What to Pack to the Hospital for LABOR? | Physician Assistant and Mom to 4 Shares.

welcome back to diana in the pink in this video i'm going to take you through what you might want to pack when you go to the hospital to deliver your baby because as a mom to four i've had my share of baby delivery hospital stay so i'm pretty familiar with what you might need and what can stay at home but be sure to stick around till the end because there's one item that you absolutely need to bring that doesn't actually fit in a hospital bag but you won't want to go to the hospital without it but first if you are new to my channel my name is diana i'm a physician assistant and i specialize in women's health and gynecology now if you are new here subscribe to diane and pink for content about women's health mommyhood and pregnancy [Music] now i would imagine that most of you watching this video are getting ready to have a baby and are wondering what and when you need to pack to go to the hospital so comment down below and let me know are you in your third trimester your second trimester or are you like a major super planner and you are in your first trimester as for me i put together my hospital bag around 36 weeks and i would recommend that you do about the same which gives you plenty of time even if you go into labor a little early but if you have a reason that you know could make you deliver earlier like you're pregnant with twins you might want to pack a little earlier it's up to you but what you don't want to do is run around throwing things into a hospital bag in between contractions you're not packed now if you have a normal vaginal delivery without any complications you could expect to stay at the hospital anywhere between 24 hours to two days and if you have a c-section you'll probably end up staying for three to four days but if you are having a vaginal delivery you might want to give your hospital a call beforehand to find out if you labor and recover in the same room some hospitals have a labor and delivery room which is separate from your recovery room and other hospitals you stay in the same room for delivery and as you recover but if you have to move rooms you might want to consider packing two bags one for the things that you're going to want when you're laboring and then the second bag for when you were recovering that just keeps things a little more organized but again that part's up to you so the first things that you're going to need will be your important documents so you'll need your photo id insurance card you want to bring your birth plan and i would make a couple of copies of that bring a list of medications that you're taking and any allergies to any medications that you might have and then any hospital paperwork and if you are planning on making payments to the hospital while you're there bring like your debit or your credit card i recommend that you bring a folder to keep all of that organized and also the hospital is going to give you a lot of paperwork when you get discharged so this helps keep that organized as well next you're going to want to pack your own basic toiletries the hospital can provide you with some of this stuff but honestly my preference was to have my own brands my own fragrances that i like to use so you want to pack your toothbrush you want to pack your deodorant any like facial moisturizers that you need shampoo conditioner lotions you might also want to consider a little bit of makeup i usually at least had to have some mascara and lip gloss just to help me feel more like me this is entirely up to you but you'll have pictures taken of you with the baby for me i prefer to have pictures with a little bit of makeup on but again whatever helps you feel the best beautiful you're definitely going to want to pack some socks with you if you have the kinds that have the little anti-slip grippy things that's fine because you're going to be walking up and down the hospital halls and then also in your bedroom but you don't have to but however many days you're going to be staying at the hospital that's how many pairs you're going to want to bring because hospital floors honestly aren't the cleanest i never would want to put my bare feet on the floor so definitely socks and better yet like if you have flip-flops or slip-on pair of shoes that you can slip on and off when you're walking that works great now when you're laboring or during your c-section you're going to be wearing a hospital gown and then they're going to get you all cleaned up and into a new clean hospital gown after the baby comes and honestly you could wear the hospital gown your entire stay if you wanted but you might be more comfortable in your own clothes a lot will depend on you and how you feel after your delivery for example i was really uncomfortable after my third c-section and the thought of trying to change in my own clothes for a day or two afterwards i didn't want to but at some point you're probably going to want to be able to change into your own clothes that you'll be more comfortable in and that might be your own jammies maybe bring a robe you're going to want to bring some comfortable sweats or leggings just be aware that your body is not going to jump down to your pre-pregnancy size as soon as the baby comes out unfortunately come on if you prefer to wear your normal clothes during your stay i would recommend the maternity clothes that you were around six months of pregnancy if you're going to have a c-section make sure your pants or your jammies aren't going to sit low on your abdomen where it can rub on your incision also remember to bring a set of clothes that you're going to go home in they could even be the clothes you came to the hospital in that's totally fine i recommend that you bring a few nursing bras to at least preferably no underwire it's more comfortable without especially when it's time to feed the baby and you want a nurse but the room is filled with the lactation specialist and the nurse and your family and your doctor it helps you to feel a little bit more modest when you're nursing but it still allows you to do some skin to skin so the nursing bra i don't know how to demonstrate so the nursing bra just unsnaps so you can nurse the baby but the rest of you can stay covered up i'm the consultant all right you're gonna want something for your hair so like a ponytail holder i wore a headband let's talk about underwear so you are gonna be bleeding quite a bit and the hospital does provide you with mesh underwear i recommend just to use those but if you really feel more comfortable in your own britches go ahead and bring your own just don't bring your favorite underwear you're going to be bleeding and sometimes pretty heavily and you don't want to ruin your favorite pair of knickers personally i just stuck with the mesh underwear the hospital gives you especially keep that in mind if you are gonna have a c-section because you don't want tight underwear elastic around your waist again where it could rub on your c-section dressing i also love to bring my journal so i could record my feelings having a baby is a huge event in your life and believe it or not it's easy to forget some of the details of the experiences and how you feel so it's good to take a moment and write it all down so that you don't forget you're also going to want to be sure to pack things to entertain you so bring your phone of course a book your laptop whatever you like to use and remember to bring your charging cables if you have one that has an extra long cord that's great otherwise bring a small extension cord just in case they don't have an outlet near your bed also don't forget your headphones or earbuds that's also a good idea to bring you're going to want to bring a camera to take pictures of your baby during those first few days cell phone cameras now are amazing so you can use that or a regular camera but you're going to want to have some of those pictures and also videos you're definitely going to want to bring your own pillow i'm a very picky pillow person i have a single pillow that i love and i don't like to sleep with anything else so if you're like me bring your own pillow but make sure that your pillowcase is a different color hospital pillowcases are white so if your pillowcase is white sometimes it's easy to get them mixed up if you have any medical devices hearing aids or whatnot make sure to bring those remember to bring your glasses or your contact supplies if you need them and then any specialty things that are specific for your plans for delivery so if you wanted to bring a birthing ball you can bring that swim shorts for your partner if you're doing a water birth a cord blood kit if you're saving or donating the baby's cord blood also keep in mind if you're using essential oils make sure to check the hospital to make sure that they allow things like that now let's talk about the baby items which is honestly a lot simpler the hospital will provide you with pretty much everything that you need for your baby so wipes diapers baby bottles blankets they'll also put the baby in a baby shirt with a swaddling blanket so honestly you don't really need a lot but i love to dress my baby in things that i brought for myself i always like to bring a few baby blankets and whatever you want to put your baby in while they're there at the hospital especially for when you're taking pictures of the baby plus you'll want to have a baby outfit and blanket to bring the baby home and make sure to be aware of the weather if it's really really cold have the right temperature clothing to take them home in finally it's a good idea to pack a bag of some sort for the baby's dad or your partner parent sibling whoever might be there in the hospital with you throughout your stay pack snacks for them the hospital is going to provide you with meals and snacks but they may not for your guest they're going to get hungry and they're going to need a little something especially if they might be there in your room for a long time as you are laboring they're going to want some comfortable clothing maybe a tablet or earbuds a book whatever they would like to pass the time also pajamas and bathroom essentials for them as well if they're going to be staying overnight now as promised i want to talk about the one thing that you absolutely need to bring that's not going to fit in any of your bags and that is a car seat in the u.s a car seat is required by law to be properly installed in your car before you can take your baby home and the hospital actually checks to make sure that you have a car seat if you aren't sure about how to install it call your hospital many of them offer a free service where someone will come out to your car and help you to install your car seat properly now if you are new to diet and the pink i have made a whole pregnancy series week by week so a video corresponding to every week in pregnancy starting at week four so like 30 38 videos each about baby development what you might be experiencing what to expect at your next ob appointment and so much more so click subscribe and then right here i'm going to link to that playlist check it out find the week that you are click on that and then i will see you over there

Channel: Diana In The Pink

Views: 370,393

Keywords: hospital bag for labor and delivery, hospital bag, pregnancy, whats in my hospital bag, what i actually used in my hospital bag, hospital bag for labor, hospital bag checklist, hospital bag for delivery, hospital bag 2022, hospital bag c section, labor and delivery bag, hospital bag for birth, hospital packing list, labor and delivery, hospital bag for baby

Id: 6OzKvo_QOGo

Length: 9min 51sec (591 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 27 2022