First, CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME to the Mom Club! You’re gonna love it! And your medical knowledge will definitely come in handy as a mom, haha. 😉 I’m so glad you found the post and comments helpful. Definitely find out what your hospital provides, then decide what you really want to take. That would’ve saved me some serious stress and frustration when I had my second! Good luck and best wishes for you and your little one!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!! What a fun time – hoping you’re not too sick! I was so exhausted and sick from weeks 6-12 with my first!

I have heard of wearing Depends for the first couple days, but haven’t ever done it myself. I think I might try it if I have any more, while I’m in the hospital. I always feel like I can’t move in my bed, for fear of leaking. I know they deal with that stuff all the time, but it still concerns me for whatever reason. So, I do want to try them. I’ve had doctors that have gotten me pretty cleaned out after delivery though and I didn’t have a ton of discharge. In all honesty, I’ve had heavier monthly periods than I’ve had discharge after giving birth. I think the longest I’ve bled for afterward has been 10 days.

I wish you the very best with your pregnancy and congratulations on your little one!

One thing I read on another article was suggested buying depends for the first couple days, as they would help prevent leakage and help keep from having to change pads quite so often.

Oh, I’m glad you enjoyed the post Shelley! You’re a brave lady for keeping the gender a surprise with your first! I was so overwhelmed with everything, I think I would have gone crazy feeling unprepared as far as the baby’s clothing! That would be so fun to do… but, now I’m terrified that we’ll keep it a surprise and it will be a girl and she’ll have to wear boy clothes home from the hospital! So not a big deal, but after waiting so long for a girl, it would crush me. Especially with all those dang hormones coursing through my system! Hahaha.

We have gone both ways with circumcision and it’s definitely something each parent needs to educate themselves on, as the care for your baby differs depending on your decision. If it’s something you want to pursue, definitely spend the time to find an experienced doctor that can perform the procedure effectively. It’s worth it, I promise. If you feel unprepared or under-educated at anytime, speak up! I’m not sure if that was part of the issues we had with our first little guy or not; but, if I knew then what I know now, we’d have done things very differently. Talk to others that have been in similar situations and then make the best decision you can for your family. Don’t let anyone’s rudeness get in the way of doing the best you can for your baby. We have wonderful healthcare providers now; but, when we first moved here, we went through three pediatricians in less than a year. I’m going to have to find a new OB if we have any more, as my doc no longer delivers babies. I’m completely heartbroken, she is amazing! Keep looking until you find providers you are comfortable and happy with. It is important. Don’t give up! Good luck!

I have decided I’d rather have to make two trips to the car and have everything I want/need than to wish I had something after delivering a baby. That’s hard work and it’s worth a little extra effort to make things easier for yourself. Some people think it’s crazy, but I think it’s worth it and I don’t care if they think I’m crazy! =)

I wish you the best and congratulations on your new little guy. Boys are lots of fun! Lots of dirt, but lots of fun too… =)

I so appreciate this post and all the comments after! Thank you so much for continuing to respond!!! This comment in particular hit home with me – Our first child, a now 17m girl was born in the Midwest in a fantastic hospital that provided everything I needed/wanted and more! The gender of that pregnancy was a surprise until she arrived but as far as circumcisions go everything would have been handled according to my birthplace. Now with baby #2 however (in the super south – different state; different hospital) no one provides anything and like you described, the looks from people when you ask for something so basic are crazy rude! I will definitely be over prepared this time just incase and because we already know we’re expecting a little guy, the circumcision is a big issue for me here where we are disgusted by the lack of provisions and the abundance untrustworthy medical care!
You never know what to expect when you move to a new place/hospital but your list (and the whole post) is exactly what I needed!!! Thanks!

Between my first and second babies, we moved back to my home state so I didn’t deliver at the same hospital as baby #1. We also had the choice of two hospitals that my OB had privileges at and our insurance would cover. We ended up going with the slightly cheaper hospital (only about $700), but not because of the money. We chose that hospital because it had the only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the area and the baby would have been sent there anyway if there had been any problems. There weren’t any, thank goodness, but I didn’t want to risk the transport time and me being at a completely different hospital than my baby.

I would encourage you to tour both hospitals and follow your gut with which one you choose. Pregnancy is a busy time, but you will want to be comfortable with where you choose to deliver. Most tours take less than an hour. If they both seem relatively equal (as our hospitals here did), then you can weigh the pros and cons of each (the NICU was the deciding factor for us, but it was a bonus that the hospital was slightly less expensive). If there are other things that are important to you (rooming in with baby, private vs semi private recovery rooms, certain specialists, etc) consider that as well. I will say that if the other hospital had had the NICU, I would have chosen that one instead, despite the money.

Good luck and congratulations on your sweet baby!!

Great suggestions, Lauren! I especially like the bath towel on the bathroom floor! And the book idea is a very valid point. My husband slept through the night after our 2nd was born… the baby and I, not so much. He was much more rested the next day and, if it hadn’t been for his laptop and cell phone, would have been rather bored while baby and I caught up on some sleep.

Pacifiers are definitely not all equal. We had to try six different kinds with baby number one before we found one that he would take well. And then, of course, it was the most difficult to find and expensive one. I like the idea of taking your own to try. Very smart! Congrats on your newest bundle of joy!

Out of curiosity which hospital did you deliver your second baby at? We have a choice of hospitals with our next one and I delivered our first at one but the other hospital is cheaper (by at least 1K) with our insurance