I had a planned C-section and thought I was well-prepared for my trip to the hospital to deliver my baby. After all, the timing wasn’t a surprise. However, we somehow managed not to use most of the things we brought, and ended up needing many other items which my husband went home to grab (or ordered online).
We did use the basic stuff the hospital told us to bring, like phone chargers and a going-home outfit for the baby. But I learned quickly that lots of other items would come in handy, especially with the longer hospital stay associated with a C-section. Here are the items the hospital didn’t tell me about!
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1. Bring a pumping bra.
I felt like healthcare professionals assumed breastfeeding would go well, when most women I talk to had trouble with it. Breastfeeding is a struggle, and if your baby can’t latch well, you might have to use a pump to increase your milk production in the hospital. If you think you’ll ever pump, you should invest in a bra that lets you pump hands-free. There are many different brands of these, and some women just cut holes in an old sports bra, but I tried that and could never get it tight enough. I loved the Simple Wishes pumping bra. It’s theoretically one size fits all, but once my milk came in I needed the plus size version. For reference, I gained a lot of weight at the end of my pregnancy, ending up at around 200 pounds (I’m 5’8”). The plus size bra was also nice to have because I could wear it over clothes or my normal bra.
2. Bring a water bottle that won’t spill in bed but that you can manage to drink out of with one hand.
I couldn’t get my huge Nalgene open with one hand or grasp it well while nursing. I was extremely thirsty and because of my C-section, it hurt to get in and out of bed, so it was nice to have something that could stay in bed with me without spilling. Sometimes the hospital tray was out of my reach or there was no one to refill my water cup. A water bottle I could manage with one hand would have been nice. We have these CamelBak bottles at home and should have brought one!
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