you some and I LOOOVED the hospital ones. *I may be odd though*
I packed the first time, and now need to pack again!
Men's deodorant (so DH and I could share),
2 toothbrushes,
toothpaste,
contact solution/glasses/container (mini sizes),
a couple snacks for "DH" (but I snuck a little here and there)
Fleece pants for DH and a clean shirt. I went into labor at 4 am so DH was in "regular clothing" by the time we got to the hospital. DS was born at 9 pm and we were with him around midnight, so it was nice that DH had "comfy clothing" packed. He went home the next day to get more for himself/change, but it was nice having stuff for him after that long day.
Boppy was in the car
I did have an outfit for the baby to come home in. We were team green so I had one for each.
Camera and chargers for those
Phone charger
Lifesavers- mint to help with nausea
chapstick (if you're blowing/breathing it helps)
Lanolin (for nursing again a small travel size that came free with somehting)
Some people say pack your "footprint" page of your baby book. But our hospital did the footprint on a label/sticker so you just stick it right in.
Also a good friend of mine ended up p!ssing all over her DH post delivery (he was helping her out of bed) so you'll never know why he may need some clothing :-P
Good luck! A bunch of us are getting close! I have 23 days left!
Oh also I had brought my laptop and seasons 1 & 2 of it's always sunny. It was fun "non thinking" tv while I was in labor. If I was contracting I didn't really have to pay attention to it and was able to pick back up where I had left off.
A couple things that worked really well for me:
1) nursing tanks (Target)--really nice to have your back and belly covered since the hospital gowns are not very warm and its a little less revealing when all kinds of strangers are manhandling your boobs. I wore these alone or under a hoodie to minimize bringing tops as well.
2) I took along one of those sweat pant and zip up hoodie sets and that was presentable enough to walk around the hospital, have visitors, wear home etc but still comfy enough to sleep in with just a nursing tank underneath. Make sure the yoga pants you mentioned are pretty stretchy/baggy--those pads are huge and bulky and no matter how you deliver, you will be sore somewhere in your lower half so you dont want anything tight in the belly/crotch/butt region!
3) Snacks! Hospital food is both infrequent and largely gross and your body is preparing to breastfeed whether you are or not so you will likely be hungry a lot. Also, at my hospital, they were sticklers for giving no food to DH so he will need something to hold him over between wawa runs! Depending on when you deliver you may just miss a mealtime so its good to have snacks.
4) If youre planning to breastfeed, lanolin cream/gel is worth bringing. I slathered that stuff on after every feeding in the beginning and I really think it helped to relieve the soreness, chaffing on clothes etc.
5) Make sure your camera batteries are ready or bring extra. Cell phone charger is also a good idea, especially if you end up in labor for a long time, you may have a lot of family calling/texting before and after delivery.
not sure if this was mentioned or not but i brought my own pillow. it made the uncomfortable hospital bed a little better.
i also brought old slippers. it was nice to have something to slip on but i just tossed them before i went home- didn't want germs coming home with me. weird? maybe
camera, charger, memory card
oh and take everything home they give you- pads, any kind of toiletries/ ointments, clean out the baby's basinet- take the diapers, wipes, formula (whether or not you're bfing- just good to have).
I packed a change of clothes for DH. He works the night shift and in case he had to ever come from work in his dirty scrubs, I wanted him to be able to get changed. And thts exactly what happened. He came right from work, hopped in the shower at the hospital and it was great.
I also packed a ziplock bag full of quarters and a few $1 bills. They came in handy at the vending machines when the cafeteria was closed. Also a few snacks like granola bars, crackers, poptarts.
I had a small bag of travel sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion. I brought my make up bag. It was nice to take a shower on day 2 and feel a little more put together.
I would leave the pads and extra clothes at home. The hospital has all that stuff. Just bring an outfit for you to go home in and the baby.
Also, I bring coloring books and crayons. When I am stressed/nervous/in pain, I am a weirdo and like to color. It relaxes me.
Find out what your hospital needs in order to get TV in your PP room. Abington has a machine that you can buy TV cards at with a credit card. Some other hospitals only take check or cash.
I'd definitely recommend hard soled slippers. You'll probably be roaming the floors at some point, and I'd prefer that over slipper socks. They provide slipper socks anyway.
For me, a small notepad and pens were invaluable. I had lots of notes from doctors/nurses/neonatologists, half are written on the back cover of an entertainment weekly. We also tracked breastfeeding/pumping, pain meds, etc, so it was nice to at least have somewhere to write things down.
I may be in the minority, but I also liked my own underwear and pads at the end of my stay (C-section). By then I was barely bleeding, so I preferred my own ultra thin ones over the monster pillows.
You had to pay for tv? I'm confused.
Yup. In the labor & delivery rooms, TV is free. In the postpartum rooms, you have to pay. It was the same thing at Temple too.
Wow, that sucks. We had free tv and internet in all rooms. ::scoffs at your lowly hospitals:: ;-) That does seem pretty low though, how much does it cost them to send cable into a room? Nothing? Pennies?
YES! I was pretty well prepared, except for this! Like PP have said you don't really need anything for the baby except maybe a going home outfit. They'll give you everything you need and more. Breast pads were really only useful for me to keep the lanolin from getting on my clothes b/c it takes a few days for your milk to come in enough to leak. I also liked having my own underwear and pajamas (a few pair). I don't know how people watch shows, read, etc while in labor. I never had enough time or energy to focus on anything but recovering between contractions.
I forgot about a towel and washcloth thanks!
My friend is a pediatrician in DC and just had her second. She recommended we bring nail clippers because hospitals are not allowed to cut baby's nails (not sure if this is a regional or federal thing). She wanted to avoid the baby scratching himself right after being born full term.
She also recommended a sound/sleep machine since you'll want every minute of sleep and hospital floors are loud and busy.
This is a good one. The kid's nails were long when he was born. I was a little intimidated by the nail clippers at first so I brought baby nail files. They sell them at BRU for like a dollar.
The girls covered everything but I brought...
For me:
* Insurance card & ID
* Phone & Charger
* Deodorant
* Shampoo & Conditioner
* Soap
* face wash
* makeup (yes, I'm high maintenance like that but it made me feel so much better knowing a looked halfway decent. Plus, who wants to be ug in their hospital pictures lol.)
* Brush
* hair dryer (I told you I'm high maintenance)
* Dry shampoo (read above)
* Razor (again, high maintenance but who wants hairy pits while the hospital LC is asking you to lift up your arms and all. gross.)
* Robe
* PJ's (never wore them though. Hospital gown was easier for nursing. Andplusalso: TMI alert... there was a few times where I got the gown bloody. I'd much rather get the hospital gown bloody than my own PJ's.)
* slippers
* flip flops (for the shower bc there is no way my bare feet were touching a hospital bathroom floor/shower)
* chapstick
2 pairs of underoos (only wore 1 pair though and that was for going home. I kept the mesh ones on at the hospital bc of the whole blood situation.
* Checkbook & pen (checkbook is good for your hospital pictures... if you order them. I initially brought the checkbook for the TV but at Abington you can just call the number and pay by CC over the phone.)
* Toothbrush & toothpaste
* hair ties
* pillow (for me)
* boppy
* lanolin & boob pads
nursing bra
* clothes to wear home
* Name, address, phone number for pediatrician office (you'll need that info for discharge... well, at Abington you did.)
* Camera & video camera
* snacks
For baby:
* Outfit to wear home
* nail file
* A+A blanket
Things NOT to bring:
Your wedding rings!
ETA: I pre-registered but they still asked for my insurance card and photo ID when I was in L&D Triage at Abington.
Also... if you are having a girl and want to pack any cute headbands or a cute outfit for hospital pictures, pack it. I packed a few headbands and I'm glad i did.
Ladies, thank you so very much for all this info! I really appriciate this!
I never even thought about the boppy and the phone charger-- those will be coming along for sure. I also didn't even think of bringing the baby book... now I just need to figure out where I put it
I am taking all the baby clothes out, except for one outfit to have pictures taken in. I think instead of the slipper socks I am going to throw in my adidas flip flops, and i have taken out my yoga pants and put in a pair with a looser band. I also took out the nightgown as well. I think I am going to keep my own underoos in there just in case I am not digging the mesh-- I bought a cheapy pack from Walmart so I really don't care what happens to them.
I think I am going to pick up some nail files this week, I know I won't be brave enough to clip them right away, and I think I might keep the breast pads and lanolin in there just in case. Lachute, I am supremely jealous of your ability to go braless-- these babies need to be holstered at all times.
I am definitely bringing my own pillow-- hospital pillows are so uncomfortable. I didn't think of a towel, but I am adding that to the bag as well. Heather, I am just as high maintence as you are and I will have make up, hair spray and my hair dryer ready to go.
Insurance card and chapstick are always in my purse. I should be good to go with them.
As far as packing for DH-- he's on his own. I have enough stuff to worry about, he can take 20 minutes in the next couple of weeks to pack his own bag and leave it in his car.
LandO-- where did you give birth? We have to pay for our TV, whomp whomp.
defintely enough clothes for DH. We were there SO long (Saturday night-Thursday) that DH ran out of clothes (not sure why he didn't go home and get more but whatever)
There's a photo of us before we left and DH is wearing his swimsuit (which he packed in case I wanted to get in the shower while I was laboring)
Virtua Voorhees in Jerz. Apparently the Ritz Carlton of maternity wards.
OK, I have no expertise here, but what about a digital camera with space on the card and a fully charged battery/battery charger. Also, ditto for a video camera.
Also, I've heard of people bringing their iPod with them if that interests you at all.
Are there any medications you would need for any reason? Again, I'm not an expert, but I am just reading all of your responses and thinking if this was me...