Hi everybody, welcome to CloudMom.
So your big day!
You might think this is going to happen exactly at forty weeks or maybe you have a scheduled
C-section planned, but regardless it's not exactly clear when exactly your baby's going
to come.
Four of my five babies were actually born before thirty-seven weeks.
So no matter when you think you're actually going to be delivering your baby, getting
your stuff for the hospital all organized well in advanced is the key to feeling calm
and secure and relaxed in the last few weeks of your pregnancy.
So in this show we're going to walk through exactly what you need to get ready for the
hospital.
Pack a bag one month before your due date or your scheduled delivery date and have everything
ready to go.
This will make you feel more relaxed.
When it comes to things that you're going to be bring to the hospital with you it basically
divides down into three separate sorts of things: first things that the hospital is
going to need from you, second things that you're going to need for yourself, and finally,
things that you're going to need for your new baby.
Okay, so make sure you have some valid form of a picture ID like your driver's license,
not your gym membership.
Bring your insurance card along with a birth plan if you have one.
And any hospital paperwork you might need.
And you can put all these things in a place that's really easy to find such as an envelope
in your handbag.
Okay, so most hospitals, if you're not having a C-section, will want you to be there at
least for a day and half to two days.
And my personal advice is to stay for as long as possible because when you're in the hospital
you're going to get help with your baby so stay there as long as your insurance will
allow you to stay there.
And when you start to think about what you need to bring to the hospital consider what's
going to be going on with your body during these first few days.
The hospital will give you certain things that you can use which are very helpful, but
you also want to have the right things for you.
You're going to be starting to nurse or you're milk is going to be coming in and you can
get wet up there so you want to have extra nursing bras and it's good to have an extra
pair of pajama and extra underwear because if you've had a vaginal delivery you're going
to be bleeding.
So you have to make sure you have back-ups in those categories.
So let's go through what a really good list might look like: You'll going to need two
pairs of pajamas (I would get button down ones for ease and nursing), toiletries (soap,
toothpaste, toothpaste, shampoo, a hairbrush), a blow-dryer if you use one, maybe even a
little bit of makeup if you wear makeup include lip gloss because there can be some historic
photos taking place.
I would bring some Maxi Pads, hospitals will supply these but I like to bring my own, two
to three extra pairs of underwear, which are briefs and Maxi pad compatible if you know
what I mean - that means no thongs ladies.
Several nursing bras and nursing pads, some light slippers to roam the hospital halls
in and one change of maternity clothes for going home in.
You'll be in these for at least a few more weeks and you want to feel comfortable.
Now I don't know if you're like me, I wear contact lenses, but contact lenses are something
you're not even going to want to deal with when you're in labor.
You're also going to want to think about people you're going to want to get in touch with
once you've had your baby.
So in that regard, make sure you pack a pair of eye glasses with you, if you wear contacts
and a list of names and phone numbers of people that you want to notify.
You might even want to compile an email list in advance so you can alert your friends really
easily.
And make sure that you leave all your valuables at home because you won't be able to wear
these during labor and you're not going to have a secure place to leave them afterwards.
Okay, so now what are you going to pack for your new baby?
You don't need a lot of things for your new baby.
But what you do need, the things that you do need, sorry, are totally essential.
The most important thing is a rear facing car seat for newborns.
Hospitals will not let you leave the maternity ward without a car seat.
So this is most important.
You'll want to bring seasonally appropriate front snap pajama for your baby to leave the
hospital in and a side-snap t-shirt to wear underneath.
A few bibs, in case your baby spits up and warm baby blanket to wrap around the baby
when she's in her car seat.
This is good even in warm climates because of air conditioning.
So now for my number one thing that I always try to bring home from the hospital and these
are actually in a lot of my shows.
I am a huge fan of the hospital burp cloth.
I have these in two colors, they used to make them even a softer way and they even had blue
and green stripes.
I love these for nursery the baby, I love these for burping, I love them for swaddling
the baby, and my kids even use them now as security blankets.
So definitely ask the nurse when you're leaving if she'll let you take a few of these home.
I would also see if she would let you take a few side-snap pajamas because the hospital
ones can be excellent and a nasal aspirator.
So these are just the essential things you're going to need to bring with you when you go
to the hospital and what you're going to need to take home with you.
Good luck getting all this organized in anticipation of your baby.
And I hope that everything goes very smoothly for you once you get to the hospital.