Haven James Rising

I decided to make a list of the things that I was really happy to have while Melissa and I were in the labor and delivery at the hospital… There are all sorts of lists for mothers / babies… but I haven’t seen anything out there letting us guys know what to bring along for the ride.




Call-Em-All (http://www.callemall.com)

This is a voice broadcast service that allows you to place a bunch of people’s phone numbers into a call list where you leave one message and it calls everyone at once. This was really handy because we had a LOT of people who wanted to be updated with what was going on, and I was the one to make the updates. It allowed me to spend more time taking care of Melissa and the baby and less time talking on the phone saying basically the same thing to everyone. The other thing that this was especially good for is the simple fact that cell phone service in our room was very inconsistent. Call-Em-All allowed me to step out of the room for a few minutes to a good location, make the call with updates, and send it off to everyone. Of course some folks were upset with us because it wasn’t very personal, but hopefully they will understand (Sorry Mr. Clark!).




Wifi / Internet / Laptop
While cell phone service was not the best at the hospital, ours did offer free Wifi access… which was great because we were able to update on facebook and here on Haven’s blog. If you do not have Wifi available (make sure to ask during the tour), get yourself a USB dongle from your cell phone carrier (if your cellular service is decent in the labor and delivery department of your local hospital) and make sure that you have a data plan. Some hospitals do offer Wifi for a fee as well… so again… be sure to ask and compare the costs! Internet at the hospital is a must in my opinion, particularly if your wife is going through a really long labor or if there are complications, as you can research a bit online for things like the side effects of Stadol.




5 Hour Energy
If you’re a coffee drinker like I am, and like it strong enough to tar a roof with… you’ll find that the coffee available at the hospital is horrible. I picked up 2 of these little things for $5 at Walmart, and soon after Melissa went into labor I went ahead and drank one. It kept me alert through the whole 20+ hours. This was especially helpful because we were actually at the hospital the night before and spent the night there so I didn’t get a very good night’s sleep the night before. They taste horrible though, so make sure you drink it with a sprite or ginger ale.

Snacks
You’ll want to make sure to bring something salty, and something sweet. We brought granola bars and some kind of chocolate / peanut butter bars. The point here is that just because she can’t eat does not mean that you shouldn’t. I felt bad at first because she was suffering through labor and unable to eat… but there really is no point in you going hungry and you’ll need to keep your strength up too. I actually went out during lunch to get something more substantial while she was still at 1cm. This is something I would ONLY recommend if your wife suggests it. Every situation will be different. I had the benefit of time and a patient, loving wife on my side. Melissa began labor at 5:30am, and the hospital we were in did not serve meals to the father… so I really had no choice but to either go to the cafeteria (which I did for breakfast… yuck), or go out to eat.




Water Bottle
The water at the hospital is pretty good, but they do not give you your own bottle. We happen to have these Camelback bottles which are BPA free and very easy to drink from:

Ear Plugs
These aren’t really needed during labor, but afterwards when the baby is born and you’re exhausted … they are a must. They don’t completely eliminate the noise of your wonderful bundle of joy, but just cut out the edge of it that drives you insane. I’m not advocating completely ignoring your newborn and leaving his/her care up to your wife, but diaper changing during those first few fumbled attempts while they are screaming at the top of their lungs is a lot easier to concentrate on when 20db or so of the shrill is removed. I used a type called ‘Quiet Time’ made by a company called ‘Flents’. I got them at Walmart for about $5, but you can also get them at walgreens. These things are great because you squish them up, put them in, and they expand to the shape and size of your ear canal. They also come with a neat little plastic case to protect them in your pocket when not in use:

Your own pillow
Pillows at the hospital suck. They are small and squishy, and while they are great for folding up under your wife’s arm while she’s nursing, they are not made to sleep on. I am used to a king mattress and king sized pillows at home, and my stay at Hotel MTMC consisted of a twin sized roll-out rubber mattress cot and a single flimsy pillow my dog wouldn’t sleep on. The blankets they give you are also nonsense and for some reason my wife wanted the room temp set at 65 the whole time, so I was freezing. Not a lot you can do about this unless you bring your own sleeping bag. I’m sure they wouldn’t say anything.




Flip Video / Digital Camera
The digital camera is pretty obvious, but I would add that my Canon 30d was a bit large / clunky in the operating room with scrubs and such on. I would have preferred to have a smaller camera for this event as the quality of the lighting was not the greatest anyhow. I was very happy to have my Flip Video with me though… which took great HD video of my son’s birth. I have both the Flip Ultra and the Flip Mino HD. I would highly recommend spending the extra $ and getting the Mino HD because the quality is so much better, and it’s going to be really important to you to have HD of your baby’s premiere. This little device is awesome because just minutes after Haven was born, I was importing the video of him onto my laptop and then uploading it to Facebook for everyone to see. They are about $200 but I actually won mine at the Nashville Flex User’s Group Christmas Party last year! Thanks to Scott Gordon at Vaco, Matthew Wallace and Boaz! They are worth the money because they are small as a cell phone, and really easy to keep on in your pocket.

Power Strip
Go ahead… laugh. Seriously though… They didn’t have many working outlets in the room, and beyond the rechargable devices we brought with us (camera, flip video, 2 cell phones, laptop), we also had a portable ipod boom box type device for music while Melissa labored. One outlet to rule them all.




Essentials bag
This is probably the most important. Shaving cream, Razor, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, soap, Advil (or other pain killer)… all the stuff that you would normally bring with you on a trip. While the hospital will supply your wife with some of this, you’re not going to get the quality that you’re used to. Make sure that you pack one for her as well. You both will feel a lot better having it before, during, and after labor. Melissa must have brushed her teeth 3 times that day!