All of the At-Hospital Advice I Have To Give

I will for-go the disclaimer about me not having a lot of advice to give...yadda, yadda, yadda.  I'm sure you read it in the first part, since this is the second of a three part blog of all of the advice I have to give (as of now).  Pre-Baby, At-Hospital and At-Home (Post-Having-Baby).  

Here is all of the At-Hospital Advice I Have to Give

What to bring to the hospital to have a baby? I read several articles on this matter while pregnant.  Of course this isn't EVERYTHING I needed, but in the end here is what I REALLY needed:

1. Bring a tablet or device on which to watch Netflix.  Preferably something with a stand that

   

   Laughing at Parks and Recreation on Netflix was a great distraction.

   neither of you have to hold but that you both can watch.  Helps focus your mind on something else and then you don't have to rely on the hospital's crappy cable to have something on that you like...especially if it's in the middle of the night! (don't forget the charger!)
2. Bring a body pillow or other pillow that is comfy.  I am sooo glad I had my body pillow there.  The bed was insanely uncomfortable (referred to in my very first blog as probably worse than a prison bed) and it was nice to have something comfy to rest on. 
3. Comfy, large, PJ's that are also sort of cute.  You're not going to want to be in that hospital gown after that baby is born (some women don't even want to give birth in it).  Personally, I didn't want MY stuff getting all gross, so I wore theirs until after baby was born.  Then you're in something presentable, comfy and not horrible for photos later that day/night when family and friends visit. 
4. Toiletries, blow-dryer and makeup basics - No matter what anyone says, you will want to feel like a human again.  And yes, life has just changed and is now all about that beautiful baby you just gave birth to, but take 20 minutes and beautify at some point. Not right away, but at some point.  You'll feel soooo much better...and HUMAN AGAIN.  At least for five minutes anyway, you won't feel like a zombie, alien, freak, clown, monster, weirdo, mutant-oddity, beast (not in a good way), uneven-skin-toned-whale or a ridiculous monstrosity.  For me, that means showering, doing my face cleansing routine, blow-drying my hair and yes, putting a little makeup on.  Just took 20-30 minutes while baby was sleeping. But again, then you feel a little nicer for any photos you happen to pop up in.  Don't worry though, people are more interested photos of the baby anyway.
5. Phone chargers!  You'll both use the battery in your phone texting, Facebooking, Tweeting, Instagraming, and whatever the kids are doing to photos these days, of your new bambino and you don't want to run out of battery life.
6. A nurse thank you gift.  If you are one of those people who likes to give something nice to
   
   those who are nice and helpful to you, plan ahead here and pack a gift for your nurses.  If your nurses suck, you can always not give it to them.  I had my baby at Sanford Health in Bismarck and my nurses, aids, CNA's, surgical tech's, and all I'm forgetting to mention were AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!  Everyone was so helpful, thoughtful (and did I mention AMAZING?) to this first time mom that I felt compelled to do something.  I didn't pack anything for them and ended up sending a giant meat and cheese tray over for them a couple of days after going home.  Would have been nice to have something along to leave with a note.  Also it would be something crossed off your to-do list before you're even home! Again, only if you're one of "those" people :)

Embrace the visitors. And their advice.  Honestly.  I'm sure you're expecting a sarcastic comment here, but there actually isn't one. I found it hard to sleep in the hospital ESPECIALLY during the day anyway, so may as well have people come welcome your little one into the world right there where it happened!  And for those who offer their advice...unless it's the "put an ounce of brandy in their milk before bed" kind of advice, take it all in.  You never know what you'll end up using :)

Order every meal, even if you're not feeling up to eating it.  Stock pile all the stuff you can take home. Anything prepackaged, even juices and stuff. It is so nice to have any little extra food to eat around the house when you get home with that new baby! Plus, THIS IS THE LAST TIME SOMEONE ELSE WILL WAIT ON YOU UNTIL THE END OF TIME...

Eat the crap out of those ice pellets.  Ice pellets are the most amazing form of ice you'll ever encounter.  OK, this is weird personal preference thing, but they really are amazing.  I actually have conversations about how amazing ice pellets are...if you've had one with me, you know who you are and how awesome I think they are.

Don't feel bad if you want to send your baby away for a while or *gasp* even the whole night (except, of course, for feedings).   Just make sure you memorize his/her face so that it's not one of those switched at birth scenarios. Ha! Just kidding - sort of :)  Anyway, having a bit of time to get some actual sleep without hearing every little breath or movement the baby makes may be much needed. When those babies are first born it is hard not to listen for EVERYTHING.  So don't let anyone convince you that you're being bad parents by sending baby into the very capable hands of the nurses for a while.

Clean out the hospital room.  Clean it OUT, not UP.  And don't feel bad about it.  You or your insurance is paying for everything anyway so take everything you can (even from the bassinet)...diapers, baby lotion, gauze, weird disposable underwear, pads, etc.  I actually asked one of the nurses what all I'd be charged for either way to be sure I didn't swipe something that I wouldn't have been. 

Again, please feel free to comment with any at-hospital advice that you have and I'll add it to the post!