Hey mama (or mama to be- eek! Sorry, babies excite me),
A few months ago (before our baby girl was born), I wrote a post listing all the things a mama should pack in her hospital bag for her Mother/Baby stay after delivery. Now, I’m here to tell you several ways to feel comfortable in your hospital room after baby is born which might not necessarily have anything to do with the things you pack.
1 | Take a shower as soon as you can
So, yes, you’re going to be exhausted. You just pushed a baby out of your bum. And now that baby fully depends on you and needs you every waking (and sleeping) moment for cuddles and food. You may not feel like you have the time or energy to shower, but do it. The only thing worse than feeling exhausted is feeling exhausted and nasty. New mamas shouldn’t feel disgusting.It’s just wrong. I know that after a good shower I feel like a completely renewed person. So get yourself a shower ASAP, mama.
2 | Get out of the hospital gown
During my first stay in the hospital with our son, I wore my hospital gown the entire time. For whatever reason, I thought I had to. Then when I got out of the hospital, I saw other moms on Facebook and Instagram wearing their own, extremely cute I might add, hospital gowns/robes and I was extremely jealous that I never got the memo. Being in your own clothes will do that much more to help you feel as though you are in your own element and just a tad bit in control of your life. Need a recommendation? Check out my friends at Dwell + Slumber. Jade and Nicole are two amazing people who make amazing house dresses! Here’s a pic of me wearing mine:
3 | Wash your baby
I don’t know if they do this at every hospital, but our hospital did not give our daughter a bath after she was born ( they did for our son, but I guess the rules changed somewhere in those two and a half years). Their reasoning was because the gunk actually helped to keep baby’s body temperature up. Fair enough. After the allotted time (8-12 hours?) We were free to give Ev girl a bath. Honestly, I would just ask someone to do this while you’re in the shower so when you come out clean as a whistle, your baby is too (LOVE these hooded towels, BTW). And that way they’ll also have the clean baby smell that everyone loves and YOU’LL love them just a little bit more when they wake you up at 4 a.m. to feed.
4 | Bring your own pillow
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Hospital pillows it’s that you need three of them to make up the same size as your own pillow at home. They are flimsy and thin and the cover on them is stiff. I would tell every Mama to bring at least one pillow from home, but possibly even two or three (one for the hubs) because you might need to sleep propped up in the bed. If you don’t want to bother bringing them on your way to the hospital (you know, when you’re IN LABOR), just have an extra bag packed that a friend or family member can easily grab at the house for you and bring it back to the hospital.
5 | Nix the nursing cover
You know what’s the most annoying thing after giving birth? Trying to feed a 100% dependent infant when one (or both) of you have no idea what you’re doing, and THEN trying to do it blindfolded. I breastfed David for a year. So by the time Evy came around, I was pretty well versed in the Arts of breastfeeding. But, of course, Evy was not. Babies are born knowing how to suck, not latch. But in the midst of struggling to feed your baby, your room is probably filled with friends and family members who would rather not see your breasts (chances are you might not want them seen by your father in law, either). So what’s a mama to do? Well, you’re our options are to struggle through the first days with a nursing cover, or, kindly ask family members to leave the room. You don’t even necessarily need to ask, per se. Just let them know that you’re about to feed the baby, and they can decide for themselves whether they’d rather stay or leave. After I had my kids, I lost all forms of proper decency and I couldn’t care less whether people saw my boobs. It was their choice whether or not they wanted to stay in the room, and being engorged and in pain, I wasn’t going to use a cover. Once you and baby get home and figure out what you’re doing, sure, then use a cover when friends come over. I used/use this exact one and have loved it!
6 | Don’t eat the hospital food
I’ve heard that some hospitals have great food. I have never seen such hospitals. We had a great hospital, great nurses and doctors, but the food was meh at best. You know what made my day (you know, besides having another child?) when a friend would walk in with a bag filled with burgers and fries or a hot coffee from my favorite place in the morning. You just gave birth, and as much as you might be excited to bounce back, watching what you eat can start next week. For the next 48 hours, treat yo’ self!
Are you a mama with some experience? Leave your own tips in the comments below or let me know which tip was your favorite!
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