Hospital Lists...

Daniel's having daddy time so I'll take this chance to share my hospital lists.  There are so many different opinions out there about what you need and what you don't.  I figured I'd write this 3 days post partum so that I remember vividly what helped me :)

Most important thing: a supportive coach.  Sparky was more than I could ever have imagined.  We took our birthing class together and talked about exactly what I wanted him to do and how I wanted him to calm me and coach me during labor.  I never yelled at him and he coached me through all of my contractions and through pushing.  I can't recommend a good coach highly enough :)

For the hospital bag:

• Comfy pj pants (I wore 2 pair the whole time and wore one pair of yoga pants home)
• Nursing tanks.  You could probably use normal tanks as long as they're stretchy enough to nurse in
• Nursing bra
• Shirt to wear home from hospital
• Slippers
• Socks with grippy bottoms (the hospital ones are ugly and I like cute socks) 
• Baby book (Sparky liked/likes to reference our book often)
• Change of clothes for hubby 
• Two to three outfits for baby. Daniel wore two.  Bring different sizes--our newborn clothes are too small for our eight pound chunker!!! 
• Baby socks/hat (we loved the hospital hats, though, and used those most)
• Recieving blanket (optional...you can use the hospital ones) 
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Face wash
• Shampoo, conditioner, body wash.  The first shower you will take is AMAZING and I think every woman feels better when she's using her own toiletries
• Face cream
• I brought makeup (tinted moisturizer, blush, mascara, eyeliner, basic eyeshadow) because that's what makes me feel better.  The day after I had him I actually felt like a real person once I had my makeup on
• Hairbrush (I forgot this one!)
• Hair tie

For Nursing

• Boppy or nursing pillow.  I also forgot this and all of the nurses asked me if I had it.  My mom went and got it for me and I was sooo grateful.  The nurses can help with how to use it too, but if you don't have it, they can't help
• SOOTHIES!!! Best.invention.ever.  They're these sticky hydrogel boob pads that soothe your nipples.  Ahhh....I am wearing them right now! You can wear one pair for 24 hours.  My hospital gave me some but I would recommend bringing your own, just in case
• Lanolin for nipples, or any sort of nipple cream.  I've heard good things about Earth Mama Nipple Butter but I don't have any myself.  Both are completely safe for baby too so you don't have to worry about feeding once you put the cream on.
• Nursing tank or bra...these things are awesome.  I wouldn't buy more than one bra beforehand, though, because you don't know how big the ladies are going to get until your milk comes in.

For "down there" (I had an episiotomy so these things were great for me)

• NOTE: I didn't bring any of these things but was given them at the hospital.  
• Tucks pads. These are witch hazel cold pads that sooth your stitches and/or very, very sore chacha
• Lidocaine or other numbing/antiseptic spray.  I had this at home but was given more at the hospital. Once I figured out WHERE I needed to spray it, I was good
• Big diaper-like pads. Have them at home. The hospital will give you some
• WEAR the big diaper-like hospital pads.  Seriously. They are huge but wonderful. You'll want as much cushion as possible when you sit.
• Wear and bring home the "awesome" hospital mesh underwear.  They are huge and you'll feel like you're wearing 80 year old man briefs, but you will love them.  They are stretchy and comfy. I wanted nothing to do with real underwear.  
• Buy a pack of cheap, LARGE, cotton underwear.  They're comfy and you don't want anything tight on, trust me.

For the Nurses, and miscellaneous

• Cookies or treats of some sort.  I am SOOO glad I did this.  We ended up getting a suite in the post partum area because we were nice to the nurses and they liked us.  Seriously, be nice to them.  I made friends (as did Sparky) with all of our nurses.  This resulted in the suite, extra soothies, and just general good conversation. I just made one big Tupperware of cookies, put a bow on top with a little thank you note, and asked the nurse to take them to the nursing station.  SO many people (including my doctor) mentioned the cookies.
• I asked EVERY nurse if Daniel's breastfeeding latch was ok.  How else are you going to know?!
• Ask every question you have.  I called when I thought Daniel was too red, when I thought his breathing was funny, whenever.  We had a running list of questions we wrote down as we thought of them so we could be sure to ask the nurse/pediatrician/OB before we left. This was INCREDIBLY beneficial.  
• Don't hesitate to call them.  Remember, you're paying the hospital (and you brought them cookies so they like you); they're there to answer your questions.  
• **controversial**send baby to the nursery at night.  We LOVED this.  After the last feeding (around 8 or 9) we called the nursery and they picked up Daniel.  Every three hours, they brought him back to me to feed and when I was done, I called and they picked him back up.  We still bonded with our son, but we also got 6-8 hours of sleep, something that won't happen when you get home.  We woke up fresh for the 7 am feeding and were able to enjoy spending the day with our new baby.  Trust me, Daniel and I have bonded just fine! 
• Take the pain meds.  You are not superwoman. The pain SUCKS.  I let the pain get ahead of me once and hated it :( you want to enjoy your newborn, not cry because you're in so much pain.  I really wasn't prepared for post partum pain at all so it came as a shock to me when I actually needed the meds, but I definitely did
• When you're in labor: tell the nurse if you're in pain.  Let the nurse and anesthesiologist help you if your epidural is wearing off. Tell them everything so they can help you better.  
• Make your wishes known.  We didn't want anyone in the delivery room once I had my epidural.  Your nurse is your "guard dog."  We had specific things we wanted after the birth.  Make sure your nurses know :) I did not have a formal written birth plan and I still got everything I wanted. 

Leave your dignity at home.  Your nurses and doctors (and husband) will see more of you and more "gross" of you than you can even imagine.  Let them.  Let them help you, even when you're wearing the most non-sexy mesh undies in the world.  Don't pretend you can do it all--you can't.  

I think that's it for now.  I just have to say I had such a wonderful birth experience because of the hospital nurses and my supportive hubs.  If you have any questions, leave me a comment :)

So that's what "Labor and Delivery" is like

Well Mr. Daniel and I had quite the interesting day yesterday.  "We" (can he be considered a we with me yet?) had yesterday off for MLK day.  Woke up with Sparky, got an early start to the day and then...a little gush down there. After our birthing class on Saturday, I really know what to look for in terms of labor signs.  The "gush" didn't smell like pee, didn't look like it either, but it was only a little and then stopped so I just went on with my day.  Then the pelvic pressure increased and I had an excruciating (read: pain enough to make me nauseous) around my right rib through my back.  I am TRYING not to freak out about things, but I thought the pain was probably enough to at least call my nurse.

After a car wash, a pedicure, and grocery shopping, my nurse called me back and asked me to come in for some bloodwork as sometimes that kind of pain can be linked to the liver.  Thank goodness my dr/hospital is only 15 minutes from my house.  Upon seeing my wonderful nurse, I told her about the fluid and about the pressure and about the contractions I was sure I'd had the day before--and they were actual contractions, according to the nurse.  Dr. N. sent me immediately to Labor and Delivery.  When the doctor tells you to do something, you do it.  I had not wanted to end up here until I was actually in labor...I felt like an intruder, or an overreacting momma, neither of which I really was given my doctor's strict orders to go down there.

Sparky left work and met me there; by the time he got there, I was hooked up to the baby heart monitor and the contraction monitor.  The nurse was excellent, and Sparks was quite entertaining with rubber gloves and peeking through the curtains to see the new baby next door (there were no private rooms at the time). 

After about two hours and a BPP (biophysical profile) of Daniel, we were released.  The fluid was not amniotic fluid and the bloodwork from the liver test should be back today.  Daniel's heart was great and he was moving like a crazy boy, and while I was having tiny little minor contractions, they were incredibly sporadic and nothing to worry about.  We did get to see our boy on the ultrasound, though, something we haven't seen in 20 weeks.  He is freakin adorable.  He was grabbing both feet with one hand, wedging all those fingers and toes into my left side. He's head down and was sucking when we got to see his face.  We can't really tell what his nose looks like, but I think it looks like his dad's. 

The nurse told me never, ever to wait to come in with fluid.  That made me feel better, a little less chagrined for being there before I was in actual labor.  I couldn't have imagined having baby boy yesterday.  The car seat isn't even in my car yet!  After that, both Sparky's car and my car will have car seats by Friday.

It was an interesting day, to say the least.  Seeing the baby and knowing he's ok made everything worth it...even the bills I know will be in the mail!

And to DD, I'm so sorry if you read this before I had a chance to talk to you :( It was too late (and I was too exhausted) to call you last night and too early this morning.