To-Go Bag Ready To Go

We’ve been told that when the contractions start and the hospital tells us to come on down, that it’s not the time to pack what’s needed to make labor and delivery more comfortable.  Fortunately, we got this message and have packed three to-go bags ready for action.  Three!?  You say?  You’re right to judge, but they’re small and make it easier to find what we need.

Bag #1 – Immediate Delivery Needs
This bag comes into the hospital when we arrive and includes things we need, well, immediately when we arrive like our pregnancy binder (points of contact, notes, birthing plan), snacks, iPods with relaxing pregnancy playlists, cell and iPod chargers, a change of clothes, a camera bag, and small toiletries (nobody wants bad breath when breathing deeply in their partner’s face).

One way to ensure your supportive words during labor aren’t appreciated is to say them with halitosis

Bag #2 – Empty Bag for Baby Stuff
Kaiser provides us with a few going away gifts for the baby like diapers, small clothes, and an encyclopedia of discharge papers.  It’ll be nice to have an empty bag ready to receive all of this stuff.

If you didn’t know, an encyclopedia is a physical volume of books explaining many, many things in the world; think Wikipedia Lite

Bag #3 – Post-Delivery Bag
After a normal delivery, Kaiser moves us to the post delivery wing and allows us to stay there for 24 hours before giving us the boot.  When we thankfully make it to this wing, I’ll grab this bag from the car so we’ll have overnight goodies like blankets, pajamas, books, additional toiletries, and another set of clothes for the wife’s Parenting magazine photo shoot.

This is what happens when you have lots of time to prepare.