What will be in your hospital bag?

[forestmama]

For those of you that will be doing a hospital birth what do you plan on bringing along with you?
I had wanted to do a homebirth but because of some local situations will be going to the hospital again :rolleyes: But I figured I would try to make the best of it and bring some of the comforts of home with me, like a comfy pillow and blanket for the over night stay. But, as I was making out my list I noticed that it was getting rather long....:LOL
So what are you guys bringing?

[blessed2bamommie]

can you not leave and go home a few hours after birth? A girl mentioned it to me and I'm considering it! :D

[KKmama]

I think it's really up to *you* and what you need to make yourself feel comfortable, secure, etc. and get through the birth. If you think you're going to take a lot, though, I'd pack it in about 3-4 different bags: stuff for the birth (one easy bag to carry in), stuff for post partum/going home (can put baby's stuff in here or separate bag), and stuff you "might need". ;)

Here's some misc. stuff I'll be taking, no particular order:

lansinoh
flannel breast pads
tel #s of LLL leaders (1/2 to tell them the baby's here ;))
Tucks and/or witchhazel and cotton squares
Clif bars (high fiber snack!)
stool softener and/or simethicone
bathrobe
slippers
toiletries
DVD filled with family pix to play during labor
CDs
birthing ball
some sort of oil for perineal massage
same going home outfit my ds wore
same prayer beads I wore when ds was born
essential oils and diffuser (to mask hospital smell)
couple copies of hosp. reg. forms and birth plan
camera, cell phone, etc.
Birth Partner (book by ... my mind is a blank)
sling
tel. #s of restaurants which will deliver to hospital + cash
a couple of massage tools and oil or lotion

Hope this helps. My boobs, my tummy, and my bottom are very important to me. ;)

[BoxOfRainMama]

I stayed over night after my first was born and I remember really wishing I had brought my own towel. I know that seems silly but the hospitals ones were awful and I just wanted to feel refreshed after my first shower after giving birth.

As for checking out a couple hours after delivery, I did that with my 2nd ( was planning homebirth ended up induced) and I wished I could recheck myself into the hospital in the middle of the night when I was worried about this that and the other thing and had no one to turn to and say "is this normal" I'm now expecting my 3rd and REALLY looking forward to the mini vacation delivering at the hospital will provide me.

"It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love" ~Rod McKuen

Pamela Roth

[Piglet68]

Number one on my list is a toiletry kit with toothbrush, toothpaste, your favorite lotions, soap. Etc. It was two days before I got into the shower and I really needed to feel clean, lol!

I brought a Boppy but didn't end up using it. The hospital bed had tons of pillows, and since there were bedrails, it was easy to position DD using just the pillows.

I will also bring lansinoh and breast pads and my fave nursing bras.

The hospital gave me gown and fuzzy socks so I won't bring stuff like that.

Mostly I'm bringing CUTE, ADORABLE, TEENY WEENY, FUZZY, CLOTH DIAPERS!!!! :love

[Foobar]

I am planning a good book (my last labor was 49 hours...boring at parts) and my own pillow. I didn't like the ones in the hospital.

A going home outfit for baby.
A big sister gift for Goo to present to her when she sees her baby sister!
Bottles/nipple supplies (bottle feeding don't flame me)
Comfy outfit for me
OVERNIGHT MAXI PADS!!! I HATE the ones the hospital gives you
A few emory boards- Goo's nails were really long and these filed them right down.
A phone list
The digital camera
A nice T-shirt to sleep in...
My own toiletries.

[BoxOfRainMama]

The last hospital I gave birth at had the COOLEST pads! They had built in cold packs. Oh they were wonderful. You just snap them and shake them up and the whole thing gets cold and they work great as a pad. I totally think they helped 100times with my healing and getting back to norm after birth. I had very very little pain after he was born. I took all the ones I could find that werent used when I checked out. Hopefulyl they will still work after 2 1/2 years so I can use them after this one is born (the hospital I was at before was in a really really ritzy chicago burb hospital) Im sure the hospital I will be at this time wont have them.
"It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love" ~Rod McKuen

Pamela Roth

[dharmama]

Haven't totally thought out my hospital bag yet. Luckily I still have some time.

I know, like Piglet, I will be bringing my cutest newborn cloth diapers!! :D

I'm also planning to set up a birth alter of some kind. Nothing big...probably I'll use a table top or the window sill....to put some special items.

Oh....and I thought of something VERY important the other night....while we were at our Bradley class, practicing contractions and my wonderful DH was up REALLY close to my face whispering sweet encouraging words (right after we went out for a super garlicy Italian dinner :rolleyes: )...

We need to bring tolietries for HIM. There is no way I'm going to want anyone be close to me with bad breath or BO. :LOL

~Erin
:love

[KKmama]

Y'know what's really nice? My hospital uses only cloth dipes. And every baby gets sent home in a cloth dipe and cover... It makes me really happy, because I've had a couple of friends quit cloth diapering because they were doing it wrong and didn't realize it, so they just thought cloth didn't work very well. I think it might help people feel good about it and learn how easy it is to do correctly! (They had their babies before I did, otherwise, I would have told them what I knew!)

[blessed2bamommie]

Originally posted by dharmama
[B...while we were at our Bradley class, practicing contractions and my wonderful DH was up REALLY close to my face whispering sweet encouraging words (right after we went out for a super garlicy Italian dinner :rolleyes: )...

We need to bring tolietries for HIM. There is no way I'm going to want anyone be close to me with bad breath or BO. :LOL
[/B]

:laugh: :nod