Tag: pregnancy blog

HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS

4 Comments

I cannot believe how quickly the last 9 months have gone and that the time is finally here to start packing my hospital bag! HOW EXCITITNG!

I thought I’d put together a list to show you what’s in my hospital bag for baby, daddy and me. Hopefully if you’re packing yours too, then this list will help. Yay!

Before you pack your baby’s bag, check with your hospital where you have planned to give birth, if they give you a complimentary baby bag. Most hospitals do, which is fabulous and makes life for new parents to be super easy. The goodies inside will be things like nappies, wipes, baby powder (literally the best smelling thing on earth!), a hospital beanie, shower gel (for mum), breast pads (for mum) and maternity pads (for mum). If not, then you need to add these things into your hospital bag.

FOR BABY:

  • Number one on the list is your tiny tot’s car seat! You cannot drive your new bundle home from the hospital without it!
  • About 3 baby onesies/baby grows – front fastening ones are the best and easiest to slip on and off your tiny tot
  • About 8 – 10 nappies made for newborn’s (Huggies has great ones with a little cut out specially designed for the umbilical chord)
  • Socks, mittens and a hat
  • Baby wipes
  • A fluffy, soft toy for cuddles
  • A cuddly, soft blankie
  • Dummy
  • Baby wipes (life saver)
  • A towel for baby’s bath time – sometimes the hospital ones can be scratchy
  • Burping towel
  • 2 x facecloths

FOR DAD:

  • A change of clothes (yes, we still need to remind men of the basics’!)
  • Clean underwear
  • ID document
  • Phone charger
  • Toiletries – deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, facewash (labour could be overnight)
  • Sweeties and snacks

FOR MOM:

  • Comfy pyjamas – a loose nighty is best
  • A few pairs of clean underwear (granny panties work best for maternity pads)
  • Maternity pads (yes, fun times lie ahead after labour)
  • Toiletries – deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shower gel, facewash
  • Hairdryer (if you plan to wash your hair after labour)
  • Hair elastics (things get serious when your hair gets tied up!)
  • Slippers or comfy socks
  • Towel (hospital ones can sometimes be scratchy)
  • Earphones (maybe you feel like rocking some Bob Marley while you’re in labour)
  • Nursing bra
  • ID document, hospital forms, medical aid card
  • Flip flops (for the shower)
  • A change of clothes for leaving the hospital
  • Make up bag (if you have the energy to freshen up before you leave the hospital)
  • Charger
  • Sweeties and snacks

We can’t wait to meet our little girl!

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade & baby

xxx

 

MEETING YOUR BABY AT YOUR FIRST SCAN

Leave a comment

This moment has to be one of the best and most exciting moments during the beginning stages of pregnancy! Finding out that there’s a little human growing inside your tummy and knowing that your body will be nurturing a tiny bean that will grow more and more every day really is an indescribable feeling. Whether your baby is a total surprise or planned, they are a complete and utter blessing!

After finding out you are pregnant, the best is to give your midwife/gynae/GP a call. From here, they will give you a date to come in for your first scan (dating scan). How EXCITING and so UNREAL! Your dating scan will generally take place at around 12 weeks. I remember when we booked the date for our first scan, I was around 8 weeks pregnant, and waiting for those extra 4 weeks to reach the date of our first scan seemed like a lifetime! All I wanted was to see our little baby in my tummy!

When the day for your first scan finally arrives and you know that you’ll be “meeting” your baby for the first time, an overwhelming amount of excitement and nerves kick in, well for me it did! Excitement because you’re about to actually see your baby for the first time and nerves because at this scan, they do all sorts of measurements and checks to make sure that your baby is growing properly, meeting the required measurements and is healthy. And let’s face it, we all want to know that we have a happy and healthy little bundle growing inside our tummies!

Your scan will normally be done by your midwife or gynaecologist. You’ll be asked to lie down on a bed with your tummy showing, while she squeezes ultrasound gel onto your belly. A small transducer (probe) will be placed and run along your tummy, which will project an image of your baby onto a screen in front of you. HOW EXCITING! This has to be one of the BEST feelings to finally see your little bundle right in front of you! There are so many overwhelming emotions that go along with seeing your baby right then and there.

This is a moment, with indescribable feelings of reality, bursts of excitement (when you finally see your baby moving around), a few seconds of fear, knowing that there is now a sense of responsibility, but also relief, when you get to see that everything is okay. Over all, you feel love, you feel appreciation and you totally feel the excitement, knowing that your body is beginning to do something so incredible and has managed to nurture, protect and grow something so small and pure up until this stage. Expect a few tears of happiness, and don’t be embarrassed or feel like you have to hide this from the sonographer – after all, this is your experience with your partner or whoever you decide to share this moment with.

The sonographer will be able to tell you in the moment if everything looks good and she will explain the different parts of your baby that she is examining. The best part? You get to take a print out of what your little bean looks like to stick up on your fridge or frame for an album.

Be prepared for even more excitement as your pregnancy progresses and your ultrasounds reveal a little more detail each time you go.

P.S seeing your baby suck his/her thumb in your tummy has got to be one of the cutest moments! I look forward to it every time!

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade and baby

xxx