What Did You Take to the Hospital?

[Polly]

If you made it or chose it, that is! Did you make a list and stick to it? Or was time of the essence? Anything you would recommend?

I refused to take my pajamas, for example. I figured that since I was going to spend a lot of time bleeding, I'd rather bleed on their laundry, not mine. (And I didn't want to add soiled clothing to the list of stuff CJ had to take care of when we got home.) But I did take my own pillow and was forever grateful! Hospital pillows suck!

Next time around, I'm bringing a My Breast Friend (Dave, you were right. It is better!) instead of a Boppy and better snackfood. Oh, and my IPod with speakers.

Polly

[Lori]

I took very, very little. A couple of magazines, some CDs, and clothes to wear home. I think that was pretty much it. We lived about two miles from the hospital, so I figured that if I needed anything, Sean could run back for it or a friend could bring it over.

Next time I'll definitely bring my iPod, something to read, something to knit, and really comfy clothes to wear home.

[Mary]

I erred on the side of caution the first two times since we were 90+ miles from home! Like you, Polly, I had NO desire to fug up my nice jammies so I hung out in the hospital gown until right before we were getting ready to leave. I brought socks the first time but never used them because I'm a warm person and my feet just don't get cold. I didn't bother bringing them the next time.

I was very careful to remember the camera, video camera, my journals, paper for extra copies of the babies' footprints and, of course, a going-home outfit for baby. Also, both times, I brought my statue of Heket, who is the Egyptian goddess of midwifery and childbirth. She takes the form of a frog. She sat on my i.v. stand both times. :)

The third time I took jack, as I obviously wasn't expecting to end up in the stupid hospital at all. If the damned paramedics hadn't been all up my butt to go I'd have sat and directed the packing of a bag but they were like, "Ooh! Had baby! Childbirth = illness! Must go hospital!" :rolleyes Anyway, so I was rolled out the door wearing a wet sports bra and that's the only possession I had with me. Dh threw some stuff together and brought it with him, then I had to send him back for even more stuff because he didn't even come close to getting it all. :D

[Jo]

My husband, a camera, a change of clothes and some sample sized toiletries. I don't stay long enough to worry about more.

[Beka]

Here you take everything or you go without or have to send family out to fetch it in for you, or buy it at the hospital shop at extortionate prices. (Example- when i had my eldest a single mom with no family in the bed across from me gave birth to a 12lb baby girl, none of her newborn clothes fit her, the hospital shop only stocked newborn so my mother went out and bought some for her because the hospital had none and the woman had no one to go for her!- When my SILs baby boy was born a micro-preemie I had to run around town buying preemie diapers & clothes as again, they had none and hadn't prepared for that.

soooooo I took...

baby clothes, diapers, snowsuit, hat etc for the baby.
PJs for me incase I had an overnight stay (which as my kids were all through the night labours except Dyl who was born late evening, I have had)
Jogging/sweat pants and a t-shirt as I really, really don't "do" laying around the hospital in PJs because I'd given birth, I wasn't sick- sick people in hospitals live in PJs. (well in my head anyway)
Maternity pads, breast pads, lots of spare underwear, nursing bras.
Shower stuff & my own towels (again you only get given them immediately after the delivery- not for regular showering)
Non-slip socks (as i like to wander!)
munchies & bottled water
Something to read and pens
Hair brush, tooth brush etc

I've never really been in hospital all that long though.

Chase was born 1am thursday, I went home sunday (after I realised they were only keeping me in to watch as I was a teenager :rolleyes so i signed myself out)
Jude I laboured through the night, gave birth 6am, stayed in all day and went home breakfast the next day.
Dyl was born late afternoon, i stayed over night then home at breakfast.
Loki was born 2.23am and I went home at breakfast.

[Danielle]

Pretty much everything we would need for the 36 hours I was there. They supply NOTHING here. I literally got a sample tube of Vaseline when I had David- nothing else!

[Beka]

ohhh i thought here to add- I take my own PJs as well because here we're all on public wards (When i had Chase it was a ward of 6, with Jude a ward of 5, With Dyl a ward of 10 and Loks a ward of 12) where everyone recieves their visitors, has their husband there all day etc and so it's not just people i am happy with seeing me around me- it's all and sundry!

[Jbird]

Hmmm... I took pretty much everything I needed and didn't really have much extra. My own pillow was a godsend. Comfy clothes - not really PJs, but yoga pants and long-sleeved, button-down shirts, nursing bras & pads, lots of fun and comfy socks, my favorite lotion which was a comforting thing to have, basic toiletries, camera & video camera, phone charger!, baby book and journal.

[kcmomma]

I packed WAY too much and didn't use half of it. I had clothes for me to wear home, sports bra to wear in labor tub, pj's, music for labor, massager, chapstick, lotion, clothes to bring Madison home, a binkie....etc

Heres's what I packed and used- toiletries, curling iron, blow dryer, (only the last day when I went home did I use it), Madison's going home outfit and matching blanket (I thought it was cold outside as it was chilly when I went in 3 days earlier), back massager (the one thing I packed for labor and auctually used) camera and travel pillow (Had Dh bring bobby in Thurs. am, but didn't use it much)

I wore the outfit home that I wore in (got up in the am, showered, went for induction took clothes off) Nurse told me to adjust the thermometer to my liking, SO I was never COLD or too hot LOL. I LOVED the travel pillow...SO happy I packed that. It really helped with trying to move after the emergency c-section. Other than that...I'd go light if I ever get to do it again....PLUS they sent SO much other freebee stuff home I sent things home with DH every night when he left.

[Mary]

That's amazing that you have to bring all your own stuff in other countries! Here they throw massive amounts of stuff at you. 10 months on I still have Johnson's Baby Wash left because they sent me home with so many samples. I have a whole package of gauze pads, two bulb syringes and various other stuff -- everything they kept in Eliza's bassinet to take care of her they stuck in a plastic bag and sent home with me. I even got an almost-full package of Pampers, and the pair of socks they put on her.

[yummymommy]

I took, my own pj's, but didn't wear them, sweats and hoodie to go home in and Liam's going home outfit, slippers so I didn't have to walk on the floor in my socks/barefeet, some toiletries, my own juice, and that was about it. I was only there for half the night and the next morning so I really didn't need much. They gave me everything Liam and I needed, maternity pads, diapers, baby soap, vaseline etc, they told me anything that was in the room that was disposable that I was to take if I wanted or they would just toss it out, so basically everything besides the blankets they gave me, I still have 2 packs of maternity pads!

[kcmomma]

Mary I too was told to clean out the bassinet/table thingie. They had the thing PACKED with newborn diapers and Madison only wore them for a few hours since she was 8lb 10oz and they rubbed at her hips. So not only did I get a SLEW of diapers, wipes, containers, pads for my section, but all of the newborn diapers too...that promptly went to my sister who was due 12 weeks later.

I just had to leave the dressing gown and blanket there...but we used our receiving blanket the first night to send home for the cats to get used to her smell.