If you are packing your hospital bag, that means you are getting close to meeting the newest member of your family, CONGRATS!!! There is sooo much information out there about what to bring, what not to bring, that I wanted to write a post based on all of my research and reading about what you really need and what products work the best. I have packed my bag and am sharing what is inside my Hospital Bag, and hopefully it will help some of you when packing your own bag!
1) Kindred Bravely Nursing Bra My outfit post labor will be basic and comfortable. After all… it is the hospital. Kindred Bravely Nursing Bras have by far been the most comfortable sleeping/nursing bra I have tried so far and I have tried quite a few to try and get the right fit. This bra will be perfect because it is so soft and supportive which will be important when the milk boobs come in! I also love that the Kindred Bravely Company is run by work-at-home moms who share the same mission, to be grateful, be generous, be brave and be encouraging. What better mission for moms!? Use the promo code MY20 for 20% off! 2) Kindred Bravely Hospital Socks I know that the hospital will provide socks, but for any of you who have spent a night in the hospital… the socks they provide and usually very loose, not cozy and not comfortable. Being as comfortable and cozy as possible is important to me! These Kindred Bravely Non-Skid Hospital Socks are perfect. They have all sorts of inspirational quotes on the bottom of them, like mine that say, “Keep Calm and Push On.” They are MUCH more comfortable then the hospital socks they will give you and the non-skid feature will make them hospital approved. 3) Slippers Slippers are an absolute must. When I am not in my socks, I will wear my slippers. But make sure that they are non-skid and have good traction. I have always loved my LL.Bean Slippers. I recently just ordered these and they are super comfortable and a great more affordable option in three great colors. 4) Dark Colored Joggers Joggers are super comfortable and allow for enough room to wear the ice packs, pads and big net underwear the hospital will provide you with post labor. I am going with a dark color because the possibility of leaking is well… very possible. So I am packing a couple pairs of dark colored, comfy joggers to wear. I also love that the ankles are tight so you don’t need to worry about tripping. Here are the joggers that I have decided to go with. 5) Bathrobe Other than the fact that I absolutely LOVE bathrobes, after talking to many, many mamas about nursing in the hospital, the overwhelming consensus was that a bathrobe makes dealing with nursing in the hospital setting much easier. So what I will do is wear my nursing bra under my robe, with joggers during our stay. That way the bathrobe will keep me warm, and when I need to nurse I can easily pop it open and nurse our son. Here is the bathrobe that I decided to go with. I didn’t want to pack my bulky, UGG Robe for two reasons. One, I didn’t want to get it dirty because its tan. Second, I didn’t want to pack such a bulky robe in my bag. The bathrobe that I ordered for the hospital is super soft, flattering and comes in grey or black, its also super affordable so I won’t be upset if it gets stained or nasty during our stay. 6) Flip Flops I have lots of friends that work in the hospital and have shared with me that you never want to step foot into the shower without flip-flops. I didn’t need to hear anything else. So I am packing these flip-flops. 7) Depends THIS was a huge recommendation from many of my readers and clients who have been through this. I think it is genius! Rather than wearing the huge, mesh underwear and the humungous diaper-sized pad that the hospital will give you, I am packing these depends for a closer, more comfortable fit. 8) Dermoplast Spray This spray is recommended for after birth. It doesn’t contain any agents that cause a tingling or burning sensation, which is important, and overwhelming reviews say that it does not get sticky either, which is great. Apparently, this helps with all of the pain down there that follows childbirth, so I put some in my bag incase I need it. I also bought a more natural option, Earth Mama Perineal Spray. I wanted to have them both on hand incase one works better than the other. I don’t want to mess around with pain down there! 9) Motherlove Nipple Cream I am sure that the hospital will have some sort of nipple cream if you need it, but I wanted to bring my own. I would much rather be stocked and ready when I need something rather than wait for a lactation consultant to make their rounds. I decided to go with this nipple cream because it is lanolin-free and organic, it is also safe to apply after feedings and it doesn’t need to be wiped off before the baby feeds again. Safe for everyone. 10) Bamboobies Washable Breast Pads The thought of having a disposable breast pad stuck to my leaky and sore nipple just sounds terrible, so I am going with these super cute, washable nursing pads. They have regular absorbent and overnight options in the package and when you are done using them I love that I can just throw them in the wash! They are so soft to touch and will be much more comfortable. Also, I will absolutely save money because I wont need to continue to go buy the disposable ones that are not cheap. 11) Bath Towels Again, another inside scoop from a nurse who works in the maternity ward… the towels that the hospital provides is the size of a postage stamp. So I am packing my own, large, soft and comfortable bath towels for a shower. That shower post delivery is going to feel AMAZING and I don’t want to mess around with any wimpy towel. 12) Diffuser Every hospital has different rules about what can be in the delivery room and what cant, so you need to check with your birthing facility, but where we are giving birth we actually get to check in to our own private room where we will stay with our son for the duration of our stay. That being said, I am packing our essential oil diffuser and some of our favorite scents, lavender, eucalyptus, and calm from Young Living. 13) Snacks The food offered at my hospital is crappy. It really just blows my mind how unhealthy the options are in the hospital setting, but I am NOT going to go off about that right here, right now. SO I am packing tons of snacks for Timmy and I. I plan on bringing some of our favorites like RX Bars, plantain chips, and nuts. 14) Going Home Outfit for Baby Our hospital does not provide a onesie to bring the baby home and even if they did I think I would bring my own, especially with the way this weather has been thus far this month. I am bringing a cute cotton onesie, and an adorable Patagonia Fleece Bunting snuggly to keep him warm. 15) Going Home Outfit for You I am going to keep this very basic and comfortable. I am bringing a pair of joggers, a kindred bravely nursing tank top, a loose fitting shirt and a pair of slip on sneakers. I would say keep it simple and keep it comfortable, ladies! 16) Toiletries and Hair Items This will look different for everyone, so I am not going to list out everything that I use, but personally I will be bringing all of my body and skincare products to use during and after I shower. Then I am packing just a couple of my makeup basics, I just personally want to be able to freshen up a little bit after giving birth and bringing a few of my essentials will help me feel good. As far as my hair goes, I am going to pack my brush and blow dryer, but I don’t have any expectation of a fancy blow out, just enough to get by. 17) Pictures and Music Timmy and I have collected some of our favorite pictures of our family and friends and created a playlist to listen too during our stay. The hospital can feel so cold that my hope was with pictures and music it can help me relax and keep us comfortable. 18) Thank you Notes and Gifts for the Nurses After all is said and done, I think it is SO important to show the nurses and midwifes our gratitude for their work to help bring our son into this world safely. We are bringing a card for the floor and I plan on having Timmy grab some breakfast pastries and coffee for the staff before we head home! There you have it, these are the essentials that are being packed in my hospital bag for our stay. Have you thought of something that I may be forgetting? I would love to hear from you in the comments below. And for those of you getting ready to pack your bag, congratulations to you and your family and I wish you a healthy, happy and comfortable experience. xoxo
2 Comments
Loving this list as I'm making a shower gift for my sister from it. When I had my youngest 8 yrs ago, FB was new. I prewrote an email and copied all my close family and friends so they had the news before FB land did. Today, I'd bring a charger for the phone and a hairdryer. I'd also bring as open a mind as possible. I had one fast birth, a c section, and a vback. you can't predict your experience, but a healthy baby is always the ultimate goal. Don't forget to get your carseat installed (the hospital will check it for you!)
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Ted
3/9/2018 06:50:55 am
Actually, I beg to differ with you on that you are required by law to have your carseat installed by one of your local fire deparments each department has two or three specially trained techs that have had specailzed training on how to adjust and install a carseat in a types of vechiles so one of these techs is the person that can install the carseat for you. The hopspitl WILL NOT do it for you
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