I have 6 weeks to go, but I wanted to make sure I had a list completed and then the bags packed in 3 weeks...

Right now I have on my list:
camera/film
baby clothes
slippers
robe
night gown
brush
toothpaste
toothbrush
deodarant
shampoo/conditioner
tylenol
snacks
the baby book
reading material

Anything anyone can think of? I feel like I am missing something!

I used a pre-printed list from the what-to-expect pregnancy journal as a guide last time. My suitcase was all packed and then I was 2 weeks overdue. This time, I have just put it off, and I only have approx. 4 more weeks to go.

Hmmm...I am a minimal packer. I wouldn't worry about the robe or the nightgown, as they are bulky in a suitcase. Maybe the nightgown, if you expect to be out of bed much and have people in to see you who might catch you out of bed. You will likely feel far from glamourous either way.

My going home clothes were the same as what I wore to the hospital, but a change isn't a bad idea. I only stayed 24 hours (turned off by the hospital experience - I begged out early).

Will they *let* you take your own Tylenol? You might want to ask. They are kooky about administering drugs and staying present while the drugs are consumed.

The baby book is a good thing to remember since it has that space for footprints, but if you forget it, they'll do footprints on a piece of paper for you and you can add them to the book later. And it would be great if you could write the birth story while it is fresh on your mind.

Don't forget your list of phone numbers - that's a big one.

Shampoo? You'll only be there one or two days, right?

*health insurance info
*favorite lotion
*heavy socks
*booze (it really says champagne in this book!)

I can't stand to have messy hair when people will be visiting...
I wouldn't be caught dead in a night gown without a robe
they can't stop me from taking in my own tylenol can they?
I think the baby book is a good idea so you can write down the first thing you are thinking when the baby is born while it is still fresh enough in your mind.

I guess most of what I am basing this delivery on is my last delivery, which was smooth, easy and quick. And afterwards I was full of energy....as for the shampoo...when I had my first baby my hair had more knots in it than ever before and I had to have my mom go buy me something....

clothes for YOU to go home in

I've been doing the same thing!! I've got a couple of weeks left to go and have been throwing things into a bag for the past few days. I have a feeling I'll end up taking some stuff back out but so far this is what I've got:

-tennis balls for massaging my lower back (suggested in our childbirth class)
-a couple of silly magazines (aka light reading)
-a small quilt I've had since I was a baby (to focus on)
-a photo album with pictures of my cat (also to focus on)
-lifesavers
-bathrobe and nightgown and slippers(or maybe pj's...I can't decide which will be more comfortable)
-toiletries
-lotion and lip balm
-list of phone numbers and phone card (I don't have a cell phone)
-cd's of relaxing music
-a book on cd ("A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson which is one of the funniest books in the world and really makes me laugh)
-cribbage board (OK, I probably won't be using it and should take it out immediately)
-going home clothes
-the baby's outfit (this is the hardest part, I don't quite have it figured out yet)
-exercise ball/birth ball (the hospital already has one but suggested bringing your own if you had it)

The baby could come at any moment and I think I should re-pack the bag. It's bulging at the seams. I'm getting kind of neurotic about the whole thing.

I would suggest a night gown over PJ's...one it is easier to put it over your head than to lift your legs one at a time and two, if you have an episiotomy the docs will be coming in to check on you regularly and you would have to take off your pants.

re: Your own Tylenol: Nurses can't bitch about what they can't see.
Saved me from paying $4.00 a pill.

i actually did play cribbage while in labor! i dont' think i finished the game though. ;)

cell phones weren't allowed to be used in the hospital room (although the waiting room area was okay) so my husband had to buy an overpriced phone card at the gift shop so we could make our calls since our families live out of state. we had meant to buy a phone card ahead of time but we kept putting it off and then i went into labor two weeks early.

my hospital room had a boombox so we brought some cds and mixed tapes.

if your hair is long you'll want something to tie it back with.

perhaps you can get a look at what the birthing rooms are like at the hospital before your arrival so you'll have an idea of what to expect (i.e. radio, shower, an bed/cot/sofa for your birth partner).

i really enjoyed my time in the hospital. i felt very taken care of. good luck to you!

Oh that's something to think about. We had a hell-of-a-time getting extra bedding for my husband when he stayed the night with me. It wasn't that the extra bedding wasn't available, but the night nurses sucked at this hospital.

Not sure if your hospital provides them or not, so you might want to check if you dont know/remember.....newborn diapers. The hospital I had my girls at supplied them the first time around....yet two years later they dont...its funny because with my first one I brought the diapers with me and this time I didnt, proud father had to run out and grab some...I would have gone myself (it would've been quicker) but I was a little tired. And another no brainer...sorry if I'm being an idiot, but dont forget the car seat. And maybe some bottled water, don't know how helpful your nursing staff/SO will be....

no brainers are what I am looking for...you always overlook the obvious. I will throw some diapers in there, so if the hospital doesn't provide them I will have them. I am pretty sure my husband is going to be staying at home :( so if need be he can bring back more (we already have a collection going at home)

I learned from the didnt tell you thread to bring your own thin maxis-my peri area got so raw-and Im sure it was those big hard pads. About 100 of them! And a nice hospital gift I got was 6 pair paanties two sizes larger than usual. Yep managed to get blood on 4 pair in 2 days.

A nightgown (with front buttons for breastfeeding)not pjs-drs nurses and you are gonna be poking something every 1/2 hour. A robe-you can walk outdoors in a robe. And shampoo because I had a crazy hormone swing and sweated the sheets wet 12 hours after birth.

Ponytail holders-man it drove me nuts-I had SURPrise labor and noone would leave the birth or subsequent baby to get my things! But I hate my hair down when Im hot, tired or stressed. I asked everyone and noone had them not even the gift shop.