Conference moira::parenting

    
    
    Steve,
    
    	First congratulations.  From what you have listed it sounds like
    you have listed everything you would need.  I packed a bag for my 
    husband also.  I think you should pack the bag.  And remember the 
    camera that you will need the most.  You don't want to miss the first
    minutes of your baby.  
    
    Best of luck to you and your wife, I hope her delivery is quick.
    
    
    Lisa

    
    Sounds like you cover most everything Steven!
    
    But if my husband had packed a bag for himself, there is one thing 
    he should of definatly have put in it that you might want to add:
    
    A toothbrush and toothpaste!!  
    
    My family had brought him up a sandwich from McDonalds, just about the
    time I was going through transition and tough contractions, and he took one
    bite and then came over to me, and I sent him right out the door to
    finish it!  The smell drove me crazy! He felt SO BAD and put the
    sandwich down and wasn't going to finish, but I told him I didn't mind
    him eating, (he needed to), but just to leave the room, the smells were
    so MAGNIFIED during this part of my labor. Next thing I knew I saw the 
    nurses giving him toothpaste and toothbrush to brush before he came
    back over to me. :-)
    
    Good Luck on your big day!
    Chris
    

    You sound ready! How about a tape player? I was glad to have
    some good tapes to listen to, especially during my first labor.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Lucy

    If you (husband) need any medication, write a note to yourself and pin
    it to the bag so you remember to grab it when you head out the door.
    
    L
    

    
    
>    You sound ready! How about a tape player? I was glad to have
>    some good tapes to listen to, especially during my first labor.
    
    	Or, it may be great to record just the sounds of labour/birth and
    play it back at social events.....
    
    :):):):):)

Hi,

Thanks for all the answers.

The getto-blaster is on the list of things to be packed on the big day ( or
night ), but we have to decide on what CD's and tapes we'll take.  We also have
a walkman packed in the hospital bag for later on.

Toothbrush and paste is a good idea.  I'll make a note of it.

I'll also have to make up a list of things to do before we leave for the
hospital.  Things like:

  - Put on the Tens machine ( on my wife silly :-) but on the other hand  )
  - Calm her down.
  - Make some sandwiches.
  - Assemble the automatic fish feeders.
  - Make sure the (American) football is programmed into the VCR if it's the
    weekend :-)
  - Give my wife a (back) massage.
  - Make sure there is enough tape left in the VCR to record all the soaps.
  - Phone my mother as she wants to know immediately my wife goes into labour.
  - Make sure there is enough petrol in the car.
  - Give her an extra special present.

Anymore ideas / things to do ?


Regards

Steven


P.S.  With regards to taping our babies first noises with the tape recorder...
      I have the video camera for that :-)    Seriously though my wife and I
      have agreed I can take some footage as long as I don't record my mife
      in any embarressing positions.  Oh well I suppose this rules out when
      only its head is showing :-)

    
    The CD player reminded me of a segment on the Oprah Show the other day
    while she was interviewing Magic Johnson and his wife, and in talking 
    about the delivery of their sons birth, they remininced about how when 
    the head first popped thru, he said quite loudly:
    
    	"WAIT, I've got to put Luther (Vandross) on!!!(tape"
    
    And he proceeded to do so!!
    
    	:-)
     
    A big fan I guess!
    
    
    

    One thing my hubby did after I gave birth is he bought me a very
    nice card that said congratulations on being a new mommy and one
    rose.....it makes me tear up remembering....              
    
    Kristen

    for the labour bag, we did pretty well (had practice from the 
    last time)
    - 2 pairs of socks for me
      (thank goodness, the first were soiled when they broke my water)
    - reading material
    - cards (cribbage board - I always tease my husband about being
      beaten by a woman in labour 8-) 8-)  )
    - hairbrush for me 
    - camera (we had the small one, the next day my husband brought the 
      big one with the telephoto for close shots).
    - toothbrush.
    - lipbalm and hand lotion
    - allergy pills for my husband
    - a prepared sheet of all the people he was to call (and catagorized by
      group so that he could phone family first, etc.) He had a copy of
      this list complete with phone numbers in his back pocket and I had
      another copy in the bag. This was useful too because he whipped it
      out to write her measurements and time of birth so that he was
      prepared when everyone asked.
    
    Thing I regret not bringing was more munchies/ portable food for him.
    He had to go out of the hospital to look for supper (caf was closed)
    and NEARLY missed the birth! Luckily he was impatient when he found the 
    line to be too long at the Burger King and returned without dinner to
    find me just going into delivery overdrive.
    
    I had also brought some things to freshen up (soap etc) but when I 
    was finished and placed in the bed, the nurse gave me a wonderful
    washup. This was quite the luxury. 
    
    We didn't really think of bringing music (although I'd love it) since 
    we are always concerned about where our stuff ends up if we are away
    (moved for a C-section?). We also brought a lock in case we needed to
    put the bag somewhere.
    
    The hospital also recommends that you bring minimum cash and ID. 
    
    Monica

    I agree with the others, definitely pack a bag...I've added to my own
    list for my husband from what you had.
    
    My only suggestion...make sure you take it in the hospital when you get
    there.  With our first, my contractions were so erratic and they didn't
    know if they would admit me so ours got left in the car.  Needless to
    say, I got admitted and Bryan never had a chance to go back out and get
    our bags until a few hours after Justin was born.  A pretty hungry dad
    I had on my hands!  I had back labor and was in constant need of
    massage/pressure applied to my back or he may have gone out to get them
    when they admitted me.  Just our experience, but even if you would end
    up getting sent back home because labor stopped or you didn't need to
    be admitted yet for whatever reason, I'd take the time to haul in all
    the goodies you bring in case you don't have time to get them later.
    
    Good Luck, what's the scheduled due date?  I have 4-5 weeks to go this
    time around....count down has definitely started, I'm ready!
    
    Von

Well, Jane is due anytime, her due time is approximately 20th November, but all
of her friends, work colleagues, and Anti-natal class friends have all been 2
to 5 weeks early.

The problem we have is that very time Jane goes into hospital, or to the local
surgery, or after every scan, she gets a different due date.

Late last night she started getting some grumbling pains.  After listing to other
people this could go on for days ( off and on ).

Anyway thanks for all the advice and encouragement.  Please keep it coming.


Cheers

Steven

    
    
    I'm due to have our second baby in 4 weeks.  One of the things the
    instructor at our Refresher Course recommended the husband pack for
    the hospital is a swimming suit. Yep, if your wife decides to take
    a shower and you want to join her, having your swimming suit along
    makes it easier for the hospital staff to continue to check on your
    wife without walking in on you in the buff.
    
    It confused me a bit, the woman shouldn't be the least bit bothered
    by the fact that the hospital staff would walk in to check on her
    during a shower in, yet they'd prefer to have the man wearing a
    bathing suit?
    
    Oh well, just a suggestion from our instructor.
    
    Sharon

    
    RE: What kind of music to bring.
    
        I vote for Classical music
    
    
    -Chris

    Hi,
    
    You might want to bring a razor along.  I remember my husband wishing
    he had brought his electric razor so he could freshen up.
    
    Lots of luck,
    
    Sheryl

RE:-2

Do you mean something like the 1812 Overture ?  :-):-):-):-)

RE:-1

Yeap, thought of that one last night.  Cheers.


One of the main problems we have got now is that we now have:

  - A labour bag
  - A Hospital bag
  - A Baby bag
  - My labour bag
  - My camera/video camera case
  - A Getto-Blaster

I think we'll get a couple of funny looks when we first enter the maternity unit.

Keep it coming


Cheers

Steven

    
    Steven, you can probably keep the Hospital bag, and baby bag in the
    car, or even at home, so you won't be having to carry everything in 
    at once...
    
    I'm sure you'll be heading home to freshen up after the big event
    (sleep! depending on WHEN she delivers), and could just bring them 
    in with you that time. 
    
    Chris
      

    yeah...you pretty much don't care about half the things you bring.
    
    I just put my few things in the diaper/baby bag....one less thing to
    carry...worked out pretty good.
    
    I didn't even carry a robe...the hospital gave me one to wear.
    
    As far as hubby's bag....I figured with what I'm going through...
    he had better pack it himself...or else there will be no bag.
    He's a paramedic and was up all night the night before...he came
    home that morning and I told him I was in labor for about 6 hours.
    At the hospital he basically slept in the chair...I ended up being 
    confined to bed so there wasn't much he could do anyhow....I felt 
    like I had to concentrate on my own....turns out there was a 
    McDonalds in the hospital so the food thing worked out great.
    Also, music irritated me during labor ...I had to have it quiet...
    Labor brings out strange things in a person....
    
    Whatever you don't bring....you probably won't miss....we both took
    showers before we left for the hospital....that worked out good...
    
    After it's all over you'll have to post a note to let us know how
    you did...
    
    Kristen
                                                                      
    Kristen
    
    
    
    
    
    

    
    As far as the mom to be's bag, I packed everything the books and
    intructors suggested. Turned out I used maybe 1/4 of everything I
    paccked. I went out and purchased a really nice nightgown and
    robe....ha...I never even saw the things come out of the bag....till I
    unpacked when I got home!
    
    I know a girl who took her blowdryer and curling iron...she never took
    'em out the bag.  So, don't take too much unneccasary stuff, it's just
    more to unpack when you come home.
    
    Sandy

    I never packed a bag because I went in to labor 14 weeks early, but I
    would have loved a hair dryer in the hospital....and a nice robe would
    have been a bonus over those ugly cotton things the hospital gave out.
    
    beth

    
    I too, used very little of what I packed, among the most important:
    
    	Chapstick, chapstick, chapstick (I'm one of those people who can't
    even go to bed without chapstick on)
    
    	I ended up using the hospital gowns (even though I had purchased
    lovely nightgowns to wear) and I did use my own robe and heavy socks (I
    don't like slippers).
    
    	Other than that, almost everything else stayed in the bag (this
    with me in the hospital from Monday to Thursday).
    
    				Wendy

     .6> We have to decide on what CD's and tapes we'll take
    
    Hey, whaddya mean "We"??  ;-)  I'm with Kristen,
    
    .17> music irritated me during labor ...I had to have it quiet...
    
    Any music would have turned me into (even more of) a madwoman, but
    *especially* music chosen by (and played at the discretion of) someone
    *else*.  Roughly equivalent to trying to survive a migraine in the same
    room with a rehearsing heavy-metal group.  =8-O
    
    Leslie

Re: -1

� please let *her* be the tunemeister! 

Yes, of course, that goes without saying. Let me assure you my wife is very
assertive when she wants to be and she will naturally take the lead if it's
an issue.  I don't think there will be too much of a problem though as we do
have similar tastes in music.

The only problem we have at the moment is that Jane doesn't feel the baby is
imminent even though it past its 1st ( of many ) due date.  No twinges, no
feelings, no nothing.  She is getting tired of having to move around with the
massive lump in front of her, not being able to sleep, having to go to the loo
every half hour, getting kicked, punched, and head butted by an increasing
stronger baby with "Good Fetal Movements".


Cheers

Steven


P.S.  Going back to the music angle, I will draw the line at Carol King !!! :-)

    I agree, when you get there you don't have to look like you're moving
    in. What I described for the labour bag was just that - the stuff we
    needed during labour. After it was finished and they moved me to the 
    ward, my husband had the chance to phone the parents, get the stay-in
    bag (a small suitcase) and generally calm down. In the stay-in bag
    I had the baby's stuff (I did not need more than what I could stuff
    into a plastic bag - small selection of clothes and a swaddling cloth
    or two.) 2 nightgowns, my leaving clothes (the arrival clothes were put
    into a bag and thrown into the car when Alan had his break., and YES,
    I brought a hair dryer and used it. Fresh hair the next day was a
    wonderful feeling. 
    And a few other necessities. I was all set after that. 
    
    Good luck!
    Monica

    
    re: last....
    
    I agree Monica...I brought my hairdryer too! It felt great!
    
    Chris
    

    I brought my hairdryer, too. Turned out that there was no outlet in the
    bathroom, only next to the bed where there was no mirror.  I probably
    looked a little lopsided, but I didn't care.  There's just something
    about having just had a shower and not drying my hair that makes me
    feel incomplete.
    
    I agree to keep the bag packed lightly.  Sarah was 15 days early and I
    hadn't packed my bag yet (planned on doing it my first full day of
    leave) so we kind of threw things into the suitcase, I don't think I
    used much (probably just the hairdryer, makeup and going home clothes),
    plus I was only there for 2 days.
    
    Susan
    

Deodorant for both of us was a must. Plus my favorite shampoo, especially 
after 52 hours of labor with the first one, I took several showers  just
to refresh me.  The second one was a mere 12 hours of labor a piece of cake.
We also packed a gift for our first son from the baby with the second one.

We both packed pretty light. I just brought essentials as if it was an overnight
stay, plus a deck of cards and magazines. My husband brought a pair of sweats and
a tee shirt.  I packed an outfit, a sweater and hat and a blanket for the baby.
That was fine both times. 

My husband went to the florist shop in the hospital the first time and bought 
me a bouquet of flowers for me to use as my center of concentration. He made
alot of points with the nurses and me on that one.  Afterwards with both he
went out a brought me back a pint of my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream, New
York Super Fudge.

This coming May, will be our third trip to the maternity ward if all goes well.

Best of Luck,

- Pat K.

    I have to tell ya' that I packed a nice robe and nightgown, slippers,
    two mystery novels (yep, I thought I would have time to read), makeup,
    face cleaning "stuff", combs, hair barettes, and going home clothes. 
    
    I couldn't fit the slippers, robe and nightgown (I'd packed the bag in
    my eighth month and naively believed I couldn't get much larger ... HA!)
    And I just didn't care about putting barrettes and what not in my hair. 
    Believe it or not, the mystery novels helped me to keep calm and focus
    my attention away from the early labor pains -- my husband was running
    in and out as he tried to fit his last bit of business in before the
    babies arrived.
    
    I'd also packed two cute little outfits for the babies, hats, blankets,
    socks.  All of which they used!
    
    My experience says to pack LIGHT for yourself and more than enough for
    the baby.

In previous replies to this note noters asked me to keep in touch about our
labour experience.  Well, the techy/gory bits are described in the "births/
adoptions" note, but about my labour bag ... it came in very useful for all the
food-type things but even though the labour was a looooong 20 hours we didn't
have time for all the other things such as games, magazines, books, etc.

As the labour went progressively downhill, with lots of medical things happening,
and with Jane in a lot of pain we were rather focused on the immediate situation.

Anyway everthing is ok now.  Jane and Sarah are doing fine and this is my first
day back at work.


It's so nice to come back to work for a rest :-)

Steven