What To Pack: The Hospital Bag

 

After finishing our Childbirth Preparation Class, I decided to make my hospital bag checklist.  Here's a conversation I had with my mother about packing Hospital Bags:

Me: I'm going to pack my hospital bag this week.

Mom: Don't pack too much.  There will be no one to watch your stuff while you're sleeping.

Me: DH will be there while I'm sleeping.

Mom: What about when he goes to get food or coffee or something?

Me: There's room service.  Why would he have to leave?

Mom: To go out and get fresh air.  You know, he can't stay in the room all the time.

Me:  Why not?!  I'm going to!

And then I realized something very important.  Even my own mother has different standards for daddies and mommies. 

I'm going to pack a lot of stuff because I'd rather have something I need than send someone out to get it for me!

Here are a few other good resources for Hospital Packing Lists:

Packing list for the hospital or birth center 

Checklist: Packing a Hospital Bag

Hospital Bag – What to Pack

The Great Big Hospital Bag Packing List

 

 

 

Trying Again

I’ve been thinking a lot about J and I trying to conceive again.  My OB suggested we wait at least 3 months, preferably 6 months before trying again but it seems the generally safe consensus is to wait until 3 cycles have passed. 

Though I have heard from a number of Fitblr mommies that conceived very quickly after a miscarriage and went on to have beautiful healthy babies (lucky!), I decided to heed my doctor’s orders and wait the 3-6 months.  In part because I’m overly cautious but also because I wasn’t in a position where if I did get pregnant again that I wouldn’t be a constant nervous wreck. Also in part because I was really near depression level sad for a really long time and it wasn’t until recently that I feel like myself again.

For about 3 months, nothing in my preconception plan got done. I just didn’t have the will. And now, my third cycle is coming up. I’m ready to try again.  J is more anxious than I am to try again. 

But I haven’t been focused on losing weight (I have been maintaining my pre pregnancy weight loss of 8 lbs), I haven’t been taking folic acid (even though my OB told me I should before trying again), and I don’t have the baby’s room prepared at all.

Here is my pre-conception checklist:

Diet & fitness
[  ] Lose 15 lbs
[  ] Get on Folic Acid
[  ] Balance out diet
[X] Get moving
[  ] Start weaning yourself off alcohol
[  ] Scale back on extreme exercise
[  ] Decrease your stress
[X] Get plenty of sleep

Doctors, tests & checkups
[  ] Get immunized
[X] Visit the dentist

Money & Home
[X] Start Baby Savings Account
[  ] Prepare Nursery

Is there anything else I should be thinking about during pre-conception?