Ugh!! And a few questions!

Hopingfor1soon · #1 December 27th, 2010, 12:41 PM

I am so ready to be done being pregnant!! 6 more weeks max left and I am counting down!!!

Anyways I have a few questions:

1. How do you have your LOs clothes organized? (what is in the closet, dressers, etc..)

2. What do I need to pack for baby for the hospital?

3. What do I need to make sure I have on hand for myself after delivery both at home and at the hospital?

Thanks ladies!

jensma · #2 December 27th, 2010, 01:21 PM

clothes: mine are organized by size. I have the sizes he's wearing now (0-3 currently) in the drawer. I have a clear plastic drawer organizer in his closet that has the rest of his clothes up to 12month. Anything after that is currently stored away. I do have some outfits hung. I did a GREAT job with laundry before he was born...now its all over my living room. Its hard when they go through several outfits in a day.

hospital bag for baby: I had all kinds of stuff and didn't need much of any of it. Just have a few outfits, anything special you want him to have, a couple blankets (esp when you go home) and maybe your boppy. The hospital provided pretty much everything we needed in terms of diapers, wipes, pacifier and other kinds of stuff.

hospital bag for you: i over packed. Honestly i used a few comfy clothes (and warm), socks, shower stuff, and any other personal items. I packed way too much and didn't use most of it. Also make sure DH has all of his stuff. B forgot shorts to sleep in and ended up in khaki cargo shorts for 2 days before he could get something else.

after delivery: pads, lots of lanolin if you're going to breastfeed, make sure you have groceries and lots of water!

Hoosier Kitty · #3 December 27th, 2010, 02:43 PM

I found this website thru mail and I bookmarked it.
Pregnancy - Essential Hospital Checklist - StrongMoms

I'd ask your L&D what they provide before you bring anything.

KDD · #4 December 27th, 2010, 04:11 PM

Nathan's clothes are organized by size. I only washed the clothes that are 0-3 months and the rest are put away for later. I have all of the onesies and socks and some outfits in the dresser and I have longer items (sleep sacks, outfits, etc) in the closet.

For the hospital: They provided nearly everything for us. I did bring our own diapers but didn't have to open them up until our 3rd day there (and they probably would have given us more if I had asked). Bring some onesies while you are there. Have DH bring the going home outfit and car seat when he comes to take you home. You don't want to have too much stuff with you while you are there.

For you at the hospital: bring your own tissues - theirs are really rough and nasty on the nose. You'll need lip balm and other toiletries too. I brought pads (but again didn't need them) and I used the hospital undies while I was in there (I didn't want to ruin mine). I brought PJs but didn't wear them, I figured that I may as well wear the hospital gown while I was there. Bring your slippers and/or sandals to wear (my hospital was really hot and I never wore socks once). Bring your iPhone and a book or magazines. I was in the hospital for 5 days and would have died of boredom if I didn't have that!

For home: stock up now on the essentials: toilet paper, pet food, etc. If you can fill your freezer & pantry with easy to eat & prepare items. I also suggest buying a package of pre-fold flannel diapers to use as burp cloths etc. They are cheap and really handy to have around.

Good luck - enjoy your last few weeks of pregnancy!

Celry · #5 December 27th, 2010, 05:34 PM

The others covered most of it. You really don't need much for baby at all.

You may want to make a list of things to add into your hospital bag that you probably won't pack ahead of time. We had a list like that and I'm glad we did. On that list we had things the cell phone charger, laptop and charger, and personal items that I didn't want to pack ahead.

jensma · #6 December 27th, 2010, 09:00 PM

yes definitely bring your laptop. We brought DHs and i was so glad!! It does get boring just sitting around waiting to go home.

I wore the gown for the whole first day and then changed into my own clothes. i felt more human. Like kim i wore the mesh panties and actually really liked them. I packed extra pads but had more than enough of the giant ones from the hospital. Depending on how much you bleed you may or may not need them but i was glad i had my smaller ones after the first day so i didn't feel like i was wearing a diaper.

MommaLee · #7 December 28th, 2010, 07:27 AM

1. I have them both hung up and in a drawer on the dresser (which is where I have the changing pad). Once something is washed it gets put in the drawer. It is just easier for us to do that...even though I did these elaborate baskets ahead of time. I have dividers and do one side pants / one side onesies and shirts and dh still messes the system up

2. What do I need to pack for baby for the hospital?

A going home outfit. I only brought a onesie and a romper and it was freaking cold. I'd suggest bringing long sleeved/pants one and maybe a blanket - we couldn't take the blankets home at the hospital where I delivered.

3. Not much...I brought extra shampoo, conditioner and my own soap, toothbrush and toothpaste...glad I did. I also brought really thin pads. I know everybody says you are going to want the cushy thick hospital ones, but I couldn't stand them. But I can't stand pads either. I was able to survive for 3 weeks of bleeding on super thin pads and panty liners.

Lyz · #8 December 28th, 2010, 07:27 AM

ask your L&D what kind of wipes they use. My hospital gave us dry paper towels and we would have wet them each time to use. I brought pampers thick wipes so I didn't have to get up each time AND they were thick for the miconium.

I also made sure I brought home extra ice packs and pads. They are good to have for the first day or so when you are home (I felt like a mack truck hit my va-jay jay after delivery so it was nice to have the ice packs at home).

Hopingfor1soon · #9 December 28th, 2010, 07:32 AM

Thanks for all the advice ladies! I am making a big list of all of this so I can start getting ready. If you think of anything else I will be more than happy to write it down!

Thanks again!

LoLo'sMama · #10 December 28th, 2010, 11:15 AM

1. How do you have your LOs clothes organized? (what is in the closet, dressers, etc..)

This is hard, I still haven't come up with a perfect system. Organize all the nighttime clothes where you will be changing her so it is in easy reach. Nightgowns, socks, hand mittens, hats, etc. Also put the diaper genie (if you use one) right next to the changing table so you don't have to leave baby to throw away diaper. We had to move ours once we got home and realized this. It's amazing how much they can wiggle and slide around!

I hang up pretty much everything I can and use the dresser for blankets, swaddles, burp clothes, and bigger clothes. I have everything from 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 in the closet. The problem is clothes sizes differ depending on the brand. Some 6 mo pants are the same size as 12 mo pants from another brand. So it's real confusing. I error on the side of having too much out so I don't miss using it before she it too big!

2. What do I need to pack for baby for the hospital?

Going home outfit of course. If you want a different outfit for newborn photos that may be taken the hospital you can pack that too. A blanket to wrap up the car seat and that is about it.

3. What do I need to make sure I have on hand for myself after delivery both at home and at the hospital?

Water bottles and other drink items for you on hand, esp if you are BFing.
Snack foods that are easily accessible
Pads- I didn't like the ones from the hospital and eventually you will bleed less and not want to wear a diaper. I just got pads with wings and when the hospital's ran out, I had them ready to go.
Stool softener, just in case, the first time is really scary!
I love my Itzbeen (you can look it up, we got ours at Target online). It never leaves my side!

that is all I can think of right now!