Babies n Mii

Once you head to the hospital to deliver your baby, you are at the hands of your labor and delivery nurses. Even though your doctors are your primary care providers, nurses play an important role in making your stay as comfortable as possible. They take care of you from the time you are admitted to the hospital until your discharge. Your doctor might check on you on a need basis, however, nurses are available a button away (most hospitals have page buttons you can press to call the nurse)! They do so much to take care of you and your child including but not limited to helping you breastfeed the baby, check both baby and your vitals every few hours (per protocol), offer timely medication, and teach you about baby care, and bath the baby if requested, etc. It sounds like a simple job, but imagine they do it not just for you but for tons of other patients along with you! So, gratitude is all that I can express for the love and support I get from labor and delivery nurses.

It is always a lovely gesture to thank your nurses verbally. They truly appreciate it. But I feel like going an extra mile for them just as they go miles for us! Every time I headed to the labor and delivery department prior to birthing, I brought a box of donuts for the nurses and doctors on duty. Most nurses work 12-hour shifts and doctors work 24-hour shifts! Bringing some sweet treats helps them make their day/night a little more fun-filled! I did the same when I headed for my delivery. It just helps you set the ground and show your compassion and gratitude towards your care providers.

How many Nurses help during Labor & Delivery?

This is always a tough question because you cannot really keep a count of all the nurses coming and going out of your room. I would suggest to call the hospital in advance to check the number even getting a tentative number helps. I know there are anywhere between 7-13 nurses who work in the ward, I bring about 15 bags so if any news additions, I am covered! It is nice to keep extra on hand in case you had an amazing experience with any other service providers, you can hand them the goodie bag!

How much to budget for the gifts?

You do not need to bring anything too expensive. Most of them cannot accept gifts that are high in value. So, try to put together things that can be useful to them and also within a fair budget (I would say between $10-$15).

Gift Ideas

Here what I have in my labor & delivery nurse’s gift bag to thank them for all their help and support. 

• Pocket size Sanitizer 
• Disinfectant Wipes
• Pocket size Tissues
• Lip Balm 
• Hand Cream
• Writing/Scratch Pad
• Pen
• Hair Ties
• Coffee/Tea Mug
• Tea bags
• Chewing Gum
• Candy (I have added Welch’s Fruit Snack; you can add other just try to keep it nut-free)
• Thank you Card or Note

Other Gift Ideas

If you do not have enough time to pull together the gift bag, you can always do quick picks with ideas as below:

• Gift cards – you can never go wrong with this! I prefer Tim Hortons or Star Bucks cards valued at $10-$15
• Chocolate Box – most nurses appreciate a dose of sweetness! Lindt is my go to! I would always suggest to keep away from chocolates containing nuts

I hope you enjoy the birth of your little one and that your labor & delivery experience is memorable! Happy Birthing!! Not sure what to pack in your hospital bags? Check out this blog!