Hospital bag

[Anonymous]

What are you packing? I can only think of my pajamas and an outfit to leave hospital, 2 baby outfits (2 different sizes), list of who to call when have baby, yoga/exercise ball. What else?? Also, what kind of "coming home" outfit have you selected for your baby? I seem to only have pjs and dressy dresses. Neither seem totally right. Silly I know, but just curious. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I am so glad you posted this question. I was just putting together a list and this is what I've got. I hope it isn't too much, but I am also wondering if I am missing anything.

- Birthing/exercise ball, birth plan, and copy of “the birthing partner”
- Electronics (* Pod, player, and batteries, headphones * Camera, batteries, charger * Phone and charger)
- Books, Sudoku
- Contact list, 2 copies of the Labor and Delivery Emergency Parking Procedures
- Pillows, pillow cases, and towel
- PJs , Hospital Gown, eye mask, Clothes to go home in, socks and flip-flops
- 5 pairs of old underwear and pads
- Nursing bra, breast pads, and manual breast pump
- Toiletries (Hair bands, toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, facial soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, brush, make-up, and deodorant)
- Going home outfits for baby (2 sleep suits, 2 shirts) and diapers
- Change of clothes for DH
- Snacks for DH and Mom
- Toiletries for DH (toothbrushe, deodorant, contacts and solution, and face wash)

[Anonymous]

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1384.page#5840

[Anonymous]

Remember that your going home outfit should fit your pregnant self, not your pre-pregnancy self. For baby, an outift that is easy to put on, as it takes a while to get the hang of it! PJ's are fine--onesies are general the main clothes of any newborn because the babies sleep so much and because the onesies are so easy to put on.

In my case, the hospital "underwear" and pads were fine for me. And diapers were provided for baby.

[Anonymous]

I just had a baby and found most of the items listed to bring were pointless and took up unnecessary space. My suggestions below:

NO - Birthing/exercise ball, birth plan, and copy of “the birthing partner”
NO, except for the camera - Electronics (* Pod, player, and batteries, headphones * Camera, batteries, charger * Phone and charger)
NO, neither of us could imagine reading and I slept as much as possible - Books, Sudoku
NO, we prepared an email in advance and sent it out instead of making calls (except to immediate family) - Contact list, 2 copies of the Labor and Delivery Emergency Parking Procedures
YES! - Pillows, pillow cases, and towel
YES! - PJs , Hospital Gown, eye mask, Clothes to go home in, socks and flip-flops
NO, I used the hospitals since I was paying for it anyway - 5 pairs of old underwear and pads
NO, it took a couple of days for my milk to come in and the hospital provided a pump for me - Nursing bra, breast pads, and manual breast pump
YES! - Toiletries (Hair bands, toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, facial soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, brush, make-up, and deodorant)
YES to outfits and NO to diapers, again it was charged by the hospital so I used theirs - Going home outfits for baby (2 sleep suits, 2 shirts) and diapers
YES! at least one but DH brought 2 - Change of clothes for DH
NO, I couldn't eat and DH was simply nervous - Snacks for DH and Mom
YES! - Toiletries for DH (toothbrushe, deodorant, contacts and solution, and face wash)

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Agree w/ PP. You don't really need an extensive list of items for the hospital. Just the basics.

[Anonymous]

At our childbirth ed class (just last night!) the nurses said "No Onsies" as a take home outfit.

They recommended a shirt and pants because the onsies put too much pressure on the umbilical cord. Onsies are fine after a week or so, but before that, they prefer a t-shirt.

[Anonymous]

The birth ball is awesome if you plan to be out of bed during labor. You can sit on it, rest your arms on it in the hands/knees position, use it as your "dance partner" by putting it on top of the raised bed and swaying with it, sit on it in the shower instead of using the hard pull-down seat, etc. It's a hassle to carry, but is well worth it if makes you feel more comfortable!

My doula encouraged me to move during labor, and we tried a variety of positions. The ball was my favorite

[Anonymous]

You may want your own pads--the ones at the hospital where I delivered were from the 1970s I think.

I wouldn't do a dress for take home outfit--something with legs will be easier for getting her into the carseat.

[Anonymous]

When I had my baby last year, we took a bunch of stuff I didn't use, but everyone is different. I labored at home for a long time, or I might have appreciated having the reading material I brought--by the time we went to the hospital, no one was feeling like reading! I did like having my iPod with small speakers so I could hear my music during labor--got tired of the hospital's "relaxation" tv channel. The snacks we packed for my husband were really helpful, since we were in the labor room from ~9 a.m. till after 6 (son was born at 3:09). My husband ate along the way, and I ate after delivery and before they could get me a boxed dinner (kitchen had closed by the time we got to the room).

We brought one of those prepaid phone cards so we could make calls to everyone (cell phone use not allowed in the room), and the phone list.

You probably will not need a breast pump, etc., as a PP listed, unless your milk comes in very quickly and you are still in the hospital. I had the baby on Wed. and was home on Friday--no milk till after that. What you may want--and my husband went home to retreive mine--is a nursing pillow such as My Brest Friend (what I used) or Boppy. It really is hard to get started breastfeeding, and having some help with a comfortable position is useful.

There are various opinions about having your own clothes vs. the hospital's. I was fine with the hospital's disposable mesh underwear, and I did use their giant sanitary napkins because they had combo napkins/ice packs which felt great down there. I just used the hospital gown, but only one very close friend was invited to come to the hospital. If you have others visiting, you may want your own jammies and a robe. Toiletries, yes--nothing feels better than that first shower after giving birth. And if your husband is going to room in with you, he will need toiletries and clothes, too.

As far as a going-home outfit for baby, I don't even remember what we put our son in, but I know we liked having the side-snap t-shirts for a while. As nervous new parents, it is really hard to get something over baby's (floppy) head, so better not to have to even try.

[Anonymous]

I wish we brought wipes for the baby. Sibley had weird clothy wipes which you have to soak in water. So much easier to use regular wipes.

[Anonymous]

I agree with a PP about not needing a lot of the stuff on those lists. We brought so much and used SO LITTLE!

I'd add that I really would have liked a bathrobe or coverup. I wore the hospital gown a lot and when getting up, it would have been nice to have a bathrobe to coverup in.

The pads that the hospital provides (at least the huge ones) are great...and use them. Very absorbant and you'll need a big pad!! I didn't need a "regular" sized one until the day I was discharged (4 days later after C/s)...

Toiletries, clothes, PILLOW, Boppy or nursing pillow, and that's about it.

[Anonymous]

The second time I delivered at Sibley, I brought my own universal remove for the L&D room, because there are never enough.

I watched a fair amount of TV during the early part of labor, and because I was cranky, I wanted to change channels a lot.

I think there's a difference between "I ended up not using it" and "Don't bother to bring it." You and your partner may want snacks. You may not. It's no big deal to through a few bars in your bag, and even if you don't use them during labor, you may want a late-night nosh after the baby arrives. Tip: Low fiber bars -- or gels -- during labor, bars with fiber afterwards.

I definitely wanted my own pillows and my own pillowcases.

My husband and I listened to music and NPR CDs together. Making your own labor mixes/playlists is a nice distraction while you're in the final months.

Lip balm!

[Anonymous]

Essentials: Keep the birth/yoga ball. I spent 7/8ths of my labor on that thing.

Camera/video cam

Snacks for dad; change of clothes for dad

Toiletries for you and dad

A pillow from home - one you don't mind getting bloody or forgetting at the hospital, like we did

Hospital should provide pads, sexy mesh underwear, gown and robe, or 2nd gown you can use as a robe. If you bring your own undies and jammies, make sure it's something you don't mind getting bloody. I went through two hospital gowns and two hospital robes during my stay at Sibley.

My going home outfit: sweats, t-shirt and nursing bra.

As far as the baby's going-home outfit, he wore a t-shirt I brought, diaper and hat provided by the hospital. No paparazzi were around to document the 15-minute trip, so no one can judge.

That's all I needed, so if you want to pack light, there you go.