Wierd little rant
Ok. So I have this little rant going thru my head right now about the whole thing of having a special 'coming home' outfit for baby. I am gonna put it behind a cut for those who don't want to read it, but with my first child I experienced some disappointment about this and I thought I would share with those of you who don't really know what to expect or may have high expectations and excitement about it.
So everyone hears from the hospital that one thing they should pack in their bag is a special 'coming home' outfit for baby and even mama - as if there is gonna be a party and we need to be properly attired. With my first son I was all about this and spent time, money and energy on picking just the right outfit for my son. Of course you have no idea when you will be officially 'released' from the hospital. When we were released, I put my son in the outfit (labeled newborn but it was still a huge bag on him) and thought I was ready to go. In came the nurse who promptly swaddled him in 3 blankets and put 2 hats on his head... so the 'special outfit' was completely covered up. Then, she and my husband wheeled us down to our car. Our family had all visited already and left, telling us to call if we needed anything but that otherwise they were gonna leave us alone to get settled and rest. So when we were released, there was no one there to 'celebrate' coming home. No one ever saw him in the outfit and because of the swaddling, there were not even photos of the outfit. I don't want to be a buzz kill, but now, with my second baby coming, instead of a 'special outfit' I have just packed a simple soft infant wrap shirt that I like, knowing that really, no one will see it anyway because he will be swaddled in hospital blankets.
I guess the lesson is this - if you want something special for your child to come home in, pick out a special hat or blanket and expect that no one but your or hubby will see it and appreciate it.
So everyone hears from the hospital that one thing they should pack in their bag is a special 'coming home' outfit for baby and even mama - as if there is gonna be a party and we need to be properly attired. With my first son I was all about this and spent time, money and energy on picking just the right outfit for my son. Of course you have no idea when you will be officially 'released' from the hospital. When we were released, I put my son in the outfit (labeled newborn but it was still a huge bag on him) and thought I was ready to go. In came the nurse who promptly swaddled him in 3 blankets and put 2 hats on his head... so the 'special outfit' was completely covered up. Then, she and my husband wheeled us down to our car. Our family had all visited already and left, telling us to call if we needed anything but that otherwise they were gonna leave us alone to get settled and rest. So when we were released, there was no one there to 'celebrate' coming home. No one ever saw him in the outfit and because of the swaddling, there were not even photos of the outfit. I don't want to be a buzz kill, but now, with my second baby coming, instead of a 'special outfit' I have just packed a simple soft infant wrap shirt that I like, knowing that really, no one will see it anyway because he will be swaddled in hospital blankets.
I guess the lesson is this - if you want something special for your child to come home in, pick out a special hat or blanket and expect that no one but your or hubby will see it and appreciate it.