In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a TV show on The Learning Channel called “A Baby Story.” This 30 minute documentary-style show (I use that term loosely) would feature a family preparing to welcome a new baby. Each episode included interviews with parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends. Usually there was a visit to the doctor for a pre-natal visit. And then there was some little extra feature to highlight the preparations or celebrations that might be taking place, before the final (significantly edited) footage of the birth.
When watching this show religiously (which I did), one of my favorite features was when the soon-to-be parent would walk the audience through the packing of their hospital bag. It feels a little silly now, but I loved watching what people chose for comfort, what they threw in to keep themselves occupied just in case they had time, what they wanted to listen to while laboring, what they carried along for religious devotion, or what clothes they wanted the baby to wear when they were coming home.
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