5 Must haves for your hospital bag
5 must haves for your Hospital Bag
1. Cord Blood Registry (CBR) Collection Kit
This was not something I had not heard of or even considered with my first pregnancy. However, we are considering cord blood banking with CBR for my second. Now that we have had a cousin born with a type of cancer known as neuroblastoma, although it wouldn’t be used for a cousin, it gives me peace of mind to know we would have this saved in case it was needed for our immediate family.
First what is cord blood and cord tissue banking? It is the process of collecting the cord blood and tissue, both rich with stem cells, from the umbilical cord upon the birth of your child. These cord blood stem cells may be used as a possible treatment for many conditions as a part of a stem cell transplant, including various cancers and blood, and immune and metabolic disorders. We have watched our infant cousin endure months of chemo treatment and it is so hard. We feel that preserving our baby’s stem cells is so important and packing CBR’s collection kit is an essential in our hospital bag.
The process to bank cord blood with CBR is easy! First you enroll online at cordblood.com/enroll or call 888-640-1996, CBR ships the kit to you, then pack the kit in your hospital bag and bring it with you on your big day. Once you get to the hospital, you hand the kit to your health care provider and they will collect the cord blood for you once the baby is born. Then call the medical courier for pick up and they will deliver it to CBR’s laboratory. CBR will notify you once they receive the kit.
It's that easy!
If you’re interested, be sure and fill out your information to receive a promo code for $200 off of the initial fees! You can also learn more about CBR at www.cordblood.com.
2. Maternity Clothes
No one told me that after having a baby that my uterus would remain the same size as it was when I was 6 months pregnant. It does go back down to normal size but it takes a few weeks. So I am now prepared with a pair of comfortable maternity pajamas to wear around the hospital. Also don't forget warm socks and slipper!
3. Snacks
During labor and delivery you will be thinking about two things: "This hurts" and "I am starving!" I was so hungry after having my first son and am so glad I brought the nurses cookies and that they didn't eat because an hour after I had my son I had handfuls of cookies going down the hatch. This time around I will be a bit more prepared and have snacks ready and prepared in my hospital bag.
4. Nursing Pads and the breast pump
I did not expect to leak so much after having my son but I guess my body was now ready to sustain the life it had created. I did not bring nursing pads but was so thankful that the nurses had some on hand to help absorb the embarrassing leakage. This time around I will most definitely keep these in my hospital bag.
I also brought my breast pump and am so glad I did. My nurse showed me how to use it effectively because I honestly had no idea. Because of this quick hands on lesson pumping was very easy for me to do at home. Still time-consuming and a bit annoying, but I had no problems with pumping and storing.
5. That one adorable newborn outfit
The one thing I don't regret is packing that one adorable newborn outfit to take my son home in. We did pack a couple of newborn sleepers also, but the outfit just made bringing him home feel even more special and is now house in special frame with his birth bracelet and ultrasound photos.
Things not to bring.
Don't pack those cute underwear for yourself. You will live in the ugly mesh ones that the hospitals usuallygive you for a while. These are free and make sure to grab some for home. Though they are ugly they really are amazing!
There's also no need to pack perennial ice packs. Save those for when you get home. The hospital will have plenty on hand and may even teach you the ice diaper trick, which is amazing.