Delivery Suggestions

Here are my birth and delivery prep recommendations.

Hospital Prep

Stretch – like I said in my pregnancy recommendations, stretching helps with delivery in more ways than one. But, I read this article about, ahem, “stretching” as it will help with your delivery AND recovery. Another form of “stretching” is sex. Lots of it.

Music – usually I am a “don’t touch me, bother me, make noise, etc…” when I’m feeling sick type of person. I expected as much when I was in labor. For the most part, that was true. But, I was thankful that we had our iPad and iPod with the Bose docking station to play music. The beginning of my labor started with some Aaron Espe, Adele and such on shuffle. By the middle through end of my labor I wanted some worship, but nothing too distracting, think more Shane & Shane, Bebo Norman, etc… I appreciated having God’s presents and calm in the room during the toughest time of my labor.

Massage – oh yes. When the contracts started to kick in and become a bit more painful it helped to have my back and shoulders massaged. Towards the end I wanted less physical or verbal contact… mostly, I just wanted Jeremy there – but not bothering me. I just wanted to concentrate to get through each contraction and get to a resting period.

Water – again with the water. My doctor suggested this, but noted that a lot of women throw up during labor. I started my labor with lots of water and amazing hospital ice… you know, like the ice from Sonic! I downed probably a good 200 oz. before my contractions became quite painful/I wasn’t allowed to drink anything. I am positive this helped because during my delivery I became quite dehydrated and I wasn’t able to drink at that time. Just think if I hadn’t drank that much water, I would have felt terrible.
Push – push with your bottom, not your face nor entire body. You'll tire out too quickly and use an unnecessary amount of energy to do so. Remember, push with your bottom and not the rest of your body. (I failed at this one, well, that a no one told me this beforehand...)

Pajamas – bring comfy pajamas to the hospital. Buy something new and comfortable. Trying these on while you’re pregnant works… just buy whatever is tight because it should fit you well after your delivery.

Slippers & Flip Flops – bring some to walk about the hospital/birthing center. It’s better than having to wear shoes all the time. Make sure you find a pair of slippers with rubber soles. Flip flops are for the bathroom/shower.

Nursing Bras & Tank Tops – it’s good to be prepared! I suggest delivering in a nursing sports bra. It’s more comfortable than a regular bra, looks semi decent for your half nakey body AND you can easily nurse shortly after delivery. Having nursing bras and nursing tank tops on hand at the hospital are important for a few reasons;

you want to easily nurse but feel like you’re giving everyone a show

nursing tank tops can easily be worn in lieu or with a nursing bra… but it’s more modest for nursing in front of visitors (your hideous shrinking tummy will stay covered!)

you won’t have to go shopping for any of these after you delivery. You can stay home and enjoy every moment with that new baby

Lanolin – my hospital provided Lanolin, but I know many birthing centers and hospitals don't. Lanolin is made for chapped, sore or bleeding, nursing nipples; all of which arelikely to occur during the first few weeks of nursing. It's a lot like vasoline, but thicker. I used it consistently for about the first month of nursing Harper. Since then, I haven't had a need to do so. I carry the trial sized tubes provided by the hospital in my diaper bag - just in case. I was thankful I had bought a tube prior to delivery because I used plenty. *One thing that a nurse told me shortly after Harper's birth is always let your nipples dry or dry your nipples off (esp. in the beginning), before putting your bra/shirt back on. This is really helpful because wet nipples stick to your shirt and can be painful when your clothing to nurse again later.

When you leave – clear out your hospital room. They charge you for all of the ice packs, pads, diapers, wipes, etc… anyway. Ask for extras; you can get extras of anything to take it home. Asking for extra in-pad ice packs was one of the best things I did. Those saved my life that first day and a half at home.

Getting Home Ready

Reusable Ice Packs – keep a couple on hand for rotating sitting on. This helps curb the pain of delivery.

Panties – Gauze panties. They are hideous. Yup. They are worse than granny-panties. BUT, you won’t ruin your own and they can be tossed afterwards. I also bought several pairs of underwear from Target to use after delivery so I wouldn’t ruin my own. This was super smart as I was able to wear these and not worry about bleeding.

Clean Bathroom – my lovely husband b-lined it to the bathroom when we got home. He scrubbed that sucker up and down and presented a clean area for me to handle my biz-nas. It just made dealing with after delivery toilet breaks much easier.

Bathroom Prep – you already will have lots going on down there, even if your delivery is a breeze. But, having some things ready ahead of time really helps.

Wipes. It’s was good to have “wipes” because you’re quite sensitive down there and makes clean up easier.

Stool softeners and Laxatives. If you didn’t know, your g-track shuts down during delivery. Natural body instinct. That is why many women throw up during delivery (that and the pain/stress on your body). So, in preparation for knowing this, it is helpful to have stool softeners and laxatives on hand at home. I didn’t end up taking any laxatives but was glad I had them just in case.

Tucks. They are vital to quick healing after delivery. They keep everything clean down there and help to encourage healing.

Pads. Ugh. I felt like I was 12 again. Buy normal sized, not the ultra-thin, because you’ll have plenty of bleeding after delivery. You’ll eventually move down to the ultra-thin, but you’ll need to start with the normal sizes.

Tylenol & Ibuprofen – Tylenol for pain and Ibuprofen for swelling. Opt for the Tylenol more often or even over the Ibuprofen if you’re breast feeding.