Packing for the hospital is quite a task for the uninitiated and every list seems different. It all comes down to personal choice at the end of the day (and also a little bit about where you are giving birth) but here is my list.
The Actual List of what I took to the hospital:
> Pillow
> Dressing gown
> Pajamas (x 2)
> Slippers
> 5 pairs underwear
> 3 magazines
> A book (oh yes, you can tell I never gave birth before right?!!?)
> ipod
> Bag of quarters
> Snacks - pringles, cookies, granola bars, pretzles, mints
> Drinks - gatorade, vitamin waters etc and herbal tea bags
> Glucose tablets
> Wash cloth
> Massage oil
> Make up remover facial wet wipe things
> Comb and hair ties
> Mini shampoo and conditioner
> Mini shower gel
> Heavy duty pads
> Socks
> Babies going home outfit
> Babies blanket
> Camera (x2)
> Blackberry
> Blackberry charger
> Wheat bag (one of those material bags that you heat in the microwave)
> Tracksuit bottoms and long sleeved tee for going home in
My husband brought the car seat on the day we left the hospital but its worth mentioning that we did need one (its the law in the USA so don't forget it!).
If I were to do this again, I would not bother with the bag of quarters (I didn't even see a vending machine!!!) but everything else was used.
I had an emergency c-section so whilst I didn't really need the massage oils, wheat bag, face cloth etc for the laboring I did certainly use them during my four night stay. The magazines were a nice distraction for times when the baby slept and my husband had popped out (the TV's in hospital are V. Small and also you need to pay for the normal channels, and to be honest I really didn't feel like watching anything) so celeb mags to flick through were just right.
Having a few drinks and snacks on hand was also good because whilst the hospital food at Tisch was actually really fine, there are times when you are hungry and its not a meal time or you just need a normal snack. I also drank some of the vitamin water during labor as my Ob Gyn allowed it. Was definitely good to have some liquids aside from ice chips.
Following the c-section my body felt like it had been pulled apart and after a few days in bed and the removal of the epidural I was in quite a bit of achey pain despite the meds. It was very comforting to have the wheat bag warmed up by my dear husband and placed under my spine, and then for him to rub my legs with the massage oil....so nice!!!
Ditto for bringing your own shampoo and shower gel, makes you feel human again and there was only soap in the hospital shower at NYU. The towels are quite rough so if you are sensitive to that kind of thing and have space in your bag then a towel might be nice.
The blackberry/cell phone is also essential, was nice to text my husband at night and also connect with my friends. NYU Tisch hospital actually has WiFi internet so my husband brought in our laptop and we were able to skype our family at home which was amazing! Also meant that I could upload a pic of the baby and email it to all our friends.
At NYU they provided quite a lot of stuff:
diapers (they were pampers swaddlers, really nice!)
cleaning stuff for the baby
baby blankets
baby hats
baby outfit (its like a little white tie-over top, our daughter just lived in these during our stay as she was swaddled up the whole time)
formula if you are using it
pads for mom
disposable underwear for mom (I actually LOVED the disposable underwear unlike almost everyone else I have spoken to...they are super comfortable especially after c-section and allow everything to breathe... I took about 10 pairs home and kept going with them for the first week!).
ice packs
breast pads
gown
My advice would be to think really carefully about what you need to take. Most of the practical items are actually at the hospital anyway so I was personally happy that I had taken a few comfort items. Also suggest not taking a huge bag... the rooms are pretty small (there are only four private rooms at NYU - we had to wait two nights to get one so don't bank on having loads of space to put your stuff!!).
Top item? My own pillow..... :)
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