Your hospital may provide you with some nipple cream and perhaps a nipple shield to help with latching. You might be so lucky as to leave with a hand pump of your own, as well as supplies for your own electric pump. Any informational packets.
Most hospitals offer complimentary items like pads and non-slip socks for mom, as well as caps, shirts and swaddles, as mentioned above, for baby. These basics are all you'll need while focusing on caring for your post-birth body and newborn. You can ask during your birth center tour what's provided and what's not.
Ibuprofen is usually the preferred first step because little of it passes through breastmilk. Acetaminophen also is safe to take while breastfeeding. Both medications are available over the counter. Talk with your ob-gyn if you feel you need other options, or before combining two or more pain medications.
The hospital will likely provide essential items for your baby, such as swaddling blankets, pacifiers, wipes, and diapers.
After you give birth, the hospital will provide plenty of, ice packs, witch hazel pads, peri squirt bottles, and anything else you might need to aid in your physical recovery.
As the name suggests, the Peri Bottle is an ergonomically designed bottle that features a narrow angled neck that allows you to clean yourself gently and easily while also preventing infection and helping to speed up recovery time.
We recommend packing two-three 1.0 TOG newborn swaddles in your hospital bag in size newborn or 0-3 months. Depending on the time of year your baby is born and home temperatures, you may want to get another 0-3 months Cocoon Swaddle Sack for home.
We recommend packing two-three 1.0TOG Cocoon Swaddles in your hospital bag in size newborn or 0-3 months.
Blanket. While the hospital will likely provide blankets, a blanket of your own is always good to have on hand to use during skin-to-skin contact. It can also be used to keep your baby warm in the car seat on the way home.
“Generally, after a vaginal birth, a person can take a shower as soon as they are able to stand,” says Dr. Ghosh. “If you had an epidural, we recommend waiting until the pain medication has worn off to ensure that you can safely stand up on your own.
With no epidural or narcotics on board, most birthing parents rate active-phase labor a 10 on the pain scale of 1 to 10. With pain management techniques taught in childbirth education, however, laboring parents can greatly reduce the intensity of the pain they experience.
The potential for a quicker labor, delivery and recovery – For some people, a natural birth may go more quickly. While it depends on several different factors, like how relaxed you may be, in some cases medications can interfere with contractions and prolong labor.
Aim for one outfit in newborn size and one 0-3 months. Don't forget hats and/or socks, if weather-appropriate. Your pediatrician's contact information. The doctors and nurses will ask you for this information several times, so it's good to have it handy.
You don't have to. Most people choose to wear the gown because it's easier, but you can wear your own clothes, if you prefer. Just make sure they're comfortable and can get dirty (or straight-up ruined), like a simple, cheap nightgown or a stretchy, knee-length skirt.
The hospital will have appropriate gowns for your birth and for postpartum, newborn diapers, baby blankets for swaddling, hats for newborns, and even travel toothpaste and shampoo in case you forget your own. Most hospitals will have birth and peanut balls to support you in your labor as well.
A receiving blanket. The hospital will provide blankets for baby while you're here, but bring your own to tuck around your baby in the car seat for the ride home.
Comfortable clothes and bedding
Not all hospitals will let you bring your own bedding, but if you can, Goyer said, the feel and smell of your own pillow or a blanket from home can be a huge source of comfort. “I had this really nice, soft, fuzzy blanket that I started bringing along for my mom,” she said.
Hospitals do have a supply if you need to stay in for more than a few days. Also, remember to pack water wipes or cotton pads to wipe the baby's bottom.” Muslins: “Four muslin squares is plenty. These can be draped on your shoulder or placed underneath the baby to prevent dribble from getting on your clothes.”
Receiving blanket.
It's a good idea to bring at least five receiving blankets because you will want to roll them up and stuff them around little baby's head in the car seat.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents keep their babies swaddled for 12–20 hours per day for the first few weeks after birth. This relaxes babies. Swaddling a baby correctly also protects her from overheating, injuries and sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
Swaddling for short periods of time is likely fine, but if your baby is going to spend a significant amount of the day and night swaddled, consider using a swaddling sleep sack that lets the legs move. It may not be quite as effective from a calming standpoint, but it is safer for the hips.
Painful urination after a vaginal birth
Some general soreness is normal as your perineum recovers from all that pushing, and you might notice it more when you're peeing. If you had any tearing or an episiotomy, it's normal to experience some sharp stinging as urine comes into contact with the healing tissue.
Peri bottles help cleanse the area and relieve postpartum discomfort. "It's basically a squirt bottle that allows you to clean your bottom easily and gently after the delivery of a baby," says Christina Dothager, M.D., an OB-GYN with Ob Hospitalist Group in Greenville, Illinois and Terre Haute, Indiana.
Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.