Robe | Pillow: silk pillow case from Amazon | Phone Charger | Always Discreet Maximum Protection Underwear | Slippers: similar here | Tucks Medicated Pads | Nursing Tanks | Earth Mama Organics Perineum Spray | Frida Fridet Washer | Toiletries: Loccitane | Boppy Pillow | Nightgown with Buttons
Happy Thursday, everyone!
Today, I thought I would share some of my “hospital bag must-haves” while you’re there having your baby.
This doesn’t include the obvious insurance card/diapers/wipes/tissues kinda stuff. These are all things that I had with me that I believe made the experience and stay a little more pleasant. I was in the hospital for 2 days after giving birth. That was the standard amount of time for the hospital, and it was fine. So let’s jump right in!
- Robe: I brought one of my favorite robes just to be more comfortable, add a layer of warmth (hospitals are COLD), and also added nursing coverage. There’s something about putting on your robe that makes you feel like you’re at home, at least a little bit.
- My own pillow: Hospital beds typically aren’t that comfortable, and neither are the pillows they provide. Having your own pillow makes a big difference. I love these 100% silk pillowcases from Amazon.
- Phone Charger: This one is obvious, but you’ll be taking tooooons of pictures and talking/texting/social media-ing with everyone in the world. So make sure you’ve got enough battery life! I also used my phone to start tracking baby’s nursing, diapers, and weight as soon as she was born. So I was constantly on it those first couple of days. The App I used was Baby+.
- Always “Underwear”: Birth is a messy process. There’s no getting around that, even if you have a C-Section. There is just a lot of blood and fluid that has accumulated over the 10 months of your pregnancy that continues to come out. The hospital will provide mesh underwear with huge pads, but I found these much more convenient and better all-around. I think I wore these for the first 4-5 days, and was then able to switch to my own underwear with large pads.
- Nursing Tanks: If you’re planning to breastfeed, these are comfy and provide an extra layer in the cold hospital room. I wore these and my robe and was able to nurse easily and still have stomach coverage (as opposed to just wearing a nursing bra).
- Earth Mama Organic Perineum Spray: If you give birth vaginally, regardless of if you tear or not, this will be a life saver. It cools and provides some numbing for down there. Plus it smells pretty good!
- Tucks Medicated Pads: See above 😉
- Frida Fridet Washer: If you need to use water down there, I highly recommend this little guy. It’s easier to use than the hospital one they provide, and squirts up without you having to turn the bottle upside down.
- Your Own Toiletries: I brought little travel size Loccitane toiletries with me, and was so glad I did. They smell amazing and just make you feel a little more pampered, which you deserve after all is said and done! The first shower after having your baby, might be the best shower in the world.
- Boppy Pillow: A must for breastfeeding or even just holding the baby. (I do have another breastfeeding pillow as well, which I’ll post about at some point.) But the Boppy is a great staple. Plus it transitions well into playtime and support once baby is older.
- Nightgown with buttons: I LOVE this nightgown; it’s from Amazon. I got a Large because I wanted it oversized to be comfy and also appropriate around other people. The buttons are functioning so it’s nursing friendly. It’s really soft as well, and comes in different colors. The same brand also sells 2-piece top and bottom sets which I’ll be ordering soon because I love the material so much!
So there you have it! I’m sure this list is not exhaustive, but these are the main things I remember being happy about having with me.
One thing I didn’t include was a cute coming-home outfit because that’s so individual to everyone and weather dependent. We just had a little onesie/legging/hoodie combo we put Katharina in when we got discharged. We did a lot of skin-to-skin while in the hospital, so when we weren’t doing that she was just swaddled up.
To all expecting mama’s out there, I also want to say: don’t fear the birth process. Yes, it’s messy and painful and stressful…even if you have the most “perfect/textbook” labor and delivery. It. Is. Hard. Period.
But it is also the most amazing transformative process, wherein you get to meet your little love bug and feel like the most strong and powerful version of yourself in the process. So in addition to those things list above, bring your strength and your faith. Trust me, you’ve got this!