yes this one will be long...well it will if elizabeth ann stays asleep.
i want to open with tooting my own horn a little. im not sure who knows it, but on April 23 i took 5 finals. we got up and left to go to the hospital at 430 the next morning.
Today we will just go over prep for the big moment. Since most doctors will tell you to fill out your paper work weeks in advance lets start with the packing list. some of these are no brainers, some were just for my comfort level.
top 10: for the mommy (in no particular order. comment for the entire list)
1. Big men's boxer briefs. i did not want anything that hugged my body but post delivery you will want/need some support down there for the huge diaper type pads you have to wear. these were great for that
2. Toiletries. this is the one of the no brainers. make sure you dont forget your shampoo and soap and lotion. lets not forget makeup remover! the hospital ones are like hotel soap, the 2 in 1 stuff that i absolutely cannot stand, dries my hair and skin out. take any product you love that makes you feel super clean. i love my st ives scrub. i always use it when im having me time. you ladies with children know what i mean. you wait until they are asleep or at school or with your mother and you take the longest shower/bath actually make sure you shave your whole leg, exfoliate, moisturize, paint your toenails? you women who havent had children yet, enjoy your chance to do this whenever the mood strikes you while you can. you will have so many visitors and your face will be so puffy youll do anything to feel like you look normal, whatever that is for you. moral of the story: take your products, maybe you will be too tired or fed up to worry with it, but better to have them and be so glad you brought them than try to explain to your mother or mother in law as to how to find them.
4. Slippers, Socks and Robe. enough said
5. Your Pillow and boppy. again enough said.
6. Your hair dryer, straightener/curling iron. again with the products the cleaner and more like you that you feel, the better your stay and memories and photos will be
7. Nursing tanktop. sorry girls but your belly will still be big except it will be worse bc it will be heavy and flabby not hard like when your bundle of joy was still inside. the nursing tank was the best thing even after i stopped nursing. it takes a while for your belly to tighten back up. wearing the tank helps give support even under everyday clothes.
8. Nursing cream. ok lets be straight. its nipple cream. can get it at walmart in the baby department but trust me its a necessity. it pretty unpleasant but you will regret not having and using it after every feeding.
9. Maxi dress. like i said, your belly will still be big and your butt will be bigger. i had more fluid on me that i ever imagined. wearing a maxi dress upon leaving the hospital, best choice!! i felt pretty! it made my curves much more subtle and i had a cute outfit on and it was very comfortable.
10. camera. we love taking pictures of her and recording our thoughts as time went on we would just "recap" to the camera. i already cherish those videos
top 5: for baby
1. clothes and hats. when she came in our room from one of her check ups wearing some strange outfit that didnt fit or even really look like an outfit for a baby looked more like a big longsleeve tshirt, i was like what in the world? it sounds insane but i couldn't wait to get her in some real clothes. something about wanting everything to be perfect for her just took over. thank goodness for my mother and mother in law! they went all over town finding preemie clothes, washing them and bringing them to the hospital so elizabeth ann could have something to wear. in other words, buy all sizes!!
2. Mittens. she hated them. and currently hates them but they will keep them from scratching their tiny faces which i promise they will hate more.
3. Diaper bag. ** here is something no one tells you. when they wheel your precious baby in your room they have the cart stocked. YOU ARE ALREADY BILLED FOR IT. so take it! diapers, wipes, alcohol wipes....those little bulb syringes you bought at the store wont work. you need the rubber one from the hospital. they work like no other. youll thank me later.
4. Present from daddy bear. michael gave her a little pink hippo. seriously they dont remember but one day we will tell her thats what her daddy gave her on her first birthday. it wasnt anything special just a little stuffed animal that we bought in advance for her. its a moment thing ok. go with it. again youll thank me later.
5. Night-Night bear. some of you are thinking what in the world? michael and i have this little blue bear that plays different music. i played in on my belly each night when id lay down to go to sleep. or tried to do it every night. now she listens to it at nap time and bedtime. it is soothing to her. not just for the music but i think it comforts her when its dark and i lay her down to go to sleep she just grabs his feet and closes those eyes. makes bed time and nap time wayyyyy easier so of course we started that really early and brought it to the hospital with us. i recommend you finding something similar for your little one
top 4: for daddy bear
1. change: we all need a little caffeine or some junk food or a late night snack. especially the dads! they somehow end up getting the shaft on the hospital stay. poor michael got to eat at random times around everyone else. plus this also is a good thing for mommies. i LOVE coke. cant have a sane day without one. change for vending machine is the way to go
2. PJ PANTS and slippers: he will pack what he thinks he needs to stay over night. he will know most things. he probably wont pack pants to sleep in. he wont consider the nurses coming in and out throughout the night to check on mom and the other nurses coming in on the other times to check on baby or bring the baby to you which means you cant sleep without a shirt or pants anymore but since its habit for them, they wont pack pjs. the hospitals are cold especially the floors. so just add these to his pack, he will thank YOU later.
3. his pillow and bedding: depending on the hospital, you may need an air mattress. we had a fold out bed type thing but my brother in law took an air mattress. check on that in advance
4. PATIENCE: this is the first of many days that your patience and nerves will be put to the test. play this phrase on repeat. your wife will be depending on you
like never before. its such a beautiful chance for you to be her guide post and her rock. she will thank YOU later.
moving on!!! didnt mean for that to take so long. hope you are still with me!
Elizabeth Ann was frank breech practically my entire pregnancy so my c-section was scheduled when i was 34 weeks for April 24 which made her 37 weeks and 5 days! this gave me a day to focus on, they can still always come whenever they want but we knew it would be no later than that day.
So of course, two weeks in advance i got my hair done. have to keep those roots in check.
the next week michael and i had a date night. nothing fancy just our last time to go out and do our usual people watching now all we do is baby watch
the saturday before i went by myself and got a pedicure. best idea ever! if i had known it was going to be so great i would have gotten one earlier. it was nice. not even just for the obvious reasons of loving a pedicure, but it was my last chance to truly be alone.
**Side Note: ok people tell you this, but im going to tell you again, im young i didnt think it would be the same for me as it is for my mom bc of course everything always is ;) but seriously, once your baby is born, your mother/mother in law may have him/her but you are never alone.
When i got home monday night i took an incredibly hot bath and did all the things i mentioned earlier! shaved my legs, exfoliated, cut and painted my nails, put some lotion on. total diva evening. followed by attempting to snuggle with hubs and watch a movie as loud as we wanted it. and tried our hardest to go to sleep.
since i was having a section i knew i could get ready and my hair wouldnt get messed up or sweat my make up off or any of those things you see in women who go through hours of labor. which is a perk yes but tomorrow you will hear plenty of things about c sections. i hate the phrase, 'cadillac way to have a baby' in my experience that is not true. each have pros and cons and neither way is cheery..worth it definitely but not easy either way.
ok off my soap box, back to the point, that morning i got up curled my hair put on my make up and we hit the road! hope you are excited to hear more!
thanks for bearing with and stopping by! see you tomorrow!!! :)
10. camera. we love taking pictures of her and recording our thoughts as time went on we would just "recap" to the camera. i already cherish those videos
top 5: for baby
1. clothes and hats. when she came in our room from one of her check ups wearing some strange outfit that didnt fit or even really look like an outfit for a baby looked more like a big longsleeve tshirt, i was like what in the world? it sounds insane but i couldn't wait to get her in some real clothes. something about wanting everything to be perfect for her just took over. thank goodness for my mother and mother in law! they went all over town finding preemie clothes, washing them and bringing them to the hospital so elizabeth ann could have something to wear. in other words, buy all sizes!!
2. Mittens. she hated them. and currently hates them but they will keep them from scratching their tiny faces which i promise they will hate more.
3. Diaper bag. ** here is something no one tells you. when they wheel your precious baby in your room they have the cart stocked. YOU ARE ALREADY BILLED FOR IT. so take it! diapers, wipes, alcohol wipes....those little bulb syringes you bought at the store wont work. you need the rubber one from the hospital. they work like no other. youll thank me later.
4. Present from daddy bear. michael gave her a little pink hippo. seriously they dont remember but one day we will tell her thats what her daddy gave her on her first birthday. it wasnt anything special just a little stuffed animal that we bought in advance for her. its a moment thing ok. go with it. again youll thank me later.
5. Night-Night bear. some of you are thinking what in the world? michael and i have this little blue bear that plays different music. i played in on my belly each night when id lay down to go to sleep. or tried to do it every night. now she listens to it at nap time and bedtime. it is soothing to her. not just for the music but i think it comforts her when its dark and i lay her down to go to sleep she just grabs his feet and closes those eyes. makes bed time and nap time wayyyyy easier so of course we started that really early and brought it to the hospital with us. i recommend you finding something similar for your little one
top 4: for daddy bear
1. change: we all need a little caffeine or some junk food or a late night snack. especially the dads! they somehow end up getting the shaft on the hospital stay. poor michael got to eat at random times around everyone else. plus this also is a good thing for mommies. i LOVE coke. cant have a sane day without one. change for vending machine is the way to go
2. PJ PANTS and slippers: he will pack what he thinks he needs to stay over night. he will know most things. he probably wont pack pants to sleep in. he wont consider the nurses coming in and out throughout the night to check on mom and the other nurses coming in on the other times to check on baby or bring the baby to you which means you cant sleep without a shirt or pants anymore but since its habit for them, they wont pack pjs. the hospitals are cold especially the floors. so just add these to his pack, he will thank YOU later.
3. his pillow and bedding: depending on the hospital, you may need an air mattress. we had a fold out bed type thing but my brother in law took an air mattress. check on that in advance
4. PATIENCE: this is the first of many days that your patience and nerves will be put to the test. play this phrase on repeat. your wife will be depending on you
like never before. its such a beautiful chance for you to be her guide post and her rock. she will thank YOU later.
moving on!!! didnt mean for that to take so long. hope you are still with me!
Elizabeth Ann was frank breech practically my entire pregnancy so my c-section was scheduled when i was 34 weeks for April 24 which made her 37 weeks and 5 days! this gave me a day to focus on, they can still always come whenever they want but we knew it would be no later than that day.
So of course, two weeks in advance i got my hair done. have to keep those roots in check.
the next week michael and i had a date night. nothing fancy just our last time to go out and do our usual people watching now all we do is baby watch
the saturday before i went by myself and got a pedicure. best idea ever! if i had known it was going to be so great i would have gotten one earlier. it was nice. not even just for the obvious reasons of loving a pedicure, but it was my last chance to truly be alone.
**Side Note: ok people tell you this, but im going to tell you again, im young i didnt think it would be the same for me as it is for my mom bc of course everything always is ;) but seriously, once your baby is born, your mother/mother in law may have him/her but you are never alone.
When i got home monday night i took an incredibly hot bath and did all the things i mentioned earlier! shaved my legs, exfoliated, cut and painted my nails, put some lotion on. total diva evening. followed by attempting to snuggle with hubs and watch a movie as loud as we wanted it. and tried our hardest to go to sleep.
since i was having a section i knew i could get ready and my hair wouldnt get messed up or sweat my make up off or any of those things you see in women who go through hours of labor. which is a perk yes but tomorrow you will hear plenty of things about c sections. i hate the phrase, 'cadillac way to have a baby' in my experience that is not true. each have pros and cons and neither way is cheery..worth it definitely but not easy either way.
ok off my soap box, back to the point, that morning i got up curled my hair put on my make up and we hit the road! hope you are excited to hear more!
thanks for bearing with and stopping by! see you tomorrow!!! :)
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