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Must Have Items/Items You Didn't Need
- Phone card, robe, slippers, toothbrush, hairbrush, your favorite shampoo, lipstick and mascara, nursing nightie, going home clothes (comfy, loose fitting for mom) don't forget going home clothes for baby too! (bugs9701)
- Definitely enjoy your time in the hospital. Take a book if you like, but really, your time will be spent sleeping and caring for your baby, so when you can, allow the nurses to take care of you (SnoepjesGirl)
- Take pads, they may give you belted ones. (Mom_2_Jax)
- Ice packs ice packs - did I say ice packs?! :-) Jeans - NO need for jeans! (Lorissa)
- Must have a toothbrush and a hair brush. Don't bother with a book. You will be so busy with your newborn you won't want to read. (mama2miracles)
- I brought my body pillow & didn't use it. (tntbritt)
- Have your own nightgown, lots of underwear and your own pads(one's at hospital are horrible), socks and or slippers. (iluvmaria)
- If you plan to nurse you need a nursing shirt to wear for when visitors come. (cicsokids)
- List of people and phone numbers to call and give the good news to, and a cell phone if possible! That's all I needed...everything else, the hospital provided!
- Pillows- I hated the cardboard pillows provided by the hospital! Phone numbers and a cell phone, snacks for your DH, YOUR CAMERA and a LOT of film, a carseat (you will not be able to leave the hospital without one), nighties, lots of undies, pads and socks! I also liked keeping a body spray next to my bed. (Jenn33199)
- Definitely pack an extra nightgown in case you get blood or your breasts leak. Extra socks, Pads, a good nursing bra and nursing pads, an outfit for the baby, a maternity outfit for you to go home in. (you are fooling yourself if you bring jeans and a t-shirt!) Don't bother with too many extras. You won't have time to write in your baby book and you won't forget anything in the few days you
are there. (bjs34)
- Must have: your own music source! Really helped me to relax when listening to some of my "special" music. Good to have for recoery, too. Toiletry items - shampoo, conditioner, LOTION, toothpaste, etc. Bring your own Tylenol... the hospital charges an insane amount for each pill. Robe & Slippers for walking the halls
Didn't Need: My own clothes to birth in - got so hot, wanted everything OFF! Tennis ball for massage, aromatherapy oils, diapers for baby hospital supplied plenty) Playing cards (to "distract" during labor! Yeah, right!) (karzandi)
Things To Expect Post-Partum
Related Boards: [Postpartum Care] [Postpartum Depression]
- You will bleed a lot, you can't use tampons, so its superthick pads. Your milk may not come in for a few days, but when mine did, I woke up SOAKED from head to toe. I felt VERY empty inside; while I was glad to finally have my baby, I missed having her inside of me. (bugs9701)
- Exhaustion - sometimes baby blues (Lorissa)
- Let down and baby blues. (mama2miracles)
- Nurse coming in every 20 min. to check on you. (tntbritt)
- Pain, discomfort, exhaustion, and people being around you all the time. (SnoepjesGirl)
- I was very sore and could barely walk for the first day and half, but once you start walking it gets better. (iluvmaria)
- I was tired, groggy, due to the epidural, and then spinal from the c-section.
- Bleeding, tiredness, elation, and a whole variety of mixed emotions! You may experience PPD- PLEASE do not hesitate to talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. (Jenn33199)
- This is the one thing that childbirth classes never prepare you for. You will bleed alot the first time you stand up after delivery. It will pour down your legs and all over the floor so do
not panic. It is normal and will stop soon. You may have trouble
controlling your bladder or bowel movements if you had a long traumatic delivery stage, large tear or repair, or a bad episiotomy.
Don't overdue it on the stool softeners. Don't eat binding foods. Rest as much as you can to allow your body to heal. You may be very emotional but if it doesn't go away in a feww days, call your doctor. Post partum depression is a very real disease and it can be helped. (bjs34)
- Lots of emotional roller coasting. Super highs to super lows. I went from thinking my husband was a god to thinking he was a monster, and back to the god thing. And that was usually within a
matter of a few hours. Poor hubby! (karzandi)
Visitors: Love Them or Hate Them?
- Loved em, as long as they didn't stay too long. (bugs9701)
- Personally hated them. (Mom_2_Jax)
- Love them if they help out - hate them if they expect anything! (Lorissa)
- I loved them. I wanted to tell the world about my new baby. (mama2miracles)
- Love them. For our first child everyone was there. I looking forward for this time it being My DH & I cuz family will be with our little girl. (tntbritt)
- Absolutely, HATE them. I would love to be left alone with my family for a day or two so that WE can get used to our new family before people come in and start taking over. You definitely need time to bond with everyone.(SnoepjesGirl)
- I loved them, but didn't have many, my family lives 2000 miles away so it was just me and DH and a couple of friends. (iluvmaria)
- Loved them!!!! (cicsokids)
- I loved visitors, but that's my personality! Loved showing off my new baby! Love company!
- LOVED them�couldn�t wait to show off my babies! (Jenn33199)
- This is where your S/O must be strong. Everyone will want
not come over immediately and you are going to be exhausted.
Remember, they are not going home to a crying baby up all night, after being I labor for maybe days and delivering a new baby. You need time to bond as a new family. You will especially need more time if you are nursing. Don't have anyone come over the first day at least. Keep visitors at the hospital to maybe two at a time with no more than 4 total a day. allow a 2 hour reprieve in between hospital visits. Be firm, let them get mad they will get over it! They have the rest of their lives to get to know this new member, but you only have those two days where it will be just you and this
new life. Once home, (day 2) Turn off the phone or let the machine answer all calls. If people want to visit, limit their stay to
1 hour and they must bring food or do something around the house to help out. It is not your job to entertain them. That can come later when you are stronger and the baby is sleeping through the night. Stay in your pj's and if you are tired when someone is there, excuse yourself and go and lie down in bed. Do not make excuses, you have done nothing wrong. (bjs34)
- Loved them when they respected how long they stayed. Didn't want any visitors right away. (karzandi)
- We made it clear to folks that we would be having a "babymoon." Just us three for the first few days. When friends did come in the nest couple of weeks it was always to drop off a hot meal or to wash the dishes... and that is the way I treat my new mom friends too. (testami)
General Comments
- Ask the nurses lots of questions, don't feel embarrassed about asking a "dumb" question. Take advantage of the time you are in the hospital to send your baby to the nursery to sleep (You won't want to) Remember you have the RIGHT to have someone with your baby ALL THE TIME. In fact, they really encouraged it at Kaiser (bugs9701)
- Stay home as long as possible during labor and go home as soon as possible after baby is born. The hospital is no place for a healthy mother and baby. (mama2miracles)
- If people are bothering you, visiting at inopportune times, then tell them. Don't let ANYONE infringe on your family time. (SnoepjesGirl)
- Try to remember all your nurses� names! *smile*
- Don�t be afraid to let your baby spend some time in the nursery at night. At first I was horrified by the idea, but after 10 hours of induced labor and a C-section, I needed a break! You will be woken up regularly to feed the baby and to be checked on. Don�t count on a lot of sleep! (Jenn33199)
Siblings at the Hospital
- Come on in & snuggle! (Lorissa)
- Invite them in. Marina loved those first few days with her brand new brother. He was instantly HER baby. And I missed her so I was happy to see her. (mama2miracles)
- Kids will be bored, so you might as well leave them with a friend if you can. Enjoy these moments with your new little one and your partner, because you can't have this time back. (SnoepjesGirl)
- Our eldest daughter still loves to hear about how she came to the hospital to meet Annie. Rebecca was 20 months old when Annie was born, and truthfully she didn�t pay much attention to her when she did meet her at the hospital, but it is important that your child knows where you are and that you have not abandoned him or her ! (Jenn33199)
- : Let them be the first to see the new baby. It will make them feel special and they will remember it always. Have a gift from the new baby to them, and make the visit not too long. Do not be upset if a younger one wants nothing to do with the baby or acts mad at you. This is normal and they will get over it. they love you
and will grow to love their new sibling. (bjs34)
- I plan to have our 2-year-old at the birth (a homebirth). I will do my best to prepare him for the sights and sounds of birth beforehand and have already arranged for him to have his own support person. I have learned from friends that having older siblings at the birth is an excellent way to decrease sibling rivalry and I see no reason to put my child out of the house for this family lifecycle event. (testami)
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