Expecting mothers try to plan as much as they can for their blessed event; and I had the luxury of not only because I was able to deliver naturally but also, I was induced which made things a little easier to plan.
A big fear that a lot of expectant mothers have is not having a hospital bag packed before they go into labor and the anxiety of not knowing what to pack. I'm going to give you a list of things that I found useful to have in both of my deliveries.
One perk to not having any pain medication during labor is that you can snack until you decide to have any. Because of this, I always suggest that your birthing plans always be to not have drugs until you just can't take it anymore and know your options. There is a medication they can give you in your IV that helps you sleep and alleviates some pain. This comes in handy if you're someone like me that was in labor for several days.
Moving along to what you should pack:
- Long extension cord
- The outlets on the walls are decently far away from the beds in both the delivery room and birthing suite, so having a long extension cord makes it possible for you to charge your cell phones and other devices closer to you in the bed.
- Snacks with protein
- Like I stated previously, the longer you go without pain medications (at least where I am from) you're allowed to eat. Once you get pain medication, you're not allowed to move at all. They make you stay still and go to the bathroom in the bed.... so yeahhh. They want to eliminate as best they can the poop factor and the harming yourself factor as well.
- Granny panties
- Especially if you have a c section, you're going to want to have panties that go up to your belly button. They'll most likely have you using disposable underwear in the hospital, but it's nice to go home in real clothes.
- Laptop/portable DVD player & DVDs
- Especially if you're induced, there will be some downtime. Having a favorite show or movies can be nice. When I had my daughter, I had I Love Lucy in the background through some of my more intense contractions.
- Bathrobe
- You can stay in the johnny all you want, but sometimes having a nice bathroom (that you don't mind if it get dirty) is more comfortable. I bought one for the occasion specifically.
- Multiple sized going home outfits
- The best that you might have is guess at how big or small your newborn is going to be; so sometimes it's best to bring multiple sized outfits with you ranging from preemie to 1-3 months.
- Shampoo and Conditioner
- The hospital will most likely give you some, I am partial to my own and I have really long hair; so I use a little more than most.
