hospital bag: what you actually need
it seems that every mom who has some sort of space on the internet discusses what they bring -- which was GREAT for me! :) it does feel a little bit like a right of passage to pack your hospital bag when you're preparing for your first baby. my doctor told me all i'd need was a toothbrush and clothes to wear home (she was basically correct). i scoffed at her and couldn't IMAGINE only bringing that. i had a backpack and duffle bag ready to go! and so did my husband!
as expected, i did overpack. but there were some things that i brought that i'll definitely bring again if i ever have another baby. here is what they are:
- cheap flip flops and slippers from amazon -- i wore these around the l&d room and postpartum room. and then promptly threw them out when we got home. i didn't even wear them into our home.
- 'grandma underwear' -- i wore these around the clock the first month while i was still healing.
- face wipes -- because getting up and walking to the bathroom is a feat in the hospital. and laying in bed to 'wash' my face was a much better option.
- toothbrush ;)
- water bottle -- i used my hydroflask, not the hospitals.
- laptop -- we watched a movie while i was working through those early contractions in l&d.
- chargers (i did bring an extension cord and never used it. i might have used it if i was in the hospital for more than 36 hours, though.)
- carseat -- they won't let you leave the hospital without a carseat :) it's part of the hospital discharge process.
- polaroid camera -- we borrowed one from a friend for the first month and it was SO fun! highly recommend doing this.
- snacks! for you AND your partner.
- ask for a sitz bath! while i didn't use this in the hospital, this was a huge life-savor at home. it helped so much with my healing/pain.
here is my list of things i brought, and quickly realized i did not need:
- clothes for you and the baby -- you will live in the hospital gowns and the baby will live in the hospital swaddle blankets. i had a take home outfit for myself and for august. but i also brought additional clothes for myself and for august. i never needed the additional clothes.
- diapers -- the hospital provides.
- make up/hair dryer/hair products -- i didn't bring these, but i know women who have. we didn't have hospital photos done. it was honestly the last place i'd want our photos taken and i just wanted to get out of the hospital and get home to our clean, calm, peaceful home.
- swaddles for the baby -- as mentioned above, we used the hospital's swaddle blankets and burp clothes. and then took several home too! i definitely recommend doing this. we used those hospital swaddles for nighttime feedings (i would lay on the ground to nurse august at night) and they were great because we didn't care about spilling milk or spit up or any other sort of bodily fluid getting on those blankets.
- pump/breast pads/nipple cream -- the hospital provided nipple cream. my milk hadn't come in so i didn't need the pads or the pump.
one tip the doula gave us in our birthing class was to bring a backpack to triage/l&d. then, once in the postpartum unit, have your partner/family member go down to get your duffle bag filled with everything else. this way you aren't lugging around all these bags from one place to the next. this was an awesome tip and something i tell all my pregnant friends.
the hospital felt germ-y and dirty to me. it's not a place of rest. caleb and i were both ready to go home a day after august was born (the baby was born in the early morning on a tuesday, and we left wednesday afternoon). i do know people who have had great hospital experiences and genuinely enjoyed their time hanging out in the postpartum wing. that was not the case for us. if it was, maybe my hospital list would be longer. but we were blessed with a relatively easy delivery, and were able to get out of the hospital and head home!
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