After my unexpected c-section, we spent a total of 4 nights at the hospital (if you count Friday night, while I was still in labor.) Our hospital was wonderful, really nice with all private rooms. Although our room wasn't very large compared to some others I saw on our floor, we thought it was just fine and even The Husband didn't get that restless in it.
By the time we left I felt like we had been there for forever, and there are a few tips I thought I would share with you preggos to make your stay more enjoyable:
Use the lactation consultant - If you plan to breastfeed, be sure to use this resource while you are there and it is free! The nurses can help you with any feeding challenges, but I highly suggest you set up a time the first day for the lactation consultant to come by and make sure everything is going smoothly. You may have to be a little persistant about this one, my hospital only had 2 and it seemed like they were hesitant to have her come by but it was really helpful.
Use the nurses' knowledge - They are there to take care of you AND the baby and if you get one that really knows their stuff, milk them for info! The last night we were there we had a senior nurse that just sounded like she knew what she was talking about. I called her 3 times during the night for help with a feeding, and asked her a ton of questions about the baby's schedule and what to expect. Don't hesitate to press that nurse button!
Share food with your significant other - Some people have friends and family bring them food while they are there. I wasn't starving for junk food, and thought the food at the hospital was actually pretty good. The first time I ordered food from room service I ordered mine, then handed the phone to The Husband to order. Big mistake. You should order a main entree and several sides, a salad and dessert and just share. They won't let you order 2 obviously separate meals without paying for a guest.
Stay as long as you can - I got mixed messages from the nurses about when I was expected to go home. After discussing with my Dr we decided I would stay and extra day and it was a good decision for me. Even if you are going stir crazy in the room, it is nice to have more time to recoup, so you can better take care of baby when you get home.
Steal as much as you can - Thanks Ang for this tip. When we left, I pretty much cleaned house. The baby bassinet care cart is full of goodies that you pretty much paid for anyway so you might as well leave with them. I got a thermometer, nose sucker thing, diapers, formula samples, saline wipes, gauze and a few other goodies. I did feel a little bad so I left a few of everything so that it wasn't totally obvious that I was robbing them! And don't be afraid to ask for more disposable panties the night before so you have some of those to steal too!
Anyone else have any suggestions about how to maximize your time at the hospital?
2 comments:
You were nice to leave a few things...I think I took everything that wasn't nailed down! :)
They told us on the hospital tour to steal as much as we wanted because otherwise they have to throw it away. Thanks for the tips!!
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