October 2018 Moms

The Hospital Bag

If we are gonna have a postpartum thread... I guess it's time for a hospital bag thread. Less than 3 months for some of us...  :open_mouth:


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Re: The Hospital Bag

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  • Good suggestion @arome2311 ! I bought a black one for that very reason. 
  • Things might be a bit different in Canada with what the hospitals provide/don't provide. I just remember on the hospital tour they told us if we remembered anything at all: diapers, wipes & a pen LOL. 

    I didn't pack much for my first. 
    Robe
    Pajamas
    Shampoo/conditioner/hairbrush
    Slip on shoes
    Phone/charger/camera
    Pen/notepad
    Diapers/wipes
    2 outfits for baby
    Blanket for carseat
    Soother

    Things i wish I had brought:
    My own towel
    Lip chap
    Music/headphones
    My own breast pump
  • I think all this depends on your baby too. I thought I was going to be able to wear the same outfit for like 2 days. Both times that did not work out. DS spit up all over me and then DD peed all over me. And then I had to wear a hospital gown. Not doing that again. I want to feel as good about myself as possible and that includes making myself look presentable in comfortable and nursing friendly clothing. 
    DS  12-1-2014
    DD 10-29-2016
    #3 due 10-13-2018
  • I’m in agreement that less is more. Phone and charger, robe, change of clothes, hair ties and chapstick.
  • Two suggestions that I’ve seen elsewhere that really make sense to me are comfortable non-skid slippers for when you are walking around and an extension cord so you can still use your phone when it is on the charger even though the plug is 5’ from the bed.  
  • I went in to be induced on wednesday afternoon and stayed until friday. You aren't always there for a short time sometimes. So bring clothes for multiple days. The clothes I brought sat in my hospital bag so long it started to stink and someone brought me and SO some shirts for the days there.
  • @knottieamusements I just bought 2 10' phone charging cables last week for this exact purpose! I've heard outlets can be scarce or in crap locations. 

    question... obviously this is completely dependent on the hospital, but did anyone upgrade to a suite or know someone who did? Curious if it's worth it.
  • @jammerjams the hospital I’m delivering at is all the same. Private birthing rooms and private recovery rooms for all moms. What do you mean by upgrading to a suite?
  • Depending on how far you are from the hospital, I’d bring my bag to have in the car during appointments. I way overpacked for my first, although I stayed in the hospital the longest with him at a week, plus an
    extra 3 days in a Ronald McDonald type house after I was discharged because he was in NICU. We were over an hour and a half from home. I went to my 36 week appointment and was sent straight to L&D, and I didn’t have my bag. My husband had to go home because our dog sitter was camping so he went to get me a phone charger, drove home then came back the next day. He did that until they induced, like three days later. I stayed in the hospital clothing though until after birth. With my daughter, we went in for my final NST but something told me to just go ahead and bring the bag so I did and once again,
    I was sent to L&D right after the appointment. We were about an hour from our hospital. 

    This time around, we’re only 20 minutes away so my husband can run home and grab the bag or we can easily have my parents do it so I’m not going to stress. 

    Here’s what I packed the 2nd time:
    For me-
    2 sets of clothes to wear in the hospital
    1 set of clothes to go home in
    toiletries
    hair brush
    ipad
    chargers
    nursing pads
    flip flops for the shower 

    For baby:
    3 newborn outfits (which was good because it was winter and I didn’t feel that the clothes the hospital had was warm enough)
    3 0-3 outfits 
    Extra diapers (for going home... we stopped by my inlaws to get our son so I knew we’d be there for a bit)
    nursing cover
    diaper bag (again, because we weren’t going straight home)
    car seat

    for H:
    he was in charge of his own bag! 
  • @mommy2ane When you say "2 sets of clothes to wear in the hospital", do you mean something like a nightgown or pajamas?
  • Ftm here but I saw in another BMB to bring your own pillow with a pretty case for pictures and comfort, I'm gonna splurge on a pretty robe for after the mess of birth as well(: so far my list has
    Clothes for me
    Clothes for DH 
    Clothes for the babies
    Chargers and a multi plug in extension cord
    Speaker
    Nursing sleep bra
    Boppy -staying in the car
    A tandem nursing pillow
    Hairbrush, make up, toiletries
    Water bottles
    Cash
    Chapstick 
    Notebook
    Dirty clothes bag
    Personal fan(: 

  • @mamabearcj if you are planning the robe for the hospital just an FYI You will be bleeding. Might want to stick with a dark color or save the pretty robe for a few weeks after delivery.
  • @sliztee I include pajamas in that. Just clothes that’ll help you feel more like you that you can wear to walk around or even for visitors. 
  • @cdepperschmidt the hospitals here have an option to upgrade to a more private larger suite for like $300+/night extra (!!) . I don't know much else (haven't taken a tour yet), just curious if that's a common thing or not! I think most people do it if they have a lot of family coming in to visit. Most of mine is local, so they can come and go at different times so they don't overwhelm me, so it may not be worth it.
  • So, as a second time mom I will impart my wisdom here. Oh wait, I went into labor 2 weeks early and DH packed my bag while I took a shower before going to the hospital. 

    What did I use?

    -Light robe 
    -My comfy blanky (I’m a child, I know)
    -Hair brush
    -Spa toiletries (aka stuff I jacked from a nice hotel
    -iPad with movies loaded (49 hours of labor and this was CLUTCH)
    -Deck of cards (we had an epic War tourney with DH and a few nurses)
    -Pillow (although DH used this not me...so maybe bring 2 pillows?)
    -Comfy oversized “period clothes” (y’all know what I mean)
    -Extra clothes for DH
    -Toothbrush
    -DH totally forgot to grab baby clothes (which was fine because DS was in NICU and couldn’t wear them right away anyway) so this time I think we’ll try and remember that
    -Cash for vending machines
    -Hair Tie
    -Formula
    -Chapstick
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • @jammerjams I would take the hospital tour and see what the difference is. If that’s the only way to get a private room then definitely, but otherwise I would get more info. Our rooms were big enough to accommodate visitors, but not so large that the visitors felt they could put up their feet and stay all day. 
  • I like the idea of packing baby's stuff in a diaper bag.
  • @sammierose464 - Totally an idea I’m stealing from some random Mommy blog.  Since my hospital provides everything baby needs during the stay, I don’t see any reason to try to keep up with xer stuff.  
  • I have never packed much. Toothbrush/toothpaste (travel size), clothes for baby and me, phone charger and comfy underwear. This time I do plan to bring a longer robe than what the offer at the hospital for when I'm walking around laboring. My husband won't stay the night because we have no one to keep our younger kids so he can manage his own needs lol. Car seat will already be in the car. At our hospital they come out to the car to check the seat so you don't have to drag it up with you.
  • lest12lest12 member

    I brought maternity yoga shorts, too.  I  can't sleep in pants and was really hot after birth, so the shorts were my lifesaver.

    I also agree, a robe is nice - but again, I was sweating so I would bring something lighter.

    Nursing cami's are great for when you have company, but for the rest of the time, I liked the cotton nursing sleep bras like this: https://www.amazon.com/VEAMI-Nursing-Sleep-Bra/dp/B00YJQW3GU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_193_lp_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=N888KCNKMQBFQFQ55WM3

    Skin-to-skin is so awesome at this time and I thought the cami's got in the way of that.

     

    Other than that... something to go home in.  Something to take the baby home in.  Toiletries that you would bring to a hotel.  Comfy slippers, possibly cheap ones in a size up (my feet were super swollen and my regular ones were too tight). 

     

    image        image

  • If you know someone who has given birth recently at the hospital or center you plan on giving birth at, i would ask them what is provided.  I know i was surprised by how much our hospital provided - specifically the super warm no slip socks, as well as compression socks.  They also sent us home with diapers, creams, a manual breast pump, tons of stuff.  I will for sure be packing light this time around.  

    +1 for the cotton sleep bras.  I just wore those, mesh underwear, and a robe the whole time.  I had a c-section, and it was way too painful to put on anything different.  


  • bel194bel194 member
    The main thing we forgot with DD was stuff for DH like a phone charger, snacks, a toothbrush, etc.  He had to run back home to grab stuff which was fine, but a hassle.  I also really liked having my own pillow and slippers there.  And evidently a UO- I was not a fan of the mesh panties.  They fit me really weird, like they were falling down in some spots and too tight in others.  I will be bringing my own granny panties this time around. I also want to echo what others are saying about overpacking!  We got so much stuff while we were in the hospital like flowers, gifts, balloons, diapers/formula that the hospital gave us (on top of the bags that we brought) that we had to make 3 separate trips to the car when we were leaving.  

    In my last BMB several ladies brought stuff to write a letter to their baby while they were in labor- I didn't, but I might still this idea this time around!  
    BFP #1: due 6/17/2013, DD born 6/25/13
    BFP #2: due 6/30/2017, MMC found 12/7/2016
    BFP #3: due 10/21/2018 
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