all you dad's! what to bring to labor room?

[Miyagi-san]

I'm a big believer of "better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it...."

Wife is about 3 weeks away....due date June 19th but I have a feeling it may be a little earlier...planning on it anyway so that we're prepared :)

Any tips on what to pack for the whole ordeal?

Sorry this has nothing to do with photography but this is my only vbulletin site I go to and I know there are a LOT of dad's here! :)

Thanks! ...oh, btw it's a boy!

-Andy

[Franko515]

Congrats dad :cool:

My little one is now 2months old. I took my 30D, 24-70 and 50 1.4 (my whole kit at the time), but I really only used the 50 1.4 (the lighting wasnt that great)

I was right there the whole time. When I wasnt rubbing her back, holding her hand or wiping her head with a cold towel telling her to breathe in through her nose out through her mouth (are you writing this down pops?) I was shooting ;)

Have a look if you like
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=295856

Again congrats

[g2kev]

Bring plenty of help if you can. I had my mom and my sister-in-law in the delivery room with me. We had two of us tending to my wife while one rested. Dry snacks are good to munch on while resting to keep your energy up.

I describe my delivery room experience as one of the hardest things I have ever done. I cried, I laugh, I got angry, I got bored and then the finally I experienced the joy of seeing my first born son for the first time.

[Kristy]

I'm a mom... not a dad, so I hope I am allowed to reply.. With our first baby we brought EVERYTHING.. still camera, video camera, music, snacks, things to focus on. all kinds of junk..

We used.. NOTHING... except the still camera.. Bring your camera, your favorite lens, and a clear head.

If you wife can control what is going on... tell the staff that she does not want to be strapped down to a continuous monitor.... Monitor intermittently (unless there are complications).. and have her walk the halls of the hospital... she can sit down through the large contractions... The walking helps baby to get further down into the birth canal... (gravity is a wonderful thing). And the time spent walking passes the time more quickly. Don't know if she's doing epidural or not.. I didn't but I walked my heart away... :) First baby had complications, second baby was the walker.. walking was soooo much better than lying there and waiting.

Have you had enough rambling yet.. WOO HOO!! what an exciting time... take the last day's maternity photos.. you'll love them when it's all over.. :)

Sweet times you are entering.. oh how I love a newborn baby.. they smell so wonderful and they have that sweet wrinkly skin and damp baby hair... you will fall in love instantly! :)

[PhotoJourno]

Congrats on the little dude finally on approach for landing.

I have gone through this just twice, and both times the main concern has been the mom, and the baby. They are both scared, and I oughta be there.

If your question is about photo gear (rare that moms will allow any photography from this event, their instinct takes over, and you'd better not mess with that;) ), but in my case, for the second (a girl) I brought a 30D with grip -did not know how many photos I would take- and the 50mm 1.8 cheapo lens. This way I could have the rig on me at all times, and not have to worry. Leave anything over 70mm at home.

If your question is what to pack in general -you said the post had nothing to do with photography, so this was my first guess- I can first suggest a pair or two of socks. When my first one was born, I spent 5 days without leaving the mother's side. Finally at home, I realized that I had not removed my shoes for that entire period of time. If you can, after birth and things get organized, you should be able to take a few mins or hour to run home and shower, and so forth.

For me this was not an option, so I stayed put. It took me about a month to recover, but my feet are still pretty sensitive.

Pack a change of clothes, and very little else. The only thing I found useful on our second birth, was my laptop. We watched half of season 5 of the show 24.

More stuff than that, it really gets in the way. Space is invaluable. And you want it. You want to stay mobile, photo and bags wise.

Anyhow, I shall stop, for fear that I may be writing lots.

Congrats again, and it will all work out for good.

[Anke]

My wife's disagrees but I'm planning on my 100-400L and Benbo Trekker to get the angles :D

[Miyagi-san]

thanks so far everyone....yes of course mom's reply too!

I'm bringing the xti and a lens....but probably not planning on taking pics of heather at all...just the baby right after he's born. i can barely get a pic in normally of my wife lol, i am not even gotta show it in that room till the baby has come.

mostly i was asking about that extra stuff....i picked up some tennis balls to roll on her back cause my hands cramp up massaging for 15 hours (i think lol), a little coleman handheld fan.....etc.

thanks again everyone :)

[Franko515]

Ahhh I see, I thought you meant photo gear.

Make sure mom has her own soap from home, change of clothes (for you and mom), tennis balls are good, babies going home outfit, lotion (moms brand), toothbrushes, snacks (not too many ;) ), a comb or brush for mom, laptop that plays DVDs (if no DVD player is in room). As and added bonus for mom you should get her a gift for doing such a good job along with the customary flowers after birth.

If I forgot anything Im sure somebody else will chim in to complete the list ;)

CONGRATS

[Digital_Duck]

Don't forget what I forgot!
CAR SEAT ........ :confused:

I had to run out and buy one before I could get my wife back ....
oh yeah ... and the kid too :rolleyes:

... take a photo of mama's belly .....

(Too Me) I thought it was a beautiful sight to see my wife's belly as it got bigger

... and you can tell the baby that was their first photograph!

[rhys]

Catcher's mitt?

[condyk]

... A good lookin' baby to swap just in case yours pops out ugly :-)

[rklepper]

An extra shirt.

[rhys]

A returns coupon if you get the wrong kind of baby :p

[-MasterChief-]

well, most of the items have been covered already ...

dont forget to take a photo 10 minutes after the epidural is injected! :D

[In2Photos]

In our case I had to bring my wife's medication for her Narcolepsy. She couldn't take it through the pregnancy so once the baby was out she was ready to get back on the meds.

We have our family close by so anything we needed was quickly brought to us. We didn't use anything special during delivery either. Her water broke at 11:40ish PM and the baby was here by 10:20ish the next morning.

Make sure your car is cleaned out. You will be bringing home more than just a baby. ;)

[spyraling]

Bring a PSP, your favorite video game, magazines, newspapers, stuff to keep you occupied (provided your wife doesn't mind). Some woman stay in labor for a very looooooong time.

I was in labor for about 12 hours with both of our kids, and I felt really bad seeing the husband just sitting there in the chair bored out of his mind until the main event came.

[JSolie]

Since my youngest is now almost 11, it's been a while, but here are some thoughts...


Cell phone, so you don't have to use the hospital's phone with nurses glowering at you.
Perhaps a sweater, it can get a bit cool sitting in the LDR and waiting (though your wife might be melting from how hot the room is).
Don't forget your wallet! When our youngest was born, my wife was hooked up to a pitocin drip and it was going to take a while. She ordered me to go find some lunch after she heard my stomach growling. Though with your first, you might be too amped up on nerves to consider eating...
I don't know if you can get those little Listerine breath strips where you're at, but it might be handy to have something like that handy. That way, you won't stun your son with bad breath after you've been up all night, helping your wife pace a trench around the bed ;)


And, of course, congratulations! :D

[spyraling]

I almost forgot! Bring a small gift for your wife, something like a necklace with a pretty little charm. It doesn't have to be anything expensive, just something to give her afterwards when they're checking the baby in the other room and it's just the two of you. Let her know you love her and you are very proud of her. You will score major points!

[Woolburr]

The most important thing to take to the delivery room would be your wife!

[sblais]

Have an extra nurse to put your hand in a cast once it's broken (hey, she has to transfer you some of the pain!) ;)

Congrats Mr. Miyagi! Make sure Daniel-san is close too in case the baby looks too much like him :evil:

[rhys]

The most important thing to take to the delivery room would be your wife!

But only if she's the one that's pregnant :p

[Tapeman]

Allen Bees, a couple of soft boxes, a couple of snoots, a ring light .....

[cgratti]

I just made sure they had a TV with cable in the labor room, and some change for the vending machines.....

[rhys]

A video camera. My wife had a crappy time from one doctor. I hadn't met my wife by then but apparently the doctor was slapping her quite un-necessarily. Her sister almost leapt on the doctor but was restrained by a nurse that said "not now". Later everybody filed complaints about that doctor but had there been a video then it could have been played in court and his happy arse would have been in jail with all the boyfriends he could wish for.

[Darsk47]

Take something with you to clear the path between your wife and the doctor who does the epidural. That's all my lovely wife worried about, and until she got it, it was ...let's say interesting. The last thing she wanted was me taking her picture.

By the time our third and final child was ready to make an appearance, I was hoping that Dr. Epidural could meet me in the parking lot. :)

[goforphoto]

Uhmm, You really want to remember to wear a cup. Women tend to strike out at what causes their pain.:wink:

[GilesGuthrie]

Camera Equipment
Although I personally feel that the delivery room is a prime example of a time where you should put the camera down and live the experience, rather than shooting it, you will need gear for immediately after
- A fast prime. You'll want to do ultra-narrow DOF shots of the newbie, with all the ugly hospitalness reduced to mere Bokeh. And the light isn't great.
- The good thing about hospitals though is that you can leave lenses lying around sans dust caps!
- You're unlikely to want to use flash, because frankly his eyes don't need a 580EX burning holes in them.

Wife Equipment
Your chance to show your love for your wife by bringing her the "crap" that will really make her feel better about herself
- She's going to feel grotty after the birth, so take her favourite cleansers and moisturisers. If there's some "special" stuff that she likes but doesn't buy day-to-day, you find out what it is, and go out and buy it for her.
- She probably won't want a lot of make-up, but she will want to feel nice for her visitors. mascara, lipstick and eye shadow were what my wife requested.
- Clean underwear.

Equipment for You
Take what you need, and nothing else
- Money (in notes and coins). Hospitals rip you off. Make sure you have at least $100 (or whatever your currency is) in mixed denominations.
- Breath mints (as above) are a great suggestion.
- Phone.
- Painkillers: if you have any aches and pains, you'd better not mention them before/during/after the birth. Just quietly take your own medications.
- Patience: it's going to be a while. She's going to be agitated. The doctors won't really be talking to you. You will need patience for the both of you.
- Fortitude: if you think that the medical staff are not giving you the attention you need, stand up for yourself in a calm and reasonable manner.

Equipment for the baby
Yeah, try not to forget these bits. There's three of you coming back from the hospital
- Car seat.
- Leaving outfit. (Your wife almost certainly has a "special" leaving outfit planned for the baby. You will not be able to tell what it is, as it will look completely indistinguishable from all the other outfits she has bought in spite of promising not to go mad on baby clothes before the birth) Ensure that you find out what it is, and pack it, along with two other changes of clothes.

Gift
Give it Laarge!!
- Something expensive and sparkly is pretty much required here. Leave it until after the birth. Pick a jewellery store staffed by women, go in, and tell them why you're buying the gift. They will fawn over you like you wouldn't believe, and they will try very hard to get you what you want. When we had our first child, one of the staff in Lime Blue drove across to Glasgow (a 70-mile round trip) to bring an item from their store for me.

And finally...
Try to enjoy it. Rather than worrying about whether you have the right stuff, or whether you've taken the right shots, just try to ensure that you remember it (your wife will not). When she asks you about the birth later, she will have huge gaps in her memory. Fill those gaps with the nice things that happened. The birth of your child is a wondrous thing, but it's a real undertaking for your wife, and I'm really glad I didn't have to do it.

It's also a time that should bring you closer together, so I would advise you to shut out anything extraneous. Try to keep other family away from the birth. It's about you and your wife and the baby, and nothing else matters, and nothing else should be allowed to distract you from the core business of bringing a child into the world.

Sorry, this is a bit rambly, but I hope it's been useful.

[Digital_Duck]

Giles - you must be an OLD PRO!!
Sounds like you went through it a dozen times to get it that perfect :!:

Let me add one other thing ...

I knew a Ministers wife who used words her husband did NOT think she knew ???

I was a bit disappointed with my experience ... my wife didn't rip off a bunch of cussing ...

... she's just too composed.