What do I really need to bring to the hospital?
Written by Rebekah Benoit
Wednesday, 22 February 2012 10:16
As if one couldn’t tell by the seemingly impossible size of my belly and the growing number of “labour and delivery” bookmarks on my computer, my baby’s due date is fast approaching.
Unlike all the other soon-to-be moms I know, I haven’t even started packing my bag for the hospital.
Some keeners have had their overnight bags packed for weeks already, tucked surreptitiously beside the front door in preparation for the big day, but not me. I could claim I’m afraid of jinxing things—after all, they DO say that when men plan, God laughs, and it would be just my luck to pack the bag in January and end up going two weeks past my due date—but to be honest, I’m just a procrastinator.
There’s nothing I like more than putting things off until the last minute, and so my overnight bag was somewhere in the garage with the rest of our travel gear, and I haven’t even given the slightest thought to packing “the bag” until my helpful sister said to me, “So of course you’ve got your bag packed—right?”
Um, no. And I can’t exactly do it hopping on one leg thanks to my broken ankle. In fact, just taking a shower is currently a superhuman ordeal that requires me to drag my 185-odd pounds up 17 stairs using only my arms, and wrap my cast in a garbage bag and duct tape like the world’s worst birthday present.
However, my due date is now a mere six days away, so I decided that perhaps it was time to stop putting it off and actually pack the thing. I started hopping toward the garage, with the help of my trusty walker (no crutches allowed when you’re packing a stomach the size of a basketball, I’m afraid), intent on getting the suitcase and proving my own independence, until I was confronted by the three treacherous stairs leading down to the concrete floor of the garage. From my perspective, there might as well have been 300. Back to the drawing board.
Undaunted, I called my long-suffering and eternally patient husband into the room. And no, I didn’t bang my walker on the floor like a truculent old lady. Thankfully, our phone has an intercom system, something I’m sure my spouse is grateful for on a daily basis. I handed him a list, compiled from a good 20 minutes of intensive Internet searching, of things we would “need” to bring to the hospital, consisting of no less than 57 completely essential items. I’m nothing if not thorough.
My husband sat down next to my bed and read through the list, then sighed and folded his hands patiently. “Honey,” he said mildly, “do we really need all of this stuff?”
“Of course we do,” I said, slightly insulted at his insinuation that I’m overpacking, as I usually do. When we took a cruise to the Mediterranean this year, my suitcase ended being 20 kg overweight on the way home. I don’t think it was the overpacking that irked him the most—I think it was the eight British pounds per kilogram overage fee we were charged. Granted, there may have a precedent for this overpacking thing, but this is our baby we’re talking about here, right?
“What about this? Our birth plan—do we even have one of those?” he asked. Well, no. Not exactly. I mean, I haven’t even gotten around to packing the bag yet. Of course the birth plan was on my to-do list...I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
“And do we really need to bring chocolates for the nurses?” he questioned, one eyebrow raised quizzically. “And baby nail clippers—seriously? How long could her nails possibly be? She’ll be an hour old!”
OK, he had a point. Perhaps 57 items was overdoing it. And based on the teeny overnight bag he’d brought in from the garage, there was no way all this stuff was going to fit in there anyway. So, after much heated debate and discussion, here is my finalized list of what you really need to bring with you to the hospital:
Toiletries: During my most recent hospital stay, I had the wonderful experience of having to wash my hair with hospital hand soap. ‘Nuff said. You’ll want to bring travel-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion, as well as your basic daily toiletries such as toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, floss, a hairbrush and a supply of hair elastics. Personally, I’d skip the makeup—after everyone in the room has seen you in your birthday suit, are you really going to care if they see you without mascara? But to each her own.
Clothing: A comfy maternity nightgown or two, bathrobe and socks or slippers. It can get chilly in those delivery rooms and many women feel comforted if they can wear their own nighties. You’ll probably be tied into one of those attractive butt-baring hospital johnnies during the delivery part, but if you end up staying an extra few days, you’ll appreciate having your own comfy nightgown to slip into. You’ll also need an outfit for going home, but don’t expect to slide into your pre-pregnancy jeans just yet. Bring maternity clothes, as you’ll likely still be about the size you were at six months pregnant.
Baby stuff: You’ll need a going-home outfit for your little one. Some people make a big deal about this and bring an elaborate ensemble, but speaking from experience, your new bundle of joy is as likely to poop or puke on it as not, so I’d recommend a onesie, a sleeper, sweater and hat. You’ll also need a car seat, already installed (the hospital won’t let you leave without one, and thank heavens for that!) and if it’s cold outside, a snowsuit or carseat cover to keep baby warm.
The essentials: A good book, your iPod, your phone and charger, a list of names and numbers to call when the baby arrives, your health care and identification, and a camera or video camera. If this is your first baby, you might be waiting a good long time for your little one to make his or her debut. If you choose to have an epidural, the wait won’t be overly painful but it might be a little dull, which is where the book comes in. If not, preload your iPod with a labour playlist that includes your favourite songs, both those that inspire and those that relax.
These will really help as you’re working your way through that notorious “transition” phase.
Put your partner in charge of the phone and camera and make sure you bring your charger and extra batteries for the camera! There are some moments that you just can’t recapture if you miss them the first time, and your baby’s first moments in the world definitely top that list.
And now the bag is packed and the wait is on! One more thing to cross off my list. Now, on to that birth plan...