Go Bag List

As early as my 20th week of pregnancy, I already put together a list of things to bring to the hospital. However, as late as my 37th week of pregnancy, we have not bothered putting together our Go Bag. The result was a ton of stress because I gave birth at 37 weeks. I felt bad for my husband who had to go to our house to get the things on the list and then head back to the hospital in a hurry because he of course, did not want to miss the birth of our baby.

We did not want the clothes to be sitting idle in the Go Bag as we wait for our bundle of joy. I did not purchase many maternity clothes so I could not pack them away in a Go Bag. This was a terrible reason. So not worth the stress. I cannot urge you enough, pack your Go Bag.

Here is our list of things we had to bring to the hospital:

Baby's Things

• Tie side shirts These are easier to put on than those shirts that have to go over the baby's head.
• Mittens These are very important. The baby's nails are long and sharp and they really scratch their faces. The nails can only be trimmed 4 weeks postpartum so bring mittens and make sure you secure the mittens properly.
• Socks or Booties We were unable to bring socks because I had a hard time selecting socks without loose threads. It was only later that I realized I can just have the baby wear the socks inside out! Nobody cares if they look weird anyway, for as long as the baby toes and toenails are safe.
• Newborn Diapers At our chosen hospital, they provided the diapers but I think you can also choose to just bring your own so you need not be charged for the diapers. In our experience though, we could not be bothered to keep track of these things. We were too tired and too excited.
• Baby Wipes They also provided us with a diaper bag that has some of the needs of the baby like baby wipes, body wash, laundry soap and dish washing soap.
• Muslin Flat Cloth Diapers or Burping Pads We use the muslin cloth because these can have multiple purposes and can be used until the baby is all grown up (e.g., muslin cloth can be placed under their shirt to dry their back)
• Halo SwaddleSack We got this swaddle because it is safer against SIDS. Some of my mommy friends warned me that their kid did not like this swaddle. This was after we bought two SwaddleSacks for newborns and 2 for toddlers. We are fortunate that our son neither likes nor dislikes the swaddle. This has been helpful during the nights when our baby finds it hard to sleep because he startles himself with his Moro Reflex.
• Bonnet This was not on the list. I have forgotten about this. The hospital provided us with the bonnet.
• Pajama pants This was also not on the list but it was good that we had the SwaddleSack, we did not need this anymore but it would be nice to have anyway just in case.

Nanay's Things

• Health Card (this should always be in your belongings) Do not forget to bring this always. Save the number on your health card on your phone as well just to be sure.
• Toiletries The hospital had toiletries but if you have preferred brands then just bring your own.
• 3 Sets of Clothes This is overkill. I had a CS operation and only had to stay for two days. We could have gone home on the second day. You only need to use your own clothes for when you get discharged. Most of the time, you will be in a hospital gown. Bring extra nonetheless because you may end up staying longer. We had to extend a night because our child was jaundiced. This should have been two nights but the bilirubin level of our baby dropped already.
• Nursing Bras If you are planning to breastfeed, this is easiest.
• Breast Pads My breasts leaked already on the second day so better to play it safe and just bring breast pads. I have survived the last few weeks on washable Avent breast pads.
• Maternity Pads or Adult Diapers We had a hard time finding Maternity Pads so we just bought Adult Diapers. I think using Adult Diapers is better than using Maternity Pads because this way you are sure that there are no leaks. The last thing you want  to worry about are stains and having to move because they need to clean the bed especially post CS.
• Wink Binders I got my binders from the baby fair. These are my lifesaver. Without them, I felt like my body was going to get cut in half. They are also supposed to help with slimming you down. I am still fat but according to people who have seen me, I have lost some weight. This is not to say that I am no longer fat. I am still fat just less fat. :)
• Towel I did not take a bath at the hospital but there is comfort in knowing that I can should I choose to. Towels are also provided at the hospital but uhm... no thanks.
• Breast Pump We ended up not bringing this. That was a mistake because our baby could not latch because of my short nipples (yes, it's a thing). My husband had to go back to our house to get this and our sterilizer. 
• Sterilizer Our hospital of choice does not allow sterilizers to be brought in but in case your hospital allows, you may want to bring your sterilizer for convenience.
• Bottles We cup fed our baby because we did not want nipple confusion. We only used the bottles for milk storage.
• Nipple Shield This was not on the list but I wish I had it with me during the times my baby could not latch. This may lead to nipple confusion though but desperate times call for desperate measures. 
• Breast Shield I recently learned that you can use breast shields in between feedings to draw out the nipples. I am yet to use this but I might try. It is so hard to draw my nipples to the length that can be "detected" by our baby.
• Kindle I did not even glance at my Kindle. I had neither the time nor the energy to read.
• Phone Charger People will send you congratulatory SMS and some will ask if they can come and visit so keep this beside you. I did not. Hehe... I was too tired and could not be bothered. I would much rather spend time with our baby.
• Slippers We forgot to bring my slippers and so we had to get a pair from the hospital. The amount was exorbitant for our standards so better to just bring these. 

Tatay's Things

• Toiletries
• 3 Sets of Clothes
• Towel
• Camera My husband was allowed in the OR so he was able to take photos of us. I love looking at those photos because it reminds me of how little our baby was.
• Camera Charger With guests coming over, you will continue to take pictures.
• Car Seat Car seat should have been installed already. We were unable to buy a car seat in time. We were still waiting for the Britax First Class but it never came. I ended up carrying the baby during the drive home.
• Envelope of Documents These should have been prepared ahead of time because many of these have to be obtained from the office HR or from PhilHealth.

Documents

• Government IDs Have at least two in case they ask for these.
• Marriage Certificate We forgot to bring ours. This is needed for the birth certificate of the baby.
• Admission Slip from OB I discussed my birth plan at 36 weeks and then my OB prepared by admission slip. This makes it easier for you to get admitted to your chosen hospital.
• Birth Plan Copies This eliminates the need to discuss every detail. This ensures you will not forget anything that you need to say to the doctor.
• SSS Maternity 1 Form I filled this out and then I submitted this to HR. After it was processed by SSS, I was given a copy. This is usually just needed at the office but it will not hurt to put it in the same envelope as the other documents.
• SSS Maternity 2 Form This is to be submitted to HR later for your maternity benefit. This should be submitted together with a certified true copy of the birth certificate from the local civil registry  alongside proof of your giving birth signed by the hospital.
• PhilHealth MDR HR can process this for you but if they cannot, you may go to the PhilHealth office. There is a priority lane for pregnant women.
• PhilHealth Claim Form 1 HR will sign this and release to you. Do not lose this because you do not want your husband to have to go to your company just to get this.
• Certification Letter and Contribution HR will also provide this as proof that you are indeed working for the company still and it will also detail the last few months of contribution.

Free Lectures for Expectant Mothers

I wish I have heard about these Pregnancy and Beyond lectures earlier then I would have been able to hoard more freebies haha! Seriously though, the lectures like those at Makati Medical Center feature different topics useful for those who are expecting. An expectant mom can learn about Lamaze, prenatal yoga, breastfeeding, caring for baby among others. On top of the freebies, you also get a free lunch. This is from 10am to 1pm every 4th Saturday of the month, Hall 1 Auditorium, 8th floor of Tower 2. Admission is free. You can take your husband with you. There is also a raffle for mothers and another raffle for fathers.

I was only able to attend one session before I gave birth. I only heard about this lecture through an expectant mom whom I met at the Youji&Me Warehouse Sale. So to pay it forward, I am sharing this information to all the other expectant mothers. There is no need to pre-register, just show up at the venue and register there. When I was there, the venue was not filled, they were not even able to use up all the prizes from the sponsors. It was worth my while because I learned new things about breastfeeding, the speaker was a lactation doctor who gave a really great talk. There were exercises shared by a physical therapist from MMC and a prenatal yoga instructor from a yoga studio in Quezon City. There was also somebody who talked about cord banks.

For more information about the event you can check it here. 

Below is a picture of my loot from one session. I won a big Lactacyd bottle for women and a big Lactacyd body wash for toddlers (not in picture because I gave it to my niece). The pampers bag has a 12-piece pack of Pampers Newborn Premium diapers. We are now using this brand so I guess their marketing paid off. We plan to use disposables until the cloth diapers fit our son. The bear is from Manulife while the green elephant is from one of the cord banking companies. Another cord bank company gave a pen and a bonnet.

Watch out for baby showers from companies like Smart Parenting as well. They have lectures and workshops for moms and like the Pregnancy and Beyond series, these are also free. I was unable to go to the baby shower because the shower was too far from where we live.

Enjoy pregnancy!

Things Learned from My Birthing Experience

1. Prepare a birth plan and print many copies My OB was out of the country when I gave birth. We scheduled my CS to be on the 39th week but my baby wanted to see the world much earlier than we had planned. Hence, a reliever had to perform the operation. It was a good thing I had multiple copies. It was easy for my husband to just hand my birth plan to the reliever. 
2. Prepare the SSS and the PhilHealth documents You have to submit the Maternity 1 Form of SSS at least sixty (60) days within conception but not later than the date of delivery otherwise you will not be able to claim your maternity benefit. You need to get the Maternity 2 Form that you will fill out after you give birth. You have to get the Claim Form of SSS from your employer and this has to be signed by your HR. You also need to get your Member Data Record and list of contributions from PhilHealth. Usually, HR can do this for you but if they cannot, you can always go to a nearby PhilHealth office. They have a priority lane for pregnant women.
3. Prepare the HMO enrollment form Once you give birth, you want to make sure that you enroll your bundle of joy to your HMO so that your baby is covered. Check the enrollment requirements with your HMO. You never know what needs your baby might have once the baby is born. In our case, our son had to go through photo therapy.
4. Prepare an envelope containing all the documents My husband was more stressed than I was during labor. While the nurses told me that I should already be feeling the contractions, I did not feel a thing. My husband on the other hand was stressed because of the errands he had to run. It was a good thing that I have put all the documents in one envelope except for our marriage contract. I did not know they will ask for this because I only checked for documents needed for delivering the baby. The marriage contract is needed to process the birth certificate of the baby. This requirement will be submitted to the local civil registry. We were able to claim this two weeks after our baby's birth.
5. Prepare a list of things to bring to the hospital This will take a lot of cognitive load from your husband when packing. My husband just had to look at the list to pack what is needed to be packed.
6. Know where everything is While having a list helped my husband for sure, he still had to find the items on the list. Make sure you know where everything is. Better yet, put together all baby's things so it's easier for your husband to locate in case of an emergency delivery. Again, save yourself the hassle and pack the Go Bag early. Do not be like me. :) 
7. Wash baby's clothes, swaddle and cloth diapers It was a good thing that we washed the baby's clothes already. All my husband had to do was to pack the clothes.
8. Pack your Go Bag This will save your husband a lot of stress. All he will need to do is to pick this up. Remember to put the envelope in the bag. A colleague of mine advised me to bring the Go Bag everywhere because you never know when you will have your baby. Obviously, I did not heed her advice. I will also post the items on my list and even the things I wish I had on my list.
9. Learn how to use your sterilizer and your pump These gadgets should be very easy to use. However, learning how to use these prior will give you more confidence when you actually will use them already. This also gives you an idea of other paraphernalia that you may need. In our case, we had to get a place where we place the items that have been washed but not yet sterilized, special basins where we can wash and rinse the baby items, water containers that will store 100mL of distilled water for the sterilizer. This has made sterilizing items so much easier thanks to my husband who does not rest until everything is streamlined.
10. Sterilize everything you anticipate to use when baby arrives It is not advisable to pump on the first week. I know this because I have read books, watched videos, attended lectures and joined forums on breastfeeding. However, sometimes no matter how much you will things to go the way you want them, they don't. In my case, I apparently have short nipples. I did not even know that was a thing! This made latching close to impossible for my baby. I had to bottle feed my baby so I had to pump. This meant my husband had to sterilize my pump parts, bottles and nipples while we were at the hospital because my baby and I had to stay an extra night for the photo therapy. More on our struggle to latch later.
11. Set up the crib We bought a crib and had it assembled but we did not put the sheets on the crib. When you get home, the last thing you want is to still worry about these things. We are lucky because our in-laws took care of all these. When we got home everything was perfect. I suggest that you do not push your luck and prepare this ahead of time. 

I had to pause five times while writing this so that I can attend to our son's needs. Pardon the lack of coherence. I will add more if there are things I have forgotten.