Preparing for Baby--the lists Part 2

Now for the packing list for Mommy. This is the longest list, and thus will need the most room. I want to start out by saying to all those 1st-time-moms out there, YOU CAN GET DRESSED AND SHOWER!!

When I had our daughter I was so naive...I had no idea that you could get out of that disgusting and embarrassing gown, that you could take a shower, that you can dress your baby, and that they still do pictures in some hospitals!! No one told me ANY of that, and at the time she was born I was working so much I didn't even have TIME to look online or do research.

Now I know, and I feel like I can be MUCH more prepared this time around. I won't be constantly looking over my shoulder worried that a nurse might see me in clothes and get in trouble, or wait for a nurse to change a diaper because I didn't know I was allowed to...so for those moms who don't know any better, you were just told!

• Pajamas-----To be safe, pack 2 sets. If you had no serious complications with delivery and baby is perfectly healthy, expect to be released from the hospital within 24-48 hours---depending on the delivery time. Our daughter was born at 5:23 in the evening, and we were told the following morning at 10am that we could go home.
  
• Clothes-----Pack a going-home outfit and 1 extra in case you have visitors and you have to stay more than 1 day. After our daughter was born, I was able to fit the clothes I wore around month 3 of pregnancy...I lost A LOT of my stomach. Some women do, apparently some don't...to be safe I would NOT pack jeans or any other kind of pants that do not have any "give". Pack sweatpants or even better, yoga pants!
  
• Underwear-----Pack ONLY 2 pairs and do not expect to wear a pair until you get dressed to go home. You WILL bleed---mine in the hospital was like a heavy period and the mesh underwear the hospital provided was just fine for me. I have heard that depends work as well, but why spend the money on those when you are given some?
  
• Nursing bras-----EVEN IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO NURSE, PACK A BRA!!!! I cannot stress this enough. If you do not plan on nursing, then pack a sports bra, otherwise pack at least 2 nursing bras. Even though your milk might not come in while there, there is a possibility that it will and when it does, you get BIG fast. The last thing you want is for your girls to be flapping around (because SURPRISE they will. They will sag and you will get hot and sweat and just feel gross) Plus, even if all you do is throw on a bra and put on your clothes, you will feel a million times better and up to visitors.
  
• Socks-----Not just a pair of regular socks either, or the nurses will demand you take them off. They HAVE to have non-skid rubber-thingies on the bottom for safety reasons. I recommend getting a pair that you like, but don't mind throwing away in the off chance that you get nasty stuff on them. I didn't (luckily) but that's not to say you won't. Also, bring a pair of regular socks for the trip home.
  
• Travel-size shampoo and conditioner-----Some hospitals give you some, others do not. HOWEVER, if your hospital does provide them, do not expect them to be great. I would head to the travel section area of beauty at Walmart or Target and get yourself some shampoo and conditioner.
  
• Travel-size shower gel (unscented) and lotion-----The same holds true for shower gel and lotion. I would recommend unscented because at this time you do not know if your new bundle of joy is sensitive to certain smells. You can disregard that as you please, but I know that my daughter would immediately fuss and scream if I had used a certain shower gel or lotion until she was a few months old.
  
• Towel and washcloth-----The ones provided by the hospital are flimsy, thin, and SMALL!! Plus, would you like to use a towel that (while cleaned regularly) was used by dozens of other women who also just had babies? I don't know about you, but no thanks! I want my own beach-towel sized soft-as-can-be fluffy towel and washcloth.
  
• Toothbrush and travel toothpaste-----I'm not even going to dignify this entry with an explanation.
  
• Contacts and solution/glasses-----Thanks to the wonderfulness of my parents right before I turned 20, I no longer have use for these (Thank the Lord for lasic!!!)
  
• Boppy pillow-----These are fantastic for nursing, but they also work for propping your new bundle of joy up for pictures, or for older siblings to be able to hold the new addition.
  
• Hair ties or clips-----Especially during labor, the last thing you want is your hair getting plastered to your face and neck due to sweat or from the cool cloth that they sometimes will put on your neck.
  
• Hairbrush-----Again, pretty self-explanitory
  
• Pillow and pillowcase-----Hospital pillows, like their towels, are thin and for the most part very uncomfortable. Find out ahead of time what color your hospital pillow cases are, that way they don't get mixed up! To be safe, I would take a color such as pink, red, black, or printed.
  
• Eye mask-----I discovered that my hospital has this STUPID rule that the light above the sink in the recovery rooms must always be on at night for safety reasons. This rule is AWFUL because the bed faces this stupid light, and therefore its very hard to get sleep!!! I would get a cheap eye mask to block out the light and you will be fine.
  
• Nipple cream-----This is only good if you plan to nurse. Otherwise, disregard it!