Hospital Bag Checklist

I did a LOT of research about what to pack in my hospital bag. I watched YouTube videos, checked out Pinterest, asked friends, etc. I am the type of person that likes to be prepared and I didn't want to leave anything at home that I may have wanted during my hospital stay. I heard so many women say they overpacked so I wanted to be sure that I only took what I thought I would need. HA! Well, here you will read about all of the things that I took and all of the things that I actually used. Every woman is different and may not agree with me, but these are my opinions about what to take and what to leave.

I used a free hospital bag checklist printable from the blog Wit & Wander. It is a cute template that separates your packing list into different areas. I printed it out, then used whiteout to change things I knew I wasn't going to take as well as wrote in items that I wanted to bring.

Here is what my final packing list looked like:

I started packing weeks in advance. I added items to my bag as I gathered them, but there were many items I couldn't add until the morning I went to the hospital.

Here are my suggestions of what to bring from each section and why:

Clothes for mom:

• Nursing bra or tank top - Once you start breastfeeding (if you choose to do so) at the hospital, your nipples are going to be pretty sore and it won't feel good to have them rubbing against the hospital gown or other clothing. I used these Ameda breast shells, which were provided by the hospital, so that no fabric was even touching my nipples because they hurt so bad. Nursing bras/tanks help to keep these in place. Also, you won't really need nursing pads because your milk won't be in yet. I still took two pair, but didn't use them.
• Maternity clothes to come home - I actually had to wear Rex's basketball shorts home instead of my leggings because I was sent home with a catheter (see birth story for why). But yes, you will need some comfy pants and a loose shirt. I suggest sweats, leggings, exercise pants...not jeans. 

Toiletries for mom

• Mirror - It's not going to be super easy to hop up and use the bathroom mirror, so it's nice to have a portable one. 
• Comb/brush + hair elastics/bobby pins - Bring whatever you need to put your hair back, up, or comb it down. I preferred my hair down with my bangs back because I was often laying down.
• Toothbrush/toothpaste - Obviously.
• Deodorant - Obviously.
• Glasses/contact lenses - Obviously lol.

For dad

• Change of clothes - He'll be staying overnight with you, maybe even two nights, so he'll want extra clothes.
• Toiletries - Whatever he needs, such as toothbrush, face wash, gel, whatever.
• Snacks - This depends on the hospital. We did bring snacks, but our hospital had refrigerators full of food for the dads. It was awesome.

Other

• Hairspray - This isn't a necessity, but I like to make sure my hair is in place when I have it up. I'm not even sure if I actually used mine.
• (I used dry shampoo in my hair before I went to the hospital because I wasn't sure when I would be able to shower. I didn't end up using it at the hospital).
• Make-up remover wipes - I bought some of these from Costco and they are amazing! It was super convenient to stay in bed and "wash" my face.
• Facewash/moisturizer - Even though I had the wipes, I did take a shower and it was nice to wash my face.
• Lanolin cream - I didn't actually use this because I got a prescription for Newman's Ointment, which is similar. But as I said before, your nipples will be sore and it's nice to put cream on them.

For baby

• Car Seat - Would you like to take your baby home? :)
• Going Home Outfit - Yeah...make sure you bring a couple because the one that I brought didn't even fit Kingston. I was glad I had some pajamas for him to wear home. Also, I really didn't care to make him look all cutesy  (even though I really cared before I went to the hospital) - I just wanted an outfit that was easy to put on and would keep him warm. 
• Blanket - We used a little blanket to put over him in the car seat when we left the hospital

In the diaper bag

• Extra Outfits - I took 3 outfits to the hospital (2 pjs and one outfit). I really only needed one to take him home in. The hospital puts the baby in a shirt during your stay and that is the easiest way to go.

Important

• Driver's License - Can't remember if I needed ID? 
• Copy of Insurance Card - I can't remember if I needed this. I checked in to the hospital the week before I delivered, so they may have already had this information.
• Boppy - I didn't actually use my boppy in the hospital since there are so many pillows, but now that I use it every single time I nurse, I wish I would have used it at the hospital. 
• Flip Flops - I wore these to the hospital and home. I think I wore socks when I walked around my room.

Extras

• Camera - We had a couple of different cameras. We set one up to record the birth. We mostly used our phones to take pictures after the baby was born.
• Phones/Chargers - Obviously.

Here are my suggestions of what to leave home from each section and why:

(Again, these are my opinions from my experience. Everyone is different)

Clothes for mom

• Pajamas - I stayed in my hospital gown the whole time I was in the hospital. You are constantly being checked down there and it would be such a pain to have pants on. Plus, why not stick with wearing something that you don't have to wash? 
• Warm Socks - The hospital usually has socks with grip bottoms that you can have. 
• Sweater - I didn't use one at all. You can control the temperature of your room and you can have as many blankets as you want.

Toiletries for mom

• Makeup - HA! Honestly, I would never have put on makeup while I was at the hospital. I thought I may want to do my hair and makeup so I brought all of the supplies. I was glad I wore a little bit of makeup during delivery, but I was not interested in applying any more throughout my stay.
• Shower essentials - I read somewhere that the only shower item provided at the hospital was baby shampoo. That was true for my stay and that was totally fine. I brought shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and I didn't use any of it. I was fine to just use the shampoo provided there for my one shower. 

For dad

• Button down shirt - This is listed so dad can do skin to skin with baby. Yeah, no, we didn't do that.
• Blanket - the hospital has endless amounts of blankets (you can always contact your hospital to find out what items they will have).

Other

• Extra bag for dirty clothes - I didn't wear my own clothes during my hospital stay, so I didn't need the extra bag.

For baby

• Stocked diaper bag - Honestly, I would leave the whole diaper bag home and just put some outfits for the baby in your own bag. You do not need diapers or wipes as the hospital provides them. 

In the diaper bag

• As stated above, I would leave the whole diaper bag home. That means I didn't use any of the items in this section of the checklist. Really, the hospital has everything you need to take care of a baby.

Important

• You do not have to have copies of all of the documents listed. Find out what your hospital requires you to bring as far as paperwork and stick with that.
• Towel for seat in car - This would be important if you water broke before you went to the hospital, but I was induced so I had no need for it.
• Robe - This is one item that nearly everyone says to bring to the hospital. I actually didn't bring one and I'm glad because I would have had no reason to wear it. I wore the hospital gown the whole time and it was perfect.

Extras

• You can see on the picture of my list above that I crossed many of these items off because I didn't plan on using them. I didn't take any of the crossed off items.
• Underwear - Lots of women on blogs and YouTube complain about the mesh underwear. Um...they were heaven. I don't know how on earth you would use anything different unless you bought ultra-stretchy huge underwear. Anyway, I had two different kinds at the hospital (maybe they ran out of one?) and one kind was far better than the other. They were kind of like boy brief underwear. Anyway, I used these for weeks after I got home (especially since when I tried on my normal underwear they didn't fit because of my new mom butt).

_________

The hospital will have the things you need to take care of yourself as far as recovery items go (pads, ice packs, numbing spray, etc.). I get that some women want to put something cute on and do their hair and makeup after having the baby. But that was totally not me (even though I thought it might be). I was happy to be in the hospital gown (you can get a clean one whenever you want) and sit on my warm, comfy bed. I might be able to function more with my second baby since it won't all be new, but I really think this blog post of mine will come in handy to help me remember what I really need to bring and what I can leave home.

What has been your experience with packing your hospital bag and what you actually used?

xx

Baby Dastrup Birth Story

Wow, hello world! Long time no see. Where do I even start!?! Here I am writing the birth story of my baby who is basically a toddler now. Okay, so he is almost 2 months old, but guys - he is big! I have really wanted to write about his birth because I haven't done it yet and I don't want to forget details. If you don't want to read about labor and delivery, you may want to move on to another blog ;)

Despite my hopes and desires to go into labor early and on my own, baby's due date, September 10th, came and went. Honestly, I thought the last month of pregnancy flew by the fastest. Sure, I was feeling a little miserable at times (aka getting up to pee every hour during the night), but overall, I thought I was doing pretty well. At my 38 week doctor appointment, I was told I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Ahh! I was shocked and so excited. I knew it didn't mean I was going into labor right then, but I was grateful my body was working correctly and knew what to do to get the baby out. Each week I went to the doctor, I was surprised that I was still pregnant. I guess I had a feeling I would deliver early (and all 4 of the women at work who were pregnant had their babies early). Rex and I enjoyed our time together those last few weeks. We went to the BYU women's volleyball game two days after my due date.

It was always fun when somebody asked me when I was due and I could say "Last Thursday." I went on at least one walk every day the last couple of weeks. It didn't seem to help me go into labor, but at least it got me out of the house. Anyway...onto the main purpose of this post!

 - September 17, 2015 -

5:00 am - Rise and Shine! Rex and I rose early to get ready to head to the hospital at 6:30 am. I was 41 weeks along and nervous but excited to meet my baby boy. I ate oatmeal and pears for breakfast because I figured it would be sit well with my stomach. Rex gave me a blessing and we both cried. We were excited, nervous, grateful...all the feels. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 am and you would have thought I was moving in. I really want to write another post about what to pack in your hospital bag because I did weeks of research and I have a thing or two to say about it.

The rest of our stuff was in the car...

I got checked into my room, got hooked up to contraction and heart beat monitors, and got my IV. I must say, the IV was one of the worst parts about the whole day. I don't know why, but it hurt for hours. I've still got a scar from it.

Heat pack on the IV to help with the pain

7:40 am - I started on pitocin to induce labor. I eventually started to feel contractions, but no pain. They felt like a blood pressure cuff tightening around my belly.
8:40 am - Increased pitocin dose. Still no pain.
9:40 am - Doctor came in to break my water. I was pretty nervous that it would hurt. Each time I had my cervix checked it was very painful because of the way my uterus/cervix sits far back. I didn't experience much pain when he "broke my water," but was warned that my contractions would start being painful if they weren't already. Yep. First contraction after water was broken was crazy different.

*Side note* I like to educate myself well on topics that interest me. I have always been very interested in birth stories and different methods of laboring. I have seen many live births in the hospital and at home, and have watched hundreds of birth videos on youtube (weird, I know). I understand benefits of non-medicated and medicated births. I think it is important to be educated and then take that knowledge and choose the method of childbirth that will be the best experience for you and 
the baby. I did what was very best for my family and me. 
No regrets whatsoever.

Back to contractions and pain. My plan wasn't to "see how far I could get" without an epidural. I knew I was going to get an epidural and simply wanted to experience unmedicated contractions first. I also knew that it could take 30-40 minutes for the epidural to fully kick in, so I didn't want to go too long without it. I went back and forth trying to decide when to get it.
10:34 am - Got an epidural. I was pretty nervous because I knew it could involve some pain. I sat up with my legs over the bed and curled over with my head on Rex's chest (and in process got amniotic fluid on his shoe haha. It doesn't stop coming out after your water has broken). The numbing needle in my back was the most painful part. It was the most intense sting I have ever felt, but only lasted a few seconds. Overall, I thought my epidural was done very well. It did take about 30-40 minutes to kick in. And I will say loud and clear that it was the greatest thing ever. I hadn't felt that relaxed since before I was pregnant. Not only did it take away the pain of contractions, but it also relieved the aches and pains of being pregnant.

11:40 am - Increased pitocin dose because my contractions were irregular.
12:15 pm - Dilated to a 5 and increased pitocin.
12:55 pm - Increased pitocin to the highest level. For the next little while, my nurse would decrease and increase the pitocin depending on how my contractions were. I wrote in my notes on my phone: "I feel so peaceful and relaxed. Halie is the best nurse ever. Mom, Bill, Dad, and Heather are here."
1:15 pm - Fully dilated!!! Wahoo! That was fast! The plan was to rest and descend for an hour to see if the baby would drop lower on his own (although they kept telling me his head was super low). I covered myself with warm blankets and tried to rest. I was seriously so relaxed that I could barely keep my eyes open. Oh, and can we talk about water retention for a minute?!? I was SO puffy - my face, my feet, everything. I was puffier leaving the hospital than I was going in.
3:25 pm - I started pushing. At first I didn't want to use a mirror because I was nervous to see a baby coming out of ME. But then I decided to use it because I wanted to see my progress as I pushed. It was strange to push when I was numb because I felt like I was just making my face purple. After a while of pushing, I got a fever and had to take an antibiotic and tylenol. At that point, the nurse called my doctor and he was on his way. Throughout my whole labor, baby's heart beat was great and we never had any worries. It was such a blessing. It was very helpful to have so many people in the room while I pushed. I needed the energy and excitement since I was so relaxed. I had Rex, my mom and Bill, my dad and Heather, and my Barton grandparents there. At one point I tried listening to music to try to pump me up and give me energy to push, but I found that distracting. I have to say a word about the most important person that was there - Rex. He was right by my side and counted out loud to 10 with each of my pushes (except for one of my pushes where nobody counted and I immediately said "I need somebody to count!"). I love him so much. I used an oxygen mask during much of my pushing, which probably helped but it wasn't super noticeable. I loved the moment my doctor said "Are you ready to have a baby?" The team placed a cloth on my chest so they could place the baby on it right after he was born.
4:51 pm - Kingston Ray Dastrup was born.

They placed him on my chest and I placed my hands on his slimy, perfect body. He gave some good cries. One of the first things I noticed was that he had arm rolls haha. After a couple minutes, Kingston was checked out by the respiratory team and my doctor began stitching me up. I tore in three different places so I received three sets of stitches. Well what do you expect with a 9 POUND baby!?! We were all shocked at his weight and I couldn't help but laugh. At 9 lbs and 22 inches long, Kingston was ready to walk out of the hospital.

When I was done being stitched up, Kingston was brought to me so I could breastfeed him for the first time. I was pretty out of it as my legs were still numb, I was tired, and it was something very new for both of us. Overall, breastfeeding throughout the hospital stay was pretty good.

The biggest stressor of the hospital stay had to do with peeing lol. As soon as I had enough feeling in my legs to walk, the nurses helped me walk to the bathroom. I wasn't able to go, probably due to inflammation and oh, you know, a 9 lb baby coming out of me. So the nurses did a one-time catheter to empty my bladder. A few hours later I could tell I had to go to the bathroom, so I tried to go again, but nothing came out. Then I got a more permanent catheter put in. Hours later Rex noticed that it might not be working and I had to have it taken out and replaced. Just so everyone knows, catheter insertions hurt extremely bad. I got the new catheter in and all was well. The next day I was scheduled to go home and I was told I had to be able to go to the bathroom and empty my bladder most of the way (the nurses check how full it is with an ultrasound machine). I was able to go to the bathroom 4 times that day, but was not able to empty my bladder enough (even though I had no idea it was still full). Sooo I had to go home with a catheter. For 3 days. Dumb. I cried. Not only because I would be going home with a catheter, but because I had to get another one inserted. Ouch. Anyway, it was a different nurse that inserted this one and she did a much better job than the others. She was a goofy nurse too, which helped me not take the situation too seriously.

Some of the things I loved about being at the hospital:
I got food whenever I wanted. I got to eat/drink jello, chicken broth, sprite, and water while I was in labor. I had four different nurses and they were all perfect for the specific time I had them. I had help taking care of myself and the baby. The mesh underwear - some women hate them, but they are so comfy and I used them at home for weeks after (I had two different kinds and one was way better than the other).
I was in no hurry to go home from the hospital. I knew I would have a lot more responsibility and didn't quite feel ready. As soon as Rex and I got home, he had to leave to get my medications from the pharmacy. We called our sister-in-law to come stay with me as I was already bawling. That was the start of many bawling sessions throughout the first couple of weeks. It was totally changes in hormones. I would be eating a meal with Rex and would start sobbing for no reason. I was so blessed to have two sister-in-laws and my mom stay with me for four nights in a row.

Anyway, those are some of the details of Kingston's birth. I could write a million things about life since then and hopefully I can get some more blog posts up about our happenings. But for now I will say that Rex and I love Kingston so much. I love to watch him grow and learn. He smiles so much and laughs at the silliest things. He hates naps and going to sleep. He is a kicker and mover. He brings us so much joy and we are very grateful to be a family. Much more to come in the future!

I will end with a little note about the meaning of Kingston's name. We chose the name Kingston for a couple reasons. Rex is Latin for "king" and I can't think of a better person to name our baby after than his dad. Kingston, Ontario was also the last area of my mission. One day I was talking to my dad on the phone about Kingston's name and he suggested the middle name Rey (spanish for King), thinking that would be neat. I looked up meanings for the english spelling of "Ray" and I liked the German meaning that is "mighty protection." I thought that was fitting for Kingston being the oldest brother. And I love the idea of him being a ray of sunshine, radiant and happy. With all of those reasons, it was easy to settle on Kingston Ray for our sweet boy. Happy two months today!