Hospital Bags

salsy2012

I'm sure this has been discussed in some capacity before, but I couldn't find a specific thread.

And being the obsessive planner that I am, I am already starting to think about my hospital bag.

So STMs- answer me this,

1) When did you start packing your bag? I've heard 30 weeks is good. True? False?

2) What did you pack for yourself? What are your must haves and what did you pack that you didn't really need?

3) What did you pack for your SO?

4) What did you pack for baby?

5) Where did you place the bag? By the door? In your car?

I'm like weirdly excited to start packing this thing...so thanks for your input!

shevaCC

I didn't pack mine until ~36 weeks but I actually had 2 bags, which I appreciated in the moment.

Labor bag:
camera, extra battery, charging cable, computer cable
ipod
water bottle
cheap flip flops
laptop with a bunch of pictures to look at and a few movies, charger
phones and chargers (we grabbed phones, chargers, and laptop at the last minute)

hospital provided a yoga ball otherwise I would've brought mine

post delivery bag:
outfit for me (comfy 2nd tri maternity clothes)
going home outfit for baby
hair brush, shampoo, deodorant
cloth breastpads, lanolin

I didn't bring a nursing pillow but lots of women do.

tamarar5

I packed WAY to much last time, lol! I didn't even open my bag until the day we went home. I packed my hospital bag about 100 times, then unpacked it as I needed the things inside. Then the night before my induction I dumped everything and started over again.

Chances are if you are like me, it doesn't matter when you do it, you'll be in and our of it all the time and still be scrambling to fill it as you want to leave.

1. 30 is a little early, but not a bad time to start thinking what if preterm labor. I waited until 36w with baby #2.

2. All i'm packing this time, since I'm going to the same hospital and know I won't need things like my own pads or undies, is just clothes to go home and maybe my own nightgown for comfort.

3. I packed him a change of clothes and he didn't touch them. He ran home to take care of our dogs and showered and slept at home.

4. We were team green last time, so I had one each of going home outfits and hats (boy and girl). This time, just girl outfit, a swaddle blanket (I don't like the ones from the hospital), and my cloth diapers.

5. I left my bag in my room because I had to keep pulling items out. The night before the induction, when I was finally done done packing, it went into the car.

Edit: I forgot to say I packed all my own toiletries because the soap and shampoo at the hospital are terrible. I forgot those items with baby #1 and I felt icky after using them.

rockyrollgirl

1) Not until 35 weeks.

2) Toiletries, Chapstick, Robe, Life Savers, Going home outfit, Brush, Towel, Paperwork (Birth Certificate for LO, Questionnaire,  Etc.)

3) Extra Outfit, Toiletries, Gum, Chapstick, Pillow

4) Going home outfit, Blanket

5) Trunk of car

Our hospital was pretty good about providing everything we needed.

MC03

I packed waaaayyy too much last time and hardly used anything. Based on what I used, this is what I will pack.

1) When did you start packing your bag? I think about 37 weeks.  It was after I was on leave. 

2) What did you pack for yourself? What are your must haves and what did you pack that you didn't really need?  Two pairs of yoga pants, two maternity comfy shirts, a couple pair of underwear that are old.  Honestly I probably will only use one pair of pants, and one shirt, and probably use the hospital disposable underwear, but I'll pack the extras just in case.  Body wash and any necessary hair stuff, toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant.  No makeup, no blowdryer, no pads, no anything else.  Phone charger.  This time we have an ipad, so I will probably bring the ipad and charger also.

3) What did you pack for your SO?  Last time I packed some snacks (chex mix, protein bars, Gatorade) but we ate NONE of it, so this time I'm not packing anything.

4) What did you pack for baby?  Two outfits.  Hospital had diapers and wipes.  The nurses taught us how to swaddle with just the hospital blankets, which I think was handy, so I will not bring swaddles. Also, our hospital provides a breast pump if you need it while you're in the hospital, so I won't bring that.  They also provided lanolin, so I won't need that.  I will bring a few breast pads just in case, but last time my milk wasn't in by the time I left the hospital. 

5) Where did you place the bag? By the door? In your car?  The bag was just in my room, and I put it in the car when we left for the hospital. 

ETA:  I forgot to say DH stayed overnight with me (but would go home to shower and change).  He brought a sleeping bag and his own pillow because the hospital ones suck.  And the hospital was freezing, so we also both had sweatshirts.  Although I was having a lot of hot flashes, so mine wasn't used to much, but DH lived in his.

lookame3639

...uh....i don't remember what I packed...lol that was 7 years ago!

...what I am saying is...i will be reading up onthe must haves to pack (serious after 7 years I feel like i am a FTM all over again!)

BeachM

1) I think around 36 weeks.  I had a vague idea of what I wanted in it before then and kept a running list of items.

2) I packed all sorts of things I didn't need - Makeup, bathrobe, cotton nightgown, lots of toiletries.  What I really needed, and did pack, were flip flops and socks to wear around the room and throw away before going home, nursing tanks, maternity yoga pants, glasses (I normally wear contacts), toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo/soap/face wash.  Why I thought I'd shave my legs in the hospital is beyond me, so the razor wasn't used.  A phone charger is a must.  I also brought my laptop but didn't use it much.  No camera for me since DH has a very nice one.

3) What did you pack for your SO? Nothing, he's a big boy and can pack for himself.  No recollection of what he brought outside of a sweatshirt and camera but I guarantee you he'll bring heavy winter clothes and a sleeping bag this time.  I froze him out of the room with DS1.  Damn hormones. 

4) What did you pack for baby?  Going home outfit, entire diaper bag with all sorts of things (I don't recommend this as we didn't need any of it), a couple outfits for the hospital including a jack o lantern onesie since we were there on Halloween, knit pumpkin hat from Etsy and I'm SO glad we had this for pictures.

5) Where did you place the bag? By the door? In your car? I don't remember this at all.  It was probably somewhere in our bedroom with my running list of things I wanted in it.  I went in for my 40 week appointment where my BP was still up, I had protein in my urine, and elevated liver enzymes so they told us to go straight to the hospital.  Did we have the bag in the car?  Of course not.  They let us go home for no more than 30 minutes to get stuff together.

ETA:  I also brought  a list of people I needed to notify for work like our office manager's cell phone because she wanted to update everyone and the HR phone number.  I also had a list of people DH had to text with details.  I did bring the baby book but it wasn't really needed since they did footprints on large stickers for me to put in the book myself.

If you wear contacts - BRING GLASSES.  Sometimes they will not let you keep contacts in for a CS.  They did for mine even though I had been told previously this would not be the case.  I wear night & day lenses though so it wasn't a big deal.

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mamabear214

1) When did you start packing your bag? I've heard 30 weeks is good. True? False? 

 I think I packed mine around the same time that my OB started doing checks weekly. So.. 36 weeks? I was in and out of it a lot and just tried to make sure I kept the essentials ready. But I knew I could trust my mom to go in my house with a list and get anything I found I needed. 

2) What did you pack for yourself? What are your must haves and what did you pack that you didn't really need? 
I packed comfy clothes - I know a lot of women like gowns/dresses but I was freaking freezing and was thankful for the big baggy sweats I brought to sleep in. I brought a cute gown to "visit" with everyone in but I slept in the warmer clothes. 

I also had nursing tanks/regular tanks and a cotton robe so I could kind of air dry a little after my shower post-delivery. 

Something I wish I would have had and will be bringing this time around was a light blanket for me & H. I'm not kidding when I said I was really cold - almost to the point of stiff from the low temperature. 

A hair dryer. My hair is gross if it air drys all the way so I had my mom dry my hair for me after my shower. It helped me feel cleaner & more put together after the mess delivery was.

Other things include: hair ties, a brush, some wipes for my face to freshen up with, my own loofah/rag/sponge, socks with grips on the bottom (or slippers would have worked), the softest bras I could get my hands on. A small notebook for random things - what you want to ask nurses, their answers, feedings/diapers. Anything you may need to jot down quickly. 

I also chose to bring my boppy pillow thinking it would be helpful with feedings. With my first I tore up instead of down and was sooo swollen and sore that I ended up using it to sit on in the bed to relieve some of the pressure from my bits. I brought it again with my second son and even though they just gave me an incision to reduce the risk of re-tearing in the same spot I used it to help with feedings. 

3) What did you pack for your SO? 
He packed his own bag the second time around. He brought his PSP & charger, the book we were both reading, a pillow, clothes to sleep in and his phone charger. He would just go home and shower in the morning. 

4) What did you pack for baby? 
Swaddle sacks, I can't swaddle a baby with a regular blanket to save my life. Onsies, a few of the hats I made since I don't like the hospital ones, baby book to get hand prints/foot prints. Coming home outfits in both NB & 0-3m size since I wasn't sure which size I would need.

5) Where did you place the bag? By the door? In your car? 

I left mine in my room the whole time. It wasn't heavy enough that I couldn't put it in the car myself and I needed to be able to grab things like my hair dryer and shower supplies. 

Try and leave yourself some room in one of your bags to bring home the loot they have for you at the hospital, or bring an empty folded up tote/bag in the bottom of one of your other bags. My hospitals sent me home with so much crap both times that I could have filled up almost two bags. Diapers, undies, pads, pump parts, wipes, paper work, blankets, creams, tucks pads, peri bottles.. I'm missing things, there were a lot more items that I can't recall now.

caybeh

I think I packed mine somewhere between 36-38 weeks. This is what I all had:

1) clothes for me

2) clothes for baby

3) toiletries

4) nursing pillow

5) nursing pads

6) diapers

7) robe

8) money for vending machine

9) camera and charger

10) laptop

11) baby book

12) nursing pads

13) lotion

14) playing cards (Lamaze class suggested cards for during early labor...we only got through one game, and then I couldn't focus on cards anymore)

15) clothes for DH

16) blanket for baby

17) lanolin cream

18) pillow

19) slippers

DH actually decided to go home to shower when we had DS, so I think this time I'm not bringing him much! The hospital we were at, let us keep all the diapers they had in the bassinet, so I'm not bringing diapers this time. We grabbed our phones on the way out the door. I think I had way too much stuff, and will pack a lot lighter this time.

violajack

I packed at 36 weeks after spending a few hours in L&D because my blood pressure was too high. They threatened induction if it didn't stay down or if I had any protein show up in my urine. 

I packed a nightgown with clip downs for nursing which was the best thing, slippers, maternity yoga pants for going home (amazing), some maternity shirts for going home, toiletries, hair ties. Maybe some other stuff I'm forgetting too. I kept that bag on the bench at the end of my bed. I knew I would grab all the electronics when it was actually go time. We also put a towel and a garbage bag in the car in case my water broke at home and we had to drive while I was leaking everywhere (didn't happen). 

We put the car seat base in the car at that time too. We left the car seat itself at home since we wouldn't need it until we left and we knew DH would have to go home to feed the cats at some point and he could get the seat then. We didn't want the car seat in the car in case we got in an accident before the baby came, then we'd have to replace the seat without ever using it. If something happened with just the base in the car, the car seat would still be fine and we could just replace the base whenever. 

DH packed his own bag of clothes. He was also in charge of the snack bag and made sure I had plenty of snack bars, gatorade, and other things to eat. Turns out the hospital kept delivering meals, even dinner when I was screaming along in active labor. DH ended up eating that dinner since I just couldn't, but I made him save the cake in the mini fridge. I ate the cake as soon after DS was out as I could. It was the best decision to save that cake. 

For baby we packed three outfits in different sizes (a really small nb, a larger cut nb, and a 0-3). In the end, he was swimming in the smallest outfit we packed. 

ETA: I then repacked everything the day before my induction at 41 weeks. I ended up missing my yoga pants the whole time they were stuck in that stupid bag. I'm not packing until I'm on my way to the hospital this time around. 

tamarar5

One thing to bring but you can leave in the car, grab your breast pump if you have one. Most hospitals have them, but I liked mine better. You may or may not need it, but it's nice to have if you do. My second had trouble breathing after birth (Not serious, just weezy and they had the nicu down to evaluate him) and by the time I was allowed to try and nurse, we had missed the newborn wakefulness. He basically slept 48 hour straight. The nurses and LCS wanted me to keep pumping to make sure my milk established and to try to syringe feed him and entice him to eat.

Not to scare anyone! He woke up and busted l nursed until I got my BFP when he was 10 months!

ungraceful13

1) When did you start packing your bag? I've heard 30 weeks is good. True? False? I packed at 34 weeks when I started having contractions. I was planning on being packed by 36 weeks.

2) What did you pack for yourself? What are your must haves and what did you pack that you didn't really need? I packed a couple outfits, underwear, a robe, slippers, toiletries, my own pillow, laptop with music, etc. I didn't use most of it. Didnt have time and didn't feel like getting out of my hospital gown and getting my own stuff bloody.

3) What did you pack for your SO? He had his own bag with a couple outfits, toiletries, reading material and snacks.

4) What did you pack for baby? A couple outfits

5) Where did you place the bag? By the door? In your car?By the door in my room.

Jenrileysmom

I'm just excited I'll get to use my new bag I got for Christmas. I don't see us traveling at all before LO arrives so that will probably be the first time I use it

pmpkn219

I was so anti-hospital bag. I think I packed it between 39-40 weeks, hoping it would somehow induce labor. Not effective.

We had our cells, a couple nursing tops (I ultimately chose a cami/tank), a pair of loose shorts, lounge pants and a maxi skirt, 2 nursing bras of diff sizes, several snacks (granola bars, peanuts, fruit snacks, umm... other stuff), my comb and a few backup hair elastics

For H he had a change of clothes, the laptop (we didn't have smartphones or tablets!), the cell phone chargers. For J we packed a coming home outfit, and his infant bucket was in the car (came up to my room the morning he went home).

We also lived 3/4 mile and 2 minutes from the hospital, so H went home to shower one morning and went to get a paci one night since the hospital went BF-friendly and didn't provide them anymore.

ETA: we didn't need or use/hospital provided- shower toiletries (I don't care, personal preference!), undies, maxipads, diapers, wipes, receiving blankets. I didn't actually get changed into my real clothes until the morning of discharge, I spent the preceding 36 hours or so in hospital gown, which was OK by me, given the amount of time I spent in the room and what was going on with bodily fluids!

candyland33

FTM here.... should I bring burp cloths or a feeding pillow to the hospital? I know they will have diapers wipes etc

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tamarar5

I'd bring the nursing pillow, but I've never had need of burp cloths. Maybe it's just been my babies, but I didn't think they started spitting up until my milk came in? DD was a constant puked, but it didn't start until my milk came in at day 5.

marathonmommy82

Me: toiletries, make up, nursing PJs, boppy, cell phone and charger, camera, nursing tanks, yoga pants, underwear, granola bars

MH: can pack himself

Baby: 2 going home outfits, a couple swaddlers, car seat and that's it. The hospital provides all diapers, wipes, diaper cream, etc.

candyland33

Thanks ladies! I don't want to bring everything but I want to be prepared. FTM problems!

mislogis

Don't forget a razor. The ones the hospitals have disposables will cut you up!

I'm 35 weeks and I will probably pack my bag soon? I'm likely to do it though when I go into labor. Besides my iPad, camera, phone and going home clothes, there isn't much else to bring.
Chapstick, lotion, hair products, pouf (I'm not a fan of wash clothes)

And if she is small like #2, we will use the preemie clothes. I won't pack that, I'll have dh pick out a going home outfit. He did it for both other girls took

BeachM

If anyone wants to buy a cheap pillow to bring there's a coupon on the Cartwheel app right now.  I'm not sure I want to bring my normal pillow that I use every night to the hospital with me, so I bought a Target brand pillow and a zippered pillow protector. 

ladytap

Oh my gosh thanks for posting this thread!  FTM here freaking out over what I'll need..and I'm always an over-packer so this helps me whittle my list down a lot.  Thanks ladies!