By KIM S.
Babies. Love them. Have three… and think we’re done! Mr. Sting and I were one of the first couples to start a family out of all of our career and college friends. It’s fun to be the first but also hard because your girlfriends (and guy friends) have no idea what you are going through thus you rely heavily on your parents, books, and the Internet. Now that we have worked the circus for a couple years we are often looked to for advice or what “not” to do’s as our friends go through delivery, breast-feeding strikes, teething , or the terrible twos.
Since we can both rattle off our favorite products, or our worst purchases, and potty training tips for boys or girls we are often told that we should write that stuff down! So with the opening of the new maternity center here in Missoula at Providence St. Patrick Hospital it seems fitting to start at the beginning of our journey.
As a mom who had 3 C-sections the lists was pretty simple as for what to bring and not bring for our stay at the hospital. But they failed to mention a couple of items that were crucial during my stay and after. Here are a couple of things I wish someone had blogged or included in one of the many “must have or must do” mommy/daddy books.
- A pad of paper or start a list on your phone of all the people who stop by, call, email, send flowers etc. Take it home with you and just keep adding to it at the house. Fun to look back on at a later date too.
- A comfy pillow and blanket for dad. Poor guy!
- A movie or two for down time when you’re too tired to talk and you don’t have company. Most likely you will be sleeping but it’s nice to have for you and dad.
Facial wipes- getting out of bed is brutal so make sure you pack these!- A comfy bathrobe- I lived in this thing and let me tell you I bought a nice one for baby #2!
- Back scratcher- the morphine might have you itching like crazzzy so anything that will help you get that itch is worth it.
- Lotion- for the same reason as #6. My face itched and this helped a wee little bit.
- Leave the yoga pants at home- rock the dresses/nightgowns etc. I am sorry but whoever recommends pants clearly hasn’t had an incision like this. Once you decide you’re ready for pants you have to try a brand called DRESS. They are amazing!!
- Boppy pillow- check with your local hospital but this was a life saver for keeping the baby off of my incision at the hospital and for the weeks after.
- Makeup- Yeah, they all said to bring it but nobody stressed that you MUST have it. You will regret it the rest of your life if you don’t .
- Totally random- maybe it’s the city girl in me but please don’t ping your location on social media.
- Stock the house with food, snacks, drinks, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, and hand sanitizer. You will have visitors who all want to ooh and awe at the baby and tell you that you look great despite feeling like you just got hit by a truck. Trust me the last thing you want to do is ask your Father-in-Law to go to the store for feminine products (Love you Papa S)!
- Save Rosauers email address in your phone, paste it on the fridge, and glue it to the wall. Ladies… they deliver. It’s a game changer- stay tuned for more on this later.
- Write down dates/times for household items such as taking out the trash. You will be so busy with baby, feeding guests, baby feeding that it is easy to forget such things and with it written down you can delegate it to a visitor.
- Sign up or Check out one or all of the below websites:
Amazon Mom – you can save bundles on diapers etc. and have them shipped to you without even leaving the house.
In store pick up from Target- place your order online, pay for it, and have someone pick it up for you at your local Target!
- Last but not least grab one of these nifty picker-uppers from your local hardware store or Amazon. Trust me when you drop a blanket, bottle top, piece of paper this thing will make you sing!
Whew! Hopefully you will find something on this list that will be helpful in your weeks to come or help you bless someone who is expecting! Did I forget something? Have something you wish to recommend for moms-to-be? Please share in the comments below or on Facebook.
Stay Tuned for our next Mom Help series here on 406 Mom.
Happy planning,
406 Mom
This blog post is sponsored by #Providence as part of a campaign to raise awareness about their new, state-of-the-art family maternity facility at St. Patrick Hospital. All opinions are my own. #StPatsBabies
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Kim is a former city girl, married to an outdoorsman, and a mother of three (Shortcake, Tink, and Turbo). When not burning toast, helping the little ones talk through meltdowns, and teaching ABC’s and 123’s, Kim (aka 406 Mom) is exploring Montana and making it her home. You can find Kim on Instagram or Twitter at @StingNest, and many of her Missoula adventures and mommy memos here on….406 Mom.