Hi, I'm Elisa All with PregnancyToday. I'm here with Dr.

Hi, I'm Elisa All with PregnancyToday. I'm here with Dr. Shayna Hollingsworth-Mancuso, and she's going to be helping us talk about how to prepare a birth plan and pack for the hospital. Hi Shayna, how are you? Great. Good Good, well can you tell us a little bit about what a birth plan is and why it’s a good tool for moms to be? Sure a birth plan is very important it is key to opening the lines of communication with your doctor and your midwife and it's important to remember it is a list of the mom’s preferences and not necessarily hard rules by which a delivery might go.

Absolutely, I remember when I was pregnant with my second pregnancy you know life through me the curve ball of twins and so there went my birth plan right out the window and you know it's a blessing but things change. Well now part of your birth plan is knowing what to pack for when you go to the hospital so I hope we can go through a list of what you think are essentials for moms to be to put in their bag. Definitely, first bring your own towel to the hospital and a change of clothes for after as well so that you’re ready to go the next day. And a loose-fitting nightgown is great right after baby is born and also the next day. Nice warm cozy socks of course during labor and after. A sweater or wrap for your birth partner because hospitals are notoriously very chilly. Here's my favorite a soothing focal point – yes this is important for expectant moms to focus and really stay centered and relaxed. And books and magazines important for birth partner and for mom in the early stages of labor. And just essential toiletries and also don't forget massage oil or lotion to help relieve those aches and pains. Amen, and to keep the birth partner going. Yes, food to keep your birth partner energized. OK, candies and lollipops? Yes hard candy and lollipops are great for mom just to keep their mouth moistened and also to give them a tad bit of sugar. A video camera of course to record your new bundle of joy and a mp3 player just load on there nice soothing favorite songs. OK, and the cutest thing on our list – of course a baby going home outfit a nice little hat and booties. They will probably kick these off but they are cute and will keep them warm for as long as possible. Yes, and a onesie of course. And perhaps the most important item on our list is the car seat. Yes very important, the hospital will not let you leave until they see that you have a car seat. Good to know and I would suggest practicing installing the car seat a couple of times even before you go to the hospital just to make sure that you have it in right they can be a little bit tricky. Yes it was very tricky for my husband and I. Thanks for being with us, we will see you next time on Pregnancy Today.