You’ve endured nine-plus months of nausea, backaches, restless sleep and something reminiscent of Mike Tyson’s prize-winning jabs in your ribs—now comes the fun part. Before you head out to the hospital to deliver, make sure you’ve packed enough to ensure you’ll be as comfortable as possible during your stay, but resist the urge to schlep your entire bedroom’s contents. Unsure of what should go—and stay?

Here are our top tips for a well-packed hospital bag:

Music

Music can create any kind of mood you’d like, so pack your iPod with speakers and be sure to program a few playlists to carry  you through labor and even delivery.

Breathing exercises

If you’re too uncomfortable to stretch, try a CD or download of breathing exercises, which will both physically and mentally calm you down and make you feel more at ease.

Handheld massager

For the knots and cramps that are bound to come during labor, a handheld massager will be your new best friend—and a much-needed backup for your husband!

Camera

Get ready for your close-up,  Mrs. New Mom. A fully charged camera is key to capture those priceless shots just after the baby is born.

Socks

Hospitals are notoriously chilly, and your feet will get even colder when you get ready to give birth. Pack your warmest, most comfortable pair for the big day.

Luxurious robe

It’s not always easy to feel glam when you’re ready to pop. Opt for a luxurious to drape over your nightgown when visitors arrive. It’ll look—and feel—great.

Stretchy pants

Unfortunately, your belly won’t be flat immediately after delivery (or months afterwards, but that’s another story…..). Bring along something comfortable to wear home (read: roomy and with an elastic waistband), especially if you have a c-section.

Stress cream

You’ll want a face cream to keep skin hydrated, but a stress cream has the added bonus of soothing and relaxing skin during difficult times. The lotion will come in handy for your hands and feet, too.

Baby’s first outfit

For your newborn’s first picture, you’ll want an outfit that’s adorable and classic.

Linen spray

Bring the spray that you use on your linens at home to personalize your hospital room. Some mothers like to bring their own pillows, too, but a quick spritz of your favorite linen spray will make the hospital feel more like home.

Lanolin cream

There’s no better cure for sore or cracked nipples.

Breastfeeding support pillow

Give yourself a hand when learning to breastfeed (and beyond) with a breastfeeding support pillow that easily positions baby for prime nursing.

Healthy snacks

Post-push, you’ll want to load up on healthy foods that are preferably organic, low in sugar and high in protein. Prepare a snack pack of your favorite foods, including fresh organic fruit, protein bars, hummus and vegetables and whatever else deliciously and nutritiously floats your boat.

Car seat

Make sure you have properly installed your infant car seat—you can’t get the little one home with out it. If you have questions, get it inspected by your hospital or local police or fire station, many of which offer this service for free.

Don’t forget, your hospital is not in isolation nor is it 100 miles from your house. If you forget something, don’t panic; someone will be able to bring you whatever you want whether he or she goes to your home to get it or goes to a local convenience store. Your short stay in the hospital should be happy, calm and worry-free and the right comforts from home can make all the difference.

The Physical Changes

As the weeks wear on, your body will continue to change to accommodate the baby, which could make for an uncomfortable few months while you wait for labor to arrive. As you gain weight, your breasts will keep growing and perhaps leak colostrum (the liquid produced before milk), your back may ache, you might get winded easily, and you’ll likely have to visit the restroom for bathroom breaks a lot more often than you did pre-pregnancy (things like sneezing and laughing could lead to some leakage—embarrassing, yes, but totally normal). The unlucky will have to deal with stretch marks on the abdomen; spider veins in the face, arms and neck; and varicose veins in the legs and rectum—also known as hemorrhoids when they pick this spot to strike.

You may start to have noticeable Braxton Hicks contractions as well. These “practice” contractions differ from the real deal in that they don’t get stronger or closer together as they go, but they may be uncomfortable.

The Emotional Changes

Playing the waiting game can be difficult, especially with all the physical discomfort that goes along with it. The reality that you’re about to be a parent for the first time (or again!) will hit you harder than it has before, and that can spark anxious thoughts. Talking about your fears with your partner or other moms (and even your baby) can be helpful, as can journaling. You can never totally prepare for what’s about to happen, but reading books, taking classes and getting everything ready can help ease your concerns and make you feel as ready as possible.

The Baby’s Changes

During the third trimester, your baby’s getting all the finishing touches, if you will—his eyes blink for the first time, his bones fully form, and the lanugo (fine, downy hair) on his body sheds. At this stage, babies gain weight rapidly, sprouting up from around 2.5 pounds at the beginning of the trimester to their delivery weight of 6 to 9 pounds or so. It’s even possible that your baby is having sweet dreams when he sleeps now—although it’s anyone’s guess as to what they’re about. Pretty soon, you’ll get to ask him yourself!

The Doctor’s Visits

From 28 to 34 weeks, your appointments will increase to every other week. We’ll monitor your weight gain, blood pressure and urine; listen to the fetal heartbeat; and check the baby’s position. You can also expect to be screened for gestational diabetes and Group B strep (bacteria that can cause an infection with your baby), and, as a part of our OB VIP program, we’ll review your birth plan, including cord blood banking and breastfeeding, to make sure you are ready and set to go. At 36 weeks, we’ll start to see you every week, and if you go past your due date, you’ll come in twice a week until the baby is born. Whatever questions you have, please ask! We are here for you and are committed to making sure that you have a great birth!

The Physical Changes

There’s good news on the physical front for this middle trimester: Morning sickness usually subsides, your sex drive is in top form, and any tenderness in your breasts from the first trimester is likely to disappear. As baby grows, though, so will you—expect to put on about three to four pounds a month. This trimester is probably the one in which you’ll put away most of your wardrobe staples and embrace maternity clothes.

Darkening, stretch marks and dryness are three potential effects on your skin, so be diligent about using sunscreen and moisturizers. Leg cramps may also strike; stretching your calves, especially before bed, will help with that. Breathlessness is normal now, as your lungs are working overtime. If you were exercising vigorously in your pre-pregnancy days, you’ll want to change your routine to something lower impact now. Swimming, prenatal yoga and walking are all good choices.

The Emotional Changes

You should be adjusted to those hormonal fluctuations that might have caught you off guard in the first trimester, so you’re likely to feel more on an even keel now. As your body changes, though, you may start to worry about weight gain, stretch marks and swelling. Some women feel extra beautiful with the changes pregnancy brings; others struggle with body image. Whatever you’re feeling, you’re definitely not alone.

The Baby’s Changes

Most significantly for many, this is when your baby’s sex will reveal itself. It’s also the stage in which you’ll probably start to feel some movement, and your baby might be able to respond to familiar sounds, like your voice. He or she is undergoing rapid changes—developing fingerprints and footprints, sprouting hair, accumulating fat, developing the ability to swallow and make sucking motions, and forming bones.

The Doctor’s Visits

Throughout your second trimester, you’ll have doctor’s visits once a month. At Healthy Woman, you’ll see physicians on a rotating basis so you can feel comfortable with all the doctors on staff. During your appointments this trimester, your weight gain, blood pressure, uterine size and urine will be checked, and your baby’s heartbeat will be listened to. There are optional tests that can be performed during this time that doctors will discuss with you, and you’ll have an ultrasound around 20 to 22 weeks. This is also a good time to create a birth plan; at Healthy Woman, as a part of our OB VIP program, one of the co-founders will meet with you to go over your expectations and hopes for the birthing process. For a detailed explanation of the schedule of doctor’s visits, see our schedule of prenatal visits here.

What should your birth plan include?

Here are questions to consider:

• Who do you want present in the delivery room?
• What kind of pain relief do you want?
• How often do you want fetal monitoring?
• In what situations would a C-section be okay?
• Who should cut the umbilical cord?
• Do you plan to bank cord blood?
• Do you want to be coached when to push?
• What positions do you want to try to push in?
• Do you want the lights dimmed? Music playing? Total quiet?
• Do you want photos or video taken during birth?
• When do you first want to hold your baby?
• When do you first want to breastfeed, if you’re planning to?

For a look at what else you might want to include, you can find a sample birth plan template here.

The great news is that as a Healthy Woman patient, you don’t have to create your birth plan alone. As a part of our OB VIP program, you will have a special prenatal visit at 24 weeks of pregnancy with Dr. Rebecca Cipriano or Dr. Joseph Cipriano, the Healthy Woman co-founders, to go through your birth expectations and ensure that your experience is just as you want it to be. The doctor will talk to you about how you want things to go, give you the options and empower you with the information you need to make the best decisions for yourself.

Perhaps the most helpful aspect of creating a birth plan is that it gets you thinking about important questions that may not have crossed your mind, particularly if this is your first child. Keep your plan as concise as you can; you might want to highlight the things that are most important to you so that they’re not missed.

You may not be able to plan for everything—but you can sure try.