Packing My Bag Today!! - Page 2

[flyingspaghettimama]

Originally Posted by spiritmomma

I totally agree! When people ask me if I've set up my nursury yet, I take the opportunity to educate them about co-sleeping. When they ask about what stroller/ carseat/ baby bucket I am getting, I tell them I have a New Native pouch and a Moby wrap which is a great segue to educate them on the benefits of babywearing...

So...er...you don't have a car then, right? I was thinking that at the very least, I was gonna need a carseat for the baby to ride in. I have no idea which one, although I was thinking of passing up the Eddie Bauer Jeep Cherokee Baby SUV cruiser De-Luxe. We didn't have that at 34 weeks last time either. We borrowed one from a friend, and now we don't have one again.

I also do love my very old baby jogger - but I'm also a runner, so the slings don't work (bump) so (bump) well (bump) on their little tiny heads (bonk!) while running. For the most part though, I agree, the sling was great, I went to grad school and hardly anyone ever noticed that I was bringing a baby to class.

[gratefulbambina]

Im scared to pack my bag yet since my water broke the day that I packed my bag last time. I put all the clothes that I have now in the wash today so I'll be cleaning those this week.

I heard from a Doula too for those going to the hospital to pack 3 bags to make it easier

Pack what you need for Labor only in one bag like candles, music, etc

Pack a bag for dh such as snacks & such or whatever will make him comfortable in labor

pack your bag with your nursing outfit, robe, babies clothes, ect.

So when you get to the hospital your dh will know what to grab & wont have to look thru the bag to search for stuff

[flapjack]

I know this is an obvious point, but almost every parent has a wipe warmer built in as part of the nursery. It's called a warm, loving hand
Am I the only person now feeling like they should detach themselves from the computer and go nest like a mad thing?

[spughy]

Spiritmomma, could you please post some of the links to Mother Blessings pages?

[s_kristina]

I bagged my bag with dd while I was in early labor and trying to figure out if my water had really broken :LOL I might do a little better this time, but I doubt it since I don't have tons of extra clothes for me to be sitting in a bag waiting to be worn home. I am also waiting until we get closer to figure out what size clothes to bring for ds to come home in. I don't think newborn size clothes would work, but they might so its a waiting game. Right now I am hoping things go well this afternoon so we can go look at a trailer and maybe get moved in before the first of October. Once we get that cared for I can get out the baby stuff from dd and have my friend's cosleeper shipped to us. I do have to say that we have a swing and it really helped when I was dealing with ppd. DD had reflux and still has stomach problems. I was only for weeks at a time while dh was working and could not even take a bath by myself. DH went out and bought a swing for me for mother's day when she was about 4 months old. It allowed me to take a shower and even shave my legs! I love that thing I was also pretty happy with dh for trying to help anyway he could when he couldn't be there with us. Not all the baby gear is needed by any means, but some of those things can be really handy at times.

[RainCoastMama]

Wipe warmer...I love it! What else will wily advertisers come up with to part money from hands of skittish new parents? :LOL (Our wipe warmer...some baby rags and hot water from a pump-top thermos. No problems with bum rash, always warm and very cheap :LOL )

I was also one of those 'nursery slackers' on another mainstream baby community I'm part of...never 'got my act together', didn't have coordinating valances with gingham diaper stackers..

BUT having said that...after spending 2 uncomfortable days in the hospital this time around due to preterm labour and not having oh, underwear, toothbrush, socks...I immediately packed THAT bag (poor kind, helpful DH grabbed my maternity work clothes for me as he didnt' have a clue what was what...didnt' want to look like I was going to court in the hospital ) For me it's all about comfort, hygeine and being able to BF should labour hit me unexpectedly.

As for what baby truly needs...we didn't use half the stuff we got. Our crib stored clothes and toys and I don't think she's ever seen the inside of it. There was so much waste. If I knew then what I know now...

[*Amy*]

So what are y'all going to be packing, both for yourself and DB? I'm curious what you already-mamas know from the first time around. Also I'm lazy and don't feel like going to find the book with the list. :LOL

[RainCoastMama]

I'll start! Anything to avoid work. I've already left work :LOL

For mama: (* = things DH brings later)
- warm PJ's with button down PJ shirt (for BFing)
- socks
- basic toiletries (incl. hair ties!! and lip balm)
- breast pads
- flow pads (I actually used Depends...so sue me It SO HELPED with the lochia flow and I didn't get any on my bed or PJs)
- birthing clothes (eg. DH's shirt or something) if you don't wanna use gowns
- pillow*
- Boppy for BFing*
- comfy yoga lounge cloths - pants, tops - I loved having a warm hoodie
- pad of paper and pen, also with phone #s and calling card
- digital cam/camcorder
- water bottle
- lansinoh


For babe:
- receiving blankets
- hat
- sleepers and diaper shirts
- diapers

[MelW]

Kristina~ I know this thread took a bit of a turn with my wipe warmer anti-consumer rant, and I want you to know that it was in no way directed at you...your kind of bag-packing preparation totally makes sense to me.

And for all of the hospital birthers, my advice as a nurse is BRING PILLOWS!!! Hospital pillows are plastic covered so they can be "sanitized" and they are awful. When we can find them. I can't tell you how many times I have gone searching for extra pillows, and had to give people folded blankets instead (of course, I have also done stupid things like given a labouring mama a pillow to kneel on in the shower :LOL - it was totally destroyed).

As for my preparation for baby- I finished "procuring" the last of my homebirth supplies from the hospital today. I have slowly been collecting chux pads, a peribottle, even the sexy mesh disposeable underwear over the past few weeks. Just a couple of things to get that the hospital doesn't stock (peroxide, and I'm out of arnica), then my supplies are ready.

[BensMom]

I had a hard time packing a bag with DS, since I didnt have that many maternity clothes, so it wasnt like I could pack up a few extra outfits and leave them in a corner for weeks. I also did not have extra toiletries. I found packing the bag was a very stressful thing, just because I never felt like I could have a ready-to-go bag waiting for me. DS was induced so it was a moot point.

But I second the idea of bringing pillows in non-white pillow cases (so they dont get messed up with the hospital ones). You will want them during labor and also for post-partum. I also tell moms to bring a boppy or other nursing pillow for afterwards, because it makes it easier to nurse and the hospital does not have a lot of extra pillows for support.

For those who are homebirthing, do you pack a hospital bag just in case? I don't know how I feel about that (similar reasons as above, for practicality sakes) and it also seems self defeating. But then again, planning for the worst case scenario, does not make it happen. (DH totally does not beleive that! He is such a superstitious worrier.)

I guess I will gather my HB supplies over the next month and just assume that if we transfer, it will be a gradual process and we can pack stuff on the fly. Who knows....

[gratefulbambina]

Yes even though we are trying for the homebirthing (if this little guy stays put up to 35 weeks) we are still packing a bag. I would imagine that if we do have to transport it will be a rushed & I dont know if I could be in a calm mindset to pack a bag at that time.

The first time around I packed the basic essentials & packed my bathroom bag when my water broke after I took a shower.

If your not going to pack your bag I would at least sit & write a list of everything you can think of to bring so if you do it in labor you dont have to think about it

[crsta33]

I'm homebirthing, but have packed a very small just-in-case bag, especially since I had some cramping in my thighs the other night and still feel if I had called my midwife she would have suggested going to the hospital. (I honestly didn't call b/c I didn't want to go to the hospital...I kept thinking if I could just go to sleep everything would be okay and it was).

I put in a button front nightgown, two pairs of panties, a nursing bra, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, a comb, and an undershirt and "going home" outfit and blanket for the baby (though, if I do go to the hospital and deliver it will probably be b/c he's early and the outfit won't be needed, but I put it in anyway). I need to get a toothbrush to put in there.

I'm not packing everything I could possibly need (like I did for my birth center birth), just enough to make it through an unexpected stay. I can remember when I was little and my sister was often very sick, we lived so far from the docs and hospital that if she was quite ill, Momma would pack a little bag just in case my sister was admitted...unfortuneatey there were several times that it came in really handy.

Oh, I saw a post about carseats...I've got a link to Consumer Reports that rates the safety of carseats, I'll post that in another thread.

Christa

[spiritmomma]

mother blessing links

here's some links on motherblessings, also called blessing ways:

http://www.mother-care.ca/blessing.htm

http://www.natureschild.com.au/flex/blessing_way/68/1

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/blessi.../aa102202a.htm

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2005/470.html