What's In My Bag: Hospital Edition

With my recent labor and a lot of my friends not too far behind.. I thought I would share what little wisdom I have when it comes to preparing for the hospital. I am very glad that I was able to finish packing my bags because I was induced 2 days later!

These are what I brought to the hospital.. every woman is going to have different preferences but this is what I found to work for me.

A Nursing pillow. I got a Boppy pillow as a baby shower gift. Because I was so freaking swollen and bloated in the midsection, I didn't get to use it much for nursing because it wouldn't fit around my belly. However, I would recommend bringing one if you plan on breastfeeding.

The Diaper Bag

I LOVE my diaper bag. Also a baby shower gift. It's a messenger style bag from Skip-Hop. I love that it has stroller clips, makes life easy. 

In the bag I brought:

1.  A travel wipes case ($1 at walmart)

2.  3-5 diapers. I really wanted photos of him in the diapers from The Honest Company cause they were so cute with the anchors! (and other diaper changing fodder i.e. baby powder and ointments if you want to go organic or prefer certain brands) The hospital should provide you with newborn diapers and wipes, I got huggies. 

3.  Burp cloths for after feedings.

4.  A nursing cover (I got a bebe au lait as a gift)

5. Pacifiers, we love our wubba-nub  (I don't recommend using these all the time, You don't want your little one getting dependent on it). Here is a tip.. go to Ross! I got a hard case for paci's there for $3.

6.  Cooling nipple pads from Medela, there are other brands as well. These helped with soreness! Also a good thing to bring would be Lanolin creams to help with chaffing. 

7.  Coming home outfit, this was the hardest part for me. It took me FOREVER to decide. I think I ended up bringing 5 outfits to the hospital! (beanies, socks, extra plain onesies, coming home outfit). When you do choose your outfit, be mindful of making your life easy. Remember that when you have late night diaper changes, you don't want to be fussing too much with full sleeper suits. I used plain white onesies with the snap crotch. I LOVE the ones from Carter's with the fold over mittens, the slip on mittens are a choking hazard. Luckily my little man was little, I'm happy I have a bunch in newborn size! Also take into consideration that when you are discharged and its time to go home, that sleeper gowns are not gonna work when you gotta strap your little one in. This is when you want pants or a sleeper suit.

8. Receiving blankets/swaddle blankets. The hospital will give you some but if you're picky, you may want your own. I prefer the Adan + Anais muslin swaddling blankets. They are huge which makes it easier to wrap baby up.

My Bag

1. Comfortable PJs, 2 sets if possible. I brought a button up top and pants set in black. You will be draining for awhile and bleeding so don't bring anything you would be upset about blood stains in. With my bulging baby belly I knew I wasn't going to be able to button over it, so I made sure to bring camisoles to go underneath it. Made it easy for feedings.

2. Nursing camisoles/tank tops. I am a cheap ass and was not going to pay $20+ for one camisole. I asked Pinterest-- ask and you shall receive. (read this blog click here)-- I made 2. 

3. Nursing bras.. I really liked the sports bra style. 

4. Toiletry bag. Makeup may be the last thing on your mind but trust me.. sometimes putting it on can make you feel normal. I brought the Urban Decay Naked palette as it has everything i need for a quick easy face. Plus if you have guests coming or are taking photos, you may look back and wish you had some makeup. At least I know I would.

- Tooth brush & toothpaste

- Shampoo & conditioner (bring travel size!!)

- Headband to hold hair back during labor

- Face wash (wipes if you can)

- Hair brush

- Deodorant

- Hand sanitizer

- lip balm (i love the eos brand)

- gum

5. Pads.. yes.. pads. Big, oversized, super heavy flow, with wings, diaper like pads. They give you some at the hospital but they dont have wings nor do they stick to the amazingly sexy underwear they give you. Leading me to my next item...

6. Granny Panties. I know. Go get a bag of Hanes women's briefs. 

7. Tuck's Pads (or hemorrhoid pads). These are just pads soaked in witch hazel to help with vaginal swelling. I had a tear and needed stitches, the pads were nice and cool on the area.

8. Bath Robe. You may be forced to walk around to help you progress further. We all know how revealing hospital gowns can be. 

9. Slipper socks! Remember when you were like 10 and you got those ridiculous socks with the rubber on the bottom. These will come in handy-- or footy haha.

10. A comfortable outfit to go home in. 

11. Electronics. Depending on your labor, you may have some downtime. My husband & I watched shows on hulu on the laptop. Bring your chargers for phones, laptops, eReaders, iPods, and cameras.

12. Snacks. You can not eat anything during labor and once that baby is out.. you're starving! I packed some protein bars.

Don't forget about daddy! Have him pack a bag of essential items for himself. Bring a pillow from home if you can. 

LAST ITEM.. CARSEAT! Practice taking the carseat in and out of the car if you can. We have a Peg-Perego travel system but I have the carseat covered with a "Carseat Canopy". 

I hope this helps!! Good luck to all you mommas out there!