Houston Babies
bc I'm ever the planner: hospital gear
1. what did you take?
2. what did you not take that you needed?
3. What did you take that you didn't need? Why didn't you need it?
thanks - there will be more questions so just get ready!
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Re: bc I'm ever the planner: hospital gear
Here's a link I bookmarked from when I was getting my stuff together:?
https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/1374034.aspx
Sorry, I can't figure out how to make it clickable on my mac.
?
Wyatt is starting to get fussy, so I have to run, but I'll try to come back in a bit and post more. ?Oh... my boppy... I didn't take it with me initially and had to have DH bring it to the hospital. ?Made breast-feeding so much easier. ?It also comes in very handy even if you're not planning on BFing.?
1. camera, comfy clothes for you (I wore yoga pants, tank tops and hoodies), warm socks, flip flops, coming home outfit, car seat, laptop, my own pillow (hospital pillows suck), toiletries, make-up (you will be surprised how good lipstick and mascara will make you feel!), hair ties
2. Nothing
3. Diapers (they had them there), book/magazines/ipod (I wasn't in the hospital long and it was a Sunday, so there was football to be watched), snacks (Methodist food was awesome, I still crave that veggie pizza and lemon square)
I was really minimal with what we took, since we live just a few miles from the hospital, I knew I could send C home for stuff.
So Tasty, So Yummy
sorry... i flew through this reply bc they said my car was ready! but def. don't foget the charger for your camera/phone.
my bff assigned a "call tree", so she wouldn't have to call everyone. her brother was in charge of calling their family/cousin, etc. and i was in charge of all our friends, etc.
Ditto on this, but DH just set up a list of people to text in his iphone. So make sure Handsome has my digits!
So Tasty, So Yummy
1. pillow, bathrobe, change of clothes to go home in, pajamas, ipod, cell phone and charger, camera, lip balm, lotion, warm socks, pads, toiletries
2. hair dryer (i was there for 5 days, and my hair has a mind of its own)
3. i never used my ipod. the tv was just as good a distraction during labor
I brought WAY too much stuff....
used: pillow, chap stick, dark colored stretchy jammies, socks, toiletries, cell phone, camera, lap top....
I wore a target nursing tank and a jogging suit most of the time and home (Old Navy has great maternity jogging suits)....
Here is all the crap I didn't use: underwear (they will give you some and they work well with the big ole pad and ice pack and stuff... take a few pairs for home), anything for baby except for 1 outfit, books, movies, IPod, hair dryer, snacks, boppy, nursing pads, maxi pads (I under estimated the volume of flow by FAR).......
per the advice of a friend, i bought some cheapo cotton granny panties- like the HUGE fruit of the loom ones and brought those. i wore the hospital ones for the 1st night but was glad to have the more...er... secure undies. i basically treated them as disposable if they got nasty. they were so much more comfy and fitted than the hospital ones. per the same friend, i also brought Always brand super extra long night time maxis with wings. t hey were so much better and so much more comfy than the hospital pads. i was really glad to have them as well.
i am of the mind set that it is better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. even though i didn't use some things (another with the iPod and books) i will probably bring them again just in case.
Somewhere on this nestis my c-section post - what to bring - I'll repost here.
**********************
-- Granny panties
Reasoning: The incision area is __very__ sensitive. Granny panties (that sit above the bikini area) do not bother that area. I bought enough to throw away any that became soiled. (I had enough to do without adding hand washing to the list.) The mesh, disposable ones they give you in the hospital are ok, unless you'll be sitting in bed for the better part of four days (as you do after a section). That mesh really started to hurt my skin. The cotton granny panties are much more comfy.
-- Pre-soaped wash cloths
Reasoning: You won't shower for quite awhile after your section. These help you wash up a little during that time. (Dove, Johnson&Johnson, or whatever brand you like.) I like to get the ones that double as face wash. It makes you feel better to be cleaner.
-- Flip flops?
Reasoning: You hurt, but you need to make an effort on day three to get up. Sitting on the side of the bed and taking a short, slow walk in the halls will help you get better, faster. I packed flip-flops for my hall walking expeditions. (There are socks at the hospital with anti-skid on the bottom. Ask for those, too.)
--Boppy Wedge or Regular
Reasoning: Your incision is a weak and sensitive area. A boppy adds a cushion when hold or nursing baby. Some like the wedge, because it takes less valuable hospital bed real estate. But, if you already have the regular one, it is perfectly suited for the task.
Other items, not just for section:
-- Snacks for your team
Reasoning: The hospital feeds mom, but others are not covered. I liked having protein bars on hand for my support team.
-- Nursing tanks
Reasoning: This isn't necessary, but I enjoyed having two of these in my bag. I wore them with my pj bottoms when I walked the halls and had less familiar visitors. Black offers good coverage. They are available at Target. Hospital gowns works too if you put two on (one covers back, on covers front)...so it isn't a necessity, but a nice-to-have.
-- Makeup
Reasoning: You're going to be in pictures. I took mascara and lip gloss. (Also, your lips get chapped! Burt's Bees was helpful to have on hand.) You might not care, but wanted to freshen up just a little for all those photos.
-- Hairbrush and rubber band
Reasoning: You're not going to shower right away after surgery. (So, be sure you shower before going to the hospital.) Also, bring a rubber band or other hair gear that you would use if you couldn't wash your hair for a couple of days. (Again, photo fest is going to feature you in all your hospital glory.)
-- Robe? I liked having this, but two hospital gowns can give you full coverage (again, layer two - wear one with opening to the back, and one with opening to the front).
-- Toothbrush and toothpaste
-- Lotion, body wash, shampoo (If you like to smell like you when you <finally> get to shower.)
--Camera!
--Laptop (if your hospital has wi-fi). It is easier to send out an e-mail to everyone, then calling everyone.
-- Notepad and pen! You will need this for writing down feeding times, phone numbers, and who knows what else.
-- Cell phone. I think all of us keep phone numbers in our cell phones these days?
** Have you chosen your pediatrician? If not, the hospital will have one on staff. Many people like to know the doctor seeing their newborn. So, if you haven't, you might consider it.
** Have you thought about donating cord blood? MD Anderson does this at many hospitals in the area. If you're not banking, you might consider donating to help others. Just call MD Anderson -- they need cord blood so they'll be helpful. They come to collect it and you'll fill out their paperwork in the hospital.
I think everyone covered the supplies up there, but I wanted to emphasize a couple of things:
1) snacks for your crew. You don' t want you loved one to have a major hunger craving while you need them most. I brought snacks for DH and juice/applesauce/yogurt for me, which was great, because the hospital food took wayyyyy too long to arrive - and I think it took them 20 minutes after I ordered, hehe.
2) pillows - I used the hospital pillows to help support my back and legs during and after labor. I used my own around my head for my comfort - you like your own comforts from home after you've been through labor!
3) a robe. I brought pjs like everyone suggested and never wore them because I didn't want to stain them. But a rob or wrap that you'd like to have in pictures would be good - and lots of hair things depending on how your hair looks after a long, hard workout. And I agree with the soap cleansing cloths just to feel fresh when you need to but cannot get out of bed (or the timing is bad). And eye drops. Hospital air dries out my eyes so I definitely needed those - a lot.
My own music helped a lot when I was in labor, too.
- Paula Deen to 104.1 KRBE's Producer Eric 9/17/2011