I know that there has been a lot written on the subject of what to pack when your wife’s going into labor. Everything from the “Top 12 things to pack for the hospital” to “10 Essential Items for Your Hospital Bag”. I’m here to tell you while these lists are good, there is really only one thing you need to make sure you bring to the hospital:
YOUR WIFE
I mean let’s be honest here. If you didn’t bring your wife to the hospital, the rest wouldn’t matter.
In preparing for our first born, Jude, we wanted to be ready for anything at anytime. We had created a list of what we wanted packed in our hospital bag and made sure as time got closer to our due date that the clothes we wanted to bring were washed and our electronic devices were charged. We packed like we were leaving the country for a month and wouldn’t be able to do laundry during that time. There were so many clothes and items that we packed that we ended up having to use our large suitcase. You know the one I’m talking about, the one that barely fits in the trunk of the car. Yeah that’s the one we used. The following are the items we brought with us the when our son was born.
Items for baby:
- Car seat
- Outfit to go home in
My wife packed the follow for our firstborn:
- Eyeglasses
- Yoga pants
- T-shirts
- Toiletries
- Makeup
- Hairdryer
- Camera
- Swimsuit (Why, you ask. Why not? )
- Underwear
- Socks
- Nursing tank
- Nice clothes for baby pictures taken at hospital
- And countless other odds and ends like snacks, slippers
I packed:
- T-shirts
- Jeans
- Hat
- Socks
- Underwear
- Toiletries
- Camera
- Phone charger
- Night clothes
- Nice shirt for baby pictures at hospital
- Handheld massager
Yes, you read that last bullet point correctly, I brought a handheld massager (Get your minds out of the gutter). My wife and I attended a few classes at the hospital where we planned to have our first child. One of the classes we took was on childbirthing. During the class I learned about the extreme back pain some women can experience during labor. In the class they talked about ways that a father could apply counter pressure to help relieve/massage the low back of their wife while she was in labor. While I have no problems doing this for my wife, I knew that there was only so much massaging that my delicate little “office hands” could handle before they were tired. So, to combat I sought help out.
Now, here’s for an embarrassing side note: back in my single days I would peruse the clearance aisle at Walmart looking for great deals that I couldn’t live without. Like most stuff I bought back then, it seemed like a great idea at the time of purchase, just to end up collecting dust in my basement or being donated a few years later. During one of my visits to Walmart, I happened upon a handheld massager. Who doesn’t need a massager, especially for a few dollars. “You never know when you might need it,” I thought to myself. I imagined it would be like sitting in one of those Brookstone massage chairs. You know, the chairs that melt away all your aches and pains, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. How could this be any different, other than the price I thought to myself. LIttle did I know that years later it would come it handy, literally.
It turns out that the massager was the one-thing that my wife loved and could not do without. Once we got to the hospital and were given a room, we were told to walk the hallways to help move the labor process along. Throughout this time, my wife had tremendous back labor. While I did apply counter pressure to her low back with my hands at times, she found it more relaxing to have the constant massage on her low back. Luckily, I brought extra batteries. It didn’t take long after first using the massager to notice that the batteries started to wear-out after a 20-30 minutes of use.
In planning what to pack with our second child, Adelaide, we were a little more lax with our planning and preparedness. Lax as in it was a week before our daughter was due and we hadn’t even discussed what to pack in our suitcase. Unlike our son who was born 3 days after his due date, our daughter surprised us and was 5 days early. Needless to say when my wife’s water broke at home, we were not packed. Heck, it was around 10:30pm at night and the only thing we planned on doing was going to sleep prior to her water breaking. After realizing that this was “IT” and that we had to go to the hospital. We called my parents who live close by and had them come over to our place to be with our son while my wife and I went to the hospital. In waiting for my parents to arrive, we grabbed our small suitcase and started throwing items into it. We knew we had only a few minutes until my parents arrived and we had to be on our way.
Remembering that less is more as far as packing goes from when our son, Jude, was born we packed light. The following are the items we brought with us the when our daughter was born.
Items for baby:
- Car seat
- Outfit to go home in
My wife packed the follow for our firstborn:
- Yoga pants
- T-shirts
- Toiletries
- Camera
- Underwear
- Socks
- Nursing tank
- Nice top for baby pictures taken at hospital
I packed:
- T-shirt
- Socks
- Underwear
- Toiletries
- Camera
- Phone charger
- Night clothes
- Nice shirt for baby pictures at hospital
- Jeans, hat, and sweatshirt I wore throughout
- Handheld massager, of course
My wife and I arrived at the hospital right after midnight with our second child. I remember standing in the ER while my wife was getting admitted and thinking I feel like I’m forgetting something. That thought pops into my head every now and again, especially if I feel like I have rushed out the door. Before I could ponder more on that thought, a woman emerged from behind the ER door. She stood a whopping 5’2” at best and had a big smile on her face. She greeted us, placed my wife in a wheelchair and whisked us away to the maternity wing of the hospital. As I followed her, I was thankful that we had packed less this time. Not because it was less to carry, but because I was literally running trying to keep up with this woman. She must have been a former Olympian in the power walking event. I have never seen such a short person walk so fast and make it look so effortlessly.
As with our firstborn, once we were in our room, we were told to walk the hallways to help move the labor process along. Being the thoughtful husband that I am, I brought the same handheld massager and as I did before, and made sure to have extra batteries on hand.
In getting ready to leave the hospital with our daughter, I reflected back on my thought that I had in the ER when we arrived at the hospital, thinking that I was forgetting something. I realized then, that it wasn’t so much about what I brought to the hospital, besides my wife, that was important, as it was what I was bringing home from the hospital, a beautiful baby girl, and my wife of course. Sometimes we can let planning and preparedness get in the way of being in the now and enjoying the moment. Don’t get me wrong, you need to be prepared and think ahead, but make sure you put as much effort, or even more effort into enjoying the now. I think about bringing our son home from the hospital and how fast 3 years has past. Before I know it, we will be celebrating Adelaide’s 3rd birthday, too.
So, here is the final list that all men need to use when packing for your wife’s labor:
- Wife
- Massager
- Batteries
Best of luck at the hospital!
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