D-Day! What's in our hospital bag? With bonus tips from fellow Hands On Moms!

I thought packing my hospital bag was going to be easy this time. Actually, here's my thinking then - "I've been here so I should know this like the back of my hand. Blah. Blah. Blah." But oooh baby, I was wrong!

So for those first time and not so first time moms (like me), I'll be sharing with you my personal checklist plus a couple of tips I got along the way.

HOWM TIP 1 | PREPARE A PERSONAL CHECKLIST

Personal checklist helps you step back and get a bird’s eye view of what you have, what you still need, and what you really really don’t. Lol.

HOWM TIP 2 | CONSULT YOUR FELLOW MOMMY FRIENDS

Yung akala mong, you're all set. You are confident. You’ve prepared everything. But wait until you ask your mommy girlfriends! Because only then you'll realized, ang dami pa palang kulang! Well, lucky me, I am part of not one, not two, but a lot of Mommy groups - all of them were very generous in shelling out tips on what else to bring. And YES I’ll share ALL of them with you in a while. Kaya kalma lang.

Here's my Updated Personal Checklist: (Click to see each images)

HOWM TIPS | DOCUMENTS

OB RECORDS AND LAB TESTS | A photocopy of these docs comes in handy! Say, humingi ang hospital staff ng copy from you, you can easily give them one. You on the other hand, still get to keep the original. That way, kahit tulog ka, your caretaker or husband can answer questions related to your medical history. This tip came from one Hands On Mom. Thanks Mommy Deb Bart!

CREATE YOUR OWN INFO SHEET | A tip from Mommy Maggie. If ever you don't have your own copy of OB records but would like to stay away from the hassle of being asked the same questions over and over, just hand this info sheet to them. Viola! Goodbye istorbo. Brilliant ain't it?

*Btw, is it just me or did you also notice that this mom has a keen attention to detail? All praises for this mom!

PAYMENT | If you plan to settle your hospital bills in cash I suggest withdraw days prior to your D-Day. Remember, most banks have withdrawal limits per day.

SSS DOCS | Three tips! (1) Make sure you've filed Mat 1 in SSS (2) Request all the documents needed for Mat 2. Request these docs ahead of time, preferably while you're still admitted. Para di na pabalik balik si hubs sa hospital and he gets to spend his paternity leave with more (you know) "parenting stuffs"! Lol. In our case kasi, it usually takes 2 weeks bago makuha ang docs from the hospital, kaya mabuti ng maaga hingin. (3) And Just in case you still have few questions related to your maternity benefits I have included links that could be of help.
How to apply for maternity benefits? Read.
Am I qualified to apply for a maternity benefit? Read.
How much maternity benefit can I claim? Read.
Download SSS Maternity Notification Form here.
Download SSS Reimbursement Form here.

BRING PHILHEALTH DOCS
Philhealth ID
Form 1 (Download here)
Updated Members Data Record (MDR)
Contribution Certificate
Note! Members Data Record (MDR) and Contribution Certificate are available for viewing online. Click here to register or log in to your account.
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BIRTH CERTIFICATE CHEAT SHEET | I like this idea so much that I've made my personal cheat sheet too! Want one? You can download my FREE Template.

BIRTH PLAN | I honestly don't know how to make one. Haha. But thanks to mommy Patricia I learned something new here. Upon checking ganito pala sya - Birth companion, Pain relief you want to be used, Monitoring frequency, Interventions, Delivery positions, Preferred Feeding for newborn. I also made one for myself just in case. You may check it here. It doesn't necessarily have to be exactly the same as mine. My list is very minimal compared to the birth plans I saw online. Since I am a scheduled CS I don't think I still have an option on what methods to use etc. etc.

HOWM TIPS | TOILETRIES AND OTHER STUFF

Look how witty these moms are! Aside from me managing my own Mama group, I am just so glad I am a part of other mama groups as well! Here are some of their suggestions. Some are hilarious (Hey! In a good way ha!) but I should say very very useful!

HOWM TIPS | NANAY, TATAY, AND BABY'S PERSONAL STUFF

WHAT ELSE?

1. Instead of bringing big luggages or bags, I decided to pack our things on:

3 stackable container (as seen on photo)

-1 for all Toiletries

-1 for Baby's stuff

-1 for MY things

1 Duffel Bag for Tatay's things

1 Laptop bag for all electronics and Documents

Then we followed Mommy Gepoy's brilliant suggestion to use ziplocks to separate the clothes per day.

Why? Stress Free e! (1) I feel like it's more organized kapag magkakabukod yung containers, (2) there is no need na magkalkal ng sobra (3) it's also easier to return things kung san mo sya kinuha. (4) In case na magpapalit ng caretaker you can easily instruct them kung saan kukunin yung gamit.

2. It's also a plus if you'll put labels on each bags / containers PLUS kung anong laman (for the caretakers na hindi masyado matandain) :)

3. This sounds funny, pero if possible, days prior to your expected Due date, mag paGas na. Trust me, hindi masarap sa feeling yung naglelabor ka na, tapos nakapila pa kayo sa Gas Station. Lol. This will also save your husband's time if need nya magpabalik balik ng hospital-house-hospital to get few more stuff or sunduin yung mga family members na gustong bumisita.

4. I wasn't able to do this with P (my first born) pero this time I have prepared a letter for my kids. I plan to read this once naka room-in na si baby No. 2 and while tulog si hubs. Haha! Shy type mama here. Yung kay P, I plan to read it to him before going to the hospital so he knows na kahit hindi na lang sa kanya ang 100% attention ko after that day my love for him is still undivided.

5. Lastly, Don't forget to say a little prayer to thank Him for the new blessing and to keep the both of you safe all through out the delivery process!