Our Hospital Experience!

IN BRETT’S WORDS, READ WHY HE ADVOCATES FOR A BIG HOSPITAL BAG, AND SOME OF THE SURPRISING ITEMS HE THINKS EVERYONE COULD USE…

Okay, here’s the scoop. Pack a bag, and be prepared — for anything. In a world where there is a lot of judgement, and people giving sideways glances at what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it, Cecilia and I are pretty much immune to this — because we just don’t give a f***.

We rolled into the hospital when Cecilia was ready to deliver like we were rolling into the Four Seasons. Why? Because this was the biggest day of our lives, and we wanted to have everything. Absolutely everything. We had 1 large roller-suitcase, and I think 2 duffle bags with all our odds and ends, and miscellaneous sh!t. I do, indeed, recall some other patients, and some nursing staff look at us like “OMG”, but, we strolled into the maternity ward with pride because we knew we had everything we needed. (And with each baby, we actually refined our packing, and our hospital bag experience.)

Quick side note: We were still very respectful of our space, and we didn’t take over the hospital room in every way. We just did things in our own way, and made slight adjustments that wouldn’t affect the nursing staff, yet, we knew these items would make us feel a lot better, and more comfortable. I also have OCD, so my packing was meticulous, and very organized. I wasn’t rolling in with a chaotic pile of miscellaneous random Sh!t.

Comfortability is a very important thing for the new Mama-to-be, and it also is for Dad too. Some wouldn’t think that the Dad’s role is as important (well, because it ain’t), but it’s still important for Dad’s to get their rest too so that they can be as attentive as possible for the ones doing the pushing! It’s also important to bring things for yourself (men), like a toothbrush, and hygiene products because when the big moment arrives and you want to whisper sweet words into your wife’s ear, but you haven’t brushed your teeth in 3 days, and all you’ve been drinking is hospital cafeteria coffee — well, you could ruin the moment!

So, in our hospital bag, we squished it down so it didn’t look absurd, but we did bring our own pillows. Often hospitals have scratchy, almost-even plastic-covered pillows that are just horrendous. If you’re going to be spending nights in the hospital, pack a good pillow. We also packed a few extra blankets that looked nice, that we had no concern getting bodily fluids on (haha). These blankets were a life saver in that cold cold hospital because, well, the nursing staff (although always friendly), are not really there for comfort, they’re there for safety and health. Not to mention, they’re always busy AF, so, getting you a warmer blanket is very low on the priority list when other Mama’s are pushing out babies!

We also packed things to do. Cecilia needed a laptop/iPad with her favourite Netflix shows. As the nurses circulated every 30-60 minutes, we were able to binge some of our favourite movies or series’.

I vividly remember when we were going to bring Mila into the world back in 2016, and the epic mistake we made watching Game of Thrones while in the hospital as Cecilia was asked to stay the night for monitoring. We didn’t get the green light to start pushing, as labor hadn’t started yet, but Cecilia was a few centimetres dilated, and the doctors didn’t want her to leave. So, we had our big ol’ suitcase, and duffle bags packed and ready in the truck anyway — so we started our adventure in the hospital, just a little earlier than anticipated.

Anyway, back to Game of Thrones. We were loving this series, and binged all of season 4 in about, well, 5 hours. Until we got to the final episode of Season 4: “The Red Wedding”. F*** me. Seriously, holy f***ing f***. We were not ready for that episode, and couldn’t have picked a worse time to watch it. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve never seen it, don’t do it pregnant.

Moral of that little story is: Watch something good on Netflix. Don’t be dumb like me, and convince your partner to watch blood and gore in the hospital.

Okay, moving on.

I also packed a crib board. When Mila was born, that was the week Cecilia learned to play crib. We played lots of card games, and loved our time together being competitive, and getting our minds off of the craziness of labor. I also recall, once Mila was born, that I had a few card games with my brother, or friends, or even my Dad who came to visit.

So, little things like iPads, Laptops, cards, etc., are very good things to bring to kill time in the hospital. But, don’t forget your CHARGERS for your devices, because I guarantee you that they don’t have them for sale in the hospital!

Another important item to bring is a bathrobe. And you’re probably going to love why this was so important to us. Cecilia mentioned to me once upon a time, that when we were going to have photos taken of her, whether it was on my own phone, or with a professional birth photographer (which we a-million percent encourage), she wanted to be in a nicer outfit. And believe me – this is not pretentious. This is really smart. In the hospital, they give you an old, ugly, table cloth-lookin’ blue or off white somewhat of a bathrobe with crusty ol’ draw strings. It ain’t comfortable, and it ain’t nice. So, Cece ordered something from somewhere online (or wherever she shops), and got a cute, comfy, robe that looked great in photos.

In the hospital bag we also brought along all of the usuals like swaddle cloths, burp cloths, and even a nursing pillow – which is found on most websites for packing a hospital bag. But what we didn’t think to bring the first time around with Mila was our own water bottle (for both Cecilia and myself.) We go through a lot of water, and the nursing staff, again, although always great an accommodating, they’re not there to refill cup after cup of water in a cheap little plastic solo-cup. And, there was nothing for me. So, I was forced to swipe a clear-solo-cup from a nearby kitchen area, and fill it up for “Cecilia” when it was really for me. (Well, it was either that, or me put my lips around the ol’ elementary school water fountain.)

So, bring a nice steel, or plastic, hell, even a green Gatorade bottle. Whatever holds liquid — bring it. That way you can make constant trips to the fountain, or the kitchen area, guilt free — for yourself or your partner.

A priority for Cecilia, and something she got a lot of enjoyment out of was the ‘first outfits’ for our children. Once our children were born, wiped up, cleaned up, all bathed (yes they teach you how to bathe a newborn, which was so helpful because I didn’t know what the ‘F’ I was doing), and ready to leave the hospital, we were going to take a family photo of what our tribe looks like now. So, that first outfit was important to her. We encourage all families to bring something unique in your hospital bag for your precious little one.

Now, my final piece of advice is to be prepared with your family’s “birth plan”. If you ain’t never heard of a birth plan, it’s pretty simple. It’s the plan you have for how you want to give birth, and if anything goes astray. When you’re in the heat of the moment and Mama’s pushing, you’re going to get a series of questions, and you don’t have time to think about the response. I mean, could you imagine your sweetheart pushing, and when the doctor asks a question you reply, “uhhh, not sure. Let’s talk about it later!” Well folks, there ain’t no later! You’re in LABOR!

So, have your birth plan ready. Do you want to avoid a C-section if at all possible? Write it down. Do you want an epidural? Write it down. Do you, as the Dad, want to cut the chord? Write it down. If it’s all written down you can pass it onto your nursing staff, or you can just have it prepared in case you’re asked these questions so that you can be more focused on what’s important when you’re going through the craziness of child birth.

Google a birth plan template, and make it your own.

So, in closing, from crib boards, to pillows, to water bottles, to Netflix, to a birth plan — I’ve covered some of the essentials I believe made our time in the hospital way more enjoyable. And, I really hope these stories and ideas will help you too! Take a deep breath and enjoy every moment. The chaos. The busyness. The stillness and the waiting! Bringing a baby into the world is the single greatest thing in the world! It’s even more amazing than creating the baby — (if ya know what I mean!?)

Now go make some babies!

PS: I am probably not supposed to share this, but I snuck something illegal into the hospital all 3 times. I snuck in a bottle of whisky. A nice one. JP Wisers 18 year for Mila, Canada 150 for Aria, and Red Letter for Leo. When any of my family came to meet the baby, I wanted to have a quick celebratory drink, so I brought some good stuff. If you bring some good stuff with you too, hide it. But enjoy it. And then tag me in a photo of your secret bottle of whisky, or your smuggled cans of beer you’re cracking in the hospital when your little one arrives!