Ginevra Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Just curious how this differs regionally or in other countries. It has been a while since I've had a baby, but besides the ubiquitous formula samples (which rubs me wrong), they did actually have some nice gifts. The one that stands out in my memory was a CD of classical music to play for baby. How about where you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Nothing. I was given the extra supplies that hadn't been used up, so diapers, pads, can of dermoplast, tube of preparation H, and tub of Tucks pads. Also, my peri bottle and mesh underwear. No formula samples and certainly nothing like a CD. I think that with my first birth, I was given a really, really cheap "diaper bag" that had coupons for formula inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 When I delivered it was a plastic diaper bag from a formula company, formula samples, diaper cream samples (foil pouch not full size), and some coupons. They also gave the couple a fruit platter and bottle of sparkling cider. (We never received these, I think you had to actually know to ask for them) When my friend delivered last year, it seemed pretty similar. Samples, coupons and that was about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I was given a baby to take home! :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 The baby, a blanket she was wrapped in, and the paperwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Diaper bags for both. My son, we were in Montgomery, AL. They gave us a bear made of cotton, blue and white checks, girls got same but pink. They wrote his stats on the bear in sharpie and his doctors and nurses all signed it. We still have the bear, my daughter wishes she had a bear! Of course, she gets to brag that she was born in Germany, which people are always interested in. The bear is a nice reminder, a cute way to remember his birth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmhearn Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 My last baby was born at a "baby friendly" hospital. (Seriously? What's a baby unfriendly hospital look like?) I was given the option between the formula-feeder gift, which was a diaper bag with formula samples and the breastfeeder gift, which was a small collapsible bin to use for diaper changing supplies. Previous baby was in the NICU for a few days. I was given formula in ready to feed bottles but no diaper bag. Also, I was given several adorable knit hats and blankets that were donated to the hospital by kind people. :-) Previous baby I was given a diaper bag with the formula removed by the nurse once she knew that I was breast feeding. First baby was a diaper bag with canned powdered formula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 With dd1 ( born in Georgia) the cheapie formula diaper bag and a knitted hat, a paci and a pack of diapers, trial wipes, comb, nose sucker, thermometer, tucks pads and peri bottle. With dd2, a knit hat, a quilt, a halo sleep sack, a fabric tote with samples, a paci, and a pack of diapers, peri bottle, sitz bath kit, wipes, nose sucker and comb Oh and a nipple shield with both since I am breastfeeding with inverted nipples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashfern Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I got the formula samples from my OB's office. I like to have a tiny bit just in case breast feeding doesn't work out. The hospital I got the rest of the package of diapers, travel pack of wipes, travel size baby wash, and the mesh panties & pads. They said that I could take one of the cotton receiving blankets & the hat but I declined as they were too tiny for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Our hospital has done a combination of shirt with hospital name on it, metal spoon, picture album, halo sleep sack, wooden blocks. Usually 2 of these for each baby. Last time it was photo album, sleep sack and shirt. I got rid of the photo album but kept the other 2. Eta: I forgot the canvas zippered bag full of mesh panties, peri bottle, 3 or 4 different sized pads (some with ice), tucks, spray stuff for stitches. Baby also got pink and blue striped hats, long sleeve shirts, receiving blankets, diapers, wipes, box to use as baby bath, baby soap, brush nose sucker, measuring tape. Magazines and pamphlets for taking care of baby. Had to pay for each stool softener and ibuprofin the last few times- they used to include it in the bag. And sometimes a hand knit hat made by volunteers Oh, and a diaper bag for Breastfeeding moms. Gosh, my hospital spoils us compared to others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Nothing. I was given the extra supplies that hadn't been used up, so diapers, pads, can of dermoplast, tube of preparation H, and tub of Tucks pads. Also, my peri bottle and mesh underwear. No formula samples and certainly nothing like a CD. I think that with my first birth, I was given a really, really cheap "diaper bag" that had coupons for formula inside. This. It was funny because they encouraged us to take home the two white, long sleeved onesies that were in our room. My mom also gave me the two white, long sleeved onesies she got from the hospital when I was born (stamped with the hospital name). The onesies from my son's birth proved to be disposable - the seams fell completely apart the first time I washed them. The onesies from 30+ years ago are still going strong through a million washings and 5 kids (me, my younger brother and now my three kids). Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Nothing. Seriously, nothing. They gave me one pair of mesh panties, and when I needed a second, they refused. One pair per mother. One time they gave me a sitz bath. You can use diapers while you're there. When I had a c-section they gave me advil and stool softeners in a baggie. Nothing for the baby -- there were no clothes there, and you had to leave behind the blankets. They'd let you use diapers while you were there. When I had a kid in the intermediate care nursery, they dressed her, but I changed her out of that outfit when I was allowed to hold her and it went back into the communal pile. This is Vancouver, Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Oh, for two of my kids there was a program going called Books for BC Babies, but I got the board book from the visiting health nurse. And for two of them they gave me a copy of a DVD called The Time of Purple Crying or something like that. IIRC the jist was that even if the baby screams, don't shake it. But by the time I had the third, health visitors had switched from coming to my house and looking over the baby to calling me on the telephone and asking me whether the baby was feeding well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 They gave me a "gift" bag which was a cheap little diaper bag with the hospital logo, some diapers, lanolin cream, wipes, and a nasal aspirator. I thought it was nice until I looked at my detailed bill and saw they changed me $20 for it. :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I got the breastfeeding diaper bag that was smaller and didn't have formula. I had been nervous that it won't be good enough, so I printed up something or other and went in a couple of weeks beforehand to look at it, and they just gave me one, and then another one at birth. I actually used them until 1.5 years when DH took over as primary parent. I got several of these maxipads with a coolant thingy in the center, and the mesh panties. DD got a snot-plucker, a thermometer, a knit cap, the diapers left over from the open pack. Maybe a blanket, I don't really remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender's green Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 First place (birth center): just a peri bottle. Then a hat as an afterthought. Not even mesh panties. I had to provide my own sanitary supplies as well. Second place (different birth center): peri bottle, mesh panties (woo!), a hat, a canvas bag with their logo, filled with a couple small samples of lanolin and diaper rash cream, a postpartum info book, a couple leaflets about PPD and things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Cincinnati: A diaper bag, formula, manual breast pump, diapers, wipes, pads, amazing advice. Portland: Nothing. Told I was a bad mother by the breastfeeding consultant. I actually tried and failed to get her fired for making another mother cry over her "failure". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoHomeschooler Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I work in a NW hospital, and there have been some changes in what swag gets handed out in the last decade or so. The diaper bag/formula freebies have been scaled way back. Enfamil switched to a reusable shopping bag thing for a while. I believe it was Similac that has the little bin for baby supplies. They usually have coupons for formula and other baby stuff. Not very many samples anymore, but occasionally some baby wipes or butt cream samples get included. We provide a fairly decent breastfeeding kit from Enfamil to our NICU families. It comes in an insulated soft-sided cooler, contains a reusable ice pack and milk collection bottles, a collapsing water bottle for mom, a small can of formula, and some coupons. Enfamil tends to have the better swag, but they lost the WIC contract, so we mostly get Similac stuff now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 In the UK (where Calvin was born): nappies, wet wipes and some leaflets. In Hong Kong (where Hobbes was born): the same plus - I think - formula samples. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hat (knit by volunteers), diapers (always too big!), baby blankets, sanitary supplies/mesh panties, peri bottle, thermometer, nasal aspirator, manual breast pump... Two of mine were in the NICU for a few days, and I got tubes/bottles for the hospital breast pump room, coupons for food (two meals per bottle of milk turned in), and a DVD course on CPR complete with a blow-up practice baby doll. o.O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 They were so over-the-top on breastfeeding that they wouldn't sell you a pacifier in the gift shop. You had to walk to the children's hospital gift shop to get one. When one of mine left the intermediate care ward, they took the pacifier back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 - hand-knitted baby hat made by volunteers - pacifier sized for preemies - some extra diapers (very handy since he was not expected for over a month) - peri bottle and bottle of whatever that pain relieving spray is - cheap diaper bag with freeze packs - formula samples I had to pay $80 to rent a hospital-grade pump for a month and then haul it back and forth from home to the NICU for a few days when they threw me out and kept him in. I've heard another hospital in the area provides pumps in the NICU and you can just bring your own tubes. I would've loved something informative (like a book on preemies, since there had been no hint of trouble until my water broke). I didn't even think to buy a book, not that I had time in between the pumping and finding a pediatrician and washing clothes and diapers and whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 We got a plain black diaper bag, endless pamphlets about community services and some formula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 NO formula-promoting anything. My small-town hospital in CA works hard to promote breastfeeding. We have the highest rates of at least attempting in our county. DS 2009: silver spoon & onesie with hospital name, stethoscope, thermometer, bulb syringe, a bunch of leftover diapers, gauze pads, small chucks, and a basin that were in the room, the book "Love You Forever" DD 2013: spoon, onesie, stethoscope, thermometer, bulb syringe, diapers, gauze, basin, green/black diaper bag with changing pad & insulated bottle sleeve inside, breast milk storage bag samples & water bottle with hospital name/logo Plus peri bottle, mesh panties, 3 ice-pack pads, pads, large chucks, and lanolin samples both times. The real stethoscopes were cool. DS (4) loves playing with his and hearing about how he got it as a baby. ETA: I keep reading other posts and remembering/adding things to my list! New mommy brain--I totally forgot the best gift: a $40 voucher to a local restaurant! It was good for 6 mo. from the baby's birth. Since DD slept so much in the beginning we were able to leave her and DS with my mom for about 1.5 hours when she was about 2 weeks old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 For my twins just born last month, I got two of the breastfeeding mom bags, which were sort of nondescript shoulder bags that contained a little insulated cooler bag with those cooler gel things and some little breastmilk storage bottles, plus several pamphlets and coupons for formula companies. They also gave me some breast pump attachments for the hospital grade and rental pumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I was given medical care. Edited to add: OK, and mesh panties and a peri bottle that were for my use during the stay. I was told to take the bottle home to keep using it. I don't get the mentality that health care ought to come with lovely parting gifts. What kind if place has time / effort to play a role like that? Don't they need to go provide more medical care to someone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I was given medical care. Edited to add: OK, and mesh panties and a peri bottle that were for my use during the stay. I was told to take the bottle home to keep using it. I don't get the mentality that health care ought to come with lovely parting gifts. What kind if place has time / effort to play a role like that? Don't they need to go provide more medical care to someone? That's what I got too. The birthing center I used also gladly accepts newborn gowns and receiving blankets as donations. I donated DS's once he outgrew them. I think they had some diapers we used while we were there and they had gowns for DS which we used and for me, which I didn't use. I brought my own PJ's. We left the gowns there when we checked out. One thing they did offer to those in need was an infant car seat. Most people had their own, but the hospital didn't let you leave without having the car seat tach walk you to your car to ensure that you had a safe and properly installed infant seat for the baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Baby #1 - Large women's hospital. Everything we used: diapers, ointment, Vaseline, blankets, hats, socks, the little kimono. No formula or coupons as the hospital was very pro-nursing. Small insulated bag with re-usable ice blocks. Baby #2 - large regional hospital. Everything open: diapers, wipes, ointment. No linens. Coupons and insulated bag but no formula. Baby #3 - small hospital looking to build its maternity reputation. Nothing provided except formula and coupons. DH ran out and purchased supplies because the staff was very slow to provide diapers and wipes. Slow to provide anything (especially painkillers) which is why we checked out as soon as we could. Horrible experience all around. Nothing special, but I really didn't and don't expect anything. Overall, the "goodies" didn't matter so much as prompt delivery of painkillers, timing check ups so I had only one visit overnight, and keeping track of my baby (one nurse disappeared with my child while I was sleeping). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Books. It's a provincial initiative and every baby goes home with a small bag that has 3 or 4 books and some information on reading to kids. Nothing other then that. I think there's a province wide policy against mothers getting anything that isn't supportive of breastfeeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I work in a NW hospital, and there have been some changes in what swag gets handed out in the last decade or so. Yes, mine are teens, and it was pretty generous then. I remember getting a small diaper bag with a onesie, one can of formula, a pacifier, a few diapers, wipes in a case, and coupons. There was also a mom's bag with a water bottle, 2 pair of mesh underwear, pads, and more coupons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 My last baby was born at a "baby friendly" hospital. (Seriously? What's a baby unfriendly hospital look like?) I was given the option between the formula-feeder gift, which was a diaper bag with formula samples and the breastfeeder gift, which was a small collapsible bin to use for diaper changing supplies. Previous baby was in the NICU for a few days. I was given formula in ready to feed bottles but no diaper bag. Also, I was given several adorable knit hats and blankets that were donated to the hospital by kind people. :-) Previous baby I was given a diaper bag with the formula removed by the nurse once she knew that I was breast feeding. First baby was a diaper bag with canned powdered formula. "Baby-friendly" IS a strange term, but if the hospital has achieved that status, it means that they have met certain protocols to increase breastfeeding and bonding. Strange term, good goal. Our freestanding birth center wouldn't give out the formula samples, so they couldn't give out the diaper bags. I did get a t-shirt for DD that says, "I'm a birth center baby," though, and the little pink and blue striped hat (which I didn't end up using much because it's a strange shape, and I had plenty of hats). :) And they hung a flag outside that said, "It's a girl!" I didn't have a peri-bottle, so they gave me one of those, and I think they gave me some of the big sanitary pads and some Advil. But yeah, I got to take the baby home. They asked us to provide our own blankets and clothes for the baby, which didn't bother me at all, and I think we had to bring diapers too. My boys were all born at home, so I didn't get any of the stuff. Some of our midwives have had lists of stuff we needed to have on hand, and one of them gave me a pair of the mesh panties (I think that was baby #4, though), plus I've gotten herbs from some of the midwives. A CD -- that's sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I'm not sure, given the small benefits of breastfeeding when you try to control for confounding variables, that the extent of breast-feeding pressure is necessary or even justifiable. And I have going on eight years of nursing, mostly tandem, youngest age of weaning 3.25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I'm not sure, given the small benefits of breastfeeding when you try to control for confounding variables, that the extent of breast-feeding pressure is necessary or even justifiable. And I have going on eight years of nursing, mostly tandem, youngest age of weaning 3.25. A recent study I read confirms your suspicions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 That's what I got too. The birthing center I used also gladly accepts newborn gowns and receiving blankets as donations. I donated DS's once he outgrew them. I think they had some diapers we used while we were there and they had gowns for DS which we used and for me, which I didn't use. I brought my own PJ's. We left the gowns there when we checked out. One thing they did offer to those in need was an infant car seat. Most people had their own, but the hospital didn't let you leave without having the car seat tach walk you to your car to ensure that you had a safe and properly installed infant seat for the baby. I read about that happening. After we were given the all-clear to leave, we disappeared off their radar. Based on what I read, I expected them to at least check that we buckled her into the bucket part of the car seat properly. We even asked. I got a blank look in response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I'm not sure, given the small benefits of breastfeeding when you try to control for confounding variables, that the extent of breast-feeding pressure is necessary or even justifiable. And I have going on eight years of nursing, mostly tandem, youngest age of weaning 3.25. I agree that pressure (such as you mentioned) is not necessary nor desirable. OTOH, I prefer formula companies to not be permitted to endorse their products through gift bags to new moms. And I did think it was a huge help that they had Lactation Consultants to help. Those ladies were a godsend. I had no blooming clue how to nurse a newborn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I was given medical care. Edited to add: OK, and mesh panties and a peri bottle that were for my use during the stay. I was told to take the bottle home to keep using it. I don't get the mentality that health care ought to come with lovely parting gifts. What kind if place has time / effort to play a role like that? Don't they need to go provide more medical care to someone? Ahh, you come right at my meta-question! ;) i am writing a book about excess/clutter. The chapter I'm working on lead me to consider the fact that I had grocery-bags-full of " stuff" for my babies before I even left the hospital. Which lead me to wonder how common my experience was. P.s. The CD was really nice, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikdeb Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 It has changed over the years here. I don't remember anything worth remembering with my 11yo down to my 6yo. With my 3yo, the hospital we delivered at gave us nothing, but he was in the Children's Hospital NICU for a week, and he got a handmade baby quilt, and a board book. With my 2yo (same hospital), we were given a little woven basket, another board book, and a sleep slack swaddle. With my 6 week old (at a different hospital in the same system), she got a sleep sack swaddle, a knitted by volunteers hat, and I got a super soft nice bathrobe. Along with all the aforementioned bonus pads and whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I had grocery-bags-full of " stuff" for my babies before I even left the hospital. I guess I left the hospital with a bag of "stuff", but not really clutter or excess. Most of the stuff I came home with was 1) for me (peri bottle, mesh panties, cooling pads) and 2) disposable and consumable (my hygiene supplies, 3 or 4 newborn diapers that were gone the first day home, a small tube of vasoline). Really the only non-disposable items we brought home were two onesies (that fell apart the first time in the washer), a receiving blanket and a small, plain, very functional diaper bag that I used for a year before it fell apart. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I don't own things in advance for my kids. I definitely would not have minded the clutter of one extra set of mesh panties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Related to the issue of "car seat must be checked before departure" -- how is it that people who take public transit (do not own or use a personal vehicle) aside from being (usually) impoverished, are so marginalized that hospitals basically have a "rule" against them existing, being becoming parents, and thereafter being free to take their own child and leave the building? It's one thing to be poor... It's another thing to suffer the degrading feeling of being an invisible member of society, who no one even thinks about when they make the rules for all the "normal" people. Does that strike anyone else as odd, in an 'adding insult to injury' sort if way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Related to the issue of "car seat must be checked before departure" -- how is it that people who take public transit (do not own or use a personal vehicle) aside from being (usually) impoverished, are so marginalized that hospitals basically have a "rule" against them existing, being becoming parents, and thereafter being free to take their own child and leave the building? It's one thing to be poor... It's another thing to suffer the degrading feeling of being an invisible member of society, who no one even thinks about when they make the rules for all the "normal" people. Does that strike anyone else as odd, in an 'adding insult to injury' sort if way? Well, many hospitals that check car seats before allowing babies to leave (and many that don't) have programs in place to give free car seats to parents who can't provide their own. I've never been in a position of primarily using public transportation, but my guess is that many people who do also occasionally get a ride in a friend's or relative's car. I would much rather they have a new, safe, affordable carseat and some coaching on how to use it if the occasion ever arose. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I don't own things in advance for my kids. I definitely would not have minded the clutter of one extra set of mesh panties. You really have a knack for concision! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Related to the issue of "car seat must be checked before departure" -- how is it that people who take public transit (do not own or use a personal vehicle) aside from being (usually) impoverished, are so marginalized that hospitals basically have a "rule" against them existing, being becoming parents, and thereafter being free to take their own child and leave the building? It's one thing to be poor... It's another thing to suffer the degrading feeling of being an invisible member of society, who no one even thinks about when they make the rules for all the "normal" people. Does that strike anyone else as odd, in an 'adding insult to injury' sort if way? Interesting that you assume the presence of public transportation. Where I live, there is none. One can hire a taxi, which is what the impoverished do here, in which case a car seat is entirely appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleJumper1 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 For my oldest - nothing that we remember. For dd - a pink baby shirt with "I was born at -----" on it. Probably some formula samples which we didn't need. For youngest - we were coming out of NICU so that probably made a difference. We needed a small hosptial wagon to get it out. Diapers, formula (we were pumping but he needed a bit extra), diaper bag, and some other things. If they had it to give we pretty much were blessed with it. All three of my kids were born in the south but not all in the same state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 This last time I got a halo swaddle blanket!! Otherwise it was a regular fleece blanket and a diaper bag (no formula things in it though, but I was BF'n). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 With Ds1 we got the usual misc. items mentioned above, but also a car seat and like 5 packs of pampers newborn diapers (full, closed). We told them we didn't need the car seat (had the whole ca seat/stroller combo already), but they insisted (hospital policy, that one did serve a lot of low income population). So I gave it away free on craigslist. But our nurse REALLY liked us so she loaded DH up with diapers and tons of diaper cream, etc every time he headed to the car to put something or get something. (I was her first 100% natural delivery she said, I had the same nurse from labor till I went home). DD7 I got the usual plus one of the nurses gave me a knitted hat for her she had made (not hospital policy, just something this nurse does for every baby she attends the delivery of). With the twins I got hats, blankets etc. knitted by volunteers and DD3 got a handmade lovey because she was in the nicu for 48 hours for jaundice. (plus the usual diaper bag, samples, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I just had a baby at a "baby friendly" hospital. despite planning to formula feed from the start with only whatever part time breastfeeding we could manage for the first couple weeks, I felt supported and not judged for my decisions. They marked on my chart that I was doing both, they had a lactation consultant come in and help me but when she followed up with me the next week, she recommended a different bottle without batting an eye (the ones we were using weren't working well). The nurses were supportive and have me formula whenever I asked for it and even managed to dig up what seemed to be the last pacifier in the place. (Which she stopped sucking on about five minutes after we got home.) Anyway, it's possible to be baby friendly while still being mom friendly. :-) We took home the usual mesh panties, pads, peri bottle. Anything we opened like the tiny pack odd diapers. We got a thermometer, two nasal aspirators. We kept her hat but left the onsies, blankets and so on. They gave me nipple cream when I mentioned my nipples were hurting, breast pads when my milk came in, sold me a manual breast pump. I was there four days after an emergency c-section. It was actually an enjoyable hospital stay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 With the oldest four, I got those diaper bags from the formula company, and a little stuffed animal/blanket. With my last, the hospital was in the process of becoming breastfeeding friendly, so no diaper bags, but we did receive a Taggie, which has been well loved...I thought that was a great gift! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 kid1--large cardboard "toy box" to hold all of the goodies....a diaper bag with formula samples and a small cooler bag with coldpack for keeping breast milk chilled; all of the things that had been in my baby's rooming-in station---diapers, wipes, baby ointment, nail clippers, lotion, shampoo; all of my momma care supplies--mesh panties, pads, numbing spray, peri bottle, and cough pillow (emergency c-section); soothies from lactation; board book from local library kid2--same as kid1, minus the numbing spray and cough pillow kid3--switched hospitals to one with huge NICU and LOTS of babies being born daily--86 the day he was born--diaper bag with samples and cooler, onesie with the hospital's name on it, diapers, wipes, two extra pairs of mesh panties,pads, peri bottle, soothies kid4--same hospital as kid3--diaper bag with samples, my personal supplies but no baby stuff other than a leftover diaper or two and one wipe left in the packet kid5--I spent weeks in antepartum and weeks in NICU with her. Hospital's policy had changed....you no longer got samples from the formula companies (in an effort to promote breastfeeding). One inexpensive hospital tote bag was given to us. I got the standard tub/panties/peri kit as my postpartum care. In NICU, each baby was allotted 6 diapers, one package of wipes with 12ish wipes in it, a pacifier, and mom could get up to 24 snappies bottles for pumping daily as part of the NICU daily charge. Medela symphonies (hospital grade double breast pumps) were provided on floor *if* you could find one. I ended up renting. My insurance paid for the pump kit but not the pump due to a "grace" policy under the implementation of "obamacare". At discharge, I got her items that had already been allotted to her for the daily--two leftover diapers, 3 wipes, her thermometer for checking her body temp every three hours, and a pacifier. (She was my first baby to have a pacifier and bottles...but the pacifiers helped her cope with pain and the bottles were during NICU only--she came home fully bfeeding---so no ranting on me, please!) So, during my weeks of sitting in NICU, I would chat with the nurses assigned to my sweet baby to help pass the time for all of us. I asked about the changes to the "gifts" (which our insurance was always charged for, btw). The formula samples were helpful for many poor families to tide them over until they could get their WIC appointments. Some nurses worried about whether mothers were giving their babies as much as they needed to eat. The hospital continued to give some mothers in NICU formula to take home when they suspected it was going to be an issue as so many moms have a hard time getting and keeping a milk supply and usually, by the end of a NICU stay, there is so little money left to go buy the special preemie formula. The hospital also runs a free car seat program. The nail scissors were discontinued after a nurse cut off the tip of a baby's finger in Florida. I saw a few moms go home loaded with diapers and wipes and I was happy for them, but generally the hospital has been running an austerity style. More telling, I think, was the parent's lounge in NICU. The parent's lounge had a few cups of soup, loaves of bread, peanut butter, and jelly. They were donated by the volunteer organization that supports NICU. While I brought my lunch most days from home and stored it in the fridge, or went downstairs to the cafeteria to eat and then scrubbed back in....many parents literally had had no money to eat. I saw so.many.families who lived on peanutbutter and bread for days and days. They were taking unpaid leave from work (or had been fired from their jobs for staying with their baby rather than going to work) and had to fight just to get the gas money to drive to the hospital. FWIW, I bumped into the same dynamic when I was living on the hem-onc floor with my daughter who had brain cancer. When the volunteer organization didn't keep the kitchen stocked, the hospital did. I'm totally cool with getting a few less items in my diaper bag and using those funds to feed hungry people and babies instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 With dd, many moons ago, I received a gift basket that had some diapers, receiving blankets, onesies, baby lotion, and lots of coupons. The hospital also gave us a steak dinner on actually rather nice china! With the boys, there was a cute lullaby CD, a couple of Sesame Street reading books, and lots and lots of coupons for stuff we would never buy...no nice meal. The food was barely edible, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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