Giving birth to a child is a very special moment in the life of any lady. In most cases, many couples have many dreams about their baby from the initial days of pregnancy.
Childbirth is a complex process, but with proper guidance, exercise, diet and timely required medication, it can be straightforward and simpler.
The real preparation for childbirth usually starts with your mindset at the beginning of pregnancy or mid-pregnancy.
A good diet and good exercise, as per the guidance of your doctor, will help you a lot to opt for natural birthing.
The ideal time to prepare your bag, which you will carry to the hospital at the time of your delivery, is the beginning of the third trimester.
As such, many mother and child care hospitals have almost all preparations or things ready in the hospital, which are required by a new mom, newborn.
However, the following is the list of things which you need to prepare while keeping your bag ready before hospital admission.
1. All medical records- All medical reports and prescriptions from the initial days of pregnancy should be carried out in hard copy format so that they will be handy before admission to the hospital and will be available to the clinical team as well. In a busy labour room, it is always better to keep your medical records handy to streamline your medical treatment and avoid complications.
2. Carrying your birthing preference plan- Your Birthing preference plan In many good hospitals, the birthing plan is very well discussed with the pregnant lady and the family at around 34 weeks. It should be carried along with your material and documents. Because of this plan, you and the clinical team will be on the same page and can create a memorable birthing experience.
3. Photo IDs of a pregnant lady and her partner- Photo IDs of a pregnant lady and her partner are very much essential for the admission process, identification purposes, preparing bands for pregnant ladies and also bands for newborns after birth. These documents are also very essential for processing your health insurance claims and processing for birth certificates and required documentation on the government portal.
4. Health insurance policy and card- These documents are essential to process your cashless hospitalisation, if applicable. In most cases, even a soft copy is sufficient for the initial processing, but hardcopy is mandatory before discharge and final processing of claim approval. It will be more convenient if you provide documents hardcopy at the time of admission.
5. Your mobile phone and charger- This will be lasting to put inside your bag because in the current scenario, everyone carries the mobile phones as if they are their buddies. But these will be essential for communication, getting required documents and many transactions.
6. Personal clothes- Nowadays, usual hospitalisation for maternity would be around 3 to 4 days so you need to prepare your bag accordingly. The clothes for a pregnant lady should be comfortable and loose so that she can carry herself very well. Many hospitals have a protocol for wearing hospital clothes during the hospitalisation period. You need to discuss hospital policy beforehand. Washed and ironed Feeding gowns and feeding bras should be taken 2 per day. Inner clothes should be kept in bags similarly. At least 4 to 5 hand towels should be taken. Winter wear should be kept ready as per the environmental conditions. Two sets of comfortable footwear are to be kept inside the bag.
7. Personal toiletries- Usually, hospitals have those facilities, but still, you can keep your chosen toiletries with you like hand wash ,deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, moisturiser, shower gel, etc.
8. Clothes for baby- Initial days means during hospitalisation, usually, you’ll require more wrap up clothes for your baby. If you have already bought a few pairs of clothes for your newborn, make sure that they are washed and dried properly. Disposable diapers are usually available at hospitals, so need not be carried.
9. Essentials for returning home with your baby- It should also carry a pair of clothes, extra for coming back home for you and your baby. Feeding pillows can be carried so that you can breastfeed your child comfortably. An infant car seat or a trolley can be kept ready in the car for coming back home from hospital. Usually, new moms carry their baby with them.
10. Glasses and contact lenses- If you wear glasses or contact lenses, you can carry them along with you with proper cleaning lotion.
11. Music for a Soothing labor experience- The music playlist of your choice should be carried along with you to keep your labouring experience lighter.
12. Regular medication box- Your regular medicines should be along with you so that they can be continued during hospitalisation as per your clinician’s advice.
13. Your birth companion bag and his/her essentials- Birth, companions, clothes, toiletries, and essential medication should be ready in different bags and can be kept beside your bag.
14. Cash and credit cards- Some cash in credit cards should be kept along with you as there might be some expenses that are not covered under your insurance.
The above list covers almost everything which you need to carry at the time of labour admission. Most importantly, you need to carry your positive mindset, confidence, and loved ones for your support as you are going to create something which is very precious and close to your heart. Good preparation will help you to create memories of the precious events of childbirth forever.
