Baby Bag for the Hospital

Baby Bag For Delivery

What to Pack

• If this is stressful, remember, the only things that you need are: you, yourself, and your baby! The hospital has everything else.

• What not to take

  • Medicine. I will prescribe all of your medications for you at the hospital. But do bring a list of your medications

  • Hair dryers, curling irons, etc. We are not going to an island off of Antarctica, you will still have access to most everything, and if not, someone can go home and grab it for you.

• Here are some things that you may want to consider having in your hospital bag

  • Clothes

    • Most of your clothes will consist of hospital gowns, but bring anything else you want.

    • Clothes for the day you get discharged

    • Any nursing bras and tank tops

    • Nightgown

    • Slippers/socks

  • Documents/Money

    • Driver's License

    • Credit card and or cash

    • Birth plan/wishes if you have one

  • Food/snacks

  • Breast pump if you have one and want to learn to use it

  • Toiletries

    • Eyeglasses/contacts

    • Toiletries

    • Birthing ball if you want

    • Chapstick or whatever you like – lips can get chapped pretty quickly

  • Entertainment

    • Your cell phone

    • Cell phone charger

    • Headphones

    • Books

    • iPad/laptop

  • Baby

    • Car seat

    • Nursing pillow

    • Clothes for pictures and for discharge day, hats, etc

    • Any blankets, onesies, burp clothes, or toys you may want pictures with before discharge

    • Diapers, blankets, and food will all be provided for baby while in the hospital

  • Don't forget your support! (husband, doula, mother, etc.)

When to Leave for the Hospital

• If your water breaks, go now.

• If you are scheduling an induction, or having a C-section, go at that time the hospital nurses told you

• If you are at home and you feel labor

  • Wait for 30 min- 1 hour, if the contractions have stayed and are increasing in frequency

  • Contractions should be about 5 minutes apart from the start of one to the start of the next.

  • If this is your first baby, stay home as long as you can, it is okay to labor at home, keeping in mind the above instructions.

  • If this is not your first baby, you may want to come in sooner. Maybe when your contractions are every 6-7 minutes apart and once they have been consistent for 30 min, especially if your last baby came in the car on the way to the hospital...

  • If you live further away, leave sooner. If your contractions subside before getting to the hospital, you can always turn around.

What to Expect at the hospital

• Natural Labor

  • Make sure you let the nurses know of any special plans you have.

  • This can take hours, and this is normal, especially for your first.

  • You will be connected to monitors so that the nurses and I can keep a good eye on your baby. Most of the time you can get up and walk around.

• Induction of Labor

  • Often, the night before, we will often place a little pill in the vagina to get the cervix soft and ready for labor.

  • We will then move you to Pitocin, which is a medication that will help your uterus contract stronger and more frequently.

• Cesarean Section

  • Call labor and delivery the day before to get an idea of when to come in.

  • Do not eat anything 12 hours before your surgery

• After birth

  • If possible, we wait to cut the cord until it is no longer supplying blood to the baby.

  • We will try to get the baby skin-to-skin right after delivery

  • I strongly recommend the eye drops which help prevent disease that can cause blindness.

  • I also strongly recommend vitamin K. This is needed to prevent serious bleeding events like a stroke or circumcision bleeding. It is required to get before performing a circumcision.

  • The hepatitis B vaccine is extremely safe. The benefits for this vaccine could mean saving your baby's life.

  • Circumcision – this is 100% your decision to make. The medical risks and benefits do not strongly suggest one is better than the other. If you decide to have your baby circumcised, I will do it either in the hospital or soon after in the clinic. Check with your insurance so you can tell me when to do it.

Length of Stay and Discharge Criteria

• You need to be able to walk, urinate, pass stool, and manage your pain.

• Vaginal deliveries usually go home within 2 days/48 hours

• Cesarean deliveries usually go home within 3 days/72 hours

• As much as possible I like to discharge mom and baby at the same time. Only under rare circumstances will you be discharged at separate times.