Janey Lee

We got together with friends from our Lamaze group last night and it got me thinking about my labor. Actually, I think about it quite a lot. I was so over prepared. For the last three months of my pregnancy, all I did was read labor stories and books about gentle labor etc..

My labor experience was really great, but I can’t help feeling like it didn’t go the way I wanted it to with the epidural and pitocin. Perhaps my expectations were too high based on all the books I read.

I am laughing at myself now reading my Feb 13 post with my list of things I carried to the hospital. Ladies — the books are crap. You don’t need all that stuff. Or at least you don’t need to bring it while you are in labor. I never even unpacked my own toilet paper. You don’t use toilet paper in the hospital. You spray yourself with water while you pee and then use something called Tucks. And they give you pads and panties. You don’t need to bring them.

We were so frazzled there were things that would have been useful for labor, but we didn’t use them. For instance, we couldn’t figure out how to work the ipod thing. Best to get something that anyone can use, like a CD player. In retrospect, the only items I really needed for labor were:

1. sweatpants and a tshirt. Since I didn’t have a hospital bed for the majority of my labor, I needed comfy clothes to walk the halls of the hospital in. once i was checked in, i just got naked.
2. lip balm. very important. especially if you have an epidural and they don’t let you drink anymore.
3. birthing ball. i didn’t bring mine and boy do i regret it. i actually sat on the floor a lot during labor. yuck.
4. gatorade. gatorade really helped kickstart my labor when it would slow down, but bring many flavors! gatorade is actually extremely nasty. bring water too for when you are sick of gatorade. i never touched the jello. i think some nuts or trail mix would have been nice.
5. slippers – i was happy to be walking around in my slippers rather than uncomfortable shoes.

the next day, your husband or a friend can go to your apartment and bring the car seat, going home clothes for baby, etc.. or you can be like us, and go home the day your baby is born. i am so happy we did that. my first memories of Matilda are of her in her bassinet and not in a weird plastic box in the hospital. but then again, I am weird and I still want to have baby #2 at home.