I’m sharing the results of a pregnancy survey I created when I was expecting Grace. 34 women shared their thoughts and now I want to hear yours! The most popular answers are listed first and include the number of people who responded with that answer.
You can catch up on the entire series here: Part 1 (books & maternity clothes), Part 2 (where to register & buy furniture), Part 3 (diapers), Part 4 (bottles & formula), Part 5 (regrets & raspberry tea), Part 6 (hospital bag & visitors).
What were you thankful to have in your pre-packed hospital bag?
- Comfy Clothes for Mom – 7
- Soap/Body Wash/Deodorant – 6
- Favorite PJs – 5
- Music – 4
- Robe – 3
- Boppy Pillow – 3
- Nursing Pads – 3
- Comfy Pillows – 3
- Hair & Make Up things – 3
- Several Sized Outfits for Baby – 2
- Camera – 2
- Non Skid Socks/Regular socks – 2
- Snacks (for dad)
- Mini DVD Player & Movies
- Baby Book (for foot prints & guests to sign)
- Things that Remind you of Home (blanket/picture)
- Maternity Pants (Putting on your old ones too soon will depress you.)
- Tops that Can be Pulled Down/Opened from the Top for Breastfeeding
- Slippers
- Nursing Tank Top
- Pads
- Focal Point
- Lavender
- Book to Read
Rebekah’s Thoughts: I had a little bit of an unusual delivery with Grace because it went so fast. I had packed several things to help me through labor (music, massage tools, etc), but I never used a single thing. I had a c-section with Noah before labor started, so again I didn’t need any of those “labor aids.” With both deliveries I was very glad to have my baby book, camera, boppy pillow, a place to write down who I got gifts from, an extra pillow, and comfy clothes that were easy to nurse in. I wish I had brought bigger underwear to wear home after my c-section. It wasn’t that it didn’t fit, it just was cut low and went right across my incision. For more of my thoughts on what to have on hand, read 14 Things You Need for Your Postpartum Body: a pre-baby shopping list for mommy.
What tips do you have for handling guests after the birth? In the hospital? At home?
- Be blunt! – 5
- At the Hospital have Nurse put Sign on Door when You Need Rest – 5
- Have People Call First – 4
- Have Hand Sanitizer Ready – 2
- In Hospital – Let Guests come Whenever – 2
- Set Appointments for Home visits – 2
- Have a Secret Signal to Have Hubby tell Guests that Baby Needs to Feed to get them Out – 2
- Take one day at the Hospital for Just Immediate Family
- At Home Limit Guests to 1 per Day
- Stay in Your PJs (It reminds ppl you just had a baby & they won’t stay too long!)
- Limit Guests to Certain Hours & Be Firm
- Hand Baby off to Guests & Go Nap
- The More the Merrier
- Don’t Stress & Go with the Flow
- Don’t worry about what you look like.
- Don’t Call People until you are Ready for Visitors
- At the Hospital take some time to Recoup Before you Call People
- Have all guests wash their hands before holding the baby.
Rebekah’s Thoughts: If you are breastfeeding, it is very important to set up a routine for that from day one. It didn’t always feel nice, but we had to ask people to leave sometimes so I could nurse the baby. Visitors are nice, but a good nursing relationship is nicer! Definitely have people wash their hands before touching the baby. I also liked having only immediate family come to the hospital on the first day.
How would you answer these questions?
Top Image by: Doriana Jane Photography
This might sound weird, but it is absolutely one of the best “pregnancy” tips I received. My birth center recommends buying a pack of Depends and using them for the first week (or more) after birth. It eliminates the small underwear problem you mentioned and to me it just simplified things. Actually, if you watch you can often request free samples of them. For both of my last two pregnancies I was able to request enough samples that I didn’t even need to purchase any Depends!
So…am I weird? I sure felt weird at first, but seriously, you soon think nothing of it!
I have never heard that tip before, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The hospital I went to gave me some strange disposable underwear that probably works the same way. Pads still need to be used with it, but the concept of having big undies that you don’t care about still applies. 🙂
I learned from my first C-section that most underwear didn’t get along with my incision site. I was ready by #2. Even though I wanted a V-BAC, I had another C-section. I went out and bought large granny panties. They weren’t flattering at all but they did the job. They were full coverage enough to hold up my disfigured belly and not interfere with the incision. I pulled them out of storage again for #3. They worked like a charm. Now they’ll be cut up and put in the rag bag.
That is so smart, Dorothy. I feel like doctors and midwives should warn you about the underwear issue.