5 Must Have Items for a Hospital Birth

I have had the privilege of giving birth ten times in the past 20 years. All of my babies have been born in the hospital due to various reasons which I'll discuss another day. Throughout those deliveries I have learned exactly what I can live without and what I must have for my delivery and postpartum time in the hospital. Some of the items may surprise you, but others are probably a staple for every hospital birthing mama.

5 Must Have Items for a Hospital Birth

1. Chapsticks & Mints: I try to labor as long as possible at home, but eventually we head on to the hospital where I finish laboring and deliver my baby. During this time of laboring, it has been my experience that the doctor/nurses prefer you not to eat or drink anything while in labor. (I don't exactly agree with this *rule*, but I don't typically want to eat when in labor, anyways). But, I do find that a mint really helps with the cotton mouth I get during labor. And then along with the cotton mouth I always suffer with terribly chapped lips and having chapstick on hand is a major blessing.
2. Non-perishable Food: Okay I realize most hospitals do have food, but they only send it out three times a day and it's usually not very appealing much less nutritional (at least this has been my experience at the two hospitals I've used to deliver my babies). There is nothing like the ravenous hunger of a woman who just gave birth!! I literally could eat anything and everything after I give birth. Which is why I bring a bag of my own groceries to the hospital. Foods I pack include nuts, dried fruit, protein bars, dark chocolate, veggie chips, rice cakes, etc. 
3. Wipes for Mom and Baby: This one may seem like an unusual item to pack, but trust me you'll thank me later! If you have a vaginal delivery, the sandpaper toilet paper that comes standard at most hospital is the last thing you want to use on your most delicate spot after you give birth. I always bring a package of flushable wipes. Also, for some reason our hospital only provides heavy duty workhorse towels as wipes for the baby. This means that when the baby poops the horrible black tar poop, you have to hobble over to the sink, wet it, hobble back to the bassinet and try to get the yucky mess off your babies bum. Yeah, not ideal. Just bring a package of natural wipes to the hospital and save your baby a massive diaper rash at only a few hours old. 
4. Nursing Pillow: Obviously this only goes for nursing mamas, but I find myself so sore after I give birth, and having my trusty nursing pillow helps make breastfeeding so much easier. 
5. Swaddle Blankets: The hospital does provide swaddle blankets, but they're very tiny, not soft, and difficult to wrap around a baby, especially when you're exhausted, sore, and just generally not capable of using all your faculties. Having a nice sized quality swaddle blanket (or a few in case of blowouts & occasions of vomit) makes those early swaddling days so much more practical. 

I understand that every mama has their own must have items for a hospital, but these are the few items that make my childbirth and recovery experience much more comfortable. I do have other things I like to bring, but for the sake of this post, I wanted to keep it down to my top five favorites. I know how important it is to create a positive hospital childbirth experience, which is why I always plan ahead, making a point to pack and bring my personal hospital necessities. I can assure you should we be blessed with another pregnancy and impending birth, these are the first items to go into my hospital bag. 

With Love & Hope,

Jennifer

What's a Doula & Why Every Pregnant Mama Needs One

I have a few more posts I originally wrote from my last blog that I'm transferring over here to Country Mama to Many. Most of the posts I alter or rather retrofit to be current and relevant to my life now; but I find that this post shares my heart exactly and I'm going to leave it as it is. I wrote it two years ago shortly after giving birth to our 9th baby. Today I am four days shy of being 40 weeks pregnant with our tenth baby. my thoughts are still the same regarding a doula and I believe they are a true asset to helping mamas get through labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. 

Three weeks ago we welcomed our ninth baby into this world and our family. Lydia Rose was born on December 30th after a ridiculously easy labor and natural delivery weighing in at 9 pounds 1 ounce. While labor and delivery was a piece of cake my immediate postpartum recovery was quite the challenge. Praise the Lord it was nothing life threatening, but difficult nonetheless. After everything settled down, I became acutely aware that much of my postpartum issues could have easily been minimized and maybe even avoided if I had only included a doula in my childbirth plan.

What exactly is a doula? Well, a doula is a trained and qualified labor, delivery, and postpartum advocate for the MOTHER. I'm not yelling at you, but simply stressing that a doula's primary focus is to assist the mother in whatever needs she may have while in labor, birthing, or during the postpartum phase. The actually services provided by a doula can range from helping the pregnant mama the last few weeks of pregnancy, to helping with pain management techniques during labor, as well as assisting with breastfeeding. Every doula has their own set of services they provide. I highly recommend you interview multiple doulas to find one that will best fit your needs during the final days of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.

Prior to my pregnancy with our eighth child, I had only vaguely heard of doulas, as they were not exactly prevalent in our rural Alabama town. But, with the arrival of an avid natural childbirth OBGYN to our community, the interest and need for doulas quickly increased. As natural childbirth classes and resources became more readily available so did the demand for trained doulas. When I became pregnant with our eighth baby, I was educated on the advantages of having a doula be apart of my childbirth plan. After witnessing the blessing many of my friends had experienced while birthing with a doula; we decided to hire one too. It truly was wonderful to have someone directly working to meet my needs so that I could simply focus on delivering and cuddling my precious new baby.

For many different reasons, we opted not to have a doula for our ninth pregnancy. Looking back, I now realize I hadn't truly grasped the significance of having a doula present for my labor and delivery (until after my baby was born); even if I was well educated about their specific, yet unique services and had used one before. But, one reason I didn't pursue a doula was because I prefer to be left alone during labor. Most folks would equate a doulas greatest job to helping mothers with pain management techniques during labor. I just assumed, since I didn't need a doula during my labor, that it was unnecessary for one to be present throughout the remainder of my childbirth experience as well: unfortunately, I was gravely wrong!!

After I deliver my babies, I kind of go into a 'mini shock'. I literally just can't function. I can't talk, much less communicate my needs. My attention AND everyone else's traditionally turns to the baby at this point. Yet, the mother, who just birthed a human being is kind of tossed to the side as she's roughly doctored up and a sheet is thrown over her. A beautiful and wonderful event can quickly turn into an unnecessary catastrophe. I can honestly say, out of all nine of my deliveries, the best and least traumatic was the one where I had a doula at my side; forseeing my needs before I even knew I had them. Husbands are great, don't get me wrong, but for the most part, even they are clueless as to what a mama needs during the throws of childbirth.

The great thing is there's no excuse these days why most pregnant mamas can't experience the blessing of a doula as most insurance companies, even medicaid, gives allowances for doula services. Labor, childbirth, and postpartum is hard enough without having to suffer through unmet needs. With a doula's services, I can assure you, every mama will receive the care she deserves. I'd encourage all pregnant mamas to research and educate themselves on the benefits of having a doula present during childbirth. Regardless of your childbirth method, a doula truly can help to make labor, delivery, and postpartum a peaceful event for every mama. And this my friends, is exactly why every pregnant mama should include a doula in their birth plan.

With Love & Hope,

Jennifer