When I had Levi, I felt like I would never forget the details of life. The details of having a newborn. And here I am, two years later, and I've forgotten. Or I'm realizing things that I never knew but am curious about. So if you want to share your thoughts/experiences, please do! I'm all ears! Sorry, this post will be completely irrelevant for some, but I didn't want to put this on fb for whatever reason so here it is.
- Lack of sleep aside, does energy generally come back shortly after birth or will I be just exhausted for the next few months yet? What was your experience?
- What did you wear during your stay in the hospital. Any suggestions, recommendations, or warnings?
- What did your baby wear in the hospital? Did you use hospital-issued baby gowns and blankets (or towels as the case may be at my hospital)? Or did you bring your own? Pros/cons of each?
- What did you do with your hair while in the hospital before they let you shower? Last time I felt like quite the greasy un-human when I wasn't allowed to shower from Thursday morning until Sunday morning...
- Any suggestions for having the older sibling come to visit in the hospital?
- Did you splurge for the private room, go with semi-private, or stay with 3-4 other women in a shared room? Thoughts?
- Any other thoughts surrounding birth, the stay in the hospital, or the following few weeks? I'd love to hear your experiences or what jumps to mind when you think of your birth experience(s)!
4 comments:
Great questions. I remember feeling so lost before the girls were born too. Here are my thoughts
-I don't remember being overly tired but I think that I was pretty tired the first few months. That said I had twins so don't go by me. Hopefully its not too bad for you.
-So the first time I packed in a panic and did make good choices. Everyone saw me in my nursing pjs. I regret those photos hugely :) The second time I brought my yoga pants, some comfy tank tops and a couple of zip up hoodies. It all worked well for me as I was making many trips to the NICU. I appreciated the band on my yoga pants as it held my C-section nicely. The only thing I wish I had brought was slippers. The hospital ones leave much to be desired.
-With the twins I knew I wouldn't be allowed to shower so I did my hair early that morning and was super glad I did (benefit to knowing when you are going in) and that way it was good for two days and then it went into a pony tail. I felt super gross by the time I got to shower. I think its unavoidable.
-I brought my own things for Alexis to wear at the hospital and so glad I did as what they provided is not great. I just had to be careful not to let it get into the hospital laundry. I also brought my own blankets. We brought for the twins too but were not allowed to use it. I'd always bring my own.
-We splurged for the private room both times and had the Victorian with Alexis. Especially with benefit helping with the cost its very worth it. I had to share on antepartum on all my stays there and its not restful for anyone and there is zero privacy. The Victorians are especially nice for your spouse as they don't have to sleep on the floor and much easier to have guests/siblings come visit. In my minds it VERY worth the cost.
My other thoughts are if you are there more then 2 or 3 days and nathan is staying with you upgrade your parking pass to a week long. Its much cheaper then the daily rate. Bring snacks. The food is expensive and not always that great. We ate in the Cafe on fifth a lot and its a nice place to get a break too. Okay I think that everything sorry for the super long response :) Excited to hear your news. Take care!
I don't have any advice, of course, but I'm thinking about you I have prayed/will pray for you about nerves, tiredness, preparedness, and everything just going generally well. Chuckling at you forgetting everything! I guess you need to write your preferances down!! :D
- Katie D
Well it has been just as long for me since hospital days...but I do have a few things that I remember (and you're right, far too many that I don't!).
-If I recall I was wiped out forever :-) Ok actually I remember the first 6 weeks being horrible and then energy came back after that.
-tank tops that are easy to nurse forever in, zip up hoodies and yoga pants/cute pj bottoms from home. I stayed in for 5 days with so I got tired of hospital gowns after the first day.
-I think Linnea was in just a diaper most of the time but just swaddled? That part I don't remember. I know we used our own sleepers and mostly their blankets, although I did have a couple of my own along.
-my hair looked horrible. The whole time. Until I showered.
-PRIVATE ROOM!!!!! SO worth it. Like I said, I was there for 5 days and we lived an hour and a half out of the city so we both had to stay in the room. Can't imagine if we'd had to share! I suppose if you're our within a day or two and your hubby can find somewhere else to sleep it might be ok to share? But I seem to recall waking up at every noise those first couple days so imagine everyone else's baby would wake you up too?
That's all I remember from my hazy memories several years ago. Take snacks. I had made banana muffins while I was in labor to kill time and we devoured them while we were at the hospital! Maybe a fun new gift for Levi? Something special that's from the new baby? I remember getting a present when my youngest sister was born and thought it was the greatest thing ever!
I'm thinking of you as you wait out these last couple LONGEST days ever, it's amazing just how long they can feel!
Marni
DEFINITELY private room. And any clothes you take be prepared to have stained and wrecked by the loveliness that follows birth. I appreciated having tank tops and zip up sweaters like other have said. When guests were around I didn't really get out of bed so I could hide under the blankets and not show off my fugly pants. I also always brought my own pillow and nursing pillow. Our hospital didn't provide baby wipes so might want to check that.
And I was EXHAUSTED for weeks. Having a second at home makes it even more critical to sleep every chance you get. Focus on the things that are important and don't worry about unfolded laundry and dishes that don't get put away.
And make sure you have a freezer full of meals ready to pop into the oven or slow cooker for those days when you just don't have it in you to make dinner. And stock up on muffins and other foods easy to eat one handed. If you don't have a good water bottle get one of those too. Remember, for nursing mamas hydration is key.
And don't forget a camera!! Can't wait to see photos of your little one.
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