Childbirth

Preparing for The Hostpital

The day has just about arrived and you are ready for delivery after the long wait. The entire event is filled with excitement as you get ready for the hospital, but do you know what you need for that trip?

Although hospital stays for labor and delivery are shorter and shorter every year, unless pregnancy complications or surgical procedures, you still need to make sure where you want to have the baby and what you will pack before going.

Decide the location is something that you should know by your last month of pregnancy, a decision that may be affected by your insurance coverage, but among the options to choose from include a hospital, a birthing center or at home are the 3 most common possibilities.

Even staying at home for delivery, you will need to have some stuff near to receive your baby, but most pregnant women still prefer the trip to the hospital.

Even when the stay will likely be only for 24 to 48 hours if you have a vaginal delivery, you will need to place in your suitcase some essentials to receive your baby, and make pleasant your own stay.

Make sure to Include in your suitcase, clothing for the trip home, your toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss, deodorant and cosmetics to look great, particularly if you are planning to film the delivery.

Do not forget to take with you a labor kit containing massage oil, warm socks to wear in the delivery room, and a nightgown for recovery. Include a robe, a baby outfit, a receiving blanket, body lotion and extra diapers, besides of bottles and cans of infant formula even if you are planning on breastfeeding.

Remember to choose maternity clothing that you can wear. Probably you are dying to wear your pre-pregnancy clothing but you will not fit into any of those outfits, just yet.

You should inquire ahead of time to schedule your hospital room, and remember that some hospital procedures may be performed or not, such as the shaving of your pubic area and giving an enema before delivery. Pre-register your trip to the hospital will make it easier for your labor and delivery.

Furthermore, ask your partner to pack his own "hospital gear" made up of snacks or sandwiches to sustain him while you are in labor, or bring money for the vending machines at the hospital. A book to read or an audiocassette to play will keep him relaxed before you give birth.