Is your hospital bag ready? I use the word ‘bag’ advisedly! 😀 I know some of you have huge bags…scratch that! I know some of you have huge boxes packed full with every imaginable (and unimaginable) thing you can think of. But guess what? You just may not need all those. Are you also worried about what to expect, how much the pain would be etc? Well, you should certainly read this 😀

As a medical student and young doctor, I spent a lot of time in the labour wards and seeing women in labour gave me very clear ideas about what I wanted and did not want to happen when it was my turn. First, not for me, all that screaming and moaning and shouting at any and everybody, including present or absent husbands who got them pregnant! Nope, I wasn’t going to do that I was going to maintain my dignity and if need be, just moan fashionably :DI had also been told that a popular old wives’ tale had it that if you screamed in your first pregnancy, you were likely to scream for every other pregnancy afterwards. Seriously!!! Of course, I knew there was no truth to that, but not screaming was also in keeping with my original plan, so why not?! The funniest part of this plan is the fact that I had no plan to use epidural anaesthetic (the injection that makes women not feel pain during child birth)! So how on earth was I not going to scream? Not the best of plans, aye?! 😀

Then, all that drama with the pregnant women practically stripping themselves naked from the pain et al,- that just wasn’t going to be me! Nope! I would check into hospital with my fashionable ‘big gown’, red in colour…of course…to suit the purpose. Not for me the stripping naked in front of all those male doctors…most of whom I knew, making it even more embarrassing!

My hospital bag? Oh, I felt I had time. And so, it was 2 days before I eventually put to bed that I finally felt the pressure to ensure that I was all packed up. After I came back from shopping, I went into labour the next day and put to bed early hours of the day after. You don’t want that to be you! 😀

Let’s make this easier for you. Here are the top essentials for your carry-on luggage to the hospital. We’ll break it up into things for you, things for him, (your loving hubby), and things for your new baby. We’ll further break the requirements for mum and baby into need to have, nice to have and absolutely not!

Things for mum
Need to have:
• Health Insurance/plan card: You don’t want to have to pay money when you’re on a plan that covers this service
• Tooth paste/brush, creams and lotions and other toiletries including make-up: Yes, make-up. We still have to look and smell good through it all 😀
• ………………………………….

Nice to have:
• Camera with charger and other consumables needed
• A ‘wow’ outfit to go home in. Honestly, this is a must-have for me now that I’m older and wiser 😀 I didn’t have it any of the 3 times I passed through this, though, but should have 😀 Truth is, you can very well go home in the outfit you came to the hospital in except you’re the princess of Wales and you know the whole world will be waiting outside to see what you look like.
…………………………………………….

Absolutely not:
A year’s supply of clothes for baby…or even you! 😀

For him
• Tooth paste/brush and toiletries
………………………………..

For baby
• First wears
…………………………………………..

For details of these requirements and so much more, get a copy of the book, Just For The Health Of It.

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi