Having a Baby During COVID-19

Our Ultimate Hospital Bag Checklist has been downloaded hundreds of times over the past year. We love to help parents from all over the country figure out what comforts from home will help them during their labor and postpartum hospital stay.

Now that COVID-19 is changing everything- including labor and delivery- we decided to create a new list for parents expecting a baby during this challenging time. Our goal here is to help you reshape your thinking about what you really need…along with some tactical tips to help prevent cross-contamination from hospital to home and vice versa.

But first…To our pregnant friends in our community-

We want to take this time and say how sorry we are for how quickly and dramatically things changed for you. When you dreamed about the weeks and months leading up to your baby’s birth, THIS isn’t what you imagined- at all. Change is hard, especially when it comes to so many levels of unknowns. Emotions are running high, and you have every right to feel like you’re all over the place right now.

As Glennon Doyle says, “All feelings are for feeling.”

Our hope for you as you look back on this time in your life many years down the road, you will remember the quietness and intimacy surrounding you, and the JOY you felt meeting your baby for the first time.

So, let’s shift gears and concentrate on something you can control, and let’s get you ready for the big day!

We’re breaking this down in a few different ways to help compartmentalize things a bit:

Helpful doula tips
What to leave at home- things you would be packing under “normal” circumstances
Arriving at the hospital
Nourishment
Steps for minimizing cross-contamination arriving back home
Printable checklist

It’s time to prep + pack! Let’s get started!

helpful doula tips

Order travel-size toiletries for you and your partner to use at the hospital- and then throw them away there. Don’t take them home! Our suggestions for disposables/one-time use items are marked with an asterisk* on our full checklist download.
Friends, this one is going to hurt. Leave your favorite bags at home…including your brand new diaper bag. Pack your belongings in old bags you won’t mind tossing when you get home, or order cheap ones online for this use only, then pitch them. DO NOT bring your baby’s diaper bag!
Instead of prepping three bags- for you, your partner, and baby (which is what we normally recommend)- shift your packing plan to ONE “clean bag” and ONE “dirty bag”. When you arrive, your dirty bag will be empty.
CLEAN BAG:
- All the clothes for you, partner and baby are in this bag.
- All garments are in sealed plastic bags.
- Electronics and chargers.
- Toiletries
DIRTY BAG: (empty when you arrive)
- Once you have used items/worn clothing, transfer them over to the “dirty bag”
- After you get home, all clothing from both bags should be washed ASAP

2. what to leave at home

ALL pillows- including a Boppy/breastfeeding pillow
ALL blankets
Robes
Coats
Slippers- the hospital has tread socks, or consider ordering a cheap pair of flip-flops you won’t mind leaving behind at the hospital (Old Navy is a great place to order from)
Diaper bag
Special blankets for baby
Letterboard/props for baby announcement…it will be sweeter taking these photos in your cozy home!

NOTE! The “why” behind packing like a minimalist is twofold. First, the less you take into the hospital equals less washing and sanitizing for you when you leave. The second- and the one we feel is most important- is the less you bring in will help lower the risk of exposure to everyone working inside the walls of the hospital. Just like you are doing your part in flattening the curve by social distancing + staying home, being intentional with the personal belongings you bring from home will help lower the risk of exposure to your care team.

This virus is a tricky little monster- you can have it, be asymptomatic, and pass it on to your nurses & doctors without ever getting sick. That’s why they prefer you to come in with as little baggage as possible, and only bring the personal items you need/anything else they don’t supply. That said, take what you need to feel comfortable!

3. at the hospital

Your hospital will have its own steps and protocols once you arrive and are admitted. As you near your due date, talk to your provider about the process to see if any recent changes have been made.

Once you’re in your room, you will put a gown on and your partner/support person should have an entirely fresh, clean outfit in a sealed plastic bag ready to change in to. That way, they are removing the garments they had on outside of the hospital and putting on clean clothes once inside your hospital room. It’s also a good idea for them to use wipes on their shoes. The nursing staff will go over their specific PPE protocols during the admission process.

NOTE- Most hospitals are allowing ONE support person in for the duration of your hospital stay. Once this person passes the initial screening and enters your hospital room, they are not permitted to leave the room. That means no leaving for takeout, running home if you forget something, or even going out into the hallway. Once everyone is in your room, they are there to stay until you are discharged. If they leave, they might not be allowed back onto the unit.

4. nourishment

Every hospital has their own procedures and protocols when it comes to meals for your partner, along with what food/drinks are allowed inside during this time. Please check with your hospital about meals, snacks, and drinks- this is a fluid situation and their guidelines are changing daily. Once you have an idea on what is safe to bring in, packing a cooler with these items is a good idea!

5. returning home

The name of the game here is PREP! Do everything you can before you go into labor and/or you are admitted to the hospital.

PREP BEFORE YOU ARE IN LABOR:

Have an outfit for you, your partner, and your baby set aside for you to wear after a shower when you get home. Lay them out before you go to the hospital so they are easily accessible.
Place a trash bag near the door you will be entering (mudroom, laundry room, front door, etc.).
Place clean towels and a pair of gloves by your shower.
Put a different pair of shoes in your trunk to change into after your are discharged, along with a paper or plastic bag.
DO A DRESS REHEARSAL! Practice the steps below when you are thinking clearly so it feels familiar…you will feel more prepared. Doing this for the first time postpartum, with a newborn (and possibly medicated) will be overwhelming.

STEPS FOR WHEN YOU ARRIVE BACK HOME:
These steps are similar to what healthcare workers are doing after every shift.

Your partner will need to do the same steps! However, we encourage YOU to do nothing except removing your clothing and shower…let them handle everything else! That’s why it’s a good idea to have a little dress rehearsal before you have your baby so both of you know what to do.

Remove your shoes before you get in the car to go home, and put the pair on already in your trunk. Once home, spray the top and bottom of the shoes you wore out of the hospital with alcohol- or use alcohol wipes.
Before entering your home, spray or wipe down your cellphones, chargers, cords, computers, electronics, keys, glasses, etc.
Remove ALL of your clothes in the garage and place them in the trash bags you already had laid out.
Toss all the clothing from your dirty & clean bags, along with the clothes you just removed into the washer and close the lid. Don’t start it yet.
Wash your hands.
Go straight to your bathroom to shower.
Thoroughly wash your entire body and hair.
Use a clean towel to dry off.
Then put on fresh, clean clothes- the same clothes you laid out ahead of time before you went to the hospital.
Put the disposable gloves on- the gloves you already had ready in your bathroom.
Take the towels you just used and add them to the items already in the washer.
Properly remove your gloves and safely dispose of them (video here).
Wash your hands.
Start your washing machine.
Take Clorox wipes and wipe down any surface touched between entering your home and showering, including your washing machine once the clothes are finished.
Wash your hands.

FOR BABY:

Wash your hands.
Undress them and bag their clothing.
Remove their diaper.
Gently wipe them down with a clean washcloth. Remember no fully submerged baths until their umbilical cord stump falls off.
Wash your hands.
Put on a fresh diaper and the clothes you already had set aside for them ahead of time.
Wash all clothes and blankets that were at the hospital.
Wipe down their car seat as well with Clorox wipes.
Wash your hands.

Final Step…and the most important!
After everyone is cleaned up, SOAK UP BEING AT HOME WITH YOUR BRAND NEW BABY!!!

6. updated packing checklist

Grab your Printable Checklist Here

WHEW! Is your head spinning?!

We know this information feels overwhelming. Our role as doulas is to hold space and encourage calmness + peacefulness. This right here is the complete opposite - BAM! A crap ton of info to pile on top of all the other negative thoughts swirling around your brain.

Causing stress is not our intention. We work hard to prepare our amazing clients for anything, while ALWAYS putting their wishes first. When we made the decision to update our packing list, it came from a place of aiming to empower you with knowledge and feeling prepared.

And sometimes that means we are frank and honest.

This time is heartbreaking for us- because we know so many of you are heartbroken. We know you are crushed. The last thing we want is for you to show up at the hospital, in full-blown active labor, and the person screening you and your partner says that your 4 bags and pillow must go back to your car while you are mid contraction.

We’re looking out for you.