(taken 3 days before i went into labour)
1. phone charger. my phone died early on day two in the hospital, which made it tough to communicate with friends who wanted to visit.
2. camera. luckily, jon was able to go pick ours up soon after cohen was born. you will want at least a few pics (this is such an understatement. we took a million pics of cohen in his first 24 hours of life) also, some ladies seem to have pics from the actual delivery room. i'm not sure i would absolutely want pics from those moments, but to each her own.
3. shower sandals. you will be encouraged to take a shower at some point, and the shower will be gross and hospital-y. i was wishing very hard for something other than the toms i wore to the hospital which were not waterproof.
4. soap, shampoo, etc. our hospital didn't have any of these items. jon found some shampoo for me to use, which was good. the hospital did have lots of towels to use, though.
5. clothes, underwear, socks. while you are there, you will be wearing these weird mesh hospital underwear. but on the day you leave, you will have to wear something out of there. i guarantee you will want the hugest underwear possible (and also a giant maxi pad to go with them). you will also want a really comfortable outfit to leave. i would recommend a stretchy maxi skirt, or stretchy leggings, and a giant t-shirt or button up shirt. since i never had any clothes except the ones that i was wearing when my water broke, i ended up having to wear some basketball shorts and giant t-shirt jon found in his gym bag. i felt pretty funny walking to the nursery to talk to the pediatrician wearing an outfit perfect for a 15-year-old boy. i also wished for some type of robe or large zip up sweatshirt to wear when people came to visit. i ended up flashing some of my visitors because i wasn't properly covered.
6. nursing bra. necessary, especially on the day you leave.
7. outfit or two for the babe. our hospital supplied us with tons of clothes for the little guy to use while we were there. we ended up having to secretly steal a sleeper when we left because we didn't have an outfit for him. i would recommend something you don't have to cram baby's head through for that first outfit. a sleeper that snaps all the way up is way easier.
8. food. for a healthcare facility, our hospital had some pretty unhealthy food. after the delivery, the doctor told me i needed to be eating really healthy, with lots of fruits. but there is no fruit to be seen at the hospital. i would recommend bringing apples, oranges, granola bars, a water bottle. luckily for me, one of my friends knows what a fruit fiend i am, so she brought me a big fruit basket. jon made a few subway runs also. also, the water bottle is key. the cups they have at the hospital must be made for dolls, they are so tiny. so if you are trying to drink a lot of water, you will need your own bottle.
9. hair elastic. seems so obvious. but, i never had one. no matter how many times i searched the bottom of my purse, i couldn't find one. so, i laboured with my hair all over the place. not a huge deal, but just bring an elastic. i even tried tying my hair up with one of my bracelets, which broke very quickly.
10. toiletries. toothbrush and toothpaste, makeup, moisturizer. you will definitely want to brush your teeth at some point. bonus points for the makeup. i don't think i would have bothered with it, even if i had it with me, because i was so exhausted.
others might recommend magazines, music, books. for us, we really didn't have time for any of that stuff. jon did pick me up some magazines, but i don't think i even opened then. all my time was spent on the phone with family and looking at the little guy.
No comments:
Post a Comment