I'm in the process of packing my hospital bag, which is, believe it or not, kind of exciting. :)
Johnathan has dropped to the lowest point imaginable. It really hurts. A couple of days ago, I was walking down the main center aisle at K-Mart and, y'all, I'm not kidding--it felt like a foot just poked right out. A little graphic, I know--but if you've been pregnant before, you probably know what I mean. (At least my mom did.) It hurt so much, I quickly turned into one of the side aisles, squeezed my legs together, and blinked back tears. I was so worried I was going into labor in K-Mart! All by myself! (Well, my favorite checkout lady, Mrs. Sadie, was there. That would've made it a little better.) Oh, yeah--and I did something I'm very ashamed of. It's not like me at all, so I'm blaming it on the pregnancy. Matt just gasped when I told him! I switched purses and neglected to put tissue in my new purse*. Tears were falling down my face in K-Mart, and I realized that I needed to wipe up a little before stepping out into public again, but the restrooms were on the other side of the store. I noticed a black dishtowel with a rooster on it hanging up right beside my face. (I took it as a sign from God.) Naturally, I wiped my tears on it. I didn't even think about it! I didn't even think about buying the thing! I should have. Would you have bought it? I'm not sure if it was so wrong, but I really do feel bad. Even now--and that was days ago! I still can't believe I wiped my tears on a product in the store. It's just not like me at all. Oh, the crazy pregnancy stories.
Needless to say, after that episode, I decided to start packin'! I could just imagine what Matt would put in the bag if he had to do it alone! I've made a list, but thought y'all could help (those of you who've had hospital births, anyway). It seems like every woman has a different hospital "essential." Is there anything y'all didn't think about taking but wished you had? Is there something I absolutely must take? My mama has already recommended lip balm for labor--which I never would've thought about.
I appreciate y'all so much! I never ask you questions just for fun--y'all really do give good advice, and I often take it. :)
*New purse from Tracy's Etsy shoppe. LOVE it. So summery.
11 comments:
You really need very little.
♥ A comfortable robe, and slippers.
♥ Toothbrush and paste
♥ A little game such as cards to keep you bust while in labor
♥ bathroom essentials (don't forget q-tips!)
♥ a realistic coming home outfit. Not much will fit right away
I'm real fancy...I would have just wiped my tears on my sleeves...HAHA. Don't feel so bad, it's not like it's something you did on purpose. I've seen much worse.
Having just been through this myself...
-I'm seconding the chapstick suggestion, it's amazing how important that one little thing can be!
-Lollipops, since you can only have liquids, sometimes it's nice to have something to "wet your whistle"
-slippers - or socks with no-slip tread on them
-Something to get your hair out of your face, either rubber bands, or a headband, or a bandanna...
-CAMERA
OH I'm just so excited for you! I'm simply amazed at this entire experience. My heart is running around in someone else's body now :)
Can't wait to hear the good news - I pray that everything goes very smoothly for you!
Oh my! I've never been pregnant but just reading that made me say "Ouch!".
And your new blog colors with the picture is soooo pretty!! (o:
34 weeks and packing your bag. Good move Jordin!
I finished work on a Friday (34 weeks 6 days),and finally started putting some thing aside for packing my hospital bag as my sister had been telling me that I should have had it done already!
You guessed it, my waters broke that night and as I was only 35 weeks I had to go to hospital overnight. Packed that bag mighty fast. Aidan was born the next day!
Heehee - fond memories!
BTW, your 34 week shot looks lovely! As does Johnathan's room.
Cheers, Wilm in NZ
I have no advice on the going to the hospital, but I do think the story was cute and don't worry to much about the towel after all it is just a towel. Hope everything goes well. I would second the Camera suggestions memories start as soon as the little one gets here.
Great suggestions from other ladies, I have nothing to add other than perhaps a small bible or devotional in case you're in the hospital for more than a day. I was in for 2 weeks before and 5 days after - a friend brought me a stitchery project to work on. My admittance to the hospital was quick so no formal bag was packed. Rocky put some things together the next day...I couldn't use hardly anything...hehe...what could I do with my navy blue heels while on hospital bed rest? hehe. It's funny now, but I doubt very much that my attitude reflected humor way back when. I've changed a bit over the years. Good thing. And now I'm rambling.
One other suggestion I have is to wear something very loose and breezy as your coming-hom outfit. Once you arrive home, change into a lovely gown and robe. I bought one in advance just for that occasion and practically lived in it! The set was a creamy peachy pink...very feminine and did wonders in uplifting my spirits about being in pain from a c-section. Maybe that sounds strange. But it helped.
Oh...put Johnathan's coming-home outfit in your suitcase too! That sweet little babe. :o)
Off to complete wedding necessaries before going on-site...
Bless you!
I forgot one thing...
your PILLOW - it's just nice to have your own pillow with your own pillowcase instead of those thin flimsy hospital pillows that are all encased in vinyl...bleck.
Jordin, I haven't visited in ages. Wishing you an easy delivery. God bless!
I can't believe you're so close already! I'm sure for you time has been crawling by these past couple of weeks. The last two weeks were the most difficult for me. But the time will come soon enough!
For me, I found that I packed much more than I actually needed. Like Tracy said, you need very little. I didn't end up using the robe and slippers that everyone told me to pack. I did bring a pair of old pajama pants, and I'm glad for that. It may be a good idea to give your hospital a call because ours supplied me with this little gift bag with flip-flops to wear in the shower, shampoo, soap, and a loofa. As far as toiletries, all I needed was my d.o., toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush. I did bring a small amount of make-up, too. Just enough to brighten me up a little which came in quite handy one day post-partum.
Also the hospital supplied these cozy slipper socks which I ended up wearing. What I loved(I can't stress this enough) were my two nursing tanks that I wore under my hospital gown. I had my gown on backwards and the tank underneath which made nursing in a somewhat public place much more comfortable. If you hate the smell of hospitals like I do, than it's worth it to purchase a Glade flameless candle for your room.
If you don't mind me asking....are you planning on having a medicated birth? That makes a difference in what you pack. Because I had the epidural we didn't end up using any of the massage or pressure point tools that our Lamaze instructer told us to bring, or the big birthing ball(it's not much use if you can't get out of the bed).
One thing I wished I had thought of was bringing a couple of newborn outfits to the hospital. Grace was nearly nine pounds and still was swimming in the 0-3 month clothes. And just in case you end up with a little cone-head like ours was, it may be a good idea to bring a cute little hat for him. The hospital was out of the larger ones when we had Grace.
Sorry about the novel, I guess I'm just thinking about when I was in your shoes. I wanted all the information I could possible absorb :) I wish you a blessed experience Jordin. I have the fondest memories of my hospital birth!
Thank you, Ladies! I DID leave some things off of my list! Y'all have great ideas!
I enjoyed hearing about your own experiences; it seems like I CRAVE listening to others' birth experiences at this point!
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