Tuesday, April 9, 2019

What's in My Hospital Bag?

Before having Marlowe, I searched the internet trying to figure out what I needed to bring to the hospital when I had her.  This time around with Briar, I knew what I needed and what was completely unnecessary! I had a C-Section with both girls, so my hospital stay was 4 days long, therefore my hospital bag was a bit larger.  Regardless, you'll find something on this list that you need with either type of delivery!

For You

1. Dwell and Slumber Dress
My favorite piece of clothing during pregnancy AND postpartum.  This dress is the perfect outfit to wear home!  They are made to be forgiving of your postpartum body, they have buttons for nursing, they have pockets, and you can sleep in them OR wear them out.  They are a little pricy but honestly I have 5 pairs that are literally just on rotation currently.  I like to wear a hat with mine when I go out, or tie up the bottom.  I wore my pink Dwell and Slumber home from the hospital!

2. Long Robe
They like to make you walk around the hospital post C-Section so a long robe is nice and cozy to wear while you are there and covers everything up!

3. Depends
Instead of wearing those wonderful pads and panties the hospital provides, just buy a pack of Depends (aka adult diapers lol).  If you've had a baby before then you know how much stuff comes out of you post delivery (you bleed for 4-6 weeks after a C-Section!) and wearing a pad is pretty annoying.  They have a slim fit version that are actually really comfortable!

4. Shower Flip Flops
Because hospital showers are gross, buy a cheapo pair of Old Navy flip flops.

5. Nursing Nightgown
You don't need to search for a nightgown that is labeled "nursing" because the second you do that, the price doubles.  I love this nightgown linked because it's easy to pull down and it has pockets. 

6. Nursing Bra
These are my favorite nursing bras (and I've tried a ton!).  I like them because the pads DON'T come out, unlike every other nursing bra out there.  Or, just bring some comfortable sports bras (but buy them bigger because nursing boobs are WAY bigger than your pregnant boobs, trust me!).

7. iPad
The hospital TVs are usually pretty crappy, so bring your iPad so you can watch Netflix easily while you're up all night nursing the baby!

8.  Heating Pad
If you're having a C-Section, your whole body is basically in pain afterwards.  I loved having my heating pad on my back and my stomach when the pain meds started wearing off.  This was a must for me!

9.  Polaroid Camera
If you have one of those Instax polaroid cameras at home, bring it! They are super fun to have immediate little pictures printed out that you can pop right into your little one's baby book! And obviously if you have a digital camera, bring that too!

For Baby

10.  Baby Nail File
I am sooo glad I brought this for Briar.  Since you aren't supposed to cut a newborn's nails till they are about 3-4 weeks old because the skin is still stuck to the nail, you CAN file them so they won't scratch their face!  I was told by my pediatrician to never cover my babies hands with those little mittens because a newborn learns through touch.  Therefore, it's better to just file those nails instead!

11. Pretty Swaddle
Bring a cute swaddle for a few hospital pictures instead of the ones the hospital provides.  This of course is just for picture purposes and the car ride home!

12. Name/Special Onsie
We bought one of these Cheerily onsies for Briar and I love it.  It was fun to have in the hospital for a few pictures.  Alternatively you could bring a letterboard to announce their name, or something else personalized!

13. Boppy Pillow
If you are new to nursing, this pillow is super helpful to get the proper position.  However, in the hospital this time it was great to have for all the visitors to sit down and hold the baby comfortably.  It was also so great for Marlowe to be able to hold her baby sister too!

14. Baby Coming Home Outfit
When planning their coming home outfit you want something comfortable that doesn't bother their umbilical cord.  I love H&M basics for this!

15. Baby Balm
Ok I know I talk about this stuff all the time, but I'm so glad I had it with me this time in the hospital!  Not only was I constantly rubbing it on my nursing nipples (and let me tell you they didn't get all dried out this time!) but I kept putting it on Briar's dry skin.  Babies always come out with this flaky skin and I felt completely comfortable putting this on her because of all the natural, safe ingredients. 

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