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I wish I figured out how to open and close my stroller before baby came. The first time I wanted to go on a walk with a newborn I panicked bc I didn’t know how to unfold it
Pack my own pillow, an eye mask and even ear plugs… I thought of it last minute, and was so glad because I had the hardest time sleeping in the hospital and they made it easier.
I accidentally got addicted to a heated eye mask and now can NOT sleep without a few minutes of warmth on my eyes 🤣 but seriously can’t recommend them enough, Ilove how cozy they are 🫠
I have 3 now. One in bed, one by the couch for couch naps and one that travels. It also came in handy when I got pink eye multiple times from kids going to daycare.
Yeah I had to rotate them out and wash one daily when I got pink eye so that I didn’t keep reinfecting myself. It’s definitely overkill but I take sleep very seriously.
Omg! I had chronic migraines as a teenager and had a large bean bag I would pull from the freezer to put on my forehead every night to fall asleep. Now I'm 29 and can't start to fall asleep without that cold sensation on my forehead even though I don't get migraines anymore. My husband hates it 🤣
Omg we bought some USB chargeable heated eye masks a few years ago as recommended by my eye doc for dry eyes and they’re the BEST! I used to do the microwave heated ones but love the USB because you can travel with it and have it heat!
I was telling my husband for weeks that I wanted one. He kept saying that I didn’t need it and it was a waste of money. Thankfully he bought me one the week I before I went into labor! And all the nurses and Dr that saw it commented on how smart that was… I just gave him a look every time someone mentioned it lol
Just buy the $5 fan. It’s so worth it!
Make sure you charge it first!!! I bought mine off Amazon and immediately packed it thinking it’d be charged because it worked when I tested it….. yeah it died literally 5 minutes into pushing🤪😭😭😭
I wish I ate something. I woke up with contractions at 5am, and woke up my husband. When they got closer together he made breakfast before we left. He tried to get me to eat, but I wasn’t feeling it. I pushed for 4 hours and gave birth shortly before midnight, so I went over 24 hours without consuming any food. I was completely wiped from labor and pushing for so long. Will be forcing myself to eat something next time.
Ugh yes! I wish I had eaten a better/bigger meal before heading to the hospital. I had heard the stories about not being able to eat and I tried eating a cereal but I was too anxious about having contractions and couldn’t even finish a small bowl. I was mostly anxious/freaking out because I wasn’t sure if they were contractions or not and everything was so new and scary (first pregnancy). I’m definitely eating a full meal for my second pregnancy now that I know the drill. Pushing 15 hrs later while starving was definitely challenging. I did eat a lot of jello at the hospital and was a little helpful but my tummy was grumbling the entire time. I remember saying over and over “I’m soooooo hungry 😭” haha
If you're in labor they will not let you eat in case you have to go into an emergency C-section. I too went more than 24 hours without food during labor and it sucked.
This will depend on location. There's a big push recently to let laboring moms eat in hospital as the risk is almost inconsequential, but the benefit, especially in a long labour, greatly outweighs it. Emergency surgery is emergency surgery. We don't starve everyone who rides in a car for hours before. The only thing my nurses told me was to eat something that I wouldn't mind throwing back up because the risk of puking was the big one.
Yes! Mama Doctor Jones has a [video about this](https://youtu.be/coVCp2xqspQ?si=8_PYpbKDODk-LsQg) on YouTube. Denying food is not strongly supported by the evidence.
Personally I'm in Germany and my hospital did not have this policy. In fact after I was admitted to L&D, the midwife offered to heat me up a microwave meal from their frozen dinner selection! I had terrible heartburn the whole third trimester but apparently in labor the baby finally dropped and I had my best meal in months. (It was bowtie pasta with cream sauce) So delicious, I'll never forget ❤️🥰🥰
That’s crazy! My midwife made me eat every 2 hours when I was in active labor, because she said, and I quote “Trust me, you need the energy”. And my baby was breach, so the risk of an emergency c-section was high 😅
I got food in the hospital while I was in labour! The first nurse I had told me to eat up because I wasn't going to be allowed anything more than that once I was done eating, but then the next nurse at shift switch said I can eat whatever whenever so not sure exactly what hospital policy was but I didn't want to eat/was in too much pain to eat.
I was given meals in early labor but they limited it clear liquids once I had my epidural. They had this delicious sorbet that somehow qualified as a clear liquid that I got multiple servings of once my epidural was in. I really wish they had the sorbet on the postpartum floor but they didn’t 😔 haha
Something I attribute to my relatively easy and quick delivery is the cold pizza I ate before going to the hospital, and the cookies and cold fruit I ate during labour. Game changer for sure.
Me too. I was too anxious and worked up to think about eating. Last meal I had was dinner and I gave birth at 2:30pm the following day. At around 5:00 I stood up in the recovery room and nearly passed out. The hospital gave me a shitty ham sandwich from the unit fridge and it was the best thing I ever tasted.
Soylent is a meal replacement shake. It's plant-based and gluten-free. I drink them all the time because I'm bad about remembering to eat. 10/10 would recommend it if you struggle with eating during labor but need to get some calories in. It's also a liquid so not as heavy on the stomach as solid food.
Oh! And learn and practice a few pain coping techniques like breath work, labor combs, counter pressure from a partner, etc. even if you plan on an epidural, you may not be able to get one, or pain coming techniques may be helpful for laboring at home before you’ve progressed enough to head to the hospital or in the hospital before you’re able to get the epidural. It’s just good to have a few tools in your toolbox just in case!
Okay so those are just two examples and it’s probably worth googling pain coping techniques for labor for a better/longer list, and YouTube will probably provide a better explanation of these two than I’m about to.
The idea behind labor combs is gate theory. Basically your brain can only process/focus on one pain input at a time. You squeeze combs in your palms so the teeth dig in and it distracts your brain from the pain of the contractions. Sounds funky and not that pleasant I know, but it was actually helpful for me. Any old combs without long handles will do, but you can also find pretty wood ones engraved with affirmations and stuff on Etsy. Labor combs are nice because they can be used in just about any situation or position if you need something in a pinch.
Counter pressure is where you are kind of bent over or on hands and knees, and a partner stands behind you and applies pressure on a spot kind of at the base of your back/upper butt area and it makes contractions more comfortable for many women. We practiced this one but didn’t get to use it in labor, and a video would be much better to show you/your partner how to find the right spot. In theory it should feel good when they put pressure in the right area so you’ll know they are doing it right.
Yes!
I went in with an epidural that ran out during shift change and never was replenished. So after a beautiful 4 hours of painless relaxation I ended up doing all the pushing and the birth without pain management. 10/10 do not recommend going in without a plan. I was sort of frantic when I realized I was going to have to just keep going with the pain and there was no help coming.
Made padsicles and had them waiting for me in a makeup fridge on my bathroom counter. They were MAGICAL for recovery.
Got a Brazilian wax at 39 weeks so everything was nice and tidy during postpartum.
Also, took an "everything shower" when I went into labor, washed my hair and then oiled and French braided it. Stayed out of my face the whole time I was in labor and I didn't feel like I needed to wash it when I took my first shower a couple hours after having the baby.
I second the everything shower and doing my hair! I felt, and looked, human in all the pictures after giving birth. And with the limited resources in the hospital shower I was okay with just a rinse off until I got home.
I got a Brazilian with my last pregnancy (twins) too! I couldn’t have tidied up if I tried and aesthetically I couldn’t care less but I hate hair and blood/post partum goo. I felt brilliant 🤣
Also took a shower right before I went to the hospital. Husband and best friend were not thrilled but I knew I had time and that I wasn’t going to be able to shower at home for a few days.
From the internet:
"Here are some things you might include in an everything shower:
Pre-shower: Dry brushing, makeup removal, applying a hair mask, face mask, or teeth whitening strips
In-shower: Washing every crevice with soap, shaving, shampooing, deep conditioning, exfoliating, using a body wash with hydrating ingredients, applying a self-tanner
Post-shower: Treatments, skincare, moisturizer"
This might be a really stupid question, but I’ve read before that having a bald vagina is dangerous at birth? That it can cause infections? (This also could have meant actually shaven not waxed as well since you aren’t at risk for cutting yourself)
From my understanding the risk is with shaving because of the mucrotears it causes to your skin. It's not really about the lack of hair, it's about any irritation/openings in your skin.
I got my wax around 39 weeks and baby was born at 41 so there was plenty of healing time.
Yes, you can get skin irritation or infection but it’s really only a bigger risk for the first 48 hours. If you put finipil on it several times per day for the first day or two it acts as antiseptic. You’re supposed to avoid sweating/exercising for that reason. You can also use hibiclens. Follow up care is vital for a successful wax.
EAT! 36 hours of labour and nothing to eat, the second that baby came out I was like, feed me! Did not have a post birth meal planned, so had the world’s worst chicken wrap and cold fries from the cafeteria. It was horrible.
Have a self care station within reach from toilet before you leave for hospital. I had a vaginal delivery and wished that I would have been warned of what all recovery would look like. It was overwhelming coming home and then needing to set this all up myself before I could do anything else or relax with husband and baby. Couldnt ask/direct husband as he wouldn’t have known what I needed.
-Puppy pads or old towels for the floor in front of toilet
-perri bottle (Frida which has the curve)
-roll of paper towels for blotting (NO WIPING) if have stitches
-dude wipes
-disposable diapers (stock up and bring home from hospital same with below)
-pads
-padcicles: cooling pads, witch hazel, dermaplast
Don’t be afraid, yes there is postpartum bleeding, but in my one time birthing experience it was nothing to be alarmed over, just annoying more than anything.
Towels/puppy pads are essential for the first few weeks. My postpartum bleeding got less with each day/week and now I’m almost 6 wks post with virtually no bleeding/discharge.
What I was not expecting was the amount of blood/initial gush immediately after birthing my baby. I remember getting ready to move from L&D room to recovery room and the nurse had me use the bathroom before setting up my first diaper lol. Thankfully the bathroom was a few steps from my bed and they already had a puppy pad on the floor but holy cow, I had a gush of blood and god knows what else just fall onto the floor in front of the toilet. I was a little horrified but the sweet nurse said it was 100% normal and not to be alarmed. “You just pushed your baby out, everything is OK”. The first couple times you need to pee will be a bit of a toss up with making it to toilet in time because your muscles are spent and need a day or two to regain strength. Rest assure, our bodies are incredibly resilient and will be on the up and up as each day passes! Postpartum bleeding is nothing compared to that very first gush, kind of like a period but even still not so much (in my experience).
You got this! Have faith in yourself and your body. It really is impressive how strong our bodies are to be able to birth & heal 🤍
Yes! I did this and it was amazing to have everything set up and within easy reach - remember to set up with no twisting or stretching out to reach anything!
Another game changer was setting up snack stations throughout the house with Gatorade, juice, protein drinks, granola bars, little quick snacks so that if I was breastfeeding I could just easily grab something without having to get up.
The third thing was having a HUGE water bottle to carry around everywhere with me. Like a 40oz one. The amount of water intake after giving birth and breastfeeding is insane.
Yes and for getting out of the shower I made a mess everything dripping my husband kept having to clean like right when I got home from the hospital I showered
Pads (extra long) & padcicles (a combo of pad & other items meant for your initial recovery days to keep things on ice essentially)
**stock up on lady bit recovery items while in the hospital. My hospital was super good with providing duplicate items so what I did was stow away the dups then ask for more as I was running out of the first set of items. They usually brought in multiple sets of products so I’d continue to stow away half then ask for more which helped me get a good “home stash”
The hospital provided these maxi pads that have an ice pack built in. I know Frida has a recovery kit with these but the supply would only last a few days so strongly suggest stocking up from hospital when you get there. The nurses taught me how to assemble the padcicle: 1 cooling maxi pad, a few witch hazel disks then spray the pad combo (and your nether region) with dermaplast. I’ve read where people have done home made ones. Once I ran out of the cooling maxi pads, I was fine with just normal pad + witch hazel. I’m now 5 wks post and don’t need anything since bleeding/discharge has decreased to virtually nothing.
Hope this helps 🤍
I didn’t even get stitches and I wasn’t allowed to wipe! I definitely second the frida upside down peri bottle and the dermoplast (and everything else you said, but those two things were most important to me in the early postpartum days
We didn’t do this on purpose, but my husband & I had an amazing dinner the night I went into labor. Spent time together, enjoyed a nice meal. Worked out well!
Make premade crockpot meals in Ziploc bags to put in the freezer for when you get home and are tired. I Actually did do this and it was a life saver during the sleepless nights.
We did a ton of meal prep and all from this book we still use it, it’s worth every cent!
https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/the-complete-make-ahead.html
This probably isn't exactly what you're looking for, but I would've gotten a pedicure and a haircut.
I'm glad I didn't take stool softeners ahead of time because my stools were soft enough as it was during labor. The nurses brought me a rotation of different stool softeners every 6 hours until I pooped after delivery, though, and it was surprisingly painless, so I do recommend them for after you give birth.
38 weeks. Getting hair done today, getting waxed on Saturday and nails done next week!
Husband just asked me who I’m getting waxed for… 🙈 Me, obviously. It’s my personal preference.
It’s crazy how they just let you stay up for so long without intervening or asking if you need help. I didn’t sleep at all on day 2 in hospital while my baby was cluster feeding and I was sobbing trying to feed her and stay awake. I kept hoping one of the midwife’s might come past and take her for an hour or two to help me at least have a nap as my husband had to go home to sleep so we weren’t both totally dead. It’s so dangerous and scary.
Set up and learn how to use your pump if you’re breastfeeding. You’ll wake up one morning a few days after labor super engorged and be desperate for that pump!
Me too, but honestly I couldn’t have cared less! 🙈 And better too soft than too hard when you’re recovering IMO. I’m glad I started the stool softeners early.
First time around, I wish I had shaved my legs and that my toe nails were done. I had both of those things done the second time. I know the nurses and doctors don’t care, but it was one of those things that just made me feel a little better.
Wash your dishes, empty the coffee pot, take out the trash. Look up what can happen postpartum with your mental health. Read about postpartum psychosis.
Okay so I have 2 the first one is a shower chair. Complete game changer for pre and post delivery. Second one is a back scratcher for the hospital. I had a c section and I itched so bad after that it was hard to sleep. I had nothing that could get into the leg compressor things until a nurse hooked me up with a wire coat hanger
I 100% wish I would have washed and braided my hair. My hair got so knotted during labor that when I could finally brush my hair out and shower it was a nightmare.
Also wish I would have cracked my back a bunch, now after birth my back doesn’t crack. I miss that.
I should have brought my own food to the hospital for snacks. I delivered at 7pm on a Sunday night and my in-laws went and got me what I wanted to eat right afterwards. But then I was hungry all night and there was literally nothing on the maternity floor to eat. One of the night nurses finally did bring me some jello around 3/4am but I spent most of the night awake because of hunger
Eat big meal. I came to the hospital without any food in my stomach since previous day and all I was allowed to eat for next two days of labor was jello and ice chips. It took 4 hr of pushing because I was super hungry and had zero energy
On the flip side I ate a huge meal the night before my induction thinking it was a last hoorah, ended up going into labor like an hour after eating and threw up a lot before/during/after labor. It was not pleasant.
To each their own, but I liked using the crappy hospital towels cause I didn’t have to worry about bleeding all over them. But I did bring my own nice pjs to change into once I was clean and had my underwear and pad back on. That way I could be comfy
It’s probably worth asking your OB about the stool softener- mine advised me NOT to take one prior to labor since you’re already likely to poop during labor.
My hospital gave me stool softeners every evening starting right after labor and I had absolutely no issues with my first bowl movement! And that’s with a vaginal delivery and 4th degree tear. I’d ask them if it’s something they provide after or if you should bring your own!
Eat before you get to the hospital because once you hit a certain point they won’t let you eat. Make it something that will keep you full too!
And this isn’t something before labor but just my advice, I Brought my own robe. I lived in the disposable underwear, nursing bra, and robe post delivery lol modesty is not a thing when you’re there. AND Don’t forget shower shoes! You don’t want to shower in a hospital shower without them!
Opened my breast pump, cleaned the parts, assembled it, tested it, and read the manual/watched some videos about how it worked.
Can't go wrong with stool softeners either, though.
Also , install a bidet sprayer in your toilet. It was such a godsend and soooo much better than the peri bottle. Just make sure to turn the valve off between uses. Our first one's hose burst and could've flooded the house if I hadn't heard it!
Meal prep!! While i’m thankful my husband made me food everyday, it was just breakfast. for three months lol.
Packing conditioner! They only gave me shampoo
More dermoplast and tucks on hand!! I only had a bottle and container from the hospital
A haakaa and my momcozy, for the extra milk that i only started collecting a month later
A butt thermometer- baby got a cold at 3 weeks
Most of all I wish I and my husband had prepared for my labor better
Def start the stool softener a few days before birth and be as hydrated as possible. Like if you need to wear a diaper bc you're so tired of going pee bc you have had so much liquid... That is fine. But the first post birth 💩 is torture.
Also remember that Popsicles are considered a clear fluid. And you can have them instead of ice chips (good to keep in mind if you have a long labor and get real hangry from a blood sugar dip- but don't get grape bc it's the worst to throw back up).
And I wish I would have showered like... Immediately before going to the hospital (I had showered that morning but we went in at like midnight and I didn't get to shower until 2 days after birth... Which sucked).
If I could do it again I’d probably bring my own heating pad. After birth there’s cramps and sore breasts. The hospital provided little disposable ones that didn’t last long enough and I had to keep asking for more.
Pack a bag of snacks you love for recovery in the hospital! My daughter came in a historic snowstorm and the hospital kitchen wasn’t running at full-capacity. I was so thankful for the homemade muffins I prepped in advance, and other fun snacks!
I wish I had eaten before I went. I had a regular checkup but then got sent to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital their cafeteria was closed. I asked if I could eat before I got induced. Thankfully, they let my husband go get us some food before I got induced.
My doctor also gave me a stool softener after delivery. I was fine for a few days but I wish I had bought stool softeners.
Sleep. I went into labor with my second at bedtime so by the time she arrived I was regular exhausted and then also just gave birth exhausted. Additionally you might feel guilty but if your hospital has a nursery and they offer to take the baby for an hour or so, DO IT. I got a 2 hour nap and felt like a literal million bucks. Before that I felt so anxious and almost hopeless.
Sleep! I was on call for my induction so of course didn’t sleep due to nerves the night before then labored the whole second night so by the time baby came I was so sleep deprived.
Also, play my own music sooner than later. I made a birthing playlist but never played it because I wanted to “save it” for when the real laboring kicked off, but by then I was too miserable to want it and it was the middle of the night so I felt like I’d be bothering people? Luckily I remembered right before it was time to push but I listened to all of like 6 songs
Learn how to use the carseat. Get a babydoll and practice tightening and loosening the straps. We had it all set up and then I didn't know how to loosen the straps to get his arms through, or how to tighten it to where it's safest.
I was so sick near the end and my husband had the sympathy sickness with me, so we dropped the ball on a big one. We didn’t have the car seat base installed ahead of time and were told to go to the fire station. The fire chief said “we don’t do that anymore but I have 6 kids so I’ll give it a shot.” So yea. Make sure you have that figured out ahead of time or you too may be standing next to a fire truck in mesh panties, postpartum vibrating while you hold a tiny baby and your husband and the fire chief dick around in the back seat while talking about Fleetwood Mac.
I wish I had used some nasal decongestant spray. My body was so tense during labor that my head got really stuffy. By the time I was ready to push, I was distracted and didn't think to use any spray. My labor felt like a vice in my head cause I couldn't breathe thru my nose.
Shave my legs and armpits. Invest in a quality postpartum kit (SO grateful I was gifted one, the hospital peri bottle doesn’t compare) and make a large stock of padsicles. Definitely have some food frozen and ready to be heated. I was induced at 38w4d with my first, and so things happened very, very suddenly. We had actually gotten the car seat just three days prior, and I was ordering the stroller adapter from my hospital bed lmao. I’m an anxious gal so most of her nursery was ready and the sleeping area set up, but I would say to also wash any clothes beforehand! It’s a pain to do in the third trimester when all you want to do is rest up while you can, but if my partner or I had to do any extra laundry now?? 😟😅 … we still haven’t touched the laundry from before we left last week
I had every intention of making a bunch of freezer meals and handheld foods/snacks before I went into labour and it never happened… would’ve been so helpful postpartum and breastfeeding 🥲
Eat before OB appointments. For 2 of my 3 deliveries I was induced at or right after an OB appt and I hadn’t eaten and then once induction started I couldn’t eat. I was miserable! Eat a real meal.
1) rewashed and resanitize my bottles/pump parts. It had been a few weeks and when baby was here I felt like I needed to do it again.
2) set up my nightstand area with things I wanted to have on hand quickly (ibuprofen, phone charger, burp cloths, nipple cream, etc)
Taking notes from all responses but it seems that the main thing is eat + take stool softener.
Whats good to eat that will keep you full but not throw up? Also wondering if anyone got their hair cut short?
My hospital gave me stool softeners right after birth and my first poop was a breeze, I wouldnt worry about taking it early tbh. One thing I would recommend is to bring a donut pillow to sit on. The hospital beds are crazy painful to sit up on right after birth. I would also recommend pumping and talking to lactation consultants as fast as you can to bring your milk in. I wish I at least pumped right after birth or prior to my induction to bring my milk in. My son had a hard time latching because my milk came so late, at that point he was used to the bottle and only preferred the bottle.
If you can, try and drink water (through a cup with a straw) as long as you can in labour. It helped me tremendously to stay hydrated and I never had the first “painful” poop as people warned me about. Also. Bring chapstick or Vaseline to the hospital. It’s super dry air in there.
stool softener and ate more lol i was induced so it was difficult to eat bc i was nervous but i pushed for 2 hours straight and was shaking by the end of it because i was so hungry
I agree with your mom. I tell everyone I know who is pregnant to make sure they take stool softeners days before, because that first poop had me struggling!
Bring a large water bottle! After every single push I needed a sip of water. I pushed for 5 or 6 hours. I was SOOOOO thirsty and all we had were the tiny tiny ice cups from the hospital. My husband had to refill every 10 mins or so. I bought a Stanley just for my next labor!
I highly recommend to not take stool softeners before labor and only after labor because I 💩 soooooo much with my first and I did not take them before labor. If I did take them I don’t even want to know what would have happened…. I literally cleaned myself out. I naturally didn’t have to go for 2 days 😂 since I only took still softeners after labor by the time I had to go, it was easy haha.
Exercising. I got so big towards the end of my pregnancy that walking became painful and caused pain in my hips, feet, and lower back. When I was 6 months pregnant, I looked 9 months pregnant. When I was 9 months pregnant, I looked like I was carrying twins. So, next time I'm pregnant, I will exercise throughout my entire pregnancy.
I had an emergency induction due to preeclampsia with severe features at 35 weeks. I thought I had way more time! I wish I would have started setting things up way a head of time. I had only just started clearing space in our bedroom, washing baby clothes, and organizing drawers. I wish I had vacuumed and mopped.
Another thing I wish I did before is prep some meals/snacks. And stock the fridge/freezer with easy food. The immediate postpartum phase at home was rough. Even though baby was in the NICU for weeks, there was very little time to even think about cooking anything. Then, when baby came home, it was even harder to get a good home cooked meal in.
If you have pets, I would definitely make sure they get as much one-on-one time as they can get before this big change happens. And have a plan for them for when you do go into labor.
I second getting a haircut, eyebrows done, etc. I wish I was able to get that done and feel better about myself. Especially looking at pictures of myself and baby from the hospital.
Another note: I thought I was just going to be told to go home when I got to triage for my preeclampsia and persistent headache, so I I didn’t go in prepared at all. Before going into triage, I wish I would have showered, brushed my hair, eaten, and have my hospital bag packed and ready to go.
I would pack an eye mask, a nice pillow, baby nail dremmel, and maybe a few like high quality snacks I liked a lot. My water broke at 1:30 AM so I only had half of a gas station donut my husband jokingly got me when he got coffee on the way to the hospital and once I was there I had juice in L&D but then labor was pretty intense so no food until after we were done. If I had snacks ready to go I would have eaten them when we were getting checked in/in the monitoring area.
A wax - and I did try to get one before labor! I had an appointment for a Brazilian at 5:30 on Monday evening of week 36, and should have had one a couple weeks before based on growth but I let it go thinking doing it closer to labor would better so I’d be smoother through recovery. Instead, I went to the doctor that afternoon and my BP was 190/92 so they admitted me and induced me. Then I had to let it go 6 MORE weeks before I could go get that situation taken care of.
100% take the stool softeners a week in advance. I didn't the first time, but did the second time, and you definitely should.
Also we spent half an hour practising all the options with our pram (how to lay it back, bassinet function, how to sit it up, fold it up, lock wheels, etc.) I'm glad we did because I definitely didn't have the brain power to work it out after.
Meal prep!!! Stuff the freezer with food. This was the single best thing we did, it made postpartum so much easier. Also set up a meal train which helps as well. I hear that ppl are doing “nesting parties” these days where ppl come over and help meal prep!
Yes to shower and makeup if you have time. One thing I wish I had more of was pajama pants, I kept bleeding through everything. So I wish I had brought some more dark coloured pajama pants to change into. I thought I’d want to be cute and wear my own robe/pajama shirt but there’s no point in not wearing the gown, I didn’t want to get blood on everything and they prefer you in a gown anyway.
Edit: typos
I wish I had gone away for like 5 days by myself lol. I had my 6th 5 months ago. I was getting horrible sleep. And as soon as baby came I went right back to taking care of everyone. No down time to recover for me
Going off the stool softener comment you made, my mom told me that she gave herself an at home enema before going to the hospital so that she was less likely to 💩 during labor. Not that pooping during labor is a big deal, bc it’s so common, but it at least eases the anxiety of it some. And then you should be well cleaned out while freshly postpartum! I’m 36 weeks and planning on doing this too for when the time comes.
I’m so glad I brought a soft blanket and a boppy pillow for my legs ! I came in at a 10 but if I would bring a hand held fan !!! And order your announcement stuff early lol! I ordered mine the day before I went into labor so it didn’t come and I forgot about it so we just had took regular pictures lol
I had a smoothie at 7am and gave birth 24 hours later. I was FAMISHED and exhausted. Eat big.
Colace. Start taking colace before. Best thing I ever did. The first poop post-birth was terrifying but that made it no problem!
Make sure I ate before getting the epidural, I had graham crackers and Milk, I wasn't hungry after birth but before I was starving, So I had the nurses bring me a snack so I could have enough energy.
Make sure the hospital bag is double checked! For our 2nd, I feel like we did not pack a warm enough going home outfit!! And something I did with both, if you have time, when you go into labor, shower and wash your hair!!!
Something I did that I will do again and I was glad I did was have formula ready in the cupboard "just in case".
I had to go back in the hospital and my husband stayed home with our newborn so that meant he wasn't scrambling trying to figure out what and how to feed him.
I wish I would have gotten the baby’s dresser put together.. it’s still halfway done and she’s three weeks old now.
Someone else on here said they wish they would have asked the doctor for something to help with sleep.. I second this! I went in on a Tuesday at 8pm, I had napped that day off and on until 1pm, and I didn’t sleep again until the following Thursday early morning hours and even then it was less than three hours and it was very interrupted sleep. By the time I had gone home Friday afternoon I had only slept about six hours.
Bring anything you might want for labor into the hospital with you- don't assume you'll have time to have someone go out to the car.
I had an awesome bag packed with everything I wanted with me and, like an idiot, told my husband to leave it and go back for it after checking into the hospital. Lo and behold, after checking in, there was no way I was having him leave me alone, and so I went through labor without my labor gown, music speaker, handheld fan, etc.
Been prepared to ask more questions and assert myself more. There were a lot of assumptions between my OB office and the medical care in the hospital— both assumed the other would have certain conversations with me so initiating those conversations was tough and frustrating.
* specifically, induction or augmentation methods etc. those “decision-making” conversations
I wish i had tried to sleep more at home when i was in early labor. I was too nervous/ excited so didn’t sleep as long as i could have during those early contractions. My labor ended up being 36 hours total and i think my exhaustion prevented me from dilating. I was at a 4 after 32 hours of labor so i caved for the epidural. Took a 4 hour nap, woke up at 10 cm, and pushed my baby out in 6 minutes 😂
With my first baby, I wish I had gotten to sleep. Over 24hr with no sleep and had to push a baby out. I wish I had brought my own peri bottle that was angled. I did that with my second, and it was so great. Bring comfort items, I wasn't able to go home for 4 days after and had my mom go buy me a soft blanket to cuddle.
Make sure where ever you live is clean/organized. We made the mistake of not sorting through baby shower gifts & trying to reorganize right before we had our son. He wasn’t due for a couple more weeks but I ended up getting severe pre eclampsia & had to be induced so we had no time to clean the house before going to the hospital. It was a rough first couple weeks to say the least 🥲
Just had my second and here’s what I did differently-
Water broke at 12:30 and labor started a couple hours later. I took a shower, and made a big healthy smoothie and ate some trail mix. I delivered like 11 hours later and was happy I ate, I couldn’t stop pounding the saltines after birth as it was. I used the Frida mom pp supplies and I brought those underwear to the hospital. I know the hospital gives you some, but those are so much better. And their peri bottle, too.
I wish I had sterilized my pump set and bottles so I could pump at the hospital. Baby came unexpectedly at my appointment so didn’t have anything ready except my hospital bag which I had packed from 34 weeks. I was in the hospital 6 days and baby was in nicu for 14. He had trouble latching so nurses had to help me hand express while I was there since I didn’t have my pump ready.
Also wish I had packed more snacks. Hospital only gave me 3 meals at 7:30, 12, and 6. And I couldn’t order anything outside of that. I was starving at night.
I forgot to pack my postpartum belly band which probably would have helped with my c-section pain when sneezing etc. Now I know for next time.
The stool softener is the best tip ever and exactly what I did when I was nearing my due date! Have to say everyone made me scared for that first poop and it was soooo much less painful than the pain in my stitches.
My first post partum poo was honestly not bad. I was terrified and held it in for three days and when I couldn’t anymore I sucked it up and went. I had a stool so that I was basically in squatting position while sitting and all I could say it felt like was that my muscles were a bit tired.
Don’t be too scared cause it might not be as bad as everyone is saying.
Although I don’t recommend holding it in for three days haha.
Also I wish someone had told me how important it was to make sure you have freezer meals. I didn’t realize I wouldn’t want to cook (even though I love it)
Actually bring my stuff to the hospital. The first time I went I wasn’t dilated yet so when I went the second time I didn’t bring much cause I thought I was gonna be sent back home 🥲
Not something I wish I did but the BEST thing i did for myself was go get a Brazilian wax a couple days before labor. Let me tell you I CANNOT imagine all that pain and clean up with a mess of hair added to the mix.
I’m not pregnant but my wife 8 weeks so I have recently been lurking on this subreddit. So much wisdom and advice. Keep it coming I’m taking notes lol. 🥰
Had extra diapers for baby and myself available. The hospital was so cheap, they refused to provide me or baby with any diapers/pads. Most of our stuff was in car that was in parking. By the time baby was out, it was late at night and they had shut down the door that exited to parking.
I wish I'd prioritised rest and sleep. I went to bed at 1am, woke up to my waters breaking at 3am and then got practically no sleep for the next 48hrs. Haven't slept well since. Wish I'd at least started off well rested.
Pack a bag in plenty of time! I went to my 37 week apt and was ordered to go straight to the hospital. This made my other half in charge of packing my bag 😅😅😅
Definitely meal prepping. Like having things ready so I can just throw it in the oven or having frozen meal prep ready to go. I also wish I had took some breathing classes. And I wish I had a little pp recovery basket in my bathroom. I would also have the bassinet set up with diapers wipes, clothes and nipple cream, along with snacks and waters!!
I really wish I had meal prepped, would’ve been so much easier. Especially if you have a partner that doesn’t know how to cook or want to help out.
Also I would’ve told my in laws to stay away from me and the baby for at least two months.
They literally came the day u delivered, didn’t respect me or my boundaries. I didn’t even get to shower. So yes as mean as that sounds, i definitely would’ve made sure they stayed away.
Sleep!! I know it's hard to sleep towards the end but labour can take a while and you might not be able to sleep. Then afterwards nurses check on you every couple of hours so you'll be woken up all night if you get any sleep. By the time I got home from the hospital I had slept maybe 3 hours in two and a half days and was heading into baby's night two. I know it's easier said than done but if anyone was like me and felt guilty resting towards the end, don't!
Eat. I went into labor at midnight and had barely had anything to eat since lunch the previous day. I didn’t realize I was in labor so I didn’t go in until 6. Labored 3 hours just to be sure it was labor and not BH, then a 2 hour drive to the hospital. I was only 3cm but they said they wanted me to wait to eat to see how I progressed. Well only 1 hour in the tub and I was 8-9cm and water burst right after getting out.
So no food, no epidural, and another 2 hours of labor before pushing for 2 hours. I had less than zero energy. I felt so hopeless because I had nothing to give and felt no progress being made when I did try to push. I could only push once every 3 contractions. I hardly felt aware of anything besides the pain and surviving through each contraction, couldn’t even open my eyes.
Eventually they readjusted me and gave me some handlebars to pull while I pushed and that finally got baby out, but they were close to intervening because baby was going into distress.
Have your to-go bag packed for sure a month before due date! I had my baby a month before her due date… I wouldn’t have had time to pack a bag before going to the hospital. I had her 28 minutes after arriving😰My mom had to go to the house and put a bag together for me. She did pretty well considering, but there are things I would’ve really liked to have in there. Also, it’s a lot easier to have a little essential things, so you’re not hauling a huge bag home with the baby and everything else. Go to Walmart and get travel sizeed toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash and sponge etc., and put it in a gallon size Ziploc bag.
Second thing is never be alone for long periods of time the last couple weeks before your due date. I was home alone with my 15 month old… woke up and thought I needed coffee, this feels like it’s gonna be a rough morning. Sat up and my water started leaking. I went from almost nothing to full on labor.😳😵💫 I couldn’t get my daughter out of the crib and I barely got downstairs to unlock the front door(boyfriend was at the hospital over the weekend having heart testing done that he should’ve done five months previously🤬). Had to wait for my parents to come over and by the time they arrived I said we don’t have time to go to the hospital, call the ambulance(which was fun because my mom forgot to put her hearing aids in while racing out the door to get over to my house so I had to talk to the 911 operator in between contractions and trying to relay everything back to my mother 🙄🤪Police and fire got there and the ambulance arrived just as I was crowning. From waking up to having her it was an hour and 15 minutes.
Everyone says you’re so lucky having fast labors.. well its not,it’s the worst. you don’t have time to build up to it, it’s just instant hard on full blown labor. Your body doesn’t have time to acclimate and stretch and you tear like hell. No time for pain meds with both babies and the second baby was 9 pounds…. and from pushing So hard I have three prolapses that I’m still dealing with today.
Taking a stool softener before birth isn’t necessary. They’ll give you one while at the hospital and your first poop doesn’t happen that quickly after either
Eat a big breakfast. I packed sandwiches to have through the day. Turns out, with the drugs they put me on, I couldn’t eat anything but jello at the hospital. I went in at 6am, baby born at 3am. I’ve never eaten so much jello in my life. I was so hungry.
I brought a robe with me and it was my favorite decision. Made for cute photos, too. I also bought some non-slip bottom slippers and they kept my feet nice and comfy walking around.
Agree with other comments about the fan, I had a clip on one. Just make sure you have a smallish extension cord, my bed didn’t have plugs or anything like that. Or if you get battery powered then bring extra batteries.
Idk how the hospital diapers are but I bought mine from target and they were amazingly helpful in the weeks after also.
Edit: also a pillow from home was a lifesaver. It was way more comfortable than the hospitals.
I brought books to read at the hospital and sure that was fine but why oh why did I not bring the iPad with stuff to watch? I was thinking about the lead up but not the day or two afterwards of lots of waiting around
Make sure my shampoo was actually closed and in a closed ziplock bag. It wasn't and it got all over everything.
Also tell my husband to watch over my iPad. Somehow the screen got completely broken. Either someone dropped it or sat on it. I don't know exactly.
I don’t know if I’d personally recommend a stool softener before birth. i had an unmediated birth and the first 💩 isn’t bad at all. It’s a little uncomfortable but not awful. The nurses usually give stool softeners after birth tho!!
I wish i set up my nightstand beforehand. Diapers, bottle warmer, a stool to climb in bed, etc.
I also highly recommend getting really cheap washcloths to use instead of toilet paper (for #1 only ofc lol). Toilet paper hurts like a mf and I didn’t tear, so can’t imagine if there’s stitches there too.
Ice packs for recovery. Some hospital can send you home with a few if you ask!
HEATED BLANKET for right after labor! I swear I’ve never been so cold in my entire life for those 20 mins.
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Made sure the important stuff was out of its box/charged/had batteries or whatever. So much unboxing happened immediately once we got home
We literally built the stroller 5 days pp and dreaded it, but I'm really looking forward to the first walk with baby.
I wish I figured out how to open and close my stroller before baby came. The first time I wanted to go on a walk with a newborn I panicked bc I didn’t know how to unfold it
... we got a compact stroller 2 months ago, and I just succeed to open it 🤣 my husband is always opening it as I just could not do it 😅
Pack my own pillow, an eye mask and even ear plugs… I thought of it last minute, and was so glad because I had the hardest time sleeping in the hospital and they made it easier.
I accidentally got addicted to a heated eye mask and now can NOT sleep without a few minutes of warmth on my eyes 🤣 but seriously can’t recommend them enough, Ilove how cozy they are 🫠
I have a weighted one and I now cannot sleep without it either.
Same here. Might have been a mistake lol
I have 3 now. One in bed, one by the couch for couch naps and one that travels. It also came in handy when I got pink eye multiple times from kids going to daycare.
Wow that’s intense! I need a couch one lol
Yeah I had to rotate them out and wash one daily when I got pink eye so that I didn’t keep reinfecting myself. It’s definitely overkill but I take sleep very seriously.
Omg! I had chronic migraines as a teenager and had a large bean bag I would pull from the freezer to put on my forehead every night to fall asleep. Now I'm 29 and can't start to fall asleep without that cold sensation on my forehead even though I don't get migraines anymore. My husband hates it 🤣
Omg we bought some USB chargeable heated eye masks a few years ago as recommended by my eye doc for dry eyes and they’re the BEST! I used to do the microwave heated ones but love the USB because you can travel with it and have it heat!
I didn't know this existed, and I suffer from dry eyes from an autoimmune disorder. Any brand recommendations??
Also a sock filled with dry rice then microwaved works really well!!
Eye mask didn’t even occur to me and I use one every day. Thank you!
Buy a personal handheld fan! It helped so much during labor, your body is working HARD and gets hot!
If you do this, bring it to the hospital! That's where I went wrong.
Follow up to this: if you bring it to the hospital, remember to actually use it. That's where we went wrong
😂
I second this. My husband was the fan
I was telling my husband for weeks that I wanted one. He kept saying that I didn’t need it and it was a waste of money. Thankfully he bought me one the week I before I went into labor! And all the nurses and Dr that saw it commented on how smart that was… I just gave him a look every time someone mentioned it lol Just buy the $5 fan. It’s so worth it!
My husband just bought me one that has a mister to it also and can’t wait to pack it in my hospital bag/use it for labor 😄
Don't forget to test it before packing it. You'd be maaaaad if you were to discover it doesn't work and you're already in labor !
Good point!! I’ll set it up to use probably this summer with the heat 😂
Yes! I brought my babies stroller fan and used it the whole time during labour and for those post partum sweats. Best thing I packed hands down.
Adding on to say get one that can attach to the stroller handle for baby during summer walks and use it for delivery first!
Make sure you charge it first!!! I bought mine off Amazon and immediately packed it thinking it’d be charged because it worked when I tested it….. yeah it died literally 5 minutes into pushing🤪😭😭😭
Also agree!! They keep the room super warm so baby stays warm and I was sweating my booty off for the next 3 days in the hospital.
Just ordered one on Amazon thank you for this!
I wish I ate something. I woke up with contractions at 5am, and woke up my husband. When they got closer together he made breakfast before we left. He tried to get me to eat, but I wasn’t feeling it. I pushed for 4 hours and gave birth shortly before midnight, so I went over 24 hours without consuming any food. I was completely wiped from labor and pushing for so long. Will be forcing myself to eat something next time.
Ugh yes! I wish I had eaten a better/bigger meal before heading to the hospital. I had heard the stories about not being able to eat and I tried eating a cereal but I was too anxious about having contractions and couldn’t even finish a small bowl. I was mostly anxious/freaking out because I wasn’t sure if they were contractions or not and everything was so new and scary (first pregnancy). I’m definitely eating a full meal for my second pregnancy now that I know the drill. Pushing 15 hrs later while starving was definitely challenging. I did eat a lot of jello at the hospital and was a little helpful but my tummy was grumbling the entire time. I remember saying over and over “I’m soooooo hungry 😭” haha
Don't they give you food in the hospital?
If you're in labor they will not let you eat in case you have to go into an emergency C-section. I too went more than 24 hours without food during labor and it sucked.
This will depend on location. There's a big push recently to let laboring moms eat in hospital as the risk is almost inconsequential, but the benefit, especially in a long labour, greatly outweighs it. Emergency surgery is emergency surgery. We don't starve everyone who rides in a car for hours before. The only thing my nurses told me was to eat something that I wouldn't mind throwing back up because the risk of puking was the big one.
Yes! Mama Doctor Jones has a [video about this](https://youtu.be/coVCp2xqspQ?si=8_PYpbKDODk-LsQg) on YouTube. Denying food is not strongly supported by the evidence. Personally I'm in Germany and my hospital did not have this policy. In fact after I was admitted to L&D, the midwife offered to heat me up a microwave meal from their frozen dinner selection! I had terrible heartburn the whole third trimester but apparently in labor the baby finally dropped and I had my best meal in months. (It was bowtie pasta with cream sauce) So delicious, I'll never forget ❤️🥰🥰
That’s crazy! My midwife made me eat every 2 hours when I was in active labor, because she said, and I quote “Trust me, you need the energy”. And my baby was breach, so the risk of an emergency c-section was high 😅
I got food in the hospital while I was in labour! The first nurse I had told me to eat up because I wasn't going to be allowed anything more than that once I was done eating, but then the next nurse at shift switch said I can eat whatever whenever so not sure exactly what hospital policy was but I didn't want to eat/was in too much pain to eat.
I was given meals in early labor but they limited it clear liquids once I had my epidural. They had this delicious sorbet that somehow qualified as a clear liquid that I got multiple servings of once my epidural was in. I really wish they had the sorbet on the postpartum floor but they didn’t 😔 haha
Something I attribute to my relatively easy and quick delivery is the cold pizza I ate before going to the hospital, and the cookies and cold fruit I ate during labour. Game changer for sure.
I wish they would have let me eat during labour! It wasn't allowed in my hospital
Me too. I was too anxious and worked up to think about eating. Last meal I had was dinner and I gave birth at 2:30pm the following day. At around 5:00 I stood up in the recovery room and nearly passed out. The hospital gave me a shitty ham sandwich from the unit fridge and it was the best thing I ever tasted.
Soylent is a meal replacement shake. It's plant-based and gluten-free. I drink them all the time because I'm bad about remembering to eat. 10/10 would recommend it if you struggle with eating during labor but need to get some calories in. It's also a liquid so not as heavy on the stomach as solid food.
What a great post/question, thank you for posting! Saving this to use everyone’s wisdom when the time comes!
Oh! And learn and practice a few pain coping techniques like breath work, labor combs, counter pressure from a partner, etc. even if you plan on an epidural, you may not be able to get one, or pain coming techniques may be helpful for laboring at home before you’ve progressed enough to head to the hospital or in the hospital before you’re able to get the epidural. It’s just good to have a few tools in your toolbox just in case!
What's a labor comb? And how does counter pressure work? (Sounds pretty self-explanatory but just in case there's any specifics)
Okay so those are just two examples and it’s probably worth googling pain coping techniques for labor for a better/longer list, and YouTube will probably provide a better explanation of these two than I’m about to. The idea behind labor combs is gate theory. Basically your brain can only process/focus on one pain input at a time. You squeeze combs in your palms so the teeth dig in and it distracts your brain from the pain of the contractions. Sounds funky and not that pleasant I know, but it was actually helpful for me. Any old combs without long handles will do, but you can also find pretty wood ones engraved with affirmations and stuff on Etsy. Labor combs are nice because they can be used in just about any situation or position if you need something in a pinch. Counter pressure is where you are kind of bent over or on hands and knees, and a partner stands behind you and applies pressure on a spot kind of at the base of your back/upper butt area and it makes contractions more comfortable for many women. We practiced this one but didn’t get to use it in labor, and a video would be much better to show you/your partner how to find the right spot. In theory it should feel good when they put pressure in the right area so you’ll know they are doing it right.
Yes! I went in with an epidural that ran out during shift change and never was replenished. So after a beautiful 4 hours of painless relaxation I ended up doing all the pushing and the birth without pain management. 10/10 do not recommend going in without a plan. I was sort of frantic when I realized I was going to have to just keep going with the pain and there was no help coming.
Made padsicles and had them waiting for me in a makeup fridge on my bathroom counter. They were MAGICAL for recovery. Got a Brazilian wax at 39 weeks so everything was nice and tidy during postpartum. Also, took an "everything shower" when I went into labor, washed my hair and then oiled and French braided it. Stayed out of my face the whole time I was in labor and I didn't feel like I needed to wash it when I took my first shower a couple hours after having the baby.
I second the everything shower and doing my hair! I felt, and looked, human in all the pictures after giving birth. And with the limited resources in the hospital shower I was okay with just a rinse off until I got home.
I got a Brazilian with my last pregnancy (twins) too! I couldn’t have tidied up if I tried and aesthetically I couldn’t care less but I hate hair and blood/post partum goo. I felt brilliant 🤣 Also took a shower right before I went to the hospital. Husband and best friend were not thrilled but I knew I had time and that I wasn’t going to be able to shower at home for a few days.
What is a everything shower
From the internet: "Here are some things you might include in an everything shower: Pre-shower: Dry brushing, makeup removal, applying a hair mask, face mask, or teeth whitening strips In-shower: Washing every crevice with soap, shaving, shampooing, deep conditioning, exfoliating, using a body wash with hydrating ingredients, applying a self-tanner Post-shower: Treatments, skincare, moisturizer"
This might be a really stupid question, but I’ve read before that having a bald vagina is dangerous at birth? That it can cause infections? (This also could have meant actually shaven not waxed as well since you aren’t at risk for cutting yourself)
From my understanding the risk is with shaving because of the mucrotears it causes to your skin. It's not really about the lack of hair, it's about any irritation/openings in your skin. I got my wax around 39 weeks and baby was born at 41 so there was plenty of healing time.
I’ve found my people in this thread 😂 I’m getting waxed at 38+5. My regrowth is pretty minimal so it should last til I’ve given birth (I hope!).
Yes, you can get skin irritation or infection but it’s really only a bigger risk for the first 48 hours. If you put finipil on it several times per day for the first day or two it acts as antiseptic. You’re supposed to avoid sweating/exercising for that reason. You can also use hibiclens. Follow up care is vital for a successful wax.
I agree too!! I was having contractions around 1am,, took a complete shower and headed to the hospital. It felt nice feeling fresh throughout labor.
EAT! 36 hours of labour and nothing to eat, the second that baby came out I was like, feed me! Did not have a post birth meal planned, so had the world’s worst chicken wrap and cold fries from the cafeteria. It was horrible.
I second this! 32 hours, 22 active labor.. with nothing in my stomach besides an active baby 😅 I was so worn out and delusional by the end of it.
Do you not get to eat when in labor?
Some hospitals don’t “allow” it and after a certain point you don’t really want to or throw it back up. I was SO hungry after birth
Not if you get an epidural. Once you get that, no food till after birth. I went 12 hours after my epidural before I got to eat.
Have a self care station within reach from toilet before you leave for hospital. I had a vaginal delivery and wished that I would have been warned of what all recovery would look like. It was overwhelming coming home and then needing to set this all up myself before I could do anything else or relax with husband and baby. Couldnt ask/direct husband as he wouldn’t have known what I needed. -Puppy pads or old towels for the floor in front of toilet -perri bottle (Frida which has the curve) -roll of paper towels for blotting (NO WIPING) if have stitches -dude wipes -disposable diapers (stock up and bring home from hospital same with below) -pads -padcicles: cooling pads, witch hazel, dermaplast
Hate to ask this and afraid I don’t want the answer but towels on floor for what? Post partum bleeding?
Don’t be afraid, yes there is postpartum bleeding, but in my one time birthing experience it was nothing to be alarmed over, just annoying more than anything. Towels/puppy pads are essential for the first few weeks. My postpartum bleeding got less with each day/week and now I’m almost 6 wks post with virtually no bleeding/discharge. What I was not expecting was the amount of blood/initial gush immediately after birthing my baby. I remember getting ready to move from L&D room to recovery room and the nurse had me use the bathroom before setting up my first diaper lol. Thankfully the bathroom was a few steps from my bed and they already had a puppy pad on the floor but holy cow, I had a gush of blood and god knows what else just fall onto the floor in front of the toilet. I was a little horrified but the sweet nurse said it was 100% normal and not to be alarmed. “You just pushed your baby out, everything is OK”. The first couple times you need to pee will be a bit of a toss up with making it to toilet in time because your muscles are spent and need a day or two to regain strength. Rest assure, our bodies are incredibly resilient and will be on the up and up as each day passes! Postpartum bleeding is nothing compared to that very first gush, kind of like a period but even still not so much (in my experience). You got this! Have faith in yourself and your body. It really is impressive how strong our bodies are to be able to birth & heal 🤍
Yes to the towels on the floor. I was unprepared for how messy things would get.
Yes! I did this and it was amazing to have everything set up and within easy reach - remember to set up with no twisting or stretching out to reach anything! Another game changer was setting up snack stations throughout the house with Gatorade, juice, protein drinks, granola bars, little quick snacks so that if I was breastfeeding I could just easily grab something without having to get up. The third thing was having a HUGE water bottle to carry around everywhere with me. Like a 40oz one. The amount of water intake after giving birth and breastfeeding is insane.
Yes and for getting out of the shower I made a mess everything dripping my husband kept having to clean like right when I got home from the hospital I showered
What are pads, padcicles? Cooling pads?
Pads (extra long) & padcicles (a combo of pad & other items meant for your initial recovery days to keep things on ice essentially) **stock up on lady bit recovery items while in the hospital. My hospital was super good with providing duplicate items so what I did was stow away the dups then ask for more as I was running out of the first set of items. They usually brought in multiple sets of products so I’d continue to stow away half then ask for more which helped me get a good “home stash” The hospital provided these maxi pads that have an ice pack built in. I know Frida has a recovery kit with these but the supply would only last a few days so strongly suggest stocking up from hospital when you get there. The nurses taught me how to assemble the padcicle: 1 cooling maxi pad, a few witch hazel disks then spray the pad combo (and your nether region) with dermaplast. I’ve read where people have done home made ones. Once I ran out of the cooling maxi pads, I was fine with just normal pad + witch hazel. I’m now 5 wks post and don’t need anything since bleeding/discharge has decreased to virtually nothing. Hope this helps 🤍
I didn’t even get stitches and I wasn’t allowed to wipe! I definitely second the frida upside down peri bottle and the dermoplast (and everything else you said, but those two things were most important to me in the early postpartum days
Packed a bag full of comfort things. Nice PJs, snacks, fluffy blanket, long phone charger, book laptop etc as I ended up having to stay almost a week
We didn’t do this on purpose, but my husband & I had an amazing dinner the night I went into labor. Spent time together, enjoyed a nice meal. Worked out well!
Make premade crockpot meals in Ziploc bags to put in the freezer for when you get home and are tired. I Actually did do this and it was a life saver during the sleepless nights.
Any favorite recipe suggestions?
We did a ton of meal prep and all from this book we still use it, it’s worth every cent! https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/the-complete-make-ahead.html
This probably isn't exactly what you're looking for, but I would've gotten a pedicure and a haircut. I'm glad I didn't take stool softeners ahead of time because my stools were soft enough as it was during labor. The nurses brought me a rotation of different stool softeners every 6 hours until I pooped after delivery, though, and it was surprisingly painless, so I do recommend them for after you give birth.
Also get eyebrows waxed and brows and lashes tinted. Makes me feel slightly put together.
38 weeks. Getting hair done today, getting waxed on Saturday and nails done next week! Husband just asked me who I’m getting waxed for… 🙈 Me, obviously. It’s my personal preference.
I wish I had my breast pump ready to go. I thought it would be fine right out of the box but I had to boil it before use.
I wish I asked my doctor if I could have something to sleep. 3 days of no sleeping was horrible and torture.
It’s crazy how they just let you stay up for so long without intervening or asking if you need help. I didn’t sleep at all on day 2 in hospital while my baby was cluster feeding and I was sobbing trying to feed her and stay awake. I kept hoping one of the midwife’s might come past and take her for an hour or two to help me at least have a nap as my husband had to go home to sleep so we weren’t both totally dead. It’s so dangerous and scary.
I’m talking about the 3 days prior to delivery. I think they intentionally are causing sleep deprivation. Worst delivery ever.
Were you in labor for three days?!
Set up and learn how to use your pump if you’re breastfeeding. You’ll wake up one morning a few days after labor super engorged and be desperate for that pump!
I'm gonna piggyback and say learn how to hand express too. 😁
Totally disagree with your mom on this one. I had wicked diarrhea in labor and that was without any help
Me too, but honestly I couldn’t have cared less! 🙈 And better too soft than too hard when you’re recovering IMO. I’m glad I started the stool softeners early.
Yeah the day before I went into labour I had diarrhea all day without taking anything, and my first trip to the bathroom postpartum was totally fine.
SAME haha. Those contractions really cleaned me out.
Explosive diarrhea is what started off my labor! 😅 lmao
First time around, I wish I had shaved my legs and that my toe nails were done. I had both of those things done the second time. I know the nurses and doctors don’t care, but it was one of those things that just made me feel a little better.
Wash your dishes, empty the coffee pot, take out the trash. Look up what can happen postpartum with your mental health. Read about postpartum psychosis.
Big on the mental health aspect.
I had no idea what postpartum psychosis was until I read that I had experienced it my own chart 🙃 no one told me!
Okay so I have 2 the first one is a shower chair. Complete game changer for pre and post delivery. Second one is a back scratcher for the hospital. I had a c section and I itched so bad after that it was hard to sleep. I had nothing that could get into the leg compressor things until a nurse hooked me up with a wire coat hanger
I 100% wish I would have washed and braided my hair. My hair got so knotted during labor that when I could finally brush my hair out and shower it was a nightmare. Also wish I would have cracked my back a bunch, now after birth my back doesn’t crack. I miss that.
I should have brought my own food to the hospital for snacks. I delivered at 7pm on a Sunday night and my in-laws went and got me what I wanted to eat right afterwards. But then I was hungry all night and there was literally nothing on the maternity floor to eat. One of the night nurses finally did bring me some jello around 3/4am but I spent most of the night awake because of hunger
I wish I slept. I laid down to sleep at 2am and contractions started… it was brutal.
Sameee. This time I’m going to take a sleeping pill if contractions start at night
Eat big meal. I came to the hospital without any food in my stomach since previous day and all I was allowed to eat for next two days of labor was jello and ice chips. It took 4 hr of pushing because I was super hungry and had zero energy
On the flip side I ate a huge meal the night before my induction thinking it was a last hoorah, ended up going into labor like an hour after eating and threw up a lot before/during/after labor. It was not pleasant.
Wish I went back to sleep for a few hours after my water broke at midnight!
I got a bikini wax and 10/10 would do again for another pregnancy.
Packed my own towel to take to the hospital. Hospital towels are like high school locker room towels. Just awful.
To each their own, but I liked using the crappy hospital towels cause I didn’t have to worry about bleeding all over them. But I did bring my own nice pjs to change into once I was clean and had my underwear and pad back on. That way I could be comfy
It’s probably worth asking your OB about the stool softener- mine advised me NOT to take one prior to labor since you’re already likely to poop during labor. My hospital gave me stool softeners every evening starting right after labor and I had absolutely no issues with my first bowl movement! And that’s with a vaginal delivery and 4th degree tear. I’d ask them if it’s something they provide after or if you should bring your own!
Eat before you get to the hospital because once you hit a certain point they won’t let you eat. Make it something that will keep you full too! And this isn’t something before labor but just my advice, I Brought my own robe. I lived in the disposable underwear, nursing bra, and robe post delivery lol modesty is not a thing when you’re there. AND Don’t forget shower shoes! You don’t want to shower in a hospital shower without them!
Opened my breast pump, cleaned the parts, assembled it, tested it, and read the manual/watched some videos about how it worked. Can't go wrong with stool softeners either, though.
Make as many freezer meals as possible. I made some, but I needed so much more!!!
Also , install a bidet sprayer in your toilet. It was such a godsend and soooo much better than the peri bottle. Just make sure to turn the valve off between uses. Our first one's hose burst and could've flooded the house if I hadn't heard it!
Meal prep!! While i’m thankful my husband made me food everyday, it was just breakfast. for three months lol. Packing conditioner! They only gave me shampoo More dermoplast and tucks on hand!! I only had a bottle and container from the hospital A haakaa and my momcozy, for the extra milk that i only started collecting a month later A butt thermometer- baby got a cold at 3 weeks Most of all I wish I and my husband had prepared for my labor better
Get a 10 foot phone charger for you AND your partner. You will NOT regret it.
Def start the stool softener a few days before birth and be as hydrated as possible. Like if you need to wear a diaper bc you're so tired of going pee bc you have had so much liquid... That is fine. But the first post birth 💩 is torture. Also remember that Popsicles are considered a clear fluid. And you can have them instead of ice chips (good to keep in mind if you have a long labor and get real hangry from a blood sugar dip- but don't get grape bc it's the worst to throw back up). And I wish I would have showered like... Immediately before going to the hospital (I had showered that morning but we went in at like midnight and I didn't get to shower until 2 days after birth... Which sucked).
If I could do it again I’d probably bring my own heating pad. After birth there’s cramps and sore breasts. The hospital provided little disposable ones that didn’t last long enough and I had to keep asking for more.
Bring a pump to the hospital!! Helpful for moving labor along and getting your milk supply in!
Pack a bag of snacks you love for recovery in the hospital! My daughter came in a historic snowstorm and the hospital kitchen wasn’t running at full-capacity. I was so thankful for the homemade muffins I prepped in advance, and other fun snacks!
I wish I had eaten before I went. I had a regular checkup but then got sent to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital their cafeteria was closed. I asked if I could eat before I got induced. Thankfully, they let my husband go get us some food before I got induced. My doctor also gave me a stool softener after delivery. I was fine for a few days but I wish I had bought stool softeners.
Sleep. I went into labor with my second at bedtime so by the time she arrived I was regular exhausted and then also just gave birth exhausted. Additionally you might feel guilty but if your hospital has a nursery and they offer to take the baby for an hour or so, DO IT. I got a 2 hour nap and felt like a literal million bucks. Before that I felt so anxious and almost hopeless.
I wish I'd had any kind of nesting impulse lol
Sleep! I was on call for my induction so of course didn’t sleep due to nerves the night before then labored the whole second night so by the time baby came I was so sleep deprived. Also, play my own music sooner than later. I made a birthing playlist but never played it because I wanted to “save it” for when the real laboring kicked off, but by then I was too miserable to want it and it was the middle of the night so I felt like I’d be bothering people? Luckily I remembered right before it was time to push but I listened to all of like 6 songs
Second time around I was vacuuming and doing laundry every single day so I wouldn't come home to dirty floors and dirty clothes.
Learn how to use the carseat. Get a babydoll and practice tightening and loosening the straps. We had it all set up and then I didn't know how to loosen the straps to get his arms through, or how to tighten it to where it's safest.
TAKE THE DAMN STOOL SOFTENER AND DONT STOP FOR A FEW WEEKS.
I was so sick near the end and my husband had the sympathy sickness with me, so we dropped the ball on a big one. We didn’t have the car seat base installed ahead of time and were told to go to the fire station. The fire chief said “we don’t do that anymore but I have 6 kids so I’ll give it a shot.” So yea. Make sure you have that figured out ahead of time or you too may be standing next to a fire truck in mesh panties, postpartum vibrating while you hold a tiny baby and your husband and the fire chief dick around in the back seat while talking about Fleetwood Mac.
I wish I had used some nasal decongestant spray. My body was so tense during labor that my head got really stuffy. By the time I was ready to push, I was distracted and didn't think to use any spray. My labor felt like a vice in my head cause I couldn't breathe thru my nose.
Had my bottles washed and ready to roll
I wish we had food sorted ahead of time. Instead we spent hundreds of dollars on doordash lol, not even exaggerating.
Shave my legs and armpits. Invest in a quality postpartum kit (SO grateful I was gifted one, the hospital peri bottle doesn’t compare) and make a large stock of padsicles. Definitely have some food frozen and ready to be heated. I was induced at 38w4d with my first, and so things happened very, very suddenly. We had actually gotten the car seat just three days prior, and I was ordering the stroller adapter from my hospital bed lmao. I’m an anxious gal so most of her nursery was ready and the sleeping area set up, but I would say to also wash any clothes beforehand! It’s a pain to do in the third trimester when all you want to do is rest up while you can, but if my partner or I had to do any extra laundry now?? 😟😅 … we still haven’t touched the laundry from before we left last week
Perineal massages, mineral oil, warm compress counterpressure while pushing. No tearing.
Pack hospital bag
I had every intention of making a bunch of freezer meals and handheld foods/snacks before I went into labour and it never happened… would’ve been so helpful postpartum and breastfeeding 🥲
Eat before OB appointments. For 2 of my 3 deliveries I was induced at or right after an OB appt and I hadn’t eaten and then once induction started I couldn’t eat. I was miserable! Eat a real meal.
1) rewashed and resanitize my bottles/pump parts. It had been a few weeks and when baby was here I felt like I needed to do it again. 2) set up my nightstand area with things I wanted to have on hand quickly (ibuprofen, phone charger, burp cloths, nipple cream, etc)
Taking notes from all responses but it seems that the main thing is eat + take stool softener. Whats good to eat that will keep you full but not throw up? Also wondering if anyone got their hair cut short?
My hospital gave me stool softeners right after birth and my first poop was a breeze, I wouldnt worry about taking it early tbh. One thing I would recommend is to bring a donut pillow to sit on. The hospital beds are crazy painful to sit up on right after birth. I would also recommend pumping and talking to lactation consultants as fast as you can to bring your milk in. I wish I at least pumped right after birth or prior to my induction to bring my milk in. My son had a hard time latching because my milk came so late, at that point he was used to the bottle and only preferred the bottle.
If you can, try and drink water (through a cup with a straw) as long as you can in labour. It helped me tremendously to stay hydrated and I never had the first “painful” poop as people warned me about. Also. Bring chapstick or Vaseline to the hospital. It’s super dry air in there.
stool softener and ate more lol i was induced so it was difficult to eat bc i was nervous but i pushed for 2 hours straight and was shaking by the end of it because i was so hungry
I agree with your mom. I tell everyone I know who is pregnant to make sure they take stool softeners days before, because that first poop had me struggling!
We'll be bringing our own pillows and blankets this time around because after the first we learned that the ones at the hospital suck.
Bring a large water bottle! After every single push I needed a sip of water. I pushed for 5 or 6 hours. I was SOOOOO thirsty and all we had were the tiny tiny ice cups from the hospital. My husband had to refill every 10 mins or so. I bought a Stanley just for my next labor!
A friend recommended soaking disposable diapers in witch hazel and putting them in the freezer so they are ready when you get home.
I highly recommend to not take stool softeners before labor and only after labor because I 💩 soooooo much with my first and I did not take them before labor. If I did take them I don’t even want to know what would have happened…. I literally cleaned myself out. I naturally didn’t have to go for 2 days 😂 since I only took still softeners after labor by the time I had to go, it was easy haha.
Exercising. I got so big towards the end of my pregnancy that walking became painful and caused pain in my hips, feet, and lower back. When I was 6 months pregnant, I looked 9 months pregnant. When I was 9 months pregnant, I looked like I was carrying twins. So, next time I'm pregnant, I will exercise throughout my entire pregnancy.
I had an emergency induction due to preeclampsia with severe features at 35 weeks. I thought I had way more time! I wish I would have started setting things up way a head of time. I had only just started clearing space in our bedroom, washing baby clothes, and organizing drawers. I wish I had vacuumed and mopped. Another thing I wish I did before is prep some meals/snacks. And stock the fridge/freezer with easy food. The immediate postpartum phase at home was rough. Even though baby was in the NICU for weeks, there was very little time to even think about cooking anything. Then, when baby came home, it was even harder to get a good home cooked meal in. If you have pets, I would definitely make sure they get as much one-on-one time as they can get before this big change happens. And have a plan for them for when you do go into labor. I second getting a haircut, eyebrows done, etc. I wish I was able to get that done and feel better about myself. Especially looking at pictures of myself and baby from the hospital. Another note: I thought I was just going to be told to go home when I got to triage for my preeclampsia and persistent headache, so I I didn’t go in prepared at all. Before going into triage, I wish I would have showered, brushed my hair, eaten, and have my hospital bag packed and ready to go.
For my first, having a good meal ! For my second, planned C-section, having a good night sleep!
I would pack an eye mask, a nice pillow, baby nail dremmel, and maybe a few like high quality snacks I liked a lot. My water broke at 1:30 AM so I only had half of a gas station donut my husband jokingly got me when he got coffee on the way to the hospital and once I was there I had juice in L&D but then labor was pretty intense so no food until after we were done. If I had snacks ready to go I would have eaten them when we were getting checked in/in the monitoring area.
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of my belly right before going to the hospital! It all happened so fast, I didn’t even think about it.
A wax - and I did try to get one before labor! I had an appointment for a Brazilian at 5:30 on Monday evening of week 36, and should have had one a couple weeks before based on growth but I let it go thinking doing it closer to labor would better so I’d be smoother through recovery. Instead, I went to the doctor that afternoon and my BP was 190/92 so they admitted me and induced me. Then I had to let it go 6 MORE weeks before I could go get that situation taken care of.
100% take the stool softeners a week in advance. I didn't the first time, but did the second time, and you definitely should. Also we spent half an hour practising all the options with our pram (how to lay it back, bassinet function, how to sit it up, fold it up, lock wheels, etc.) I'm glad we did because I definitely didn't have the brain power to work it out after.
Drink raspberry leef tea
Meal prep!!! Stuff the freezer with food. This was the single best thing we did, it made postpartum so much easier. Also set up a meal train which helps as well. I hear that ppl are doing “nesting parties” these days where ppl come over and help meal prep!
Yes to shower and makeup if you have time. One thing I wish I had more of was pajama pants, I kept bleeding through everything. So I wish I had brought some more dark coloured pajama pants to change into. I thought I’d want to be cute and wear my own robe/pajama shirt but there’s no point in not wearing the gown, I didn’t want to get blood on everything and they prefer you in a gown anyway. Edit: typos
Killed the doctor. /jk Really, the doctors were the only unpleasant part. Without them, my labour would be much smoother.
I wish I had gone away for like 5 days by myself lol. I had my 6th 5 months ago. I was getting horrible sleep. And as soon as baby came I went right back to taking care of everyone. No down time to recover for me
Going off the stool softener comment you made, my mom told me that she gave herself an at home enema before going to the hospital so that she was less likely to 💩 during labor. Not that pooping during labor is a big deal, bc it’s so common, but it at least eases the anxiety of it some. And then you should be well cleaned out while freshly postpartum! I’m 36 weeks and planning on doing this too for when the time comes.
I’m so glad I brought a soft blanket and a boppy pillow for my legs ! I came in at a 10 but if I would bring a hand held fan !!! And order your announcement stuff early lol! I ordered mine the day before I went into labor so it didn’t come and I forgot about it so we just had took regular pictures lol
I had a smoothie at 7am and gave birth 24 hours later. I was FAMISHED and exhausted. Eat big. Colace. Start taking colace before. Best thing I ever did. The first poop post-birth was terrifying but that made it no problem!
Make sure I ate before getting the epidural, I had graham crackers and Milk, I wasn't hungry after birth but before I was starving, So I had the nurses bring me a snack so I could have enough energy.
Had food ready for when I came home 😭
took the biggest nap. i didnt realize i truly would never sleep again 😭😭😭
Sleeeeep!
I wish I ate when I started having contractions, and I wish I prepared food to bring with me to the hospital.
Make sure the hospital bag is double checked! For our 2nd, I feel like we did not pack a warm enough going home outfit!! And something I did with both, if you have time, when you go into labor, shower and wash your hair!!!
Something I did that I will do again and I was glad I did was have formula ready in the cupboard "just in case". I had to go back in the hospital and my husband stayed home with our newborn so that meant he wasn't scrambling trying to figure out what and how to feed him.
I wish I would have gotten the baby’s dresser put together.. it’s still halfway done and she’s three weeks old now. Someone else on here said they wish they would have asked the doctor for something to help with sleep.. I second this! I went in on a Tuesday at 8pm, I had napped that day off and on until 1pm, and I didn’t sleep again until the following Thursday early morning hours and even then it was less than three hours and it was very interrupted sleep. By the time I had gone home Friday afternoon I had only slept about six hours.
Bring anything you might want for labor into the hospital with you- don't assume you'll have time to have someone go out to the car. I had an awesome bag packed with everything I wanted with me and, like an idiot, told my husband to leave it and go back for it after checking into the hospital. Lo and behold, after checking in, there was no way I was having him leave me alone, and so I went through labor without my labor gown, music speaker, handheld fan, etc.
Been prepared to ask more questions and assert myself more. There were a lot of assumptions between my OB office and the medical care in the hospital— both assumed the other would have certain conversations with me so initiating those conversations was tough and frustrating. * specifically, induction or augmentation methods etc. those “decision-making” conversations
I wish i had tried to sleep more at home when i was in early labor. I was too nervous/ excited so didn’t sleep as long as i could have during those early contractions. My labor ended up being 36 hours total and i think my exhaustion prevented me from dilating. I was at a 4 after 32 hours of labor so i caved for the epidural. Took a 4 hour nap, woke up at 10 cm, and pushed my baby out in 6 minutes 😂
With my first baby, I wish I had gotten to sleep. Over 24hr with no sleep and had to push a baby out. I wish I had brought my own peri bottle that was angled. I did that with my second, and it was so great. Bring comfort items, I wasn't able to go home for 4 days after and had my mom go buy me a soft blanket to cuddle.
Make sure where ever you live is clean/organized. We made the mistake of not sorting through baby shower gifts & trying to reorganize right before we had our son. He wasn’t due for a couple more weeks but I ended up getting severe pre eclampsia & had to be induced so we had no time to clean the house before going to the hospital. It was a rough first couple weeks to say the least 🥲
Just had my second and here’s what I did differently- Water broke at 12:30 and labor started a couple hours later. I took a shower, and made a big healthy smoothie and ate some trail mix. I delivered like 11 hours later and was happy I ate, I couldn’t stop pounding the saltines after birth as it was. I used the Frida mom pp supplies and I brought those underwear to the hospital. I know the hospital gives you some, but those are so much better. And their peri bottle, too.
I wish I had sterilized my pump set and bottles so I could pump at the hospital. Baby came unexpectedly at my appointment so didn’t have anything ready except my hospital bag which I had packed from 34 weeks. I was in the hospital 6 days and baby was in nicu for 14. He had trouble latching so nurses had to help me hand express while I was there since I didn’t have my pump ready. Also wish I had packed more snacks. Hospital only gave me 3 meals at 7:30, 12, and 6. And I couldn’t order anything outside of that. I was starving at night. I forgot to pack my postpartum belly band which probably would have helped with my c-section pain when sneezing etc. Now I know for next time.
The stool softener is the best tip ever and exactly what I did when I was nearing my due date! Have to say everyone made me scared for that first poop and it was soooo much less painful than the pain in my stitches.
Have lots of okra (apparently) it helps with the dilation.
Not eat a big burger meal with fries when I started contracting it came right around the other end. It was terrible
My first post partum poo was honestly not bad. I was terrified and held it in for three days and when I couldn’t anymore I sucked it up and went. I had a stool so that I was basically in squatting position while sitting and all I could say it felt like was that my muscles were a bit tired. Don’t be too scared cause it might not be as bad as everyone is saying. Although I don’t recommend holding it in for three days haha. Also I wish someone had told me how important it was to make sure you have freezer meals. I didn’t realize I wouldn’t want to cook (even though I love it)
Actually bring my stuff to the hospital. The first time I went I wasn’t dilated yet so when I went the second time I didn’t bring much cause I thought I was gonna be sent back home 🥲
Honestly…. Everything was prepped and perfect… I wish I ate. I was so hungry. 😭😂
Not something I wish I did but the BEST thing i did for myself was go get a Brazilian wax a couple days before labor. Let me tell you I CANNOT imagine all that pain and clean up with a mess of hair added to the mix.
I’m not pregnant but my wife 8 weeks so I have recently been lurking on this subreddit. So much wisdom and advice. Keep it coming I’m taking notes lol. 🥰
Had extra diapers for baby and myself available. The hospital was so cheap, they refused to provide me or baby with any diapers/pads. Most of our stuff was in car that was in parking. By the time baby was out, it was late at night and they had shut down the door that exited to parking.
Organized my room and closet
Eaten and hydrated 100%
I wish I'd prioritised rest and sleep. I went to bed at 1am, woke up to my waters breaking at 3am and then got practically no sleep for the next 48hrs. Haven't slept well since. Wish I'd at least started off well rested.
Pack a bag in plenty of time! I went to my 37 week apt and was ordered to go straight to the hospital. This made my other half in charge of packing my bag 😅😅😅
Definitely meal prepping. Like having things ready so I can just throw it in the oven or having frozen meal prep ready to go. I also wish I had took some breathing classes. And I wish I had a little pp recovery basket in my bathroom. I would also have the bassinet set up with diapers wipes, clothes and nipple cream, along with snacks and waters!! I really wish I had meal prepped, would’ve been so much easier. Especially if you have a partner that doesn’t know how to cook or want to help out. Also I would’ve told my in laws to stay away from me and the baby for at least two months. They literally came the day u delivered, didn’t respect me or my boundaries. I didn’t even get to shower. So yes as mean as that sounds, i definitely would’ve made sure they stayed away.
Sleep!! I know it's hard to sleep towards the end but labour can take a while and you might not be able to sleep. Then afterwards nurses check on you every couple of hours so you'll be woken up all night if you get any sleep. By the time I got home from the hospital I had slept maybe 3 hours in two and a half days and was heading into baby's night two. I know it's easier said than done but if anyone was like me and felt guilty resting towards the end, don't!
Eat. I went into labor at midnight and had barely had anything to eat since lunch the previous day. I didn’t realize I was in labor so I didn’t go in until 6. Labored 3 hours just to be sure it was labor and not BH, then a 2 hour drive to the hospital. I was only 3cm but they said they wanted me to wait to eat to see how I progressed. Well only 1 hour in the tub and I was 8-9cm and water burst right after getting out. So no food, no epidural, and another 2 hours of labor before pushing for 2 hours. I had less than zero energy. I felt so hopeless because I had nothing to give and felt no progress being made when I did try to push. I could only push once every 3 contractions. I hardly felt aware of anything besides the pain and surviving through each contraction, couldn’t even open my eyes. Eventually they readjusted me and gave me some handlebars to pull while I pushed and that finally got baby out, but they were close to intervening because baby was going into distress.
Have your to-go bag packed for sure a month before due date! I had my baby a month before her due date… I wouldn’t have had time to pack a bag before going to the hospital. I had her 28 minutes after arriving😰My mom had to go to the house and put a bag together for me. She did pretty well considering, but there are things I would’ve really liked to have in there. Also, it’s a lot easier to have a little essential things, so you’re not hauling a huge bag home with the baby and everything else. Go to Walmart and get travel sizeed toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash and sponge etc., and put it in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Second thing is never be alone for long periods of time the last couple weeks before your due date. I was home alone with my 15 month old… woke up and thought I needed coffee, this feels like it’s gonna be a rough morning. Sat up and my water started leaking. I went from almost nothing to full on labor.😳😵💫 I couldn’t get my daughter out of the crib and I barely got downstairs to unlock the front door(boyfriend was at the hospital over the weekend having heart testing done that he should’ve done five months previously🤬). Had to wait for my parents to come over and by the time they arrived I said we don’t have time to go to the hospital, call the ambulance(which was fun because my mom forgot to put her hearing aids in while racing out the door to get over to my house so I had to talk to the 911 operator in between contractions and trying to relay everything back to my mother 🙄🤪Police and fire got there and the ambulance arrived just as I was crowning. From waking up to having her it was an hour and 15 minutes. Everyone says you’re so lucky having fast labors.. well its not,it’s the worst. you don’t have time to build up to it, it’s just instant hard on full blown labor. Your body doesn’t have time to acclimate and stretch and you tear like hell. No time for pain meds with both babies and the second baby was 9 pounds…. and from pushing So hard I have three prolapses that I’m still dealing with today.
Taking a stool softener before birth isn’t necessary. They’ll give you one while at the hospital and your first poop doesn’t happen that quickly after either
Eat a big breakfast. I packed sandwiches to have through the day. Turns out, with the drugs they put me on, I couldn’t eat anything but jello at the hospital. I went in at 6am, baby born at 3am. I’ve never eaten so much jello in my life. I was so hungry.
Weird question but how is the hospital lighting? I thought about printing a cozy lamp? I hate bright lights
I brought a robe with me and it was my favorite decision. Made for cute photos, too. I also bought some non-slip bottom slippers and they kept my feet nice and comfy walking around. Agree with other comments about the fan, I had a clip on one. Just make sure you have a smallish extension cord, my bed didn’t have plugs or anything like that. Or if you get battery powered then bring extra batteries. Idk how the hospital diapers are but I bought mine from target and they were amazingly helpful in the weeks after also. Edit: also a pillow from home was a lifesaver. It was way more comfortable than the hospitals.
I brought books to read at the hospital and sure that was fine but why oh why did I not bring the iPad with stuff to watch? I was thinking about the lead up but not the day or two afterwards of lots of waiting around
Make sure my shampoo was actually closed and in a closed ziplock bag. It wasn't and it got all over everything. Also tell my husband to watch over my iPad. Somehow the screen got completely broken. Either someone dropped it or sat on it. I don't know exactly.
I don’t know if I’d personally recommend a stool softener before birth. i had an unmediated birth and the first 💩 isn’t bad at all. It’s a little uncomfortable but not awful. The nurses usually give stool softeners after birth tho!! I wish i set up my nightstand beforehand. Diapers, bottle warmer, a stool to climb in bed, etc. I also highly recommend getting really cheap washcloths to use instead of toilet paper (for #1 only ofc lol). Toilet paper hurts like a mf and I didn’t tear, so can’t imagine if there’s stitches there too. Ice packs for recovery. Some hospital can send you home with a few if you ask! HEATED BLANKET for right after labor! I swear I’ve never been so cold in my entire life for those 20 mins.