Hi everyone!

Sorry I havent been around much - lol- Ive been doing alot of resting and being slow and waddley with being closer and closer to labour. Im still pretty anxious about childbirth, but as time goes on and I get more and more uncomfortable :P I think "gee, having the baby won't be THAT bad" ha ha.

Everything is still going well, except I had to be put on blood pressure meds as my pressure was up a few times and they felt it precautionary to start me on something for the rest of the time. Im also a bit constipated, which is more annoying than anything, but my nausea has mostly stopped again too!

LMO, if you are reading this, I am thinking about you and wondering if you have felt kicking yet and what you thought of it! Isin't it neat?

So ladies, I am in the process of making a list of things to take to the hospital with me and was wondering what YOU all would take in a bag if you were about to give birth, that might be calming and soothing and even necessary.

I might take my teddy bear he is huge, and if i roll on my side its like cuddling a real person almost. Does anyone think this would be veiwed as weird? Should I even care if it helps me??

Let me know!

[youOme]

Take the teddy bear if he soothes you...for sure.

I wouldn't go over board and bring to much stuff, it ends up being useless in the end.

What I would bring is:
one outfit for the baby to go home in
an outfit for professional photos
one outfit for yourself
quarters
favorite book or mag
hard candies (epidural leaves nasty taste in mouth)
maybe a disc man or mp3 player with some soothing songs

The hospital provides most of the necessities and the baby won't be doing a fashion show neither because of the umbilical cord stub.

I'm excited for you, be sure to update!!

[bebop]

I personally would take a cd player with me and have some soothing music on if at all possible. are you going to get the epi? if so they will give you that at 4cm but not before. it can really make labor faster too since you are not tensing up. you will probably only be in for overnight. not sure how they do it where you are but here I think mostly it is one night. I don't even bother to pack a nightgown anymore for the hospital lol I just use theirs.

[sunrise]

I agree, don't bring a nightgown (they can get bloody). Just use the gown the hospital provides.

Bring clothes for yourself to go home in. You will be smaller when you leave than when you arrived!

Clothes for baby to go home in. You will not be used to dressing a baby, so make sure the outfit is uncomplicated and easy to put on. No pullover sweaters! Also bring a receiving blanket and a warmer one too since it is winter. The hospital provides a little hat. Don't forget the car seat!

Yes, by all means, bring your big Teddy.

Best of luck!

[Rhapsody]

If you have purchased a baby book already bring it with and ask the doctor to put your babies foot prints in the book for you when they are printing the baby in the delivery room - my doctor did this for me.

[sujunew]

some ppl like to have a camera with them; other than that I think everything else has been mentioned! Def take the teddy, it could be quite comforting. Oh- and if something happens and you need a c-section or if you go in before the baby is born (e.g. from the high blood pressure) I found it nice being able to wear some comfy clothes from home while in hospital rather than their gowns (esp for when visitors came, and my own self esteem). Most ppl don't cover these 'scenarios' but I was in for 4 weeks before I had my 1st...
Best of luck.

[Gracey]

SOCKS!!!

My feet were freezing the whole time!! Get a friend to paint your toesies before hand!! Last time, we did a diff't color for each toe. . .

Clothes for you for sure. . .you will be smaller, but not like you were pre-pregnancy. Something comfy for sure!

Camera. . .you might not think (now) that you want anyone taking pictures while you're working at labor, but if you want some, and find yourself without a camera, that's a loss you'll never recover. Some of my favorite pictures are the ones the nurses took of me and baby immediately after birth, first kiss, counting their itty bitty toes, stuff like that.

Something you might consider. . .pregnancy is a bloddy mess. Literally. I don't know how tall/big you are, but I'm really petite, and those pads they brought me after birth were horrid. They were too wide, too long, and bunched all up and then didn't catch anything. Second baby. . .I went and bought some Poise pads (they're for bladder oopsies, but work great) and was MUCH happier and MUCH more comfortable. They didn't feel like someone trying to stuff a pillow up my butt!

Definitely music, whatever works for you. Some people like soothing. . .I used something really upbeat with first baby, classical for second baby. Use what you like.

Definitely bring the Teddy. . .if people look at you weird, tell them, "When I lay sideways with him, he supports my tum." We all know what it's like to have a zillion pounds on your front, so most women nurses won't even look twice.

Good luck, keep us posted.

[AAAAA]

Good Luck Rain!

I'd keep it down to the minimum. You'll be in the hospital gowns most of your stay there. And when I was in, they gave you these mesh disposable underwear that were awesome! If the big pads that they give you in the hospital are uncomfortable for you, I'd bring cotton underwear and pads.

But other than that, one outfit for the baby (they always took the pictures right before you left the hospital when I had my kids) Something comfy for you to wear home, the baby book, your teddy bear, and I'd bring my pillow, I can't sleep without it.

[lenjan]

Absolutely bring the teddy. I brought mine and it was really helpful as something to focus on when the contractions hit.

Make sure you don't forget goodies like your toothbrush. The hospital has them in a pinch, but still. I spent my first little bit of active labor ralphing and was very glad to be able to freshen my breath.

I heartily second something like Depends -- maxi pads, even hospital maxi pads, do not cut it. I spent 5 weeks in the hospital with uncontrolled bleeding (my kid was 18 at the time, not pregnancy related, don't worry ) and Depends were vital. They don't have to be changed as often, they're easy to get on, and they aren't really uncomfortable.

Make sure if someone is coming with you that they bring money for the cafeteria and quarters for pay phones (no cell phones in hospitals). Learned both of those the hard way too.

Many hugs and blessings to you and let us know when you're a new mommy!

Candy

Oh what great ideas everyone! Thanks, and keep them coming if'n you think of any more things.

So, yes on the teddy - that makes me feel much more comfortable. Hes kind of my special friend too lol but when one of you said he supports my tummy you hit the nail on the head - he totally does and i can wrap myself around him completely. Hes also totally washable so its ok if he gets dirty. hes well loved lol.

Had to make an emergency trip to the local labour room today as i hadnt felt any kicks in two days - luckily, everything is fine, the baby just moved positions and is turned away from the surface of my belly so I am not feeling it as strongly, but he is still kicking. Im still glad I went as it is better to be safe than sorry.

[Gracey]

LOL here's an idea. . .ask when you check in if you can have a pediatric gown for the teddy. . .make him part of the experience!

Maybe a little hat, or doctor mask. . . lol give the nurses something to chuckle about.

[Zorah]

When we had our gall-bladder removed, we took our big teddy bear with us & they did in fact put him in a little surgical outfit & put him on the trolley with us while they wheeled us down to surgery.

We were in our 50s at the time & nobody acted like it was weird at all.


so definitely take the teddy

[sunrise]

Also bring some comfy slippers or slip on shoes. You may have to do quite a bit of walking up and down the halls to help with labor in the early stages.

Some vaseline or chapstick to keep your lips from drying out is another good thing to have.

Is baby kicking again? I remember near the very end, mine got so big she was kind of wedged in there and couldn't kick or move much at all anymore.

[Zorah]

that's right, sunrise, towards the end of the pregnancy there isn't much room for them to move, we remember that too

the lip salve & toothbrush are essentials, & has anyone suggested you might need a nursing bra ? your breasts can get quite sore when the milk comes in & also be inclined to leak milk, so you need those little round pads for over your nipples. you might not need this in the hospital if they don't keep you long after the birth, but better to have one at home at least. (we suppose ppl DO still wear nursing bras ?)

how long are they likely to keep you if the birth is without complications ?

you must be getting excited !!!!

one small warning, the closer you get to your due date, the slower time passes & AFTER the due date it positively crawls


{{{{{{{{{{Rainbowzz & baby}}}}}}}}}}

[SeptemberMorn]

Double ditto on the teddy bear! They like you to lay on your left side while in labor. Something about the blood circulating to the baby better that way? I don't really remember the "why" but I remember the nurses bugging me about it. My first one absolutely REFUSED to let me lay on my left side!

Anyway! The teddy will help with that.

Practice up on your relaxation excercises and USE them, USE them, USE THEM during contractions! Very, very important! Hopefully, you won't need the epi! The less meds you take, the better for the baby.

You know... it's not too late to get into some childbirth classes! If you plan to breadfeed, get in touch with La Leche League! You might think it comes naturally, but it DON'T! I found that out the hard way.

Wishing you the BEST childbirth experience!

PS Don't be surprised with mock contractions. They're called Braxton-Hicks. Your muscles are practicing.

Oh! And right before you need to start pushing... your lower abdominal muscles will start burning. That means they're stretching. BREATHE DEEP AND S-L-O-W!!

[Zorah]

yeah, absolutely with Sept on this.

have you been practising the breathing & muscle relaxation stuff ?

it's definitely not too late to start, go girl !!!!!!

[LMo]

Yay Rainbowzz! The final stretch (no pun!) I can't wait to see pictures of your little boy when he's here!

We've decided to go to a midwifery-run birth center instead of a hospital. We toyed with the idea of a home birth but it just seemed like more work than it was worth, but at the same time a hospital environment isn't appealing either. They listed most of the things above (chapstick, slippers/socks, something to wear in the birthing tub (ie, jacuzzi) if I don't want to be all nekkid in there, Depends or really thick pads, our own pillows if we decide to take a nap afterwards or spend the night there, camera, toothbrush, some CDs, and carseat/outfit for me and the baby for going home. They provide pretty much everything else. I'm not too concerned about having my own personal grooming amenities, and it's only 2 miles from my house if I forget anything.

And yes, my little girl is kicking really hard these days! I love to watch my belly "jump". I've been going to prenatal water aerobics and prenatal yoga and it's been a great source of support and friendship for me. Although I'm starting to get self-conscious - I still have 14 weeks to go and I'm already much bigger than most of the other women at my stage, although by the scale I'm right on-target with my weight gain. Go figure. Fortunately it's all in front, but still - the comments are getting annoying - "you must be due any day now!" or "you've GOT to be carrying twins!". No, and no. I haven't taken a childbirth class yet but we're signed up for hypnobirthing. Tomi - I think the left side is because your Vena Cava vein is slightly on the right side of your spine, so laying on your left reduces the chance of a blood pressure drop to you and the baby. Although these days, and maybe it's just here in this hippie crunchy region of mine, none of the doctors/midwives that I've spoken with are recommending labor while lying down - we're supposed to squat, stand or get on all fours. But I was warned about sleeping on my back - better to sleep on my left side, but the right side is ok too.

I'm glad that the baby is fine and hope your blood pressure settles down - thinking of you!

[trixielou]

definitely a few newborn sleepers for baby well actually mine was in the 5-8lb range but some babies are bigger. i just know in my hospital all they had to put on baby were diapers & long sleeve tshirts that were too big. also they didnt have baby lotion as hospital air is very dry so my mom went to get baby lotion & chap stick for u. dont forget any meds u might be on.

[Gracey]

Make a list of your meds - I know that seems kind of redundant, but there will be a million things going on, and the nurses can be soooooo slow at writing stuff down. The second baby, I had a sheet, all typed up of what all was going on, my medical hx, whatever meds I was on, and so forth. I also included that I dissociate, and how best to "ground" me. It made things MUCH easier the second time around.

[Zorah]

(((((Gracey))))) weren't you brave to actually admit you dissociated ? Was that a private hospital ? WE don't think that would get you far in our public ones here.

[Gracey]

Well, at the time I didn't know I was DID. . .just that I was checking out at times. So, it was ignorant bravery I suppose. . .LOL.

It was a public birthing center, but the birthing center by nature is much more intimate, you know?

I just thought about it ahead of time. . .which would be worse? Them NOT knowing I dissociate, and my doing it and causing a REAL problem? Or telling them up front that it *might* happen and being prepared? Childbirth ain't no walk in the park. . .things CAN and DO go wrong - I didn't want to add to that possibility.

I tend to believe that when another person's life is in your hands (your baby) then the best policy is honesty. Not somewhat honest, not mildly honest, but utter and total honesty.

That's just my humble opinion.

Ok... I KNOW i made a post to this thread, but it seems to not be here, so maybe i dreamed I did, lol!

Thank you ALL for your fabulous advice. Yes I have been practising breathing and positions and calming things ect.

Taking the teddy for sure :P

thats an idea about telling them I dissociate.. a split in the middle of childbirth could be very, very scary!

not much time right now but I will post more later.

[lenjan]

I just saw this online -- seems to reiterate a lot of what was said here, but maybe it will help anyway

Long before labor pains start, you'll want to pack your bags for the hospital.
ADVERTISEMENT

Here's a list of essentials to bring for you and your baby, courtesy of the American Pregnancy Association:

* Your health insurance card.
* Your completed pre-registration forms for the hospital.
* A nightgown and a bathrobe.
* Slippers and several pair of socks.
* An outfit to go home in. Clothing that you wore at about six months of pregnancy probably will fit best.
* An infant car seat and head supporter for your new baby.
* A hat and socks should be part of your baby's "going home" outfit.
* If you plan to feed your baby formula, bring bottles and your chosen brand of formula to the hospital.

[Goldi]

Everyone has posted such great suggestions already. When I was in the hospital I didn't use most of what I packed, but was glad to know it was all there. My top picks:

Socks - the ones with treads on the bottom are nice since the floors can be well polished
Chapstick and lotion/moisturizer for yourself
Headband, scrunchie, hair clip
Your own SOFT toilet paper or premoistened wipes
A focus point - could be your teddy or a picture, to help during labor
A favorite blanket - I brought one from home for after the dust settles. I'm always cold and liked the idea of cuddling up with my new little one something from home. I stayed for two days.

Also, do NOT bring any jewelry or other valuables that you absoulutely don't need. I left all but my wedding band at home. I didn't want to risk losing anything or scratching my little one during those first few "graceful" days. I think I had everyon remove thier watches for a month before they held my son

Good luck and remember for the next few months you get a free pass to sleep anytime you're little one lets you no matter what time of day!!

[Zorah]

are things still ok {{{{{bowzz}}}}} ?
update us all when you can