We are still awaiting the arrival of our second child (B'sha tova). Over Shabbos, we realized that our lasseiz-faire attitude towards #2 - as opposed to the crackling intensity of nerves we were anticipating #1 - translated into our being unprepared for a rapid hospital visit. That is, we had not yet packed The Bag. Every first parent knows about The Bag; all the books talk about The Bag; you are borderline abusive parents if you don't have The Bag.
The Bag is the necessary set of accouterments a birthing mother needs, according to trained experts of the birthing industry. I quickly discovered that the birthing industry has been taken over by a sinister confederation of radical feminists, Madison Avenue, and the military-industrial complex. Maybe. This Axis of Anxiety uses it's power over the worries of new mothers to drive them into vibrations of worry, forcing them to purchase inane equipment, adopt weird practices, and generally make normal unhysterical people into suggestible impulse shoppers.
While the clearest example of the Axis of Anxiety is the dominance of the La Leche Nazis (see previous posts), The Bag is similar. Here's an example:
Backpack, hiking boots, water-purification tablets, flashlight, .357 Magnum with magnesium loads, hunting knife and whet stone…
Woops. This is the list from p. 101 of the Zombie Survival Guide.Here's the real one, from About.com
Your Labor BagI like the zombie list better.
- Tooth brushes for everyone and Tooth paste
- Any reference book or pamphlet you might need (I prefer The Birth Partner.)
- Pillows from home
- Music you would like (You may need to provide your own CD Player or Tape Player)
- Camera with film and batteries
- Camcorder with charged batteries and accessories
- Signed copies of your birth plan
- Water bottles for ice
- Your own wash cloths, colored ones work better
- Waterproof pads for the car ride
- Any clothes of your own that you wish to wear
- List of people to call after the baby is born (include childbirth educator)
- Lip Balm
- Massage tools (Oils, massagers, etc.)
- Change of clothes for partner, including swim trunks for shower or pool
- Baby Book for getting the foot prints done by the nurse when she does the paperwork
- Focal Point (If you want one)
- Snacks for labor support
- Calling Card for Long Distance Calls
1 comment:
Look, RobinPregnancy - even though you are the About.com expert on packing pregnancy bags, that doesn't make you an expert in Zombie hunting. That said, I actually appreciate your list, even if my wife would kill me with the .357 if I brought in a camcorder.
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