Hospital Bag Checklist

I packed and re-packed my hospital bags a good 40 times before Trice was born. I asked friends who had babies for suggestions and went from there! I thought I'd fill you in on what I packed - if it's crossed out, we didn't use/need it for any of you expecting moms who read this blog. I'm sure I don't remember some of the things we took, but this will get you started. And obviously everyone is different and every situation/hospital is different, so don't by any means think this is a comprehensive list of what you might need! :)

Mom

• Robe (Did not wear once .. I wore the hospitals!)
• Nightgown (Did not wear once ... I wore the hospital gown because I was not destroying my cute little nightie!)
• Maternity Underwear (Not going to lie - I was perfectly fine destroying the hospital's icky mesh panties rather than my own and due to swelling, mine wouldn't have fit over my swollen tummy anyway!)
• Hair Ties/Headbands (I thought I would pull my hair back when I was in labor, but it was short enough I didn't even think about it. However, I would suggest NOT having bobby pins in your hair since trying to find them before you go in for a c-section is not very convenient)
• Nursing Bras (These were definitely used & very convenient - I wore a nursing sports bra (sooo comfy) all during labor/csection -- you can't have any metal during c-section, so this was perfect)
• Yoga Pants (I wore these the day before we went home and when we left - probably would have worn them more had I not had a C-section, but they went over my tummy so that was nice) 
• Nursing Tops (Once again, I wore the hospital gown most of the time so I only wore one of these once) 
• Outfit to wear home (We chose to wear Cyclone gear home .. go figure .. but my t-shirt barely fit)
• SLIPPER SOCKS (I honestly think these were the most valuable item I took.. I packed my favorite pair knowing they would probably be ruined, but they were awesome for walking the halls all day while in labor and for wearing the rest of the time. They were super easy for other people to slip on and off my feet since I couldn't put them on myself after the c-section)
• Toiletries (I packed very minimal makeup, my tiny straightener and the usuals. The hospital did provide body wash/shampoo, but I used my own travel sized ones ... next time I will pack my waterless shampoo!)
• I had a couple towels in the car before I knew I was going to be induced just in case my water would break .. I was thankful for these when we headed home and I could hold the towel up against my incision while Benny drove .. every bump felt like a mountain. 

Baby

• Boy Sleep Sack
• Girl Sleep Sack
• Headband for girl (didn't use for obvious reasons)
• Boy Onesie
• Girl Onesie
• Mittens
• Socks
• Receiving Blankets (Hospital provided)
• Hats (Hospital provided hats, but it was fun to have our own as well!)
• Coming Home outfit (you may want to pack two - he peed all over his as soon as it was on, but we were able to get a picture so we called it good)

**The hospital provided little shirts/onesies for him each day we were there, so we didn't need our own and I didn't feel the need to "dress him up" while we were there since he was always in a blanket anyway, but if you want to - you can pack some outfits!**

Dad

• Two t-shirts
• Comfy Shorts
• Nice Shorts for going home
• Pajama Pants
• Slippers (He really appreciated these while walking 13 miles around the hospital)
• Pillow and Blanket (I was SO hot the whole time so we kept our room freezing so he really appreciated the extra blanket)
• ..and of course, socks and underwear and deoderant .. oh, and a toothbrush!

**I did not anticipate a C-section/5 days in the hospital so I didn't have enough clothes packed for Benny, but he survived!**

Misc.

• Lanolin Cream (Hospital provided this)
• CHAPSTICK (My lips got terribly dry while in labor so I loved having this)
• Baby Book (I took this to get his footprints in it, but it didn't get done)
• Calling List (Okay, so everyone called me crazy, but I had a list of people we needed to call/text after baby was born so we wouldn't forget - and we did use it!) 
• Snacks (I was on a liquid diet, but it was nice to have snacks around for Benny/company. Hospital also had a fridge just outside the room we could keep cold snacks in)
• Magazines (Since I was induced, it was a bit of a slow process .. Benny and I both read magazines to pass the time - and also watched the Olympics)
• Notebook (I wrote down every detail of the day until I was in too much pain and then I'd tell Benny what to write .. I'm glad I have it because a lot of it is fuzzy at this point. I also planned on using it to write down any gifts/visitors so I wouldn't forget to send thank yous, but this didn't happen) .. speaking of thank yous...
• Games/Cards (We played cards while I was in labor to keep my mind off the pain and our families had something to do while they waited)
• Prenatal Vitamins (the hospital provided these while I was there so I did not need them)
• Boppy Pillow (Didn't use due to incision being sensitive, but was nice for pictures)
• Phone and Charger 
• Camera and extra batteries/charger
• Back Massager - This felt really great when the contractions got bad
• Gum - packed this for after delivery, but didn't use and definitely should have
• Sugar free hard candies - Had these to suck on during labor but did not even think about it
• Change - This was handy for Benny so he could get pop/snacks out of vending machines

**Hospital also "provided" (aka my insurance provided) diapers, wipes, water jug, baby soap/lotion, pads, towels, and lots of goodies to take home!

Things We Needed But Didn't Have:
- More clothes for Benny
- Cash or check for birth certificate (Benny had to run to an ATM at a gas station before we could leave the hospital to pay for this!)

I chose to go the breastfeeding route, so I'm not sure what the protocol is on bottle feeding and what you need to bring! 


***I had 3 different bags. My bag had all my clothes and baby's clothes. I had another bag with just Benny's clothes (which we left in the car and he went out and got later) and a couple extra baby outfits. The third bag was my diaper bag and I had everything I would possibly need while in labor in it so that we could throw everything else in the closet***

All Ready to Go!

Any other mamas out there have suggestions?! 

Upcoming Posts: Trice's Birth Story, Things I Wish I'd Known as a First Time Mom, My C-Section Recovery, Trice's Second Week!