A friend from church who is expecting her first baby asked me last week if I had any tips for the hospital, and immediately my mind went to that dreaded packing list I had stressed over! So, here are the things shared with her, and that I want to share with you.
Favorite things in my hospital bag:
My own water bottle. You are constantly drinking after the baby comes! The nurses encourage it and ask you regularly if you're drinking. Hormones, nursing, and just plain exhaustion make it necessary. So rather than refilling the tiny styrofoam cup they give you a million times, I was thankful to have my old faithful water bottle (and for the sweet nurses who would go fill it with ice whenever I asked).
Pillows and blankets. Comfort from home. Plain and simple. The blanket was especially helpful for my husband who slept on the couch in our room.
A Bath Towel. Hospital towels are basically oversized paper towels. No, thank you! Having my own towel from home really helped my shower feel all the more refreshing. It was soft and familiar. On that same note, the first shower you get to take after delivery is the best shower you will ever take.
Laptop (for Netflix). We LOVED watching The Office in the hospital during some of our down time without visitors. For us, it was a show we could put on, laugh, and relax. If there's a movie, show, or book like that for you, I would highly recommend bringing it for some relaxing entertainment! It ended up being TOO funny for me though because I literally felt like I was going to undo my stitches from laughing. Maybe don't bring something that hilarious.
Coins for the vending machine. This one is for all the husbands out there - I got your back! They spend so many hours awake with you and sometimes they just need a can of Coke or candy bar to keep their eyes open and ready to help. You never know what time of day you will be in labor or when your husband might need to hit the vending machine, so don't count on the hospital cafeteria being open.
Snacks. Snacks. Snacks. My post-delivery self was RAVENOUS. I think that's pretty normal too. My sweet Samuel had to go get me a ham sandwich at 11 p.m. one night because I was craving it. So pack up on healthy snacks like apples, trail mix, and granola bars that will keep you going. You won't regret packing snacks, and your husband will thank you also!
Things I thought I would use (but didn't):
Basically all the clothes I packed. I didn't even end up touching half of what I packed for our hospital stay. There are a couple reasons for that. One is that I pretty much lived in the hospital gowns. Call it new-mom-first-time-hospital-patient-itis. Another great thing was that pretty much anything I needed for my own post-delivery comfort the hospital had and would give graciously (even sending me home with extra). So all of the pads, creams, ice packs, and what-nots were taken care of by the nurses way better than anything I could have packed.
Socks. Almost everyone I talked to mentioned bringing socks because hospitals can be cold. I don't think I even touched mine. I was pretty warm because of all those hormones adjusting in my body so I liked feeling the cold floor.
Robe. Again, clothes I didn't need! I have never been a robe person so why did I think this would change?
Post-delivery/Nursing comforts. The hospital has ALL of the pads and creams you could possibly need. And you're already paying for it (Thank you, hospital bills$$) so you might as well take advantage of it. Save what you bought for when you get home and stock up on what they give you at the hospital. I asked for extras of everything I thought was helpful as I was packing up the last day. They're more than happy to give it!
A notebook. I packed a notebook thinking it would be helpful if there were any tips or things I needed to remember and write down. SIKE. I didn't have time for writing a thing! I basically just relied on my husband and my mom to be listening when the nurses were giving me instructions because I knew I wouldn't be able to remember anything they were saying on my five hours of sleep in 48 hours! PLUS, the hospital will send you home with LOADS of wonderful(ly boring) reading material that you will never even get a chance to read, so just plan on relying on Google when you get home. (I think I googled 1,000 things in the first week of having a newborn. Not an exaggeration.)
One last thing!
Talk to your nurses. Ask for their help when you need it. Almost all of my nurses had had their own babies and were full of other helpful tips about life after baby, my recovery, and learning how to be a new mom. They were such a blessing to me. You know they have heard it ALL, so don't feel shy about asking them what's on your mind either.
If you are like me, you almost won't want to go home by the time your hospital stay comes to an end. At least for my first baby, it was a nice, reassuring, comfort to know someone knew the answer to my question, can help me however I needed it, and would always be operating on more sleep than I was. But God will give you strength, wisdom, and an amazing motherly instinct. When you get home from the hospital and wonder where the baby instruction manual is that the hospital must have forgotten to give you in all that reading material, just remember that you are that baby's mommy! God chose you specifically for them. And he will be faithful to help you in your great need.
