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I've compiled a master list of what seems to be the essentials needed for labor and delivery at the hospital. I got all of my information from friends, my mom, Pinterest, my doctor and from my hospital.
Its best to pack a bag for everyone - you (mom), baby and daddy (or partner). I've explained each item for each bag below. At the bottom of this post is the printable version. I am the biggest cry baby and one of the most frantic people that you will ever meet. So I've been trying to prepare myself so that when the time comes to get going my stress level is only due to my little guy trying to say hello. Given that this is my first baby, I am not an expert - all of my knowledge has come from Pinterest, books and posts from other mommas. This post includes a few things that I've been working on getting ready for d-day. Step 1: Taking a Tour of the Hospital My doctor suggested this actually. Since I am new to my area and have never been to the hospital here before, I have no idea where anything is. I couldn't imagine being in labor and walking up to the tour guide and asking for directions... So knowing where to go before hand is something I would recommend. So I'm going to be giving birth at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. From what I've heard it is one of the best in the area for Women and Babies. Me and my man signed up for parenting classes at my hospital back in August. They were exactly what I had expected them to be. A bunch of first time parents - all freaking out about the fact that in a couple of months we will be responsible for another human. One of the classes included a walking tour of the maternity & labor ward at the hospital. It was a very LONG walk (I'm talking like 2 hours) around and into the different rooms and center that they have available. [These tours are available even if you don't sign up for the classes!] Anyways, after walking through our guide/teacher helped us find our way from the parking lot to the entry desk. Knowing where to go when I'm freaking out and where we will be going at each stage was incredibly soothing. My hospital of choice also has an online tour that you can do of the facilities - which is convenient if you don't feel like walking through the whole hospital! Step 2: Filling out paperwork This step is self explanatory. But basically I had to complete the following forms:
Step 3: Open your travel system Travel system is apparently the term used to talk about your stroller and car seat. Most of them are fairly easy to use and install. It's a good idea to open it up and read the instructions before the time comes to actually use it. Most important for me was figuring out how to install the car seat. We recently bought a new car and have never had anyone or anything in the back seat besides groceries. So I made sure that I read the book carefully before we went to install it into the car. As I said our car is new so I bought a seat saver - it keeps the base from ruining the leather and also grips it in place. So once we got the car seat set up, I brought everything back inside to wash. Its really important to wash everything that the baby will touch. You can't be too sure which chemicals were last used on the product and how newborn skin will react to it. I washed the removable material parts of the car seat and stroller in the washer 2 times and I also wiped the plastic and metal parts with baby dish soap. After it was dry, everything was put back together - and now I feel like a pro with the car seat and stroller! I brought it back to the car to wait for Lo - also one less thing to worry about grabbing before heading to the hospital. Step 4: Stay up to date on Beauty Regimen Getting so big so quickly has made me feel weird. I like how cute being pregnant looks but at the same time I feel like I'm not in my body anymore. And with all of the changes pregnancy has brought to my skin, it's been hard to keep up. Not only that I am incredibly fearful of having labor start suddenly or have an emergency and have to get to the hospital and then realize I have hairy legs. [this may seem really materialistic -that's not the right word..- but it's one of my fears] To keep myself from getting down I've made myself a schedule to make sure that I'm taken care of - to feel pretty. So at my salon when I was about 25ish weeks, I booked a bunch of appointments in advance. They call me the day before to remind me (so helpful with pregnancy brain) and I don't even have to think about it. I booked every 2 weeks an appointment that takes care of:
[Some people might say that this isn't an important step when preparing for the baby and the hospital, but to me it was. 1) I don't want to feel anymore self conscious about my body than I already do. 2) Stupid - but I don't want my baby to think I'm ugly.] Step 5: Packing Bags for the Hospital I've made a master post about this - so I will just include the basics. I packed 3 separate bags:
If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me
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Monika
Due on October 15th 2016 Archives |