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March 2023 Moms
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Product Spotlight: Hospital/Birth Bag Essentials

miss_lynn9miss_lynn9 member
in March 2023 Moms
This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... Hospital/birth place bag essentials 

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed. 

For S+TMs: 
- If you're comfortable sharing, where have you birthed and where do you plan on birthing this pregnancy? 
- Aspects that will affect your birth bag
- What are the essential items you want with you for your birth. 
- What items have you brought with you and didn't need? 

For FTMs
- What items are you interested in bringing?
- What questions do you have? 



Next up: Postpartum mom essentials 
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Re: Product Spotlight: Hospital/Birth Bag Essentials

  • miss_lynn9miss_lynn9 member
    edited December 2022
    My first birth was a water birth at the hospital with a midwife. I got there at 1am, baby was born at 7am, and I left at 9am. I'm planning a hospital water birth again. 

    Since I didn't have a long stay, I didn't bring too much with me. 

    Must haves for mom and dad:
    - food: even though I was allowed, I didn't eat at all. MW gave me a smoothie after baby was born and I had to drink it all. It was a labour smoothie, I have no idea what was in it. We did bring sandwiches and granola bars so husband eat. 
    - Electrolyte drink 
    - Change of clothes including bra and underwear. I was able to wear a dress last time but it will be too cold, so I'll be bringing comfy pants. 
    - lip balm
    - phone charger 

    Must haves for baby: 
    - all I brought for her were two outfits, one was NB size the other was 0-3 months since I didn't know what would fit.
    - Hat 
    - Blanket 

    Things I brought but didn't use 
    - essential oils. Although I would like to try to use them this time. 
    - personal care products for showering. I ended up just wanting to get home and showered at home instead.

    Things I want to bring
    - speaker. I'm taking the hypnobabies hypnobirthing class so I'll need that 
    - change of clothes for husband. We had an unfortunate scenario where I ended up bleeding all over him. They gave him a pair of scrubs to change into. My MW said that's the first and last time she put people in that position so hopefully it doesn't happen again, but just in case lol
    - birth ball 
    - birth affirmations

    Report Reply
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  • WishilivedinfloridaWishilivedinflorida member
    If you're comfortable sharing, where have you birthed and where do you plan on birthing this pregnancy? 

    Hospital birth and will be planning on epidural and staying two nights. I fully plan on using nursery care to get some rest before going home to a house full of kids, noise, and no sleep. 

    - Aspects that will affect your birth bag

    I hate the scratchy hospital gowns so prefer my own clothes once the birth is over. 

    - What are the essential items you want with you for your birth. 

    Phone and charger, comfy nursing friendly clothes for after birth, boppy for nursing, basic toiletries, chapstick. Slippers or grippy socks for hallway walking before I get the epidural. 

    - What items have you brought with you and didn't need? 

    Headphones (I prefer silence while laboring), iPad/laptop. I prefer to have minimal other
    sensory input while feeling that pain, and once the epidural is placed I typically birth in under an hour. If things go how they have historically for me before, I’m planning a short labor, because I’ll get the epi a lot sooner. 

    Most of the stuff I plan on packing will be for baby (swaddles, going home outfit, pacifier). 
    Report Reply
  • heytallmamaheytallmama member
    For S+TMs: 
    - If you're comfortable sharing, where have you birthed and where do you plan on birthing this pregnancy? 
    Hospital c-section, stayed 4 days. While that one wasn’t a planned C-section until the day before I had her due to a complication, I am electing a c section and planning on another 4 day stay this go around, too. 

    - Aspects that will affect your birth bag
    Length of stay, c section. 
    - What are the essential items you want with you for your birth. 
    A planned C-section at our hospital = rolling in with just your wallet and phone. All other items stay in the car until after delivery and you’re moved to a recovery room. For my recovery, all chargers, my emotional support water bottle, my toiletries (that first shower is heaven), head phones, comfortable underwear, warm socks, nursing tanks, my own robe/ open cardigan so I can feel more like me, leggings. It sounds vain but my flat iron and minimal make up- I got the sweats so bad and it fucked up my hair and I just wanted to look a little more confident and like me so being able to tame it a bit. Breast pump (clutch for nursery care). Fruit snacks and granola bars. Hair ties. 

    For baby: newborn and 0-3 outfit, hat, blanket/ swaddle. We did wind up having the Boppy which was nice as I got used to nursing. 

    - What items have you brought with you and didn't need? 
    Hmmm we kept it pretty minimal. If anything our pillows from home were unnecessary. 
    Report Reply
  • firecracker_mamafirecracker_mama member
     S+TMs: 
    - If you're comfortable sharing, where have you birthed and where do you plan on birthing this pregnancy? 

    Hospital for #1 and will repeat for #2

    - Aspects that will affect your birth bag

    Weather. We live in a cold environment so I'll need something somewhat adequate to go home in a snow storm in.

    - What are the essential items you want with you for your birth. 

    For birth: I used what the hospital had. I didn't want extra laundry from bloody birth clothes. I'm glad I brought a zipper baby swaddle because I just can't do the blanket swaddle. I also brought a paci because Baby friendly hospitals don't do offer them bc of "nipple confusion" which hasn't been proven a real thing by science and it reduces SIDS risks. I'm also glad I brought a nursing pillow. Regardless of how you feed, it's great for supporting your arms and body mechanics while holding baby.

    - What items have you brought with you and didn't need? 
    For birth, I brought my own "clear liquids" since I knew the hospital chicken broth was gross. It was unnecessary but funny to see the bouillon in my birth photos🤣
    FTM
    July 4th
    Report Reply
  • marebear15marebear15 member
    For S+TMs: 
    - If you're comfortable sharing, where have you birthed and where do you plan on birthing this pregnancy? I've always birthed in a hospital that has a Level 4 NICU. I used a labor tub with my 1st, but none of my subsequent.
    - Aspects that will affect your birth bag. I prefer my own stuff even if some is provided by the hospital.
    - What are the essential items you want with you for your birth. 
    1. I love my own robe. I hate the hospital gowns that I can wrap around myself 3x and are scratchy. A plain cheap robe from Walmart has always done the trick. I've gotten IVs, monitoring, epidurals, and even a c-section in it.
    2. My own toiletries. My hospital provides pads, mesh underwear, and spray, but that's it. So I bring my own hair stuff, body wash, etc. And then I prefer my own pads and underwear.
    3. A paci and swaddles for the baby. My hospital doesn't provide pacis, and I like my zippered swaddles over the blankets.
    4. My own comfy clothes, and my baby's clothes. I just feel more comfortable wearing my stuff, and I hate having the baby naked with just a blanket.
    - What items have you brought with you and didn't need? I actually don't think I've ever over packed. I've under packed and had to get my husband and sister to pick up stuff for me.

    Report Reply
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