The suitcase

My mum has only been pregnant in Italy and, therefore, doesn't know if being pregnant in Italy is like being pregnant somewhere else. But one thing she is sure about is that the preparation of the suitcase for the hospital is very different from what it is like in Iceland. On the website of the University hospital in Iceland, there is a list of things that mothers to be are advised to take with them: toiletries, indoor-shoos and comfortable clothes, change for the automates, some snack, cell-phone, lip-balm, drinks, something to read, nice music, camera. Basically things that the mums can throw together in a small bag when the labour starts -so practically they are always ready. More importantly, this is an ADVISE, they can even just pop by without anything, and the father can bring the lip-balm and the book to read once the baby is born.

If only it was that easy in Italy.

As we belly-dwellers don't really announce with great advance when we are going to take that important journey down the birth-channel, mothers in Italy are adviced to be ready with the hospital suitcase at least a month before the due date. It is actually less than month until I'm supposed to be born, but my mother still hasn't prepared her suitcase -the only one at the pre-natal course that hasn't done so! Last week she at least started to prepare things. So what is so difficult?
Well, let's start with the things to prepare for the mother:
1 nightgown (not pyjama..NB) for every day that the mum stays in hospital (in Italy this means 3-5 days if all is ok, and depending on whether the baby was born naturally or with a C-section ). For someone that never wears nightgowns, and that risks to have a C-section because the baby is not turning, this means having to buy 4 nightgowns (to be on the safe-side, then my mum will just throw in pyjamas in case she has to stay more days)!! Of these, 3 have to be buttoned far enough down to permit breastfeeding without having to undress and the last one has to be buttoned all the way down in the front, for this one has to be worn during the birth. I know that italians care a lot about the way the look in any moment, and they don't like to look like the person next-door (or next-bed), but would it be too much to ask the hospital to provide the gown for the birth??? At the prenatal course the mums laughed a lot of the fact that the hospital specified that the nightgowns should NOT BE TRANSPARENT! But I don't know where all these ladies went to buy this particular nightgown, for then when my mum started going around looking for one, she was shown a transparent (not completely, but one that left little to the imagination) fully-buttoned, highly embroidered nightgown specially made for birth in THREE stores! Finally she had one store order a nightgown of a thicker material so that she wouldn't be going around the hospital half-naked and offending the hospital rules while preparing for birth. The other 3 nightgowns were not less of a challange, for nightgowns in italy, those buttoned in the front (as opposed to all the sexy silk and satin dresses) are normally made for a clientale of around 80 years, that seem to prefer flowers and pastel colours. My mum was aware of the fact that she was going to buy something that probably she would wear only one day..but the thought of being dressed like an 80-year old was too oppressing, so she and my dad made a whole-day trip around the stores of Arezzo to find suitable nightgowns. In the end they found 3 that were acceptable, no flowers or pastel colours. In addition a warm dressing-gown is needed, so my mum bought one of these. She had the choice between a pink one and a blue one and -prefering something more colourful but not being able to find one- she chose the blue one, which immediately caused the shop assistant to comment:

Oh che bello, so you are expecting a boy?

Now what has my gender got to do with the way my mum wants to dress? Is there a hidden dress-code depending on the belly-dweller's sex? Are there more ways in which my mum can be wrong in the way she is doing things?
Anyway, now my parents could tick the nightgowns off the list, then what's next: single-use pants (yeah, the hospital does not provide you with these things), post-birth absorbents, breastfeeding bras and pads to absorb excessive milk, toiletries, towel and a bathrobe, toilet paper, indoor shoes AND shower shoes. Then there are the things that recall the Icelandic list: money for the automates, snack, books to read, camera.... Well, my mum can't resist thinking that it would be much easier if they just let the women give birth at home -then they could avoid bringing their home to the hospital. Actually my mum was surprised to find out that the hospital WILL be providing bed-sheets, now considering everything else that has to be brought this is almost incredible.
Do you think that the list is finished... not at all, this was only the mum's part of the list, then there's also the list of things that are needed for ME.

For the newborn baby one has to bring clothes for 3-5 days (at least one change a day), including underwear, pyjama or sweaters and trousers, a cap (that also covers the ears) and a blanket. And a set of clothes of course for bringing the baby home. Oh, and as the hospital is rather cold (they don't save enough on the things that they don't provide for the mums and the babies, so they also have to save on the heating), this has to be made of wool. Then the mothers are advised to bring also something to protect the bed from getting wet during the change of the baby (for, as you might guess, they have to change their babies on the bed)...probably because the hospital only provides one set of bed-sheet for the whole hospital staying (maybe my mum should consider bringing her own bed-sheets also, just in case...!). Of these things, my parents have only got the underwear ready (well, and the orange blanket...), but probably this weekend they will go shopping for the remaining things, so the suitcase should be ready soon. Just as good, for the clock is ticking....