Packing for your hospital stay

Admittedly I have a tendency to exhibit some obsessive compulsive symptoms especially when it comes to organization.  Certainly everyone has their own particularities when it comes to what they “like” to have done; however, I tend to lean towards mine, according to my family, a bit more than most.

This was especially true when expecting our first baby, preparing for his arrival and our stay at the hospital.  Trying to conceive and waiting for our miracle to arrive, after six long years, we needed to have one less worry on our plates so staying organized and informed was extremely important to us.

We were so lucky to have the ability to participate in our hospital, Sunnybrook, pre-natal class.  Not only were we blessed with the best instructions to prep from the teacher and Doula, but we also met amazing people too that have helped along the way that we are happy to now call our friends.

It would be impossible to post everything we learnt and prepped for but I figure this is a good start.  The list below is from a friend of mine, another May Mom.  She sent this to me and I worked off of it along side our list we had prepped from our classes.

Hospital List

We had a bag for each of us to make packing, prep and using so much easier as well.  Also you do not need everything all at once, so don’t walk into the hospital like you are taking a month long vacation.  Take your snack and essential bag and then, once admitted, your partner can swing back and bring up the rest of what you need.

Planning on having a natural birth experience?  My suggestion would be to make some pads with witch-hazel already frozen, for your relief and comfort after birth.  Although we had a c-section, after labouring for so many hours prior, I did still use these and they made a huge difference.

Along with the above we had our snack list and food prep list as well.  Make small approved snacks for your pre labor and labor.  Don’t forget your partner will be hungry too, so pack them meals as well, just ask that they eat out of the room – this is especially true if you yourself cannot eat, have not eaten in a while and probably will be starving from all the work your doing!

If you’re anything like me then you hate cooking on the fly, always planning, so it is really important to spend time and make ahead freezer meals as well for the first few weeks.  Below is just a brief overlook of what our food lists consisted of:

Triage Snacks :Nuts,  Fruit and Bars. For the  Birthing room: Broth,  Ice (@hospital),  Jello (@hospital), Snacks / meals for Dad, Sandwiches, Fruit, Popsicles/ freezes.  After Labour Picnic Time! We packed these into our cooler to enjoy once our family was complete and to celebrate: Brie & Cheese, Drinks, Grapes & Fruit, Sandwiches and Crackers. Some of our Pre made frozen meals were: Shepherds pie, Lasagna, Pasta with meat sauce.

It is a huge deal bringing a baby into this world, so its important to stay focused and organized so you and your partner can be the best new parents you can be.  By having everything already done and prepped you now can stay focused on your new baby and your health as well.

Remember you won’t know everything and you might forget some stuff along the way but all that matters now is you have done your best and spend all your time soaking up all that new love, life and amazing baby!