What I Actually Needed at the Hospital During My First Labor

When my husband and I were preparing for my first hospital delivery, he packed a bicycle bag that weighed more than our unborn child. In addition to a change of clothes and toiletries, he inexplicably brought four Civil War tomes, six Soylent meal refilling drinks, and a New York Times crossword puzzle book. As first-time parents, we had no estimate how long labor would take and how much downtime we ’ d have, so we packed for every hypothesis .

While every labor movement is different, my husband didn ’ thyroxine have a prospect to crack one book besides the crosswords, which we used as scratch newspaper to record the funniest things I said during undertaking. ( We laughed in the consequence, not precisely in hindsight—so no, it ’ s not that bad ! ) We besides stayed at the hospital an excess few hours on our survive day to enjoy a meal we didn ’ t have to cook. The pink-orange was our front-runner ; we didn ’ thymine drink a unmarried Soylent .

Packing Your hospital bulge

I didn ’ thymine do besides much better than my husband on the throng front man, in separate due to questionable advice. My ma was adamant about packing a nightgown so I would feel a little bite sexy after giving parturition. I now know this is an actual impossibility. The first base few nights after you give birth, you ’ ll sleep—for two hours between feedings, if you ’ re lucky—in disposable underwear stuffed with ice rink packs and the world ’ randomness slurred pad, which you will probably soak through several times. There is no way in hell you ’ re going to feel remotely attractive, so my best advice is to shoot for comfortable .

First things first : I ’ d recommend against restrictive bottoms or any pants that didn ’ t paroxysm during your end calendar month of pregnancy .
First things beginning : I ’ five hundred recommend against restrictive bottoms or any pants that didn ’ thymine fit during your survive calendar month of pregnancy, since it can take some time for the uterus to contract after the child is out. It ‘s besides helpful to wrap your head around the fact that you ‘ll only lose about 12 pounds immediately following childbirth. And despite Instagram ads featuring mommy-and-me get-ups, there ’ s no want to buy a especial outfit for the occasion—and I ’ d actually recommend against it since it can create pressure to get the arrant movie .

What Should I Pack ?

due to hormone fluctuations, expect everything you know about your body to feel off-kilter : Your breasts might swell, your nipples might hurt, and you ’ ll probably sweat a lot. Cozy clothes won ’ thymine specify this, but they ’ ll make you feel a little better .

When packing PJs or comfortable clothes, choose a black color so you don ’ t have to worry about embarrassing leaks. ( They happen ; after all, the average woman can expect to lose about one pint of blood during and after vaginal delivery. )

If you plan to try breastfeeding and/or have skin-to-skin liaison with your pamper, any clothes you pack should open in the front, whether it ’ s a clothe, a button-up pajama top, or an outsize hoodie .

Unless you prefer to go bare-breasted, bring a extremely stretchable, wireless harbor brassiere that ’ s one size up from your current cup. You won ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate regret trying it on before you give birth. The clips aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate super intuitive, so a little commit unfastening the flaps will go a long way when you have a athirst neonate in your arms. If you do n’t plan to nurse, your breasts are hush going to be tender, so you might opt for a wireless brassiere or tank with a built-in ledge brassiere .

When it ’ south time to shower, you and any give birth partner will besides appreciate a copulate of shower shoes and some hotel bathe products—you deserve a nice shampoo after nine months of growing a human !

While all of the items mentioned above are boundary line essentials, my most pry possession throughout my hospital bide was my phone charger. Visitors were prohibited due to COVID-19 when I went into parturiency, so I spent much of my stay FaceTiming with my neonate ’ randomness grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends who were all excessively excited to meet him .

I left the hospital a day early to avoid COVID-19 photograph. Had I stuck around, I might have appreciated a heat diggings for my neck, which began to ache after hours of watching my son nursing, and a harbor pillow, which helped airplane propeller him up as I got used to the position.

Otherwise, I ca n’t think of a single essential that was n’t already in my purse. ( read : Chapstick. ) After all, the hospital supplies you with everything from food to bedding to sanitary products and yes, even a toothbrush for you and an itty bitty comb for your child .

What I Wish I Brought

While you might not think ambiance matters—you ’ rhenium in a hospital, after all ! —I learned the hard way that there are two kinds of lighting in hospital rooms : Blinding surgical light bulb and no unhorse at all. I ’ m a firm believer that light can affect your moods, so keeping things as pleasant and assuasive as possible can alone help you feel at facilitate, particularly during those times when you can ’ thymine figure out why your fresh kid is crying .

My sister-in-law smartly packed a set of string lights in her hospital cup of tea ; it ’ s a tip I ’ five hundred take the future time around since bantam bulbs are dense enough for you to rest but still bright enough for you to keep your eyes on your baby. I ’ ve besides heard parents recommend battery-operated candles, which I ’ d have wholly thrown in my pocket if I ’ d happened to have them on hired hand .

If you ’ re typically medium to light when you sleep and want to throw an eye mask into your bag, go ahead. fair know that you ’ ll credibly be indeed zonked that you won ’ t need it .

Packing for Your Baby

At the end of the day, you ’ ve been packing for yourself your integral life—you ’ ve got this. The toughest function of packing for the hospital is anticipating the needs of the short person you ’ ve so far to meet .

You won ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate regret bringing a velcro swaddle since swaddling a child in a regular blanket can be way harder than it looks—especially when you ’ re starved for sleep .
Most importantly, you ’ ll need an kit for them to wear home. ( Although I brought approximately 10 different options to the hospital, lest I get his size or style wrong, I can attest that you only very need one onesie and a hat, if you ’ d like. ) Of course, as a first-time ma dressing her kid for his beginning trip outdoors, I ended up layering on respective onesies and sticking him in my least-favorite hat after learning the cunning one with the ears I ‘d brought was room besides boastfully. While the first photograph I took of my son in our apartment are n’t precisely Instagram candy, they ‘re a admonisher of merely how clueless I was in the moment—and how far I ‘ve come since then .

last tiptoe : You won ’ metric ton regret bringing a velcro swaddle since swaddling a baby in a even blanket can be way harder than it looks—especially when you ’ re starved for rest .

My surprise essential

If there ’ s one thing you remember to pack in your hospital bag, make sure it ’ second another bag—ideally a collapsible duffel, but a reclaimable grocery base will do. Labor and convalescence nurses are particularly generous with supplies like pads and the disposable underwear that every mother swears by. ( I honestly would hush be wearing them closely two years postpartum had I taken more ! ) The last thing you ’ ll want to do after you leave the hospital is to scramble for sanitary or hag hazel pads, a pip-squeak bottle, methamphetamine packs, or underwear that fits .

Since recovery prison term differs for everybody, clique supplies like you ’ ll be off your feet for a few weeks and fill your bag to the brim before you leave the hospital. My toilet medicine cabinet placid harbors one-half of the supplies I scored, but I have zero regrets ( and feel uncharacteristically prepare for my adjacent kyd ! ) .

A Few Other Essentials

While these items may seem basic, they bear repeating because they ‘re indeed crucial !

• Your birth plan
• Any hospital paperwork
• A carseat (that you know how to install!)
• Snacks and water
• Socks, booties, or slippers (for you and your little one)

The Bottom Line

There ’ s no damage in overpacking your hospital bag—just make surely whatever you bring plays a character in making you feel more comfortable. Anything that makes you feel a little less uncertain, and a little more in control of what ’ s bound to be a wild few days is well worth the schlep .

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Category : Fashion