Going into hospital, for me, was a little like checking into a hotel on holiday. I had an elective c-section so I knew the date my baby was going to be born (provided she didn't make an early entrance), and had an ideal afternoon surgery booked. It was pretty surreal, and I actually felt incredibly relaxed.
The nerves hit when a nurse took my hand and said, "ok, are you ready to come and have a baby" as we headed off to theatre. That sudden realisation that there was no going back, and my life was about to change forever was the weirdest moment. I wish now I'd documented on video how I was feeling or at least, taken some more time to record those life changing moments.
The theatre experience was very pleasant and quite fascinating - I wish I'd taken the time to really absorb everything that was going on. I didn't expect so many people to be involved in the arrival of my baby. I am thankful and grateful to every one of them.
Your experience will be completely different - whether its a natural birth, a home birth, an emergency birth, an early arrival. Best of luck.
Buy a newspaper on Birth Day
If you can't do this, maybe ask a relative or friend to grab a couple of papers. I wish I'd done this on the day, but it totally slipped my mind and ended up costing me a lot more because I had to back-order the paper a year later! I would have also loved to have kept a couple of catalogues - maybe toy catalogues from the week of the birth. Not sure why, but in 20 years it might be interesting to see what toys were popular at the time.
Take photos of your big, beautiful belly
I wish I'd taken more photos of my belly on Birth Day. It was the biggest it was ever going to be and it housed my baby so perfectly for nearly 39 weeks. I forgot to get a last photo of me at the most pregnant I was ever going to be and I do regret that.
Photos of the birth
Get as many photos as you can of the whole birth experience. I had the most wonderful anaesthetist who took as many as he could from where he was standing in theatre. If I could've, I would've had a full production unit in there shooting it for me. Lights, cameras, audio - the lot! I am amazed by the miracle of birth and just love seeing the first moment babies emerge into the world. I so wish I'd had video footage of it. The sounds, the buzz, the whole moment was something I was never going to ever experience again.
The hospital bag
I had my hospital bag semi-packed about five weeks out, and just kept throwing things in as I remembered. I grossly overpacked and didn’t need half as much stuff. I had an elective c-section so my bag would be a little different to someone who is going through a long labour.
Rest up
I thought I could lay back in hospital and relax once my baby emerged from my uterus. Naively, I expected to watch some TV and maybe read a book or magazine whilst my freshly cooked little baby was snoozing beside me. I was delusional. During my five days in hospital I don’t think I had chance to turn the TV on once. I certainly didn’t pick up anything to read. I was way too busy looking at this little thing we'd created, work out how to feed her, what her cries meant, when and how to change her and above all, desperately trying to get some shuteye whenever I could.
*See my blog post, "Hospital Packing" for ideas on what to take with you.
Take a notepad and pen
I completely forgot that I should be writing down feeding and nappy change notes for when the midwives and doctors came and checked on me. I highly recommend starting a little notebook as soon as you can so it’s easier to remember which boob you used last for the milkshakes, and how many wet / pooey nappies bub has had. In my delirious new Mumma haze, I couldn't remember my name, let alone if baby's last nappy was wee or poo.
If the midwives offer to take the baby to the nursery for a couple of hours, let them. Then try to get some sleep. Being the fiercely over-protective lioness I thought I was, I was determined to keep my cub alongside me at all times. In hindsight, a little bit of rest, knowing my baby was in perfectly capable hands, probably would've been a better option.
Earplugs
Take earplugs into hospital with you. Maternity wards are a hustling, bustling hive of activity. 24 hours a day! Granted, through the late evenings and early hours of the morning, you don't have visitors milling around the corridors with loud congratulatory squeals of delight, but there's still a lot going on. Babies don't care what time it is - if they want to let out a scream for a bum change or a meal, they're going to let you know ... night or day. I was constantly awake through the night not only tending to my baby and desperately trying to figure out feeding, but hearing all the dings of call bells, and the general movement outside the ward door.
Breastfeeding
I'm not going to ramble on here about the benefits of breastfeeding. We all know breast in best, but sometimes breasts don't play the game.
I desperately wanted to be able to BF for as long as I could. I always imagined myself being able to nourish my baby whenever she needed. To casually pop open my bra and get that milk flowing - wherever, whenever I needed to. I pictured myself at a cafe with friends, casually draping my nursing cover over my baby while she enjoyed her own freshly brewed boobie-cino.
Unfortunately, it was the complete opposite and certainly not for lack of trying. After weeks of exhausting failed attempted feeds, a screaming newborn, and then to pump for an hour and see 5ml dribble into a bottle was absolutely devastating for me. Not just devastating - it was excruciatingly painful, stressful, debilitating, upsetting, traumatic and downright depressing.
Seek help if you need - physically and emotionally. There are lactation consultants, midwives, GP's, medical professionals and psychological help available to you. Even local councils have Breastfeeding Support. Ask for help if you need it.
It isn't always a naturally occurring experience and some Mums have great difficulty with it.
If you have trouble breast feeding and feel like you can’t go on with it, don't. Don’t let anyone push you to do something because they think it’s best. This is about you and your baby. Do not feel like a failure. Do not be hard on yourself.
You have just given life to a beautiful little human being. If they get their nourishment from a tin of formula, they will be well fed and thrive just as well as breastfed babies. If you aren't able to BF or express, give yourself some grace and enjoy the extra sleep time between bottles. Once my baby finally had a full tummy, she settled after her feeds and was sleeping through the night. Enjoy that Mumma Bears.
Expressing
I needed to express while I was in hospital so I used the hospital Medela pump. If you think you’re going to need to express at home, prebook a breast pump through a pharmacy and have it ready for when you get home. I hired mine rather than buying one outright. It was a good call in the end because I only expressed for a couple of weeks and had to go to formula. Buying a pump and all the attachments would’ve been a waste of money. Once I finished breast feeding, I used Nan Pro Gold 1 formula and had no problems at all with bub taking it.
Leaving Hospital
Ask the midwives any questions you have lingering in you mind no matter how silly it sounds. You will be given a plethora of paperwork to read through and within a week a Maternal Child Health Nurse will visit you at home.
Pack a separate change bag as if you were going out, just in case bub needs a change on the way home!
Don’t forget your baby must travel in an approved infant car seat or capsule.
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