I need a haircut ASAP! This is me saying, "I'll smile if you ignore my hair." Don't get me wrong, I am really excited I have long hair, I love having long hair , but it needs a little TLC. It has been a few months since I have even got a trim and I am still re-couping from a not so good hair cut. The last few times I have really CUT my hair, not just a trim, I was not pleased with the results. Now it would probably help if I was willing to pay more than $10 for a hair cut . . . but I'm Mrs. High Pockets as my father calls me and it is really hard for me to spend money on my hair. So I need your help! What do you think I should do? Before you make any suggestions you should know: It MUST be able to go back into a ponytail!!!!!!! My hair is STICK STRAIGHT My hair will not curl to save my life (via over night curls, hot curls, even curling irons, they just don't work) I want and need something EASY! I do not like to spend time on my hair and I don...
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1. Big Red Gum
2. Vicks vapor rub
These help in the delivery room so he can handle the smell. This is of course if your husband is not used to blood and other body fluids. It kills all the odors that the husband would not like. It helps him have a pleasant experience. He should chew on a pice of Big red gum and rub Vicks under his nose.
Caleb is sure to pack them in our bags.
Love,
Suzy
-Snacks, snacks snack.. hospital food is not that good and if you stay longer than you expect you want Jeff to have some things near by... PB&J's, granola bars.. easy things that last.
-Nursing sports bra, robe and comfy socks. This is only if you don't want your butt and back exposed if you want to walk around. They usually let you wear the sports bra and your rob and its way more comfortable since you can still get skin to skin contact when he is born and then your ready for breastfeeding.
-Movies: the shows there can be a bit redundant and movies seem to make time go faster.
-Last but not least. A blanket and pillow for your hubby. The blankets at the hospital are light and when you are sleeping or sitting in the room with a pregnant women the A/C is on full blast and it gets really cold after hours of waiting.
Hopefully, I didn't overwhelm you but those are the things we (Meecham women) pack and it seems to be so helpful.
-Comfy, warm socks (that you wouldn't mind getting ruined) to wear during delivery. For some reason, feet get cold during labor and delivery
-A nursing pillow (boppy) since you have to learn from the onset, this is SO helpful to have even at the hospital. Awkward and big yes, but so worth it.
Other thoughts - video camera if you have one. Pictures are fabulous and you definitely need those, but getting the live video feed of random things like the first bath, snuggling with mom and dad, even crying videos. Absolutely priceless.
A note for after the deliver/going home: ask the hospital staff for ANYthing and EVERYthing that you have been using while there. The whole bathroom routine is pretty rough, especially if you tear. So ask for plenty (and I mean a ton!!) of any of the items they have you use. (I used their mesh underwear - some women hate it, I loved it! - ice packs, witch hazel pads, and a certain kind of spray that I forget what it's called ... the nurses stocked me up with a ton and I was incredibly grateful!!)
Love ya! Call me - I would love to chat!
My advice for you and your bag: all of the above in previous comments are good. If you feel like you're literally moving in to the hospital with all the stuff you're bringing, oh well. Better to have everything you need.
The only thing I can think of on top of all the other good suggestions, is to bring your own comfy jammies. You don't have to wear those hospital gowns the whole time, unless you want to. Of course you're bleeding A LOT, so maybe it's easier to wear those gowns in case you bleed through, so you don't have to worry about bleeding on your own clothes ...kinda up to you. Personally, I feel naked just wearing those gowns. I liked having pants on so I felt like I could sit any way I wanted to without having to have a blanket over me so I was "decent."
-nursing bra and pads. Obvious. Essential.
-bringing your own food is a freaking RAD idea! Our hospital in ID gave me my meals free but Greg had to get fast food whenever he was hungry. Also the pillow and blanket thing for Jeff. Great idea.
-laptop or something to watch movies on. We had a tv but I got NO sleep at night in the hospital and there was little on tv at 3 am.
-stuff to do if you have to wait awhile for the actual birth. Once I had the epidural and we were just waiting, Greg and I played cards and read books.
-outfit for the baby to come home in. Not knowing how big baby is going to be at first, NOTHING I brought fit Thad, he was too tiny for the cute outfit I had picked and we had to just put him in a little onesie and wrap him up in tons of blankets. Come prepared with a 5-8 lb. sleeper just in case.
woohoo soon you'll be able to stand up like a normal person again! So exciting!!!!!!
Ooo, also, if you suddenly realize your video camera can take pictures, too, so you want to use that so you only have one thing, DON'T! We did and the pictures are such bad quality.
For you, I am glad I brought my own toiletries, blanket (I'm always cold) and the birth announcements to fill out and address. I ended up not using half the clothes I brought (for me) or any of the books/music. I think I way over packed. Next time, I will bring much less. Oh! And the Boppy! I used it from that very first feeding and it made getting the hang of nursing a lot easier. If I think of anything else, I'll email you.
One last piece of advice. If you decide to go the epidural route- take advantage of it and SLEEP! That is a big regret of mine. I went into labor in the middle of the night but didn't deliver until the afternoon. I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before and had only gotten two hours of sleep. I was exhausted and starving by the time I started pushing which made it a lot harder. Eat before you go and sleep as much as possible!
Bring 2 different outfits for baby: 1 for a smaller baby, and one for a larger baby. I'm so glad I did this, because the outfit I wanted her to wear home didn't fit...and luckily, I threw a smaller one in there 'just in case'.