Pack Your Hospital Bag (and other musings)
Hmm, I just had a trip down memory lane, reading another blog entry on the 25 must have items in your hospital bag when you deliver your baby.
When I say that Hubs and I were clueless about everything to do with babies before we had one of our own, I mean we were Clue. Less. Ridiculous. No idea. Out to lunch. Get the picture?!?
So when it came time to plan what to bring to the hospital with us when M was born, we knew just what to do: We would copy down the lists from several “What to expect”-type books, and just pretty much pack every single item from our condo not too heavy to pack into three suitcases.
 |
| Imagine this multiplied by ten, then add seventeen pillows |
I’m too embarrassed to write down everything that we ended up bringing, but our list did include:
- Relaxation music
- Pretty much all of the pillows in our condo
- Pictures meant to invoke feelings of tranquility
- Two packs of Costco-sized boxes of extra absorbent maxi pads the size of hand towels
- DVDs… around five or so… you know, in case we had time to watch 10 hours of movies while I was in labor
- Fifteen pairs of panties
- My entire makeup bag... you know, in case anyone actually gave a shit what I looked like
"I'm looking forward to my visualization exercises so much!"
What I wish that I would have actually brought, but had no idea I would need:
- Gum, lots of gum - chances are you’ll be up for hours and have halitosis, and the nurses are often right in your face. It’s a courtesy more than anything, and can keep your mouth moist when you’re right in the thick of painful labor and are trying to keep your shit together. Plus, you may have had an epidural, in which case won’t be able to walk to the bathroom to brush your teeth anyway.
- Ear plugs. Two words: Maternity Ward. Enough said.
- A trashy magazine or two, so that after the baby arrived I could have appreciated my hospital stay just a bit more
- My husband’s sweat pants for the trip home. Again, two words: Swollen Everything.
- A thank you card for the nursing staff
What’s funny about our stay at the hospital after M was born was how much I pushed to go home. I wanted to be in my own surroundings, where I might be brave enough to have my first post-baby bowel movement. I wanted to put on my bathrobe and call people and announce M’s arrival.
The thing is, what no one tells you is that as soon as you get home, the honeymoon is over. There is no longer a team of nurses flitting around, checking you and baby out. No one tells you when you should feed the baby, no one checks on you to make sure you’re not in pain. Actually, that’s not true… Hubs DID check on me, and tried his best to make sure I was OK. But he was as delirious as I was, and we were basically the blind leading the blind those first few weeks.
I’ve heard many moms complain about the maternity wards in different hospitals, how they didn’t have enough “A”, or perhaps there was too much “B”. Maybe the nurses weren’t “C” enough. But for me, I have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the nurses who took care of me and my son while I was at the hospital. They were saints, I tell you. Saints!
Besides, who else would still make eye contact with you after you literally shit in their face?
0 comments