What to register for...
Essential nursery items...
What to pack in your hospital bag...
What to pack in your diaper bag...
These are some things that were conveniently omitted from those lists...
- The sizes "newborn" and "0-3 months" are quite different. Bring both options to the hospital for-bring-me home wear.
- Pack your phone charger - you'll be in that room for what seems like an eternity before AND after the baby is born. Lots of "hey, I'm going to Tweet/Facebook/MMS this picture" time.
- Nursery needs its own can of air freshener. One raunchy diaper on a sleeping baby can stink up the joint for days.
- Register for less baby towels, more real towels. Babies get big fast - and those paper-thin towels just don't cut it after 2 months.
- You can NEVER have too many bibs, washcloths, wipes, rattles, onsies or burp rags. You CAN have too many receiving blankets, NB baby shoes, teeny tiny diapers.
Things you need waiting for you when you get home from the hospital:
- Tucks pads - if you've escaped the need for them prior to birth, you're going to fall in love with these cool, soothing discs. Yes, they climb your ass. Yes, you get used to it.
- Pads - not pantyliners, PADS. Like holyshitmyuterusjustslippedthefuckout pads. The longer, the thicker, the better. You aren't interested in doing your sexy hip-swinging step anyway - get the mattresses.
- Ice packs - whoa, Nellie. Whether you are breast feeding or not, your tatas are going to turn into rock solid, oozing masses of heat. Get SOFT icepacks - gels. There are some that are designed for boobies that are refreezable. Also you can get Soothies pads that stick to your nips. This may or may not be a good thing depending on how nursing is going. I loved them at first and then hated them.
- Nipple cream - for those who are choosing not to breast feed, any need for relief from leakage is fine with the lanolin that they give you in the hospital. Breastfeeding moms, heed my warning. Lanolin is sticky. Play with it. ST-ICK-Y. It sticks to your fingers and is hard to spread (read: hurts to spread). Your breast pads stick, your bra sticks, your shirt sticks. While the bottle (of my Lansinoh lanolin) says that it does not have to be removed prior to breast feeding...uh...your baby sticks. Nothing like trying to get the perfect latch when his/her lips can't move properly. YUCK. I had lovingly recommended to me - and I pass the secret on to you - NIPPLE BUTTER (see my review here). Yes, it is just as fun to use as it is to say. nipplebutternipplebutternipplebutter. It is water-soluble and nipple friendly. The tiny jar is pricey, but in 10 months, I only used half of my jar.
- Breast pads - diaper those titties. That milk's gonna go somewhere, and it's likely to be through your bra and into a wet, undeniable ring on your shirt, sheet, whatever. I used Lansinoh disposable breast pads (they are thinner and flatter than other options I tried), but you can get reusable ones if that's more your flavor.
- Yogurt - Say what? YO-GURT. This is A BIGGIE! When in the hospital, it is likely that you will be on some sort of antibiotic at some point during your stay. Me, after my explod-a-birth, I was on a hefty dose. I came home and resumed my normal (ha) life until one day, my body revolted. Apparently, the antibiotics cleared out the good, the bad, and the ugly microbes in my system. The ugly recolonized the barren landscape and sent me into a heaving, puking, sweating, shitting pile of sob-tasticness with a 2 week old baby in my arms. NOT COOL. Probiotics, baby.
- Vitamins - check with your doctor in one of the gazillion check-ups you have pre-baby and find out what you need waiting for you when you get home!! I was recommended Vit C and Iron.
1 comment:
Excellent and oh so true. I scored all my tucks pads from the hospital and the maxi pads too. The bigger the better!
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