Hospital Bag
How prepared is too prepared? I packed my hospital bag 6 weeks before Palmer was born. Mostly because I’m OCD and needed it done, but part of me thought he may come early. Which he did... but only one day! I pride myself on me being a great packer. I hate overpacking and love when I pack exactly what I need. I’m always so proud when I use everything on a trip. Such a weird thing about me, but hey it works! I’m excited to share what was in my hospital bag because I used mostly everything minus all of the baby clothes!
I’m in a lot of momma Facebook groups and I told the advise of others. Many people said to pack baby clothes. I’m here to tell you don’t. You are constantly doing skin to skin or baby is swaddled. It’s just not needed. Below I’m sharing what mama, baby , and dad needed!
Baby :
The only two outfits I used for Palmer were for his announcement pic and his going home outfit. Both came from Mimi’s Moon. We used the knotted gown for the longest time. It makes middle of the night changes so much easier! I packed Palmer his barefoot dreams blanket. We didn’t use it much, but I knew I wanted it for the car seat. We brought the noise machine to the hospital for both baby and mama. I wanted him to get used to it, and I also wanted to drain out the noises within the hospital. This portable version is perfect for errands and car trips. We also brought the Vava nightlight. We still use this item daily. It’s great for the hospital room at night so you don’t have the awful bright lights. Now we use it for middle of the night changes. The last thing I brought was a Polaroid camera. I can’t recommend this enough. The pictures are so special! That’s all P needed! The hospital provides diapers, wipes, the little shirt they wear, and pacis. Truthfully, you’re either breastfeeding, doing skin to skin, or sleeping. Baby doesn’t need much... just mama and dada!
As for Mama... I needed a lot more. I brought my diaper bag with Palmer’s stuff. I had my own luggage with everything I would need. The number one thing I wanted during our hospital stay was comfort. I knew I would be nursing, so I brought button up pajamas. Due to my c section, I was there for 4 days. I brought two button up nightgowns from Target and two button up sets. All of them are super affordable and incredibly soft. I also brought a Target robe that I wore during the day after my shower. I paired these with some Amazon slippers that were perfect for walking around! I only packed one normal outfit to go home in. Due to the big diaper, I wore these joggers, an oversized cardigan to hide the diaper, and a loose Amazon top. I sized up in all of the clothes brought and wore them for the first few weeks at home. I actually just packed all of them away and it was kinda sad!
As far as dad goes... comfort! Poor Mickey slept on an awful little couch and ended up with the worst back pain. He had to run to Walgreens to get medicine. So my first suggestion would be to pack some Advil just to be on the safe side. In Mickey’s luggage, we packed a few sweat pants and t shirts. He also brought button ups because dads do a lot of skin to skin, too! Mickey brought his diaper bag and inside we brought our Apple TV (didn’t connect like we had hoped, but most people do!), 10ft chargers (v important), and all of the snacks. We also made sure to bring two large blankets and two towels. We forgot pillows and it was not fun. Bring pillows! Speaking of pillows… I did bring my boppy. I used that thing the entire stay, and I still use it daily. If you plan to BF bring this with you!
The last thing we brought were two nurse baskets. I bought snacks from Costco and included some Starbucks coffee. We brought two baskets: 1 for the AM nurses and 1 for the PM nurses. I honestly wish we brought more. Those nurses were amazing and took such great care of us. I really wanted them all to have all of the things! I printed a little sign on them saying thank you and signing our name. They were so appreciative.
I organized our luggage with these packing cubes . I also brought a makeup organizer and a toiletry bag. I forced myself to shower and get ready daily and it really helped me to feel better. Our hospital stay was truly amazing. I cannot say enough good things. I know that being prepared and packing what I packed had a lot to do with it. When we have our next baby, I will pack all of this!
I hope this helps you prepare for the hospital. Just know that less is more especially when it comes to baby! Congrats to you and your growing family.
Xoxo,
Brooke
