the hospital bag post

the last 2 months of my pregnancy, i scoured other blogs and pinterest for hospital bag packing lists. some of them were ridiculous (seriously, you're going for 4 days not 2 months!) and some seemed a little too low-maintenance (really? you want to just wear that itchy hospital gown for 4 days? not me.) i found some really great ideas (depends adult diapers instead of hospital mesh underpants and thunderpads! GENIUS!) and some absurd ones (like, who has time to write thank-you notes and write in their journal in the hospital?! i certainly did not.) i also brought some things that were nowhere to be found on any list that were LIFESAVERS; and then i found myself wishing i had some things that weren't on any lists at all. so i am going to make my own list and hopefully it will help some of you expecting mamas out there be prepared for a seamless and enjoyable hospital stay (:

i made this as a collage on polyvore (LOVE THAT SITE!), you can see it here

1. camelback water bottle - this may sound silly but my water bottle was the first thing i thought of when i decided to make my own list. i brought it to the hospital (mostly because i brought it EVERYWHERE the last month of my pregnancy) and it was a lifesaver. it has a straw in it so you don't have to tip it to drink out of it, which is great because i couldn't sit or stand for a few days because of my complications (which you can read about here, if you're curious), so this amazing water bottle is basically the only reason i had anything to drink. plus you don't have to keep asking for people to bring you one of those tiny hospital plastic cups of water. i also used it throughout my labor and i use it now when i breast feed. my family now calls it my "gerbil bottle" because they held it for me while i drank out of it, like a gerbil and one of their cage water droplet bottles.

2. my breast friend pillow - this one is sort of optional...if you want to bring a breast feeding pillow i'd recommend this one over a boppy. the boppy wasn't very soft and it wasn't very sturdy. this one has a lot more support. although i mostly just used a ton of hospital pillows for nursing support while i was at the hospital.

3. your own towel - because after that first hospital shower, you will not want to wrap up in one of their white sandpaper delights. make sure it's patterned or brightly colored so staff doesn't take it on accident.

4. your own pillow - i wouldn't have slept a wink without my pillow. BUT to be fair, if you ask for 100 pillows, the staff WILL bring them to you. they just aren't memory foam ;)

5. a travel size toiletry kit - go to target and go to the travel section and get the following all in travel size: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face cleanser, toothpaste, makeup remover, moisturizer, and a shower puff and a toothbrush. put them all in a travel case and forget about them until you get to the hospital. it makes things SO much easier to not have to pack a toothbrush and stuff last minute. i came home from the hospital loopy from drugs and late at night, and it was a relief to not have to go through all my stuff (which was packed by other people) and find my toothbrush and everything. WAY easier to just have a self-contained kit.

6. A SKIRT! - during labor i didn't really mind just wearing a hospital gown but by the next day it is time to feel human again. bring a change of clothes from what you came in (i recommend wearing a maternity t-shirt and yoga pants to the hospital) BUT BRING A SKIRT TO WEAR THE NEXT DAY! you will be constantly checked, changed, iced, wiped, and/or cleaned while you are there and trust me, pants are a NUISANCE! i found myself wishing the whole time that i'd brought a skirt to wear instead of the ratty sweats i brought. just a cheap $5.99 H&M knit skirt would have been perfect. you might want some comfy pajamas or sweats to sleep in but since they are constantly checking your business, again, i recommend a gown (6a) or a SKIRT!

7. nursing tanks/bras and nursing pads - another oversight on my part. i didn't have a single nursing garment before i went to the hospital. luckily our hospital is right by a target and i have a great mom. so i left the hospital with some MUCH needed nursing tanks and nursing bras (7a). otherwise it's a lot of topless time for you, my friend.

8. lanolin nipple cream - not gonna lie, those first few goes at nursing are really rough and pretty painful. this stuff saved my poor bloody nipples from chafe worse than death. just remember to use nursing pads when using it because milk and a bit of blood (ew, i know. sorry.) could get all over your clothes and leave spots in interesting places.

9. chapstick - because hospitals are dry and you really don't need chapped lips on top of everything else.

10. depends and overnight pads - ok. i saw this on pinterest as an idea for post partum bleeding control and laughed but decided to try it out anyway. and you know what?! WHY HAS NO ONE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE?! those depends saved my life! they were so much more comfortable than the hospital issued mesh undies and thunderpads, and much less leaky! (didn't leak at all, actually!) you can wear your clothes over them worry free and not have to stress about any of the pads bunching or blood leaking and all that business. PLUS once you get a little blood in it, smack a clean overnight maxi-thin over the affected area and BOOM, clean again, and you don't have to change anything. the first day of my recovery my idiot nurse wouldn't let me (can you believe that?) use them and forced me into the awful hospital stuff but the next nurse saw my genius and let me use the depends and it was THE BEST! depends depends depends.

11. camera - unless you DON'T want pictures of an event like this. weirdo.

12. flip flops and non-skid slipper socks - for the shower and walking around the halls (that is if you are able to walk. i was not.)

13. a swaddle blanket, a receiving blanket, & coming home outfit for behbeh - don't bring anything too complicated though. man oh man dressing newborns is tricky.

14. gum - just trust me on this one.

15. laptops, cell phones, ipads, chargers - for funtime!

16. bath robe - (?) i brought one and used it after labor to wear up to the maternity wing. but then it got bloody. my hospital actually offers a free one that was actually really nice that i got to keep. they take up a lot of space so it may not be worth it to bring one. at our hospital, you control the temperature of your own room, so being cold wasn't really an issue.

17. a little bit of make up and hair stuff - this was another one that made me feel more human after a nice shower on my first day in the maternity ward

18. overnight bag - you know, to put stuff in?

19. id and insurance and PENS! - i actually don't remember if they needed all that info again but YOUR hospital might! and i did need a pen like 5 times a day. so bring one.

20. thank you gifts - this may sound frivolous but if you had a traumatic recovery like i did and some really great nurses, bring a couple (2 or 3) small thank you gifts for them (like fancy chocolate or something.) you will really want to show them how much you appreciate them. if you end up with crappy nurses, keep the gifts for yourself. (:

21. back roller massage thing - a lot of women like to have their baby daddies rubbing their back to help them through labor. i wasn't one of those people, especially since i was so sweaty during labor that one of these would have done nothing on my back but stick and drag my skin around, but i was glad i had this the next 2 days! the hospital beds are not the epitome of comfort and i had the BIGGEST and MOST uncomfortable knot in my back from lying in it so much (again, i couldn't sit or stand during my recovery). having a back roller was really nice to have to work out those hospital bed knots.

so there you have it. i feel like a real live blogger now that i've made this list! haha (: i hope it helps at least someone out there! and now i have it for future reference. wahoo! also, isn't my baby the cutest thing you've ever seen????? 1 month old today!! (well, kind of. there is no february 30th.) 8 lbs 12 oz, 22 in long!

just love that girl