LaborKit.com Blog : hospital bag

Do you really need a birthplan?

Theresa — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:48:00 GMT

A birthplan is a great tool to work through with your partner or coach so that you both are making informed decisions about the birth YOU want. I had a filled out a standard (but very meaningful to me) birthplan and hoped to have the birth experience I planned for. It didn't work out that way. It was a difficult delivery with complications that ended up being a birth so far from the natural one I had hoped for. Although my birthplan was available to my doctors and nurses, it was no longer a point of reference when birth became more of a medical emergency.

I still believe a birthplan is necessary although I have since talked to nurses that think of birthplans as a "nice idea" for first-time moms but that rarely take them too seriously. I think it’s quite different when you are working with midwifes and doulas who may have a more holistic approach then some in the medical profession and tend to take your wishes and preferences more seriously.

Filling out a birthplan gives you an opportunity to think about pain management, potential medical interventions, breastfeeding and recovery. It will help you think about different scenarios and make tough decisions that you may have a very hard time doing while actually in labor. For example, some hospitals have their own protocol for babies after delivery so you will want to let them know if you want to watch the birth with a mirror, hold the baby immediately after birth or begin breastfeeding right away. Specify what you want and let everyone on the birth team know.

Prior to admittance to the hospital, discuss your plan with your doctor or midwife. Provide your doctor and the hospital with a copy of your plan and also pack a copy in your hospital bag.

All LaborKits come with a comprehensive birthplan for you to fill out as well as a Share The Joy Contact list and a Hospital Checklist. Be prepared for the big day!

LaborKit gets reviews and plenty of buzz

Theresa — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:04:00 GMT

Recently LaborKit has been blogged about and reviewed by several sites. We are happy to share these links to sites who have made comments on our kits. Thank you to everyone for their great feedback. Please check out these sites to learn more:

Swanky Moms Blog Review at http://swankymoms.blogspot.com/2008/10/labour-kit.html

SqeakyStroller.com Review at http://squeakystroller.com/baby/laborkit-hospital-bags

Growing Your Baby at http://growingyourbaby.com/?PHPSESSID=924e32a260687a6f4976bdb7067ad4c6&s=laborkit

LA Splash Magazine inlcudes LaborKit in their Life's Journey Holiday Gift Guide at http://www.lasplash.com/publish/LifesJourney/cat_index_lifes_journey/Life_s_Journey_Holiday_Gift_Guide_2008.php

LaborKit is a 2008 "Best Product for Parents"

Theresa — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:12:00 GMT

We are happy to announce that LaborKit is included in the Best Products Media Guide for Parents (September 2008) by ORCA Communications Unlimited, LLC. This Guide features 15 of the latest and greatest products for parents in the marketplace today. View the Guide!

We are proud to be listed among great products like BornFree Bottle, The Kiddyap©, mambino organics®, and the Mom Essentials Organizer.

Some relief of nausea with Preggie Pop Drops

DDriscoll — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:40:00 GMT

As many of you may know, nausea during pregnancy and labor can make an exciting experience miserable. The Deluxe and Standard Plus Laborkits include Preggie Pop Drops as an item in the kit. Preggie Pop Drops are hard sour candies that come in lemon, tangerine, raspberry and green apple flavors. These flavors are enjoyable and can assist in relieving nausea when it strikes. Often times nausea can be abaited with a small meal or drink, but because nausea can also make you feel sick to your stomach, you may not want any food at all. Many pregnant women agree that just the taste of something sour or salty helps soothe nausea, especially when they feel too ill to eat a snack or full meal.

During labor, Preggie Pop Drops can also be used (with the consent of your nurse or doctor) to help keep energy up and ease nausea, which unfortunately often creeps in due to the intensity of contractions or because of medications.

So when thinking about what essential items to have on hand while pregnant or getting ready to go to the hospital remember Laborkits are a great way to be prepared!

Now, Three New LaborKits

LaborKit — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:31:00 GMT

LaborKit's have been received extremely well. In response to the popularity of the original LaborKit, we've launched 3 new kits. Now in total there are four kits:

With LaborKits now starting at $39.95, there's a kit for everyone.

With a portion of all sales going to charity LaborKit makes a great practical gift for a loved one!

Thanks to all those who've contacted us, and please keep the questions, comments and general feedback coming!

Changes to the LaborKit Hospital Bag

LaborKit — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:25:00 GMT

We've made some improvements to LaborKit by adding

mesh underwear (2 pairs)
large blue pads (3)
a peri bottle
stress ball
sanitary pads (4)

As news continues to emerge regarding concerns over the safety of plastic drinking containers, we've removed the water bottle as well.

To check out the full list of contents, please visit the LaborKit content page.

We continue to get really positive feedback about LaborKit as a baby shower gift. Its very unique, and its so practical!

If you have any questions or comments, as usual we'd love to hear from you!

And the Winner Is.....

LaborKit — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Sarah Elevazo from Toronto Ontario, is the winner of the LaborKit.com BabyTime Stroller Giveaway.

We hope that Sarah is able to enjoy the stroller in the months to come.

The BabyTime.ca show was really fun - we'll definitely be attending more shows in the future.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and we'll see you next time!

LaborKit.com Hospital Bag, Today's Parent BabyTime Show Giveaway Winner

LaborKit — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:07:00 GMT

The BabyTime.ca Show

Well the show is over, and it was outstanding. We had a chance to talk with so many nice people, and received tons of positive feedback about the LaborKit.

There was definitely a trend among the visitors. The Mom's that had already had kids, were very definitive about their sentiments: "I wish I had one of those when I had kids". And many bought kits for their upcoming pregnancies. The certified trainers were also very enthusiastic and resolute about our LaborKit. First-time mom's-to-be were interested and thought that it was a great idea, but had some questions around why they might need some of the items. We'll be working to answer these questions in our featured product postings (in which we'll use some of the comments from the second time Mom's mentioned above) in the weeks going forward.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, and also to those who purchased kits. Good luck in the months to come with your new loved one!

The Jogging Stoller Giveaway

We made the draw yesterday and are in the process of contacting the winner. Once they've accepted their prize, their name will be published (here on the blog) and we'll send them their jogging stroller immediately.

We'll keep you posted.

LaborKit.com Hospital Bag, Today's Parent BabyTime Giveaway

LaborKit — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:34:00 GMT

As mentioned we have some great giveaways at the Today's Parent Baby Time show this weekend.

We're going to be holding a draw on Monday the 14th for an InSTEP Ultra Runner Jogging Stroller!

The stroller features:

lightweight, foldable steel frame for easy loading
for children up to 40 lbs
infinite recline seat
5-point harness system
protective canopy
integrated seat pad for comfy ride
parent tray for beverage and other items
roomy storage basket
16" quick-release front and rear wheels fo a smooth ride over pavement or grass plus they're ideal for compact storage
independent rear suspension
bicycle-style hand break and linked rear brakes
quick and easy folding system

Anyone can enter the draw, and its completely free of charge. We will be holding the draw on April the 14th, (the day immediately following the BabyTime trade show). The winner will be notified and we'll ship the stroller immediately following the winners acceptance of the prize.

If you could use a new jogging stroller, come on our and see us at the International Center this weekend, (April 11, 12 and 13) booth 503!

See you there!

Tune Into Our Parent Talk Radio Interview This Weekend

LaborKit — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:21:00 GMT

We've been interviewed by Parent Talk Radio with Lianne and Andrea to be aired on 940am in Montreal and on 770am in Calgary. The show will run this Sunday, April the 13th.

	If you'd like to hear the interview, you can tune in live on the http://www.940news.com site at 11am CDT (click on the "Listen Live" link on the home page).
	Alternatively, you can also tune in live on the http://www.am770chgr.com site at 9am ET, (again click on the "Listen Live" link on the homepage).

A big thanks to both Lianne and Andrea for having us on the show!

Listen for us on 93.3 fm

LaborKit — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:02:00 GMT

We're sponsoring some some public safety annoucements on 93.3, be sure to tune in to hear it if you happen to be in the area.

The annoucements are for public safety for kids and we're running all week, from the 7th to the 11th of April.

If you'd like more information, feel free to contact us, we'd love to hear from you.

We're also gearing up for the babytime.ca trade show this weekend! We'll be posting some pictures shortly after the event.

LaborKit Hospital Bag - Featured Product

LaborKit — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:16:00 GMT

Periodically we're going to feature a product and why its a great resource to have when delivering a baby.

Today, the featured product is the "Bringing Home Baby" dvd (approximately 71 minutes) that's included in each LaborKit.

Bringing Home Baby is a dvd designed specifically for new parents. Filled with baby care information from newborn to six months old, this dvd is a must have for any expectant parent.

This instructional video is a great addition to prenatal classes because you can take it home with you. Its like being able to bring the prenatal instructor back home with you after the classes are done.

Makers of Bringing Home Baby also make another dvd called "Yummy In My Tummy" which is an instructional video on how to best introduce solid foods to your baby, (approximately 48 minutes).

A bringing home baby dvd is included in every laborkit. Just one more reason why LaborKit is the perfect hospital bag!

Look for us at the Todays Parent BabyTime Trade Show!

LaborKit — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:56:00 GMT

We're pretty excited about attending the Today's Parent BabyTime Show on April 11, 12, and 13 at the International Center.

The show will be held in halls 1 and 2. There's going to be tons of stuff for kids including a Toopy and Binoo show. Ann Douglas will also be there be there sharing her insight and wisdom about parenting.

If you'd like to drop by and see us, we'll be in booth 503.

We're will be selling LaborKits, and we'll also have some great giveaways (more on that later UPDATE: new jogging stroller giveaway) so, be sure to stop by to see what you can win.

Here's a quick little video - check it out.

Having A Baby Just Got A Little Easier

LaborKit — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:07:00 GMT

We're proud to announce LaborKit: a new product will all the necessary items to prepare woman for having a baby. Each laborkit comes with practical and thoughtful items to make the delivery process as comfortable as possible.

Whether you're a first time parent, or already have kids, a LaborKit will help prepare you for the big day.

Why LaborKit.com?

We save you money - buying these items would cost you well over 150.00 if you were to purchase it all in stores
We save you time - if you could find all these items, (some are only available to suppliers) it would take a significant amount of time to find it all
Prepared - you have enough to think about, why not let us pack your bags for you?
LaborKit.com provides the most comprehensive hospital bag, with the highest quality items, for the best price

Who would buy a LaborKit?

This is a perfect gift for someone to buy their pregnant loved one
A LaborKit makes a great shower gift
If you haven't received a LaborKit, its still OK to treat yourself to a very practical purchase!

If you have any questions, or comments, we'd love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

The LaborKit.com Team.