Hospital Bag for You
By the time you hit 37 weeks you should make sure that you have your hospital bag packed and ready to go. You may even want to have it in the trunk of your car. Every labor is different and since you do not know if you will go into labor at home, in the middle of the night, or while you are out of the house, you want to be prepared ahead of time. You won’t want to go into labor and not have time to pack a bag or take anything with you to the hospital. Things you might want to include in your bag are:

• Pajamas/lounging outfit for after the baby is born, if you don’t want to be stuck in the hospital gown
• Music for during and after labor
• Camera/video camera to record the birth and get your first pictures of baby
• Snacks for during labor for you and your labor partner
• Maxi-pads to go home in (the hospital will supply what you need while there)
• Clothes to go home in
• Any medicine you are on, including your prenatal vitamins
• Birth Plan
• Phone cards to call family and friends long distance if cell phones are not allowed in your room
• List of numbers of who to call after the baby comes

Hospital Bag for Your Baby
You also want to make sure that you have a bag packed for your baby, or that you pack some stuff for your baby in your hospital bag. Some things you may want to include are:

• Going home outfit
• Gowns for baby while in hospital
• Special baby blanket
• Cloth diapers if you choose
• Diapers/Wipes (hospital will supply some but it is always good to have extras!)
• Diaper rash cream
• Scratch mitts for babies hands

Other Last Minute Things to Do
If it is possible, get as much sleep as you can in the last weeks before your baby arrives. Chances are you won’t get much sleep after your baby is in your arms. Make your lists of who to call and when to call them. Double check your birth plan and go over it with your doctor or midwife.

Some women are concerned about how they will look “down there” while giving birth. If you choose, go in for a bikini wax and trim a couple of weeks before your due date. Shaving at this point in pregnancy is probably not possible, so have a professional help you.

Try to get away for a quiet weekend just you and your partner before the baby comes. This last chance for quiet time and bonding will be appreciated in the months after your baby arrives and you find that you have very little time alone, or with each other. If you have other kids, arrange with a family member or friend to keep them for a night or a weekend.

Get a facial, get your nails done, or other things that help you relax and are just for you. Once your baby arrives it will be difficult to find time to pamper yourself, so be sure to pamper yourself while you still can.

These last weeks of pregnancy will be tiring as well as joyful. It is important that you try to relax and enjoy the last minutes of your pregnancy and your baby’s movements before you enter a whole new phase of your life.

Start your vacation with a plan of what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. This isn’t a plan that you have to stick to strictly, but having an idea of when you are going to be where and when you will be able to break and feed with or play with your baby is a nice help. Plan the times you will eat meals so that you can keep to a regular schedule and the times when you are going to be done for the day so that you can put your baby to bed without them getting too overtired or fussy.

A vacation with your baby can be lots of fun. Taking him to meet relatives will have everyone cooing over your little bundle of joy, while giving your arms a break from holding him all of the time. Let your family members play with him and let your baby get to know them, but always watch and listen for your baby’s cues that he has had enough or that he needs a little bit of one on one time with you or alone time to regroup. Babies can quickly become overwhelmed with too many people and with meeting new people. If this happens to your baby it may be hard to calm them down, so try to catch the signs early on in an effort to not let your baby get too worked up.

In order to remember your vacation, be sure to take lots of pictures. You will never be able to go to these places and do these things with your baby again at this age. Since your baby won’t remember it, you can use these pictures when he is older to tell him about the first vacation he took to meet his grandparents. Video is also a good way to capture the moments of the vacation with your baby. Being able to hear his relatives and see them interacting with him between visits, will help your baby feel more comfortable with these would be strangers the next time you go on a trip.

Over all, just remember to have fun with your baby on vacation. Keep it relaxed, and keep your own stress levels down since your baby can feel this stress and will react to it. Whether it is your first vacation with your baby or your fifth, it is bound to be a time that you will remember and look back on with smiles and fond memories. If you manage to make it go smoothly, chances are it won’t be your last.

1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply).
2. Wipes
3. Cream (like Desitin, A&D ointment, Vaseline).
4. Baby Powder
5. At least one bottle of juice or milk
6. A few jars of baby food
7. At least one clean outfit
8. A few bibs
9. A few cloth diapers to clean up spit and other spills
10. Items to entertain your baby (rattles, books, toys)
11. Baby thermometer
12. Teething rings
13. Biter biscuits or similar type of crackers
14. Medicine for fevers, colds, related symptoms
15. Any prescription medications
16. Measuring device for medications
17. Baby Nail Clippers
18. Phone number of Baby’s Physician
19. Any stuffed animals or favorite blankets your baby needs to fall asleep
20. Any parenting books you refer to frequently to find answers to unexpected questions

Resource Box – © Danielle Hollister (2004)

About the Author:
Danielle Hollister is the Writing Host at BellaOnline and Publisher of BellaOnline’s Writing Zine To subscribe send email to: bellaonlinewriting-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.