Tuesday, August 14, 2012

what's in YOUR hospital bag?

i've never done this whole "giving birth in a hospital" thing before. i never really studied or paid attention to the list of "things to bring to the hospital" on the handout from the midwives. i was really blessed to be able to have two, amazing, complication-free home births.
of course i did have to make sure i had my home birth supplies ready but i knew that if i needed something i could always improvise with what was already in the house.
not so in a hospital.
especially not so in a ugandan hospital.

so at just over 37 weeks pregnant i finally got around to packing a bag.
but first, the bag! what bag was i going to use? at first i wanted to buy a cute over night bag like this one:

how gorgeous is this bag? so gorgeous.

or this one. so cute. and vintage! love.


there are tons of places here in kampala to get good quality, second hand items and i've even seen some vintage suitcases, but ultimately frugality won out and i decided to use our carry-on size suitcase.

so.
here's what i have packed so far - i'm hoping that i don't need to add anything else, but depending on any helpful comments from you guys, i might have to!

for the mama

2 nursing bras
3 prs undies
1 pretty handmade hospital gown {from my last birth} - it opens from the shoulders and allows for easy breastfeeding access and i'll use it for pajamas if we have to stay overnight {i hope we don't!}
1 dressing gown
1 pair comfy yoga/maternity pants
1 nursing tank top
1 comfy t-shirt
1 going home outfit for me (comfy dress with a v-neck for easy breastfeeding access)
toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, travel sized shower gel & shampoo/conditioner, travel sized contact lens solution, contact lens case and new contacts, mascara, eye liner, lip balm, nipple ointment, moisturizing hand lotion, deoderant
overnight pads
3 plastic bags for bringing home dirty towels/clothes, etc.
1 head band
a few hair elastics
1 bath towel
1 face cloth
1 cooling face cloth {from Lee Valley}
my pearl earrings that jamie brought back from the philippines for me to wear home
a pillow

for the baby

diapers
wipes
small container of vaseline
sampler size container of diaper cream
3 sleepers
2 onesies
1 pr socks
1 going home outfit
3 hats
1 heavier blanket
1-2 receiving blankets
special "lovey"
sheets for the baby's "cot"

i plan on getting jamie to pack a small bag for himself with things like:
pajamas and an extra outfit
toiletries
his iPad
our cameras
a manilla envelope for any paperwork we will acquire
a pillow
cash! {we have to pay our hospital fees up front, but thankfully our insurance reimburses us afterward.}

i'm also planning on baking some granola bars and freezing them so that i can take a bunch with us as well as having some juice boxes in our pantry and some water bottles with some crystal lite's taped to them in case we want some flavour {i'm usually a straight-up water kinda girl, but ya just never know}. i also plan on buying some of my favourite crackers here to munch on {they're kinda like cheese nips} as well as making a trail mix of sorts with a mixture of yummy nuts, raisins and maybe some kind of chocolate {they have M&Ms here but also a cheaper version of smarties which i might use}. 
then i'll put all the snacks together in one bag and have it ready to go. 

you'll notice i haven't separated it into "labour" and "birth". that's because i'm hoping i won't really be labouring that long in the hospital {or at all!}, to be honest. and i'm also hoping to get in and out of the hospital as quickly as possible as long as everyone is healthy. you can google "hospital bag" and find tons of ideas on things you could bring to aid in pain management during labour. 

so that's what i've got. 
thoughts? suggestions? 

note: the hospital that i'll be delivering at does not supply pillows, sheets for baby's cot, diapers/wipes or towels which is why i've packed them. make sure to check what the hospital you're delivering at supplies so you only have to bring what you need.

11 comments:

  1. You may want socks or slippers. Even though I gave birth to Lily in the summer, I was glad to have them since there was AC and even if it weren't cool, its nice to be comfy when walking on hard floors after birth. Otherwise, youve got it all, I think!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I debated slippers/socks, but I can count on one hand the number of times I've wanted socks here so I opted not to put them in. Definitely no AC here, though.
      I forgot to mention, though that I will be probably wearing flip flops so I won't bring any extra for the shower or anything like that.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Yes! It's going to be packed, but I forgot to include that it's on my list for sure!

      Delete
  3. That's intense that you have to bring your own towels, pillows, etc...Sure makes for a big bag of stuff to bring!

    I would add that you should definitely bring an eye mask & ear plugs. Hospitals are bright, noisy & I found it VERY difficult to sleep there. Even when you're in labour, you may want to block out the world a little bit. I would also recommend bringing your own music...maybe your iPod or computer to play music from. Feels more relaxed & like home in your room that way.

    I found that I had WAY more stuff than I actually needed for both myself & Sebby. Does the hospital provide gowns? I didn't need any extra clothes other than something to go home in as I ended up wearing a hospital gown (provided by them) during labour & changed into a fresh one after birth.

    For S, he wore one sleeper after birth & then the outfit he went home in.

    Better to have too much stuff than be missing things, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I did think about throwing in my ear plugs. They're so little, it might be worth it.
      I don't have an eye mask, but maybe I'll look into getting one.

      At this point I'm not going to assume they provide gowns. It's likely and possible, but I'll still probably bring mine. It doubles as a nightgown anyway. And if I get the one from the hospital (if they DO provide) mucked up, I'll have my own to wear.

      Delete
  4. Hmm, I don't remember if I had a bag for my only hospital birth, but yes, I'd add the eye mask... too bad I didn't read this post til now or I'd have sent one with Nick!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know nothing about this ... but I wonder if you should pack a pair of glasses, too ... I noticed contacts and solution ... but no glasses? That seems strange to me, especially if you end up overnighting...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I was sorta planning on actually WEARING my glasses to the hospital. :)

      Delete
  6. I can't help, but the list scares me a bit. Its massive. Its like going on vacation. Except, its a vacation of pain. Thank heaven for the baby afterwards. Sorry, that probably didn't help. OH! Pain! Are you allowed to take Advil and Tylenol afterwards? Do you need to pack it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha...too funny. (But true.)
      Yes, you can take both Advil & Tylenol. I took both after Noah's birth and possibly after Jude's although the aftermath of Jude's birth was far less painful than Noah's.
      You can bring them - but I imagine at Credit Valley you probably don't need to bring meds. I might need to if I wanted them here, but I don't plan on being in the hospital for very long. I may pay for this assumption, but so be it. :p
      Also I can't wait to take Advil again if/when I get headaches.

      Delete

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