Hospital bag

A few weeks before your due date, pack a small bag for the hospital with items you might need in labor and after birth. This includes:

• Your identity document.
• Any documents related to prenatal examinations.
• Toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, lipstick, deodorant, etc.
• Any book, magazine, or music player to pass the time and relax.
• Slippers and socks.
• 2-3 soft bras and 5-6 pairs of underpants.
• 2-3 comfortable nightgowns or shirts that reach to around your knees
• Maxi pads (sanitary napkins).
• Bottle of water.
• Clothes to return home.

For your new baby, you should also bring:

• Diapers and wipes.
• A vest/t-shirt and all-in-one cotton suit (if the hands and feet don’t close also bring socks and gloves). If it is winter you will also need a heavy all-in-one suit.
• Cotton hat.
• Blanket.

When you Arrive at the Hospital

Typically, when you arrive at a public hospital in Kosovo:

1. You will enter the Gynecology building and proceed to the waiting room where you will be asked for your ID and the nurse will ask you a number of questions (e.g. your medical history, your due date, what your contractions are like, if your water has broken and if you have had any bleeding). The doctor on duty will then examine you, which involves an internal exam to measure your dilation, an external exam to measure your pelvic width and an ultrasound of the baby to estimate position, size and fetal heart-rate.
2. If you are in Active Labor (Stage 1), you will be escorted to the labor room. The nurses will probably ask you to stay active (walk) to help progress your labor. If you need one, the nurse will start an IV. The nurse/midwife will regularly check your baby’s heart-rate.
3. If you are in, or close to, Transition (Stage 1) or Stage 2 Labor then you will be taken directly to the delivery room.
4. If you are not in labor or are in the very early stage and still need to be admitted (e.g. because your doctor advises it), you will be told to proceed to the maternity ward.

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Category: Planning for Your Delivery