Ep 198: Everything You Need to Have in Your Hospital Bag

Speaker 1 (00:00): In this episode, you're going to learn everything you need to pack in your hospital bag and everything you need to do in order to be ready for the hospital. Welcome to the All About pregnancy and birth podcast. I'm Darton Nicole Calloway Rankins, a board certified ob gyn, who's been in practice for nearly 15 years. I've had the privilege of helping over 1000 babies into this world, and I'm here to help you be calm, confident, and empowered to have a beautiful pregnancy and birth. Quick note, this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Check out the full disclaimer@drnicolerankins.com slash disclaimer. Now let's get to it.

Speaker 1 (00:55): Hello, hello, hello there. Welcome to another episode of podcast. This is episode number 198. Whether you are a new listener or a returning listener, I am so glad to have you with me here today. So I know that packing your hospital bag can feel really stressful. What do I put in it? What do I not put in it? I want to make sure I don't forget anything. Well, in this episode, I'm going to help you get super confident about what to have in your hospital bag, some things not to have in your bag, and it's going to be from my unique perspective as an ob gyn who has had the privilege of helping well over a thousand babies into this world. It's probably close to the 1500 at this point, and so you really know the insider tips and things to know about what to bring to the hospital so you have just the right amount of stuff and not too much stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:53): So you are going to learn some, first of all, important kind of logistical information before we even talk about what to put in your bag. And then of course, we'll chat about what to bring for while you're in labor, what to bring for after your baby is born, what to bring for going home, some things not to bring some recommendations for your partner. And then one final thing that people talk about in terms of hospital prep or think about, and that is prepping down there in your vaginal area. I'm going to give you some insider information about that. Now, do not worry about writing anything down in this episode. There's a handy dandy list you can download if you go to dr nicole rankins.com/what to pack. That's dr nicole rankins.com/w H A T T O P A C K, and you can get all of this information in a handy list for you.

Speaker 1 (02:57): Now, before we get into the, I have a super important announcement, registration is now open for my live class, make a birth plan the right way. Yes, yes, yes. The next live class is going to be on Tuesday, March 21st, Tuesday, March 21st. And if you're not aware, my class, make a birth plan the right way is the class that you need to take in order to make a birth plan the right way and by the right way, I mean a birth plan that actually works to help you have the birth that you want. What most people do is when they make a birth plan, they print out one of those templates, one of those forms that they found online. They hand it to the doctor or the nurse when they get to the hospital. And that really doesn't do anything quite honest. You have no idea whether or not the doctor and the hospital actually support what's in that birth plan.

Speaker 1 (03:59): And because you've waited until when you're in labor, you're sort of stuck at that point. So if they don't support it, then what are you going to do? So a birth plan is not about printing out this piece of paper with the things that you want and presenting it to the folks at the hospital. Making a birth plan the right way is about having a discussion so you know that the doctor and the hospital actually support what is in your birth plan and you know that information well before you get to the hospital. The birth plan piece of paper is actually the last and least important step in that process. So in my live virtual class, you'll learn the right way to make a breath plan, how to best use your power, how to ask the right questions, how to get your, and specifically the questions you need to ask in order to understand if your doctor in hospital support what's in your birth plan.

Speaker 1 (04:53): You'll get tips on how to get your doctors and nurses who actually pay attention to your birth plan and you'll learn the thing that pretty much everyone misses about making a birth plan. So you definitely want to join this class again, it is going to be live on Tuesday, March 21st live virtual class. You'll get a workbook for the class. You'll get forever access to the replay video. You also get to be a member as a bonus of my free inner circle community. That's my private closed Facebook group. That's the only place where I do live q and a sessions where you can ask me questions, you can tag me in the group. You get feedback from other pregnant mamas who are similar to you. So lots of good gray stuff in this class. Let me tell you where to register is dr nicole rankins.com/register. Again, that is dr nicole rankins.com/register on over there and sign up.

Speaker 1 (05:46): I cannot wait to see you in class on the 21st. All right, let us get into what you need to do, what you need to have in your hospital bag in order to be ready. So first up, let's talk about a couple of logistic tips that I think people often overlook. So one thing that you want to look into is see if you can register ahead of time at the hospital where you plan to give birth. And by registering or pre-registering, that means you give the hospital your information, like your name, your address, your date of birth, you give them your insurance information so that it's in the system, all right? So that way when you come in labor, they're just kind of verifying the information and no one is trying to ask you or your partner in between contractions, which your zip code is.

Speaker 1 (06:41): All right, because that's super duper annoying, and I wish there was a way to completely get around and not have that sort of interactions where it's like, what's your name? What's your address? What's your date of birth? What's your insurance? But unfortunately, that's just the reality of registering in the hospital. They're going to ask those questions. So if you can pre-register and a lot of hospitals will allow you to pre-register online, then go ahead and get your information into the hospital system because it'll make it go faster when you get there. You just have to verify you're not having to put in all of the information for the first time. Okay, next up for logistic information is do a bit of a dry run so you know where the heck you going. I was going to say something else, but this is a PG podcast, so know where you are going before you get into the hospital.

Speaker 1 (07:34): All right? Know where to park, know where to go. In the hospital, labor birth, as you have heard me say multiple times is an unpredictable process. It is going to happen whenever it happens, including at 2:47 AM okay? And you do not want to be struggling to figure out where to park or where labor and delivery is at two, three o'clock in the morning if you happen to be someone who goes into labor during that time or even during the day. If you live in a busy metropolitan area, for instance, you don't want to be struggling to figure out where to go, where to park. All right? So understand where the parking is, just drive by, see where the parking is know where labor and delivery is. Taking a tour is a great way to do that. Tours are finally opening back up. Now that covid is not as big of a problem as it was, so take a tour and know exactly where you're going so you don't get lost in the shuffle when you are in labor.

Speaker 1 (08:37): Now if for some reason you don't have an opportunity to or you're confused, then the second best place to go is to the emergency department. So if you follow the signs to the emergency department and go in through the emergency department in the middle of the night, they will get you to and delivery 1000%. As soon as you say I'm in labor, they will whisk you off to the labor and delivery unit. So if you can't figure out where to go, then go to the emergency department, and that's at any time. Actually, if you have an emergency or something going on, go to the emergency department, they'll get you to the right place. Okay, so what do you need to do for in labor logistics wise? One of the things that you need to know is your GBS status. GBS stands for group B, streptococcus G, and that's the type of bacteria.

Speaker 1 (09:23): Now, outside of pregnancy, GBS is not a problem. However, during pregnancy, if you carry group beta strep in your urine, vaginal or rectal area, then you could transmit G B S to your baby. And in rare circumstances, G Bs can make a baby very, very sick. Now, about 30% of women are carriers of group beta strep during pregnancy, so it's very, very rare, very common. You will get tested for it with a vaginal or rectal swab sometime between 35, 37 weeks of pregnancy. And if you do carry G B s, then you need antibiotics while you're in labor. So you want to know what your GBS status is these days on patient portals and things where you can pull up your labs and information online. It's going to be there if you don't know it off the top of your head, but just have an idea if you're towards the end of your pregnancy, what your GBS status is.

Speaker 1 (10:11): Now, if you want to learn more about GBS and what it can do to babies, how can it affect babies, all of that stuff, how we test for it, why we test for it, different options, that kind of thing. Then head to episode 31 of the podcast, that's dr nicole rankins.com/episode 31. Some of the older episodes of the podcast are harder to get in like Apple because they only keep the last 100 episodes in those platforms, so you have to probably listen to it on my website. So that's dr nicole rankins.com/episode 31, and that's all together, e p i s o d E three one. All right, so what do you need to bring for when you are in labor? So you definitely want to bring some comfort items for your labor room. The environment of your labor room can have a big impact on your birth experience.

Speaker 1 (11:06): This is one of the things that we don't talk about enough about how you feel impacts your state of mind, your energy going into your labor and your birth and your environment. What's around you can impact that. I mean, think about it in your home or in your work environment. We put things like pictures. We decorate in order to make us feel a certain way because how we feel helps us bring our best to a particular experience. And that is no different than what happens in your labor room. And guess what? You paying for that room so you can bring the things that you want to bring in order to make it feel more comfortable pleasant, and welcoming environment for you. So feel free to bring music. Bring a speaker if you want to. I mean, you have neighbors and you can't play things loud, but bring music, bring photos if they're important photos of people who can't be there who you want to have around.

Speaker 1 (12:02): Bring things like diffusers if you want to have essential oils going. Bring Christmas lights. You can string up white Christmas lights that can make the room feel really, really nice and comfortable. A nice dim environment I think is lovely for labor and very comforting hospital lights. Hospital lights can be super duper harsh and those Christmas lights create a nice calm warming tone. Some hospitals are actually putting those in themselves in order to create a better environment in the labor room, but those are things that you can absolutely bring those types of comfort items for your labor room. You can also bring non-flammable candles, okay, so you can't bring candles with a flame because that's a fire hazard. Side note, funny story. There was a patient once who came to the hospital and she was in what's called our OB emergency department area having an issue, and she was there for a little bit while we were figuring things out, and she lit some candles in the room, like regular candles.

Speaker 1 (13:03): So I go in the room and the room is, it just smells delightful. So I sit down and I'm like, oh my gosh, it smells so great in here. It's so nice, it feels good in here. And the nurse came in and she was like Dr. Rankins, that is a fire hazard. We cannot have people lighting candles in the room. I was so fixated on enjoying the environment of the room that I totally forgot that it's a fire hazard to have candles in the hospital. So anyway, you can have flameless candles in the hospital as well if you want. So bring those comfort items for your labor room. Another thing you need to bring is some comfortable shoes, especially if you're planning an unmedicated birth. You'll likely be walking and moving around a lot to help you cope with contractions. So you really want to bring shoes that are comfortable. You want to bring shoes that are comfortable to walk in, and you want to bring something that's easy to get in and out of. So something like slippers, you also want to bring something that has a nice grip so you're not slipping and sliding across the floor. Okay? So have some comfortable shoes that you are going to wear if you're moving around. You also probably want to bring maybe some shower shoes if you want to get in the shower.

Speaker 1 (14:24): And speaking of shower, you may want to bring some just water gear in general. Okay, so hydrotherapy water therapy, that's hydro is water, so that's getting in the shower or getting in the tub. It's a great way to help manage contractions. And if your hospital's labor and delivery has showers that you plan to use, then you want to bring maybe a pair of cheap throwaway kind of flip flops to where while you get in you may want to bring a bathing suit top to wear while you get in the tub. I mean, you don't have to wear anything when you get in the tub. You're not, but you're not going to wear a hospital gown, right? Because that's going to get all soaked and everything. So you want to wear something comfortable like a sports bra or a bikini top to wear while you get into the tub.

Speaker 1 (15:10): Your partner can also bring flip flops, can also bring some swimwear that's comfortable to get into the shower or tub with you. Now, yes, the hospitals are clean and things like that, but I personally don't want to have my feet even walking around outside of the shower on the hospital floor. It's still a hospital, okay? So you know, don't want to have your bare feet walking around. So have some nice shoes, some cheap throwaway flip flops. Have some nice comfortable shoes to walk around in general, even outside of the shower, and bring that nice sports bra or bikini tops to wear when you get in the water if you want to. Okay? Again, you don't have to wear anything, but if you want to wear something, then those things work well. Okay? Now, this is something that people really don't realize is you need to bring something potentially to occupy your time if you are going to be induced, which can be a two or three day process, and I talk about labor induction in episode 180 3 of the podcast, dr nicole rankins.com/episode 180 3.

Speaker 1 (16:18): Or if you have an epidural, there may be long stretches where really you're just passing time waiting for labor to happen. And on average, the active part of labor lasts for about eight hours or so, but it could actually be significantly longer. So there may be decent stretches of time where you need to occupy your time. Okay? Again, especially if you have an epidural or if you are going to be induced, if you are doing a medicated birth, then your time is going to be occupied by managing the contractions. So it's not necessarily as pertinent that you bring things with you to occupy your time. But if you are planning to have an epidural or planning to get induced, which again can be some time, then it may be some hours that you need to occupy your time. So you can bring your tablet and your Netflix.

Speaker 1 (17:07): Some hospitals will let you connect to your own Netflix account on the TV or acoustic or something like that. If you have some books you want to catch up on to read, you can do that if you have puzzles that you want to do to occupy your times, movies to watch. So bring some things to occupy your time because you'll, you'll find that you may be sitting around and there's a lot of hurry up and wait in terms of labor and just to pass that time, bring some activities, and it's a great time to catch up on things. You can also, like if you want to call your girlfriends or things like that, talk to people, whatever you want to do in order to just occupy your time so you're not fixated on that clock waiting for the baby to come.

Speaker 1 (17:48): And then the final thing you want to have with you when you come to the hospital is your birth wishes, a k a, your birth plan. I recommend you bring three copies of it with you to the hospital, one for your nurse, one for your doctor and then one extra just to have just in case. And remember, as I said in the beginning, your birth wishes or birth plan is just the final step in that process. That piece of paper is important, but it's the least important part of the process. What's most important about making a birth plan is understanding that your doctor in hospital actually support what is in that piece of paper. And that's exactly what you're going to learn in my class. Make a birth plan the right way. My live virtual class, that is on Tuesday, March 21st, you can sign up for the CLA class@drnicolerankins.com slash register.

Speaker 1 (18:40): You get a workbook for the class. You get to be a member of my private community, the inner circle community, where that's the only place I really do q and a sessions or office hours these days. And then of course, inside the class you get a step by step easy to follow process to make a birth plan that is actually going to work to help you have the birth that you want, you learn the factors that influence your birth experience, tips to approach making your birth plan or birth wishes. Eight key questions to ask before you write a single word of your birth plan tips to make sure that your doctors and nurses pay attention what to include, all of that good grade stuff. So come join me in the class. This is especially great if you are due in the next few months here.

Speaker 1 (19:26): So march, april, may, because I'm not doing the class. I don't do it even once a month, so you definitely want to hop on it if you're due soon. And that's dr nicole rankins.com/register. Okay, so let's move on and talk about some things you will need for after the baby is here. Number one is bring your own stuff. All right? So yes, that's the hospital and they have things like soap and toothbrush, whatever, but there's nothing quite like having your own things to make you feel more like yourself. You do not have to wear a hospital gown during your stay. You can bring your own toiletries, bring your own comfortable clothes to wear. I will warn you, make sure you bring something that's loose, something that you can get in and out of a nice gown works, or if you want to bring loose pajamas, you are not going to lose your baby weight immediately after the baby is born.

Speaker 1 (20:23): Side note, another funny story. My mother-in-law she birthed my husband Falcon when she was fairly young. She was 20, I want to say 23, 24, and she thought that right after she had the baby, and she's an extremely smart woman. She's German, she not that has anything to do with her being smart. But anyway, she had her baby. She was the baby here in the us but she's really from Germany. And I guess they just didn't necessarily learn a lot about childbirth. And again, she's super smart. She has a PhD in physics, but she thought that right after she had the baby, her belly would just go down immediately afterwards. So she just brought her regular regular jeans to the hospital to wear home, and she was like mortified that she couldn't wear those home after she had a baby. But at any rate, bring some comfortable clothes to wear after you have a baby, bring your own toiletries.

Speaker 1 (21:19): Also, you want to make sure that whatever you bring, it can be easily pulled down so you can breastfeed. All right, so nursing bras, nursing tops are great, comfortable options, something that you can open in the front so that you can breastfeed. You would be surprised at how important it is. Being dressed in regular clothes and things that are comfortable for you will make you feel better after having a baby as opposed to being in a hospital gown. Those little mental tricks of the physical appearance impacting how you feel are not just tricks, actually. They're proven ways that make you feel better in general. Okay? All right. So one of the things you also need to bring for after the baby is born are snacks. And actually this is something that you can bring for during labor as well. Let's be honest, hospital food ain't exactly gourmet, and you may get hungry at times when the hospital cafeteria is closed.

Speaker 1 (22:16): Hospital cafeterias are having cutbacks and things like that. They may close at early hours. So you definitely want to bring some snacks to help keep you nourish during your hospital stay. And they don't always have vending machines these days either. And this is actually also something that you can bring during labor. It goes both places bringing snacks, because in the hospital they're probably going to have crackers, maybe some popsicles, things like that. But during labor for snacks, you can bring things like honey sticks, you can bring fruit, granola bars, applesauce. Those are all great options for snacks. You're not going to necessarily want to eat a lot during labor just because most of your energy, you're just not going to be hungry. Most of your energy is going to be focused on labor, but you will need some energy to help you kind get through the process.

Speaker 1 (23:09): So you definitely want to focus on things that are easily digestible, things like that. I have a list of things inside of the birth preparation course. My childbirth education class. Have a whole module on what you can eat and drink in labor, what's recommended, but some things you want to bring, again, like I said, honey sticks, granola bars, apple juice, those kinds of, or apple sauce and those kinds of things. And then afterwards, definitely bring snacks to have in your room as well. And for a lot of hospitals, you can also order food to the hospital. Some people don't realize that you can order DoorDash or Uber Eats or whatever to the hospital and they can just meet you downstairs at the door. So mainly that's a fun treat, something to treat yourself with after you have a baby, a fun meal, your favorite meal to have after your baby is born, get it Ubered to the hospital.

Speaker 1 (23:59): Okay, now what do you need for going home? Well, of course you're going to need oh my God, why am I blanking? A car seat? You're going to need a car seat. So of course you're going to have a car seat and you can bring the car seat with you and they can help you get it fitted into the car if need be, and get the baby into it properly also. So of course you're going to have a car seat, but to pack for your bag, you're going to want to have a special going home outfit for your baby. It's such a nice memory. I still have both of the outfits that we brought our girls home from in the hospital. Our first daughter was a preemie, and her outfit was like this little green onesie. It had little cows on it, and the second daughter, she had this little matching.

Speaker 1 (24:45): It was like black pants and this, she has a head, had a head full of black hair, so she had these cute little black pants and this red and white onesie and jacket to go with it. So I still have those outfits. That's a great memory. The outfits that you bring your baby home from the hospital in. Also, make sure you bring a blanket to cover your baby as you are leaving the hospital. One, it will keep your baby warm, but it will also keep well-meaning. But germy hands from touching your baby people mean well. And they don't mean anything by trying to touch your baby, but having a nice blanket covering the baby. And that's just not for leaving the hospital. That's when you go out in general. That is a great way to keep people from touching your baby because you don't want any ger hands touching your brand new baby.

Speaker 1 (25:37): And then something that often gets overlooked is a bag to carry home items you get while at the hospital. There are usually extra diapers wipes the hospital provides. So if you want to bring some of those things home with you, which you are certainly entitled to, because I guarantee you they've been charged to your room, , bring a small bag to carry those items home with you to have a few extra diapers and wipes around that the hospital provides. Okay, now what not to bring. You don't want to bring obviously super important jewelry that you get worried about. You could lose. Be careful about that. You don't want to bring lots of cash. Those are for obvious reasons for people potentially stealing things. Also, you don't need to bring your own medications. You can bring your medications and you can take your own medications while in the hospital, but you don't have to, so don't feel like you need to bring your own medications.

Speaker 1 (26:42): If you take on a regular basis, you also don't need to bring things like diapers for your baby. The hospital will provide those for you as well. Hospital will provide onesies for the baby, but of course you can bring your own outfits for the baby if you'd like, so you don't have to bring a lot of the stuff for the baby. The baby, the hospital will provide those things for you. Now, sometimes I see people bring a nursing pillow. That's not really a necessity either, especially in the beginning and you're only in the hospital for a couple of days. That's something more that is useful at home. You can bring it if you feel like it may help you, but you don't have to bring your nursing pillow while you're in the hospital. You can just hold the baby and you don't need to bring your breast pump. Some people bring the breast pump, and you don't need to bring that either unless you have concerns about how to use it or set it up or things like that. Your breast pump can stay at home as well.

Speaker 1 (27:44): And I would say just in general, don't necessarily bring anything super nice or that you're worried is going to get messed up, especially during the labor part. Some people bring a blanket for the bed and things like that, and that's totally fine, but understand that during labor, there's going to be bodily fluids involved. And if you don't want something to get permanently potentially messed up, then don't bring that particular thing or be understand the possibility that it could get messed up during the process of labor. Okay, now the last couple things. Your partner should bring many of the same things that you have, and actually even more so because the hospital's not going to provide anything for them. So things like toiletries, things like a change of clothes, changes of clothes, including swimwear or something comfortable that they plan to get in the tub, or if they plan to get in the shower with you, they should bring something to entertain themselves.

Speaker 1 (28:38): Now, they should bring any medications that they take if they take medications on a regular basis. Something else that your partnership bring that probably gets overlooked a lot is if they themselves want to get a little bit of rest, but shit, which they should try and do. Obviously you're the one doing the work, you're in labor, but they need to rest too. So if they want to bring their own blanket and pillow, then that's great to bring as well. The hospital will provide those. But again, it's going to be kind of hospital issue stuff. So your partner can bring a blanket and pillow as well. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Okay, and then the final thing I want to say is prepping your vaginal area. All right? If you have children, you don't want children to hear this. This is the time to kind of skip forward a little bit.

Speaker 1 (29:25): But some people stress about the appearance of their vagina, how that might be perceived by their doctor, whether that's during labor or actually in general, like doing a gynecology appointment. Listen, nobody cares what your vagina looks like, I promise. Like no one cares. None of us care. We see vaginas all the time, whether it's waxed, whether it's shaved, whether it's completely natural, whether it's beda, bedazzled, okay, doesn't matter. You don't have to do anything in particular to prepare your vagina for birth. Do not stress if you haven't waxed. Don't stress if you haven't shaved. Don't feel like your vagina is supposed to smell like flute, flowers or herbs. All right? That's not what the vagina normally smells like. All of those things actually can be irritants to some degree. So just plains soap and water is fine, and even that may not happen before you go into labor, because labor happens whenever it happens, and the shower or getting cleaned up may not be feasible before you come to the hospital.

Speaker 1 (30:28): So the bottom line is just come to the hospital when it's time for you to come as you are. All right? Don't worry about prepping anything or shaving, waxing, anything like that. It will be fine. We will be happy to care for you exactly as you are. All right. So just to recap the things that you need for the hospital. All right? You want to register ahead of time. You want to do a dry run. You want to know your G GBS status. You want to bring those comfort items for yourself in labor comfortable shoes. You want to bring things to make your labor room feel like a comfortable, warm, inviting, welcoming place. You want to bring stuff to where in the water. If you plan to get in the shower or tub, bring some things to occupy your time, bring your birth plan or birth wishes.

Speaker 1 (31:24): And don't forget to check out my live class that's coming up, dr nicole rankins.com/register to sign up for that. When the baby is born, bring your own stuff, all right? Bring your own stuff so you feel comfortable. Make sure you bring snacks. Those are both for in labor and after the hospital, bring that special going home outfit for the baby. Don't bring any jewelry. Don't bring lots of cash. You don't need to bring your own medications, you don't need to bring diapers, things like that for the baby. The hospital will provide that for you, your partnership. Bring all of their own stuff, including a blanket or pillow if they need to feel comfortable so they sleep. I mean, need to feel comfortable while they sleep. And then don't worry about prepping your vaginal area, shaving, waxing, all of that stuff. Just come as you are.

Speaker 1 (32:13): All right? So there you have it. Do me a solid share. This podcast with the friend sharing is caring and helps me to reach and serve more pregnant folks, which is the heart, soul, and passion of my work. And I would appreciate your help in helping me do so. Also, subscribe to the podcast, an Apple podcast or wherever you're listening to me right now. Feel free to leave a review, an Apple podcast. I'd love to hear what people say about this show, or reach out to me on Instagram. Send me a DM at Dr. Nicole Rankins and let me know what you think about the podcast as well. I love it when folks send me messages. I also love it when folks send me pictures, pictures of you and your baby. That always, always warms my heart. So reach out to me on Instagram and Dr. Nicole Rankins, and I better see you in my live class on Tuesday, March 21st. Make a birth plan the right way. You do not want to miss it, dr nicole rankins.com/register. So that's it for this episode. Do come on back next week and remember that you deserve a beautiful pregnancy and.