Tag: MOM

Mommy hospital bag, what to really take.

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

You have finally come around to making that pesky hospital bag. Whether you are 20 weeks pregnant or 35 weeks, it’s never an easy task.

I am sure you have heard it all by now, I know I did. From the must haves in the hospital bag to the just leave behind you’ll never use. And truth be told some were right, not to mention everyone’s experience is different. The reality is, it also has to do with your hospital and what they give. So here is some of my musts and leave behind, with a few extra tips along the way.

1. Non-slip socks. Forget the slippers or the shoes, just plain old socks. If you have your baby in the little bassinet beside you, you’ll still need to take a step to reach over for your bundle safely. If you already have socks on it makes it much easier than having to search for and put on shoes.
2. Hair ties. I don’t know how your labor will go, but my contractions came on my hair wash day. Now, I am a first-time mom and didn’t realize I had quite some time to shower and do my hair, but my panic and rush to the hospital had me in labor without my hair being done. Hair ties were my savior.
3. Boppy. That is if you are planning on breastfeeding. It will get you used to it for when you get home, not to mention much more comfortable than having your arm floating around while you and your little learn to bond.
4. Electronic chargers. Phone, laptop, e-reader, whatever electronics you take remember the chargers.
5. 2 comfortable sets of clothing. I had a natural labor, meaning comfy for me was a dress. If you have a c-section comfortable for you may be leggings. Plan for both occasions, you never know what turn things may take.

Now comes the maybe section. I brought toiletries, but my hospital gave me everything from toothpaste and brush to a hair brush, shampoo, conditioner. I also took makeup that I did not use. So if you are a big makeup user take it, otherwise leave it behind. You will be too enamored of your new bundle to worry too much about what you look like.

They gave me tucks (which are wonderful!) as well as pads, and the pain relief spray. I had heavy bleeding where I needed two blood transfusions, so I ended up sending my husband to buy me Depends because I leaked through the pads. Future pregnancies I will take depends, however, because they were much more comfortable than the mesh panties they give you.

I took magazines and some “entertainment” things to keep my mind off the pain (no epidural) but never used them. I just closed my eyes and tried to rest in between contractions. That is something I will leave behind next time, but it may be helpful for some. Especially if you do an epidural, you’ll want something to do to pass the time.

The don’t include section. Do not take too many clothes. For me, it was better to use the hospital gown because it had breastfeeding flaps. Much easier and if it got milk or blood on it I could just request another.

Nipple cream. I got about for “sample” tubes that lasted me up until four months postpartum.

Breast pads, I got two boxes of them from the hospital.

Never be afraid to ask for things. Alcohol swabs to clean the babies belly button. They may not give you the breast pads and cream unless you ask for it. Anything that may be for your well being and your babies, they will have so ask away. My hospital also gave me a bag of diapers and wipes, though I have heard some hospitals do not give wipes anymore. Like I said, ask for everything, worse case scenario you can send someone to the gift shop for you to get anything you may need.

Happy Packing!

When nothing starts as planned….

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

So we just got our hard copy orders….finally. In my head everything would go so smoothly and as planned. We’d get our orders, be able to schedule the movers, hotel and touch base with housing no problem. I also imagined we’d be able to set our flight, get our pets booked on there and all I’d have left to worry about was cleaning up our house and re-painting it to turn it in.

Well, life seldom goes as planned, especially in the military and when you are the mother to a baby.

Like I said we got our order, then I asked about the hotel since it is one of my bigger concerns. Where we are being stationed, they only have a limited amount of rooms that are pet accessible, and we have two cats. I would hate to board them. Well, as you know orders give you a detach and arrive no later than a date with some time in between. And we can’t set apart a hotel until we know when we arrive, which we won’t know until we have a flight because we are stationing overseas. So I ask my loving husband how do we get the flight…. and he doesn’t know, he needs to “look into it.” So here we go, bump number one and two all at once.

Ok, I breathe and let that go. So on to the next on my list. Well third since the flight situation was next, and well, that got nowhere before I was even able to discuss it. Housing. I know were not there but figured hey, let’s at least send in our application, they know we’re coming, and with pets so at least we’re in the back of their mind. So I pull up the housing application, and it asks a bunch of questions I can’t answer regarding detaching and arriving dates. Sigh.

I was going to tackle the movers but let my husband do that one, which we learned we’re going to have to talk to someone in person. We are navy being stationed in a Marine base overseas, and our future base is not in our little drop down menu box. So, that was a no go either.

Did I mention throughout all of this I was carrying a ten-month-old who was screaming bloody murder? I was, and he had a clean diaper and was fed, but was sleepy. I don’t know if I have the only child that thinks that he doesn’t need sleep but, putting him down for the night usually includes rocking him, ignoring him, letting him play, and just laying in the dark until he is cried out and finally passes out of exhaustion.

This was my night yesterday. Futile and tiresome. But at least now we know we need to get some more information, reach out to a few people and hopefully get to that place where I imagined myself all along. Just needing to paint and turn in the house.

If you find yourself here too, know you are not alone. You aren’t the only one banging your head against the wall at military websites, or with bags under your eyes, or the only one with a child that you question where on earth he was spawned from. I am right here with you.

Much luck to you!