Top Ten Items to Pack for the Hospital When Having a Baby
After having 2 children, and staying in the hospital for 8 days with my son, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this topic. However, I also notoriously overpack in any situation, so narrowing this list down to the 10 most important items required some serious thought.So here it is (in no particular order) - if I could only pack 10 items in my suitcase, these are what I couldn't do without while in the hospital for the birth of my children...
• My own Pillow from home. The pillows I was given at the hospital were not only very uncomfortable, but I required about 4 of them just to equal the thickness of 1 of my pillows from home (and for some reason there often seems to be a shortage of pillows at the hospital - probably because everyone wants 4 of them!) And there's just something comforting about snuggling into your own comfortable pillow.
• NEW socks. I always bought some brand new white ankle socks to pack in my bag. Somehow, no matter how covered you are in body fluids, or how long it's been since you've been able to take a shower by yourself...something about putting on a nice fresh WHITE pair of socks makes you feel like a new woman. Seriously. And since this may be the first time you've been able to see your feet in a few months, they might as well look nice, right? They won't stay white on the bottom too long, so bring lots of them.
• Cameras. This is an obvious one, since capturing your baby's first moments is of the utmost importance, but since it's so important, it needs to make my list. Remember to bring your Video Camera as well. And don't forget these essentials: Chargers, Extra Batteries, Extra Tapes for the Video Camera, and any extra lenses you may want.
• A new Toy, and an Activity Bag for your other younger Children. Yes, having a new baby in the family is exciting for them too, but that excitement will soon turn to boredom for the younger crowd. To keep them from running the hallways of the maternity ward while visiting, pack a bag of new coloring books or activity books, or other small toys that can keep them busy. My 3 year old son had fun coloring pictures with some new Markers, and hanging them all over my room when my daughter was born.
We also bought him a new Toy (a Fischer Price Digital Camera for kids), and wrapped it up for him to open. A "Big Brother Gift" if you will. Your baby will be getting all kinds of presents in those first weeks, so it's important to make the older kids not feel left out. We told him that the present was from his sister, and that she was holding it when the doctor took her out. (That part may not work if your children are more than 4 years old however.)
• An Infant Car Seat for your baby. Another obvious one, but your baby can't leave without it. Tip: Install the base in your vehicle weeks in advance of your due date. The last thing you'll be wanting to deal with when your baby is discharged, is the installation. Plus, it's VERY important that it be installed correctly, so it's best to do this when you are not distracted or rushed.
• Baby Book - if you will be keeping a Baby Book for your child, it's nice to have the footprints done directly into the book. That way, you won't have to be attaching or gluing the official sheet later. Our nurses had no problem doing 2 sets of prints - one on the official form, and another in our Baby Book.
• Laptop - this was great for emailing pictures of our newborn to loved ones. We also used it to look up information when questions arose. It also serves as entertainment if you need to pass some time surfing the web, or chatting on message boards, etc.
• Toiletries, Make-up, Lotion, etc. Bring your most often-used essentials. Forget about the full make-up, but it's nice to be able to freshen up a little bit before having visitors, or just to make yourself feel better. Hospitals are often very dry, so lotion and lip balm definitely come in handy.
• Baby Wipes. The wipes that hospitals provide are often dry, gauzy type wipes and it's often difficult to clean baby thoroughly, especially after those first tarry BM's. Baby wipes are also great for cleaning yourself up throughout the day. If you'd had a baby before, you no doubt remember the barrage of blood and body fluids you'll be dealing with. Keeping some moist baby wipes in the bathroom will make this unpleasant part of post-childbirth a bit easier to deal with.
• Premie-size outfit for baby. I'm not including all the clothes to bring for yourself and baby, since you've probably already thought of that. But what surprised me with both of my children, was how TINY babies actually are. My children were both roughly 6.5 pounds, which is on the small side, but would not be considered Premie size. However, the Newborn Sized clothes I brought for them were HUGE - nowhere near fitting them. I had to buy my son an expensive Premie Outfit in the hospital gift shop, so that he had something nice to go home in. For my daughter, I prepared ahead of time and brought one Premie Outfit for her, and it fit her perfectly. If you have a larger baby, you can always donate the outfit to someone in the NICU, or use it as a gift at a later time.
So there you have it - this list may not be comprehensive, but these are the items that I would not want to have been without, and perhaps some that you hadn't thought of before.
We wish you all the best in your childbirth experience!
