Nobody told me. From a recent graduate:

[keoann]

1) bring a pillow and a blanket for you and at least two for her.
2) bring an eye mask
3) bring snacks in a cooler. 3 days worth.
4)sneak in a little champagne in a cooler with some plastic flutes.
5)bring some button down shirts you don’t mind getting dirty and/or a robe. Skin to skin is the best drug I’ve ever taken. Its way easier and less awkward to just unbutton a few buttons. It’s also super helpful to your birthing partner.
6) you can totally help with breastfeeding. You can hold baby’s head and massage behind their ears to keep them awake and squeeze the boob to help milk out. A great nurse showed me how. It’s kind of fun and super helpful to your partner in the beginning. (Also you can practice this at home as a way to help naturally induce labor).
7)learn how to swaddle on YouTube. It’s the key to getting your baby to sleep and the only way you and your partner will get any sleep. The nurses will each have their own way of doing it and will probably help of you ask, but you will get mad props if you go in with some skill
8) Bring some 5 dollar bills if you can afford it. There may well be people you want to tip, especially right now. It’s scary times to be on food delivery, janitorial duty, or transporting patients. It may not be allowed, I don’t know, but there were lots of times I wished I could’ve discretely offered.
9) If you have a C section, especially an emergency one like we did, you might be the only person hanging close with your partner on the head part of the sheet. The anesthesia person has lots of dials to attend to.

There’s lots of other advice y’all have probably already received. These are just some things one recent graduate wishes he’d known. Sending you all good vibes. Catch you on the dad joke forums.

 

[damama1234]

@keoann The one thing we got told beforehand that I don't see often, is to bring any medication(s) you might need like ibuprofen or allergy pills. The hospital can't give you anything because you are not a patient.

 

[bf2008]

@damama1234 Good idea to bring Mom's prescription meds too if she has any. Obviously discuss with the nurses and doctors so you don't inadvertently double dose, but if she takes thyroid medication for example then the hospital may not have her exact dose in stock (and going days without it would be horrible).

 

[craftyfriend]

@bf2008 As an admitted patient, the ospital should be able to pull Mom's records and provide any needs needed, and will want to provide meds.

Dad is on his own though.

 

[bf2008]

@craftyfriend So this may vary by region, but in my area they won't necessarily have the precise thyroid medication dose on-hand and you need to be precise with hormones. Bottom line I'd bring it just in case and worst case you don't use it.

 

[craftyfriend]

@bf2008 I should add, my advice was based on the US, mileage may vary. And if you have something very specific, then probably wouldn't hurt to bring, you just want to talk to the nurses/ doctors before giving any meds to Mom.

 

[rsb001]

@damama1234 Ibuprofen for mom too if you’re in US. Many hospitals charge an insane amount for it but you can just slip it to her on the low.

 

[petern]

@damama1234 This must be different per location. Our we could NOT take anything unless provided by the hospital pharmacy, including daily meds. They wanted to know any meds and all
Meds she was taking, including dailies, such as allergy etc.

 

[jtnorton]

@petern I believe they meant bring any meds that the husband needs. Hospitals won't let the patient take anything except what they give. They also won't give you anything as the father since you are not a patient. Some hospitals will have an outpatient pharmacy where you could buy meds but not all and most aren't 24/7 (although a few larger hospitals may have that).

While the mother can't take her own meds while she is a patient it may be worth it to bring some meds for her as well. We were discharged 2 days before our daughter. We got to stay in the same room. It was just our daughter's room and not my wife and daughter's room anymore. But now that my wife wasn't a patient I needed to go get pain meds for her since the hospital could no longer provide her with meds.

 

[damama1234]

@petern Sorry, not for mom but for the SO. Yeah, the hospital wouldn't be happy if mom was slipping some meds on the side.

 

[petern]

@damama1234 Oh oops. heh, sleep deprivation? What sleep deprivation?

 

[curious119]

@keoann *takes notes furiously

 

[palv]

@keoann The first few things you list can vary depending on what your hospital provides so it might be helpful to call them ahead of time to see what comes with the birthing experience.

Our hospital had a place for the spouse to sleep and provided plenty of blankets/pillows as needed.

I can agree with the eye mask thing as they come in the room in the middle of the night to check on her.

Only one of our rooms had a fridge in it, but our hospital had a cafeteria and a small snack store so I was able to get food for myself as needed. I was allowed to leave and come back at our hospital so I was free to get fast food if I wanted as well.

Our hospital provided a cheezy celebration dinner for both of us with sparkling grape juice instead of alcohol which was fine with us.

For the mom i have some things you can bring (if she isnt already on top of it)

• My wife brought her own gown/robe for the hospital stay and it made her more comfortable during the whole experience.
• If your wife has a breast pump take it with you so the nurses or lactation consultant can show her how to use it.
• There is a weird upside down bidet bottle that is made by frida super helpful for rinsing down there after the baby comes out.
• Depends adult diapers. It may sound weird but it made my wife's post partum life easier.

 

[texan2]

@palv Omg yes to the frida peri bottle.

 

[sweetpants]

@palv About the upside down bottle, that was a big part of me buying a had held bidet sprayer for the house.

 

[bf2008]

@palv Was it worth bringing the frida peri bottle to the hospital? We had planned to use it mostly at home but now I'm questioning whether we should just bring it.

 

[palv]

@bf2008 We did as my wife ended up with an emergency c-section and she was there 4 days. If anything you can pack a bag of stuff you might need and leave it in the car.

 

[bf2008]

@palv Good call thank you!

 

[creverson]

@bf2008 the hospital has / will give her a peri bottle.

 

[palv]

@creverson The one they gave her was a normal one that you have to try and angle just right.