Prepare for Your Delivery!

In this episode we talk about things you need and don't need for your delivery.

Lets discuss:
Why you DON'T need a birth plan
What to bring to the hospital
How to prepare your body for delivery
How to prepare your home

And much MUCH more!
Check it out...

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hey guys, Dr. Celestine here. On this episode of the Four Vaginas Only podcast, we're gonna talk about what you need to prepare for your delivery. Right off the bat, I'm gonna tell you no diapers, no valuables, you might not need your breast pump at the hospital, and definitely not a birth plan. Stay tuned and I'll tell you why. Hello and welcome to Four Vaginas Only, the podcast about everything female. I'm your host, Dr. Celestine, bringing you important information about understanding your health and body in the way you wish your doctor would actually explain it. All right, welcome to episode 48 of the Four Vaginas Only podcast. This episode is gonna be talking a little bit about what you need to do to prepare for the delivery, what you need to bring to the hospital. So if you're in your third trimester of pregnancy, this is especially important. But at any trimester of pregnancy, it's important to start getting, you know, your mind wrapped around this and getting things together. So this episode is gonna be all about what to prepare, to bring to the hospital and to prepare for delivery. So I know in the very beginning I said no birth plan, and that's probably an unpopular opinion, but it's an opinion that I hold true to. I say it to all my patients, and I will get into a little bit of that a little later on in the podcast episode. But first, let's talk about some other things. Alright, so first and foremost, I just want to mention that I did do a post about preconception counseling on my Instagram page at For Vaginas Only. And that's the counseling and testing that you kind of get from your OBGYN before you even decide to become pregnant. So if you're planning on a pregnancy, check out that post. It'll show you kind of what you need to do in order to have preconception counseling and why I think it's so important. All right, now this episode, you're pregnant at some stage of the pregnancy. So I will say the first thing you need to do is kind of get on the same page with your partner. Make sure you guys talk a lot about what you're experiencing during the pregnancy, what they're experiencing. Try to do some date nights because it's gonna be not, you know, much longer until you have another person in your life that'll take up a lot of your time. So try to do some date nights, get on the same page, reconnect because when the baby comes, it's gonna be really stressful. So now is the time to do that. Next, I will say what's important to prepare for delivery is preparing your body. Make sure you're moving. We always say you don't want to do so much exercise that you're like straining, so nothing where you can't breathe through it, but stretching is important, stretching out your hips, using one of those big yoga balls, doing exercise. If you have already been exercising, that's fine to stick with. Meditation might be something nice to start up if you haven't already, to just have some time to yourself and to your thoughts. Also, acupuncture. One thing I learned are that the acupuncture needles are actually regulated by the FDA. That's great to know. Um, I love things that have kind of science backing behind it. And there's also lots of studies that have shown that acupuncture can help not only with like infertility prior to becoming pregnant, but for relaxation and stuff like during pregnancy and after pregnancy. Next, I will say find a pediatrician. So this can be someone your friends have recommended, this can be someone that you have researched yourself, but you need to have a pediatrician lined up before you go to the hospital for your delivery. So sometime in the third trimester, you can even interview pediatricians if you don't know. You can call the office and see if you can meet them prior to your baby being born, so you can figure out if they're the right pediatrician for you. So I always recommend to get one scheduled and in line kind of for your baby before you deliver. And that's because in most places, the pediatrician wants to see and evaluate your baby usually within 24 to 48 hours after you deliver. So pretty quickly after you leave the hospital. So it's important to have a pediatrician lined up prior to delivery. All right, the next thing, I think that's number five maybe, is getting your house ready. So before you go to the hospital or when it's kind of close to the time where you think you might be getting into labor, make sure you have kind of food prepared so that you don't have to be cooking or anything when you come back home. Clean your house. I know for me, I have a lot of anxiety when my house is dirty, so and it's really hard to clean when you have a newborn baby. So you have that anxiety of being a new mom or maybe a mom of another child if you're not a first-time mom. Then you have the anxiety of your house being dirty. I mean, it's crazy. It's like, you know. So just make sure you have that cleaning done and maybe people lined up to clean your house afterwards or talk to your partner about them picking up a little bit more and taking picking up the slack in that area if that's something that you struggle with, just like me. The other thing I would say is make sure you have everything kind of stocked in your house. So products that you use all the time, like soaps, toilet paper, paper towels. Make sure you have tons of that stuff on hand already so that you don't have to be running out to the store for these things after you come home from your delivery. Number six, figure out how all of your new baby things work. So put together the crib, put together the stroller, make sure you know how the car seat operates and how to put it in and out of the car, make sure the base is strapped into the car, all of these things so you're not scrambling last minute. These things that you need to actually construct and put together. You need to figure out how they work and how to assemble them prior to your delivery. And you know, one other tip I will say is maybe do an infant and toddler CPR class. So learning how to do CPR on a small child is really important. Because I think as a new mom for me too, when I was a new mom last year, even up to now, my kid is eating, he's stuffing all these things in his mouth. And I am like, you know, if I didn't know how to do CPR, I would probably be even more nervous than, you know, just a regular mom out there. So I think knowing that gives you like a little bit of peace of mind, although things can still happen. CPR is not perfect, but it's important to know. So I recommend kind of learning it or going to a course prior to your delivery. On that note, I don't really recommend like a Lamas class or anything like that. Um truly, I don't know. I mean, aside from actually making labor seem not so scary, especially if it's your first time. So kind of just easing the nerves and anxiety around labor, I see where those kind of classes are beneficial. But aside from that, I don't really see the benefit in it. So I wouldn't say that that's on my list of things that I recommend for you to do. Okay, now let's talk about getting the hospital documentation. So a lot of hospitals you have to, well, you don't have to, but it's beneficial to pre-register. So if your doctor hasn't given you the registration papers for the hospital, maybe contact the hospital to get them so that you don't have to do a long registration when you arrive at the time of your labor or delivery. So make sure that pre-registration for the hospital is complete. And now the birth plan. So let me explain why I have the unpopular opinion of not creating a birth plan. And that's because labor and your delivery, there's never really a plan that's a hundred percent foolproof. And I think people come in relying too much on these birth plans, not realizing that it's your body and the baby that are kind of running the show here. Like your doctor is there, kind of following along and making sure things are progressing nicely. You're there, obviously, but no one is running the show aside from your body and your baby. And those two things can't talk to us. So we don't know what's truly gonna happen. I think I can speak for all gynecologists and obstetricians. If you are, you know, if you've had prior vaginal deliveries or if this is your first baby and you would like a vaginal delivery, that that is our plan, but it doesn't always work out like that. Different things happen at different stages of the labor. I would say the only things you kind of need to know ahead of time without creating a whole written plan are simple. If you're having a boy, do you want him to get circumcised or not? If you are going to try for a vaginal delivery, do you want an epidural in your back for anesthesia to reduce the pain or stop the pain or not? Do you want to be able to kind of eat and drink beforehand? Those are things that some hospitals allow. Like simple things like that. I don't think they need to be written down. Talk about it with your doctor ahead of time. You talk about it with the nurses when you arrive to the hospital. But really, certain things we might even tell you no, you can't do that because of what's going on at the time for your particular labor in the moment. So a written birth plan, I think it maybe gives people a peace of mind while they're writing it because it kind of gives them some control. And I'm very type A as well, so I understand wanting to have that control, but there's no control when it comes to labor and delivery. I'm just gonna tell you that right now. You can't control it. You kind of have to go with the flow, see what your body and your baby are telling us to do. And hopefully you have a doctor that you trust so that you don't feel the need to kind of grip to this birth plan. Um, because you know that it will make decisions for you and with you that are gonna result in a healthy baby and a healthy mom to the best of our ability. So that's my spiel on birth plans. I don't like them. I I just don't. Next, let's talk about what to bring to the hospital. First, I want to kind of mention what you really need from like your gift registry. So if you have a baby registry, baby shower, baby gifts, things that you actually use. I mean, one, it's gonna depend on your lifestyle, right? But I would say in general, things that people will really use are the car seat, the stroller, the cribs, um, the feeding stuff for the baby. For mom, things like your bras, like I would even say get a pregnancy and postpartum bra ahead of time that most people are wearing them even before they deliver. That clothing is important. Robes if you love them, um, nice sleepwear, pajamas, sets are good, especially to bring to the hospital. If you look at my hospital bag reel that I made for the essentials to bring to the hospital on Instagram at four vaginas only, you'll see my full list of stuff for you and baby that I think that you should bring. But what you're actually bringing to the hospital is some clothing. Um, a few days worth. I usually say at least three days of clothing for you and for your baby if you want to. The hospital does provide usually some clothing in United States hospitals for baby. Um, do not you do not need any of those like open back gowns. Like I talk about on Instagram. Just think, delivery is sweaty, bloody, and there's poop and lots of fluid. So don't, I would usually say wear the hospital gown during your labor, wear the hospital socks. Um, use the hospital bed sheets and pillows while you're delivering. Bring your own blanket and pillow and a nice, like comfy pajama set, bra, your own socks and slippers for after you deliver. You don't need any of those special delivery kind of products or outfits because they're just gonna get messed up. Also, you need to bring things like snacks for you and the father of the baby or whoever's coming with you to the hospital. I am addicted to chapstick, so I will say bring chapstick, especially because the hospital is kind of a dry environment. So bring your lotion if you really like it, a chapstick that you like. The hospital's also really cold no matter what season it is. So make sure you have a nice warm blanket instead of their thin, scratchy ones and a nice comfy pillow to use after delivery if you want to bring that with you. You can even leave those things in the car and have your partner or whoever's with you come bring them up after you deliver. I think that's a great plan to keep the room not so crowded. Also, don't forget your contacts if you wear them, including the solution if you need it and cases as well as glasses and glasses cases. I always say, I mean, we live in an electronic era now, so bring a nice camera if you want to. Everybody's camera on their phones are also really good. Make sure you're you have chargers for your phones, especially for mom in the bed, a nice long charger is good because usually the plug is like way back behind your head. So having a long charger is good so you can keep your phone nearby and on the charger. Make sure you have everything that makes you feel good, especially after you deliver. You're either pushing a baby out or going through major surgery with a C-section. You need the things that make you feel damn good after you deliver, okay? So your hair products, if you need them, bring those. I always say bring a scrunchy something to keep your hair out of your face when you're delivering, because that's really important. Make sure you have your toothpaste and your toothbrush that you like, a face wash and your face routine, your morning or your night routine, the oils and serums you put on your face, bring those things because that will make you feel good after delivery. And bring a few baby outfits. I would say baby outfits are not a necessity because the hospital provides lots of hats, blankets, and even like a little top and bottom sometimes in some hospitals. But you know, baby outfits are cute, everybody's excited for the new baby. So bring some cute clothes. Um, I would just say pay attention to what size you think your baby's going to be. So if people are telling you that your baby, not people, if your doctor is telling you that your baby is gonna be really small, maybe have some premature clothes as well as some newborn clothes. And if your baby's measuring bigger, make sure you bring some newborn clothes as well as some older clothes for your child, like maybe more in like the one to two month size range. Now, I'm gonna tell you what not to bring. Aside from the birth plan, which hopefully you're not gonna bring since listening from to me, you're just gonna talk to your doctor and come up with a loose plan. You don't need diapers. Most hospitals in the United States have tons of diapers for you. They even have tons of formula for you. So, and they have different ones sometimes to try, at least one or two. So, if you're planning on feeding your baby formula, you don't need to bring it. You don't need to bring diapers. Do not bring anything valuable or heirlooms to the hospital because things get lost, things get stolen. So even if you have that heirloom or something you want to give to your baby, just wait to give it to them when they get home. You don't necessarily need to bring your breast pump. Most hospitals have a breast pump that you can use if that's something you want to do while you're in the hospital. I will say the only reason I tell some patients to bring it is if they have some confusion on how to use it or how to assemble it, then the hospitals that, especially the ones that have lactation nurses and lactation specialists at the hospital that see you can help you figure out how to work it at least. But you don't necessarily need it at the hospital. And that's it. Nice quick and dirty summary of how to prepare for your delivery at a hospital. More particularly a hospital in the United States. I can't really speak for hospitals that are out of this country because it's the only place I've worked. I'd be curious though to hear if any of these things translate to other countries and what does and what does not. So if you guys hear this podcast, you want to shoot me a DM, make sure you do that at Four Vaginas Only on my Instagram. You can also email me at drconly dot com. And stay tuned here on all podcast streaming platforms for more episodes of the Four Vaginas Only podcast as each episode comes out about every two weeks. Thank you guys so much for listening. I love being a part of this community, and I love that you guys teach me stuff as well. And I can't wait to talk to you again on the next podcast episode. Bye.