The Essential Hospital Birth Packing List: Part Two

This post is a continuation of Kirsten’s guest post, who as a new mom herself, has kindly agreed to share her recent experience and advice with expectant moms. To read the first part of the post click here.

Photo by Arnaud Jaeger

6.Toiletries

There’s nothing quite like a hot shower after a hard day’s work, but leave your fluffy white towels at home, pack something old, as well as all the usual toiletries. Leave anything strongly perfumed at home so baby can learn your scent. Hospitals are air-conditioned, so if you suffer from scratchy eyes, dry lips or skin, pack appropriate moisturisers.

7.Girly bits

No matter what kind of delivery you have, some of your girly bits are going to catch you by surprise.  The hospital will generally send you home with a packet of pads that look like they could absorb the contents of a bathtub, don’t laugh - take them! You may also want to purchase something a little less chunky as the flow becomes a bit lighter. I took one look at the suggested disposable panties, left them on the shelf and went to Pep to purchase some cheap, cotton granny-panties in a size bigger than usual. Good choice. Ice packs can also be helpful to ease the swelling and sensitivity especially the day your milk comes in, as well as breast pads to absorb the extra milk while your body figures out how much it needs to produce.

8. Baby

Amazingly, your little person needs very little for their stay in hospital.  Many hospitals supply everything you need, nappies, wet wipes, blankets and even clothing, but won’t stop you from taking your own belongings along if you want to, including cloth nappies if you’re going that route from birth. Also, don’t forget to fit your car seat in advance; some of those fellas require a degree for correct installation.

9. Paperwork

You will probably have some kind of pre-admission to take along as well as medical aid details. When you leave the hospital, make sure to gather everything you need for you babies birth registration and to add your baby onto your medical aid should you need to. You have 30 days to register your bubs, but don’t be fooled, 30 days passes in a flash!

10. Education

Let’s not forget that hospitals are businesses, while they are staffed with many caring souls, most often, they will streamline things to make it easier for staff. Know your rights.  Know what you want.  If you’re not sure, ask. If you don’t like the way something is done, say so. If you need assistance, ask. If they have forgotten to bring you something, remind them. If it doesn’t sit well with your instinct, question it. Make sure you know what's considered 'the norm' at your chosen hospital, should you like things done differently, voice your wishes. Some places will assume you’re ok with their standard protocol unless you say otherwise. This may include bathing your newborn, formula top ups, taking your baby to the nursery, vaccinations and vitamin K injections and your length of stay in hospital.

During our birth preparation class, we were reminded that actually delivering the baby was the easy part; the hard work was yet to begin.  During labor I wondered if it could it get any tougher? Indeed it could, and it did, and I’m sure we will continue to have extraordinarily trying times. My heart didn’t know such love existed, my body didn’t know if could function on so little sleep, my hands have never hung as much washing and my back never ached as much, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Our little cherub has been the most precious gift we could ever have imagined and we thank God for entrusting her care to us daily.