OB "Goodie" Bags for Moms

[mommy2boysaz]

What kind of things does your facility include in your take home bags for new moms and babies?

What are some other things your facility does to make the birth a special event? Special meals? "Room Service"? It's a girl/boy signs on the door?

I am a new director of a small OB unit and am looking for some simple, creative ideas to celebrate with our patients, the birth of their babies!

[cebuana_nurse]

My department gives out a lot of free goodies just to boost our census. So far, we only average up to 100 births per year which is really sad. We give out a diaper bag from Gerber (only given to WIC moms) and is already pre-packaged whether they are breast feeding moms or formula feeding moms. We also have Similac for other moms that prefers to use it. We also give out a free diapers courtesy of Huggies. I think there are 10 diapers in a box with coupons in it too. Since we don't have that much deliveries per month, we give 2 boxes per mom. They also get a fleece blanket with our hospital's name in it saying, "I was born at ...". We also give out a framed artwork with their baby's footprints in it and lastly, we give out complimentary gourmet meal good for 2 people prior to discharge.

[mom_coach_nurse, LPN]

I don't work in L&D but when I had my first baby, I think all I took home, besides her, was extra diapers & formula samples.

What I'll never forget though, was on our way to the recovery room, we'd turn a key that played 'twinkle twinkle, little star' around the hospital, letting people know a baby was born. :heart:

I was so sad when I had my son & it was no longer there.

[Java_Wench]

When I had my daughter two years ago, I went home with my girl, an awesome huge water mug with lid/straw (seriously, much love for that thing, it sat right next to me so I had something to drink when she was nursing) a little bag with the hospital logo, some coupons, a small can of formula and some extra paper towel type things that were the best washcloth/wipe ever. Also, one of the nurses or her moms (I can't remember) made this sweet little embroidered fleece blanket that all the new babies received. I also stole the little blanket she was swaddled in most of our stay...I feel guilty about that. Hopefully they charged me for it, because I had to have it.

[souprflyhony]

My hospital gives out either a breastfeeding bag with goodies or a formula feeding bag with goodies and a hospital onsie and a onsie that has safe sleeping information on it. We also have a local church that supplies us with another bag that contains diapers, newborn soaps and lotions and wipes, blankets ect., each patient receives one of these. We also supply another bag that has breastfeeding information, immunization schedules etc. Our department also takes photographs of the newborns simular to boutique photos free of charge and give the parents a free jump drive with all of the photos. The patients love the photo's! The birthing class gives out a goodie bag however the contents of the bag is supplied by the nurses that teach the class, not the hospital.

[chaka_1709]

Interesting...

Some of the hospitals in my area give out Vera Bradley diaper bags, DeBrands chocolates (very expensive, delicious stuff!), etc, etc. Patients will actually call around and ask what freebies each hospital gives out before they decide where they will deliver! Not exactly the highest priority in my opinion, but it is happening!

Can I have a Vera Bradley diaper bag that matches my kindle case and wallet please. lol.

I'm not an ob nurse or mommy... yet... so I'm not sure what the hospitals in my area give. I know one hospital does foot prints and another hospital plays a lullaby every time a baby is born.

[Nici_StudentRN]

The previous hospital in which I did work on Mother/Baby the moms were sent home with a diaper bag from the hospital that included "Chicken Soup for the Mothers Soul", a onesie for the baby, a small keepsake photo album, and several coupons for this or that. If they were bottle feeding they were also given a diaper bag from whatever formula company they were using that included several cans of formula, coupons, and usually a near book to document the first weeks.

They were also given the receiving blankets, wipes, diapers, and extra bottles of formula (if they were bottle feeding) that were in the bassinet cart. Every now and then we would be given a supply of this or that extra from various baby companies but most of that has stopped due to budget cuts (and because we no longer use their product exclusively).

If I were to put something together I would say a nice book for mom, a keepsake something or other for baby, a sample of herbal tea for mom to enjoy, and some nice lotion. While I agree with the ladies who say that baby is enough, moms aren't always pampered and certainly deserve to be!