What To Pack In Our D-Day "Its Effing Go Time!!" Bags....

Momme4life

I'm packing toiletries,lots of big granny panties, nursing pass and sanitary napkins, gowns, a robe to walk the halls in (c_section) some slippers my phone and tablet plus chargers. Diapers and onesies, socks, mittens and sleepers for baby, a going home outfit and a picture outfit and my good camera.

mamajack86

I used EVERYTHING the hospital had to offer. I packed myself a couple of nursing tanks and a going home comfy outfit, then I packed toiletries. My H on the other hand was the one who packed the most. He had clothes, laptop, movies, etc., realistically he was the one who needed stuff. We had a going home outfit for our son but we hadn't anticipated he would be so tiny, and the newborn clothes were a little big.
This time around ill pack the same for myself, H will probably bring less electronics/movies (he hardly used anything). But we will bring snacks! Going to the vending machine and cafeteria was expensive, although I think H liked the excuse to go walk around (he felt so guilty leaving me alone, although I didn't mind).
I also didn't pack my bag until we left for the hospital. I had everything in a specific drawer in our bedroom. In the event I had to go after a doc apt my sister knew where to grab my things.

krayz

Hey drudolph 11
Where in Texas r u? I had my first 2 babies in Chicago. This is my first time in Texas too. Going to a new hospital and environment seems like the first time altogether.

adoo

I plan on packing my bag in January after I take my birthing class and maternity tour! This thread is awesome and will be coming back!

I do have a question, on some articles I've read on tips they say to use multiple bags to pack. One for baby one for labor and one for after, is that too much?

JenLa21

I was so happy to have brought pillows. The hospital ones suck and you never know how long you will labor. I labored for 22 hours with my son. Once I had my epidural, I slept On and off, but my poor H was trying To rest in a reclining chair. So think about your partner's comfort (and boredom) too when you pack.

I am also on team Take All The Things! Especially the witch hAzel pads and the spray they give you, and definitely the peri bottle. Every time You get a new nurse, ask them for more tucks lol. I had a minor tear, and one of my stitches wasn't healing properly so those were a lifesaver at home. When I ran out, I tried to make my own because I couldn't find them at the pharmacy. It was not successful.

This list has been great. Reminding me of things I forgot about. Like the hospital towels that are the size of dish towels!! Come on now!!!

One weird one, I will bring multiple toothbrushes this time. I was so nauseous in labor. I got sick so many times, and I couldn't stand the thought of using my own toothbrush post delivery, that I had used after throwing up so much.

No one ever told me about the nausea. I thought that the epidural sometimes makes you sick, but it started for me as soon as my contractions got bad. And it was a lot. It was awful. That's honestly what I'm dreading

LBeez13

I just took clothes for me and baby. Charger, book, etc. The hospital provided me with stuff for recovery like witch hazel pads, disposable underwear, pads, etc.

This time, I will probably pack more snacks because I was starving last time and would usually have to wait for meals.

sdion27

Boppy was very helpful for me,  my own pillow (I brought my smaller, brookstone NAP pillow), toothbrush, shower stuff, make-up (and yes I did put on make-up and it made me feel awesome!), slipper socks/slippers, camera/phone charger/ipad, DH might want a change of clothes, baby's going home outfit plus maybe another onezie/sleeper, carseat.  I think nowadays all hospital's provide the necessary feminie products you'll need (and take extra's too!) as well as diapers, etc for baby.

sdion27

igl08 said:

How long did the vaginal soreness last for you STMs?

Soreness probably lasted around a week which was when I was able to stop using the peri-bottle.  Sex was uncomfortable for at least 4-6 months! Don't even try it until 6-8weeks PP (per doc's recommendations). I'm sure soreness depends on vaginal birth or c-section as well as the degree of tearing as well. I just had a minor tear with DD#1

gnomemom

Get yourself some new pajamas that are nursing friendly, if you're planning on BFing. Plus a new robe and fuzzy slipper socks. I did that last time and it felt fantastic to put on comfy new jammies.

Bring an extra, empty bag to put hospital freebies in. Load up regularly with ice packs, mesh underwear, and whatever else they provide. The nurses will just keep bringing you more. They generally are happy to help you out.

Don't forget chargers for whatever electronic devices you want to bring.

Hard candy to suck on before delivery.

Games or books to keep you entertained before delivery. DH and I took a card game.

Basic toiletries, obvs.

 

ErickaJesicka

akj166 said:

I was thinking about bringing a cooler...anyone done that or heard of anyone doing that?  

We did this when we had DD. It was AMAZING! Our hospital was under a bit of construction when we were there and it was a long walk to the cafeteria so it was super convenient to have everything there in the room with us. DH brought lots of bottled water and snacks. I actually heard about this on our hospital tour before we had DD and it was one of the best recommendations ever.

DM718

adoo said:

... I do have a question, on some articles I've read on tips they say to use multiple bags to pack. One for baby one for labor and one for after, is that too much?

I'm thinking I'll just try to put the stuff for during labor at the top of my duffle bag (all I can think of for "during" is snacks for my husband, massage oil / lotion, lip balm, distractions like a book or ipad).  Next layer down - toiletries.  Bottom - clothes.   

kellbell1982

drudolph11 said:

Darbie914 said:

drudolph11 said:

Wow this has been really great. I have a very "newbie" question. Can someone please explain to me what the water bottle is for after you give birth? I have seen a lot of people posting about using the water bottle after giving birth. What is that for?? From what I can guess from reading it might have something to do with helping to pee....Thanks!!

From friends who've had vaginal births, the area is extremely sore and tender after giving birth.  The water bottle is used to clean yourself off after you pee and also to help with the stinging from the urine as you pee.  Also, they said that the warm water felt amazing.

Awl ok yea this is kinda what I had in mind but yea I can see how pushing a baby out of your vagina can make things a tab bit sore and uncomfortable down there. I really think that is my biggest labor fear, how my vagina is going to feel afterwards. Im not even scared of the labor pains or contractions or anything, nope, just my sore vagina lol


It's definitely sore as all hell and swollen really bad. My labia looked like testicles they were that swollen! The peri bottle helps so much and they usually give you witch hazel pads to wipe down there with too. Funny thing is whenever I smell witch hazel now I have horrible flashbacks of my labor and delivery with dd even ten years down the line. The bad news is that it's incredible uncomfortable and with the bleeding you can feel gross but thankfully it's temporary and within a few days of delivery, everything is much much better so don't be afraid.

drudolph11

@BBNut yup and that would make sense. The person who told me this had a daughter who was 4lbs at birth so maybe they don't do this for everyone!

kellbell1982

I'm bringing baby outfits in size newborn and preemie because at 6lb6oz my dd was swimming in the newborn size outfit forget about 0 to 3 mos! I recommend bringing a few different sizes just in case because I was shocked by how little she actually was when the clothes looked so tiny to me and yet were huge on her

drudolph11

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

lawsonellis

drudolph11 said:

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

Yep that's me!

kcbizme

lawsonellis said:

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

Yep that's me!

I'm in TX too. @lawsonellis, where are you in TX?

lawsonellis

kcbizme said:

lawsonellis said:

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

Yep that's me!

I'm in TX too. @lawsonellis, where are you in TX?

Houston! Kinda central- near Rice Village. What about you?

ETA: premature submission. Happens to the best of us.

kcbizme

lawsonellis said:

kcbizme said:

lawsonellis said:

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

Yep that's me!

I'm in TX too. @lawsonellis, where are you in TX?

Houston! Kinda central- near Rice Village. What about you?

ETA: premature submission. Happens to the best of us.

Fort Worth - right near TCU.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

meganbrent2013

When is everyone starting to pack theyre bags for the hospital? At how far along? Ive been getting excited and wanting to start packing now but think ill need things I pack. Lol

drudolph11

meganbrent2013 said:

When is everyone starting to pack theyre bags for the hospital? At how far along? Ive been getting excited and wanting to start packing now but think ill need things I pack. Lol

I was thinking prob mid to late Feb but it's all gonna depend on your due date obviously. I'm due right smack dab in the middle of March. Depending on how I'm feeling i will really prob wait longer than that. From everything i have read I'm more likely to go late then early so thats the chance I'm taking

DM718

meganbrent2013 said:

When is everyone starting to pack theyre bags for the hospital? At how far along? Ive been getting excited and wanting to start packing now but think ill need things I pack. Lol

I think I'll start putting aside things that I'll need after birth but don't plan on using until then (ie, nursing tanks, pjs) as I get them.  I'll probably grab the rest when I'm in labor - from what I hear, I'm likely to be at home for a while before going to the hospital.  I was warned about my plan - my dental hygienist just had a baby, and she was sent straight to L&D after a regular appointment, they decided to induce due to her blood pressure.  All she had with her was what was in her purse (and everything did work out - the biggest issue was that she was bored senseless until labor picked up).

Anyways, my parents, my inlaws, and my sister all live nearby and have access to my house, and someone has take care of the pets.  If I'm not "ready" or forget anything, we'll be able to have someone get us stuff, and the hospital reassured us that the only essential item they don't have for you is the carseat.  The only bag that really has to be ready to go is Kris' camera & accessories.  

meganbrent2013

Im due at the beginning of the month. This is baby number 3, my last two came early so thats what I think is going to happen with this one too.

RMama2012

Last time and will pack again-  going home outfits for me and baby, nice pjs for me once I was able to shower (ones that will look nice in photos), makeup, hairdryer (yup, roll your eyes all you want), chapstick, hair ties, nursing bra, note pad (to record labor details/track nursing), nice toiletries(hosp had everything though), snacks (walnuts, granola bars, and dried fruit), flip flops, cell/camera and chargers, <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

Didn’t need- my own pads,  baby blankets, paci, socks, diapers. My hospital gave me everything plus enough to take home for a week which is when I needed the tucks, ice pack pads, etc.  I didN'T need to bring or buy anything.

 

Will bring- boppy pillow

 

Count me in as having more swelling in my feet afterwards than before.

 

Also, the subject of this thread made me LOL because in the majority of labors, you leave and still dont have the baby for hours and hours.  It's not really a rush to the hospital for most people like it is on TV.

drudolph11

I see the point that some of you made about the fact that its not like in the movies where you run out the door and what not and can labor at home for a little while which will give you time to pack but for me i feel like i still want to have everything packed ahead of time just to know that its done. I just feel like that is just one less thing i can have to stress about on that day considering this is my first and im gonna be a frantic mess that day to begin with lol just knowing that the stuff is packed and that i didn't forget anything will give me some comfort lol Although i do need to remember that i live 10 minutes from the hospital and if we do happen to need something from our house then it will be no problem for someone to run home and get it lol

kcbizme

drudolph11 said:

I see the point that some of you made about the fact that its not like in the movies where you run out the door and what not and can labor at home for a little while which will give you time to pack but for me i feel like i still want to have everything packed ahead of time just to know that its done. I just feel like that is just one less thing i can have to stress about on that day considering this is my first and im gonna be a frantic mess that day to begin with lol just knowing that the stuff is packed and that i didn't forget anything will give me some comfort lol Although i do need to remember that i live 10 minutes from the hospital and if we do happen to need something from our house then it will be no problem for someone to run home and get it lol

I'm too much of a planner to wait until the last minute. My bags will probably be packed at the beginning of February. There's a very good possibility I will go out and buy another pair of whatever pants I decide to take just so I can keep wearing my comfy ones.. And then I will probably unpack and re-pack the bag at least twice.

colleen4019

kcbizme said:

drudolph11 said:

I see the point that some of you made about the fact that its not like in the movies where you run out the door and what not and can labor at home for a little while which will give you time to pack but for me i feel like i still want to have everything packed ahead of time just to know that its done. I just feel like that is just one less thing i can have to stress about on that day considering this is my first and im gonna be a frantic mess that day to begin with lol just knowing that the stuff is packed and that i didn't forget anything will give me some comfort lol Although i do need to remember that i live 10 minutes from the hospital and if we do happen to need something from our house then it will be no problem for someone to run home and get it lol

I'm too much of a planner to wait until the last minute. My bags will probably be packed at the beginning of February. There's a very good possibility I will go out and buy another pair of whatever pants I decide to take just so I can keep wearing my comfy ones.. And then I will probably unpack and re-pack the bag at least twice.

Me too. Exactly this. I already started a list & I can't wait to pack stuff up.

drudolph11

colleen4019 said:

kcbizme said:

drudolph11 said:

I see the point that some of you made about the fact that its not like in the movies where you run out the door and what not and can labor at home for a little while which will give you time to pack but for me i feel like i still want to have everything packed ahead of time just to know that its done. I just feel like that is just one less thing i can have to stress about on that day considering this is my first and im gonna be a frantic mess that day to begin with lol just knowing that the stuff is packed and that i didn't forget anything will give me some comfort lol Although i do need to remember that i live 10 minutes from the hospital and if we do happen to need something from our house then it will be no problem for someone to run home and get it lol

I'm too much of a planner to wait until the last minute. My bags will probably be packed at the beginning of February. There's a very good possibility I will go out and buy another pair of whatever pants I decide to take just so I can keep wearing my comfy ones.. And then I will probably unpack and re-pack the bag at least twice.

Me too. Exactly this. I already started a list & I can't wait to pack stuff up.

Only twice @kcbizme‌ lol i will pack and re pack and re check and second guess my self and question my choices about 50 times lol i will prob also go out and but new sweatpants for the occasion cuz i love sweatpants anyway along with a few other things i prob already have but want to buy new just cuz lol in fact i will prob start making a list here soon as well lol

ST3WD

drudolph11 said:

When is everyone starting to pack theyre bags for the hospital? At how far along? Ive been getting excited and wanting to start packing now but think ill need things I pack. Lol

I was thinking prob mid to late Feb but it's all gonna depend on your due date obviously. I'm due right smack dab in the middle of March. Depending on how I'm feeling i will really prob wait longer than that. From everything i have read I'm more likely to go late then early so thats the chance I'm taking

So 2-4 weeks before your EDD is probably the best time to pack? I've got a little list going and will be keeping an eye out for sales being the holiday season and all.

(I want to see a specific thread where we AW anything cute or something someone may eye-roll especially for L&D. Is that weird?)

drudolph11

ST3WD said:

drudolph11 said:

When is everyone starting to pack theyre bags for the hospital? At how far along? Ive been getting excited and wanting to start packing now but think ill need things I pack. Lol

I was thinking prob mid to late Feb but it's all gonna depend on your due date obviously. I'm due right smack dab in the middle of March. Depending on how I'm feeling i will really prob wait longer than that. From everything i have read I'm more likely to go late then early so thats the chance I'm taking

So 2-4 weeks before your EDD is probably the best time to pack? I've got a little list going and will be keeping an eye out for sales being the holiday season and all.

(I want to see a specific thread where we AW anything cute or something someone may eye-roll especially for L&D. Is that weird?)

No I think that would be hilarious and fun and would prob get a decent amount of posts lol we will have to remember that for February sometime when we are bored and M15 gets slow. Well from what I heard the board starts to slow down a little during the 3rd tri until people start giving birth lol. It would give us a good refresher for what to take to the hospital too!

CarterWA

The hospital I'm going to just updated their delivery wing so all the rooms are private so my H will be able to stay with us the whole time. And I'm not sure about other hospitals but I think most of the time FTM are required to stay their first night. But I could be wrong. It looks like you got a lot of great ideas from the ladies on here but if you still want some more ideas you can always google it. That's what I did last time I delivered. The one thing I wanted to advise on, that I wish someone would've told me was after you deliver and your first couple days you are a bloody mess downstairs! For me the first day or so was really awful! I mean I knew I would bleed but I didn't realize just how much lol So just bring pads and tons of them! Lol

CarterWA

Oh well shoot that's an even beter idea! I will have to do the same. Thanks for that

ST3WD

RQuinlin said:

In reference to the bloody mess downstairs mentioned ^^^^, I have something you don't need for your hospital bag, but will want the day you come home. I would highly recommend getting some medical bed pads for your house. You can put them under you on any furniture you're sitting/laying on and when you get a sudden rush of blood that overfills your pads your couch/sheets/etc. are protected from it. For me the first few days bleeding were like a really heavy period on steroids. Huge amounts of blood would suddenly gush and then it would slow to a trickle for awhile. You never knew when it would happen, but it often overflowed a brand new pad.

I didn't even think about the furniture yet. @-) Do you think the training pads for puppies are absorbant enough? I already have some of those...

meandthebirds

Tacocatmom said:

@lawsonellis‌ & @kcbizme‌ I'm in Austin, but I work in Houston all the time.

I'm a texas mom too. North Texas .

Is there anyway to favorite this for later?

meandthebirds

Carmar3 said:

Odd question.. I heard a rumor depends adult diapers are good for those first few days....... Anyone here try those? Seems a bit much but hell whatever works right?

I heard this also , one person on here said they Will use depends. It seems like the best option if you don't want to mess things up. Anyone here use mumus (is that how you spell that?) while in the hospital?

meandthebirds

kcbizme said:

lawsonellis said:

kcbizme said:

lawsonellis said:

drudolph11 said:

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

Yep that's me!

I'm in TX too. @lawsonellis, where are you in TX?

Houston! Kinda central- near Rice Village. What about you?

ETA: premature submission. Happens to the best of us.

Fort Worth - right near TCU.

Have you ever tried the food truck salsas on berry street?

DragonflyDreaming

My questions!

-If you ended up with a C Section, did you bring a band, or do they constrict with hospital padding? Or do they wait to constrict until after you leave the hospital?
-Did you use a pacifier? Was it provided by the hospital or did you bring your own?
-Stupid question, but what are the pads for? Stitches bleeding? Or do we continue to bleed for a while after vaginal delivery?

I now have a huge list compiled from this thread, lol!

kcbizme

thetoms said:

lawsonellis said:

kcbizme said:

lawsonellis said:

@krayz im not in Texas im in Maryland lol I think you might have me confused with @lawsonellis she is in Texas (im only sharing that because she has posted that fact on this thread)

Yep that's me!

I'm in TX too. @lawsonellis, where are you in TX?

Houston! Kinda central- near Rice Village. What about you?

ETA: premature submission. Happens to the best of us.

Fort Worth - right near TCU.

Have you ever tried the food truck salsas on berry street?

No but this sounds like something I need to investigate! Where are you @thetoms?

Robi1

For during labor: bathrobe, genie bra, chapstick, water bottle, OJ or other drink, crackers or some other light snack, cameras

For DD: diaper bag for her with change of clothes, toys, books, food, etc for her

For postpartum: pads, tucks, ice packs, peri bottle, underwear, cooler and ice for placenta, yoga pants, nursing tank, zip up sweatshirt

For baby: 4 diapers, 2 covers, sleeper or onesie, socks and pants, hat, blanket, baby book to get footprints put in

For car: carseat, blanket 

Our birth center stay will be short, so I don't plan to pack any toiletries or too much other stuff. I prefer less to deal with.