https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 19 May 2026 22:53:56 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1564928 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 15:33:02 +0000 AprilK 1564928@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you're planning on nursing take this book with you! It was a. Great resource while figuring things out. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0553384295/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397334729&#038;sr=8-1&#038;pi=SY200_QL40" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0553384295/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397334729&#038;sr=8-1&#038;pi=SY200_QL40</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1564710 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 10:49:34 +0000 AmandaB8 1564710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Your own pjs (yoga pants and a tank for me).</p> <p>HIGH FIBER SNACKS. I had a couple of fiber one bars. The dreaded first poop after birth? It was NOTHING - and I solely thank my fiber one bars. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1564691 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 10:04:24 +0000 ElbieKay 1564691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bring baby wipes! The hospital just has these rough paper towels which they dip in water. That is awfully rough on newborn skin!</p> <p>And yes, snacks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1564676 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:46:09 +0000 bunnylovesbear 1564676@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with a lot that has been said - definitely toiletries, camera, cell phone, some snacks, and going home outfits. However, the best thing I brought with me was my own pjs. I had a csection, so I was there for 4-5 days (is it awful I already forget?) and after a couple days, I decided to get out of the giant hospital gowns and into the soft nightgown I brought. It made a world of difference!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1564581 Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:12:00 +0000 LovelyPlum 1564581@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This thread was super helpful, thanks! These suggestions made me feel a little more prepared. I've decided that my must haves included:</p> <p>*My own clothes (nursing bras, tank tops, sweater/cover up, yoga pants). They make me feel human, and I hate the gowns! I have taken my pants off and just worn underwear/a sheet when I was bleeding heavily, but the tanks and a sweater have been lifesavers</p> <p>*Flip flops for the shower and generally for walking around</p> <p>*Hair ties-I hate having hair in my face</p> <p>*Chapstick, hand cream, hand sanitizer, throat lozenges-I brought bigger bottles, which was the right call, because it is SO DRY in here.</p> <p>*Lanolin-my nipples needed it!</p> <p>*Granola bars or snacks for the middle of the night</p> <p>*Extension cord for my phone charger, so it could be right next to the bed</p> <p>*My nursing pillow, so I learned on something I would actually be using</p> <p>The two things I would add are a blanket from home to throw over the hospital bed, because it was cold in here, and a bedtime story to read to baby. DH brought Goodnight Moon from home last night and read it to G before we went to bed. It was the sweetest :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1537625 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:48:37 +0000 heffalump 1537625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For my first I only wore my hospital gown. For my second I changed into pj's quickly. I'm glad I brought them as a just in case. I packed my hospital bag for #2 right after my water broke while leaking all over my carpet. Obviously I was in a rush and didn't seem to forget anything. You don't need much :)</p> <p>One thing I always tell people is to bring the baby book for baby foot prints. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1537575 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:30:15 +0000 avivoca 1537575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>- Phone charger<br /> - toothbrush/toothpaste/shampoo/bodywash/comb<br /> - FOOD (I was starving and needed snacks in the middle of the night when I was nursing)</p> <p>We brought so much stuff and didn't use it. Neither of us changed clothes. My husband didn't shower. I wore hospital stuff until I left. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1537560 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:25:30 +0000 HabesBabe 1537560@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The things that I used the most last time were:<br /> --phone charger<br /> --camera<br /> --chapstick<br /> --my breast friend<br /> --good travel size toiletries (gotta echo the "first shower" sentiment above!)<br /> --my own pillows with non-white pillowcases (so they were obviously mine and wouldn't get mixed up with the hospital's stuff)<br /> --a light robe<br /> --makeup (it made me feel better when company came over to visit)<br /> --velcro SwaddleMe for the baby. We couldn't do it with the hospital's blankets OR the A&amp;A one we brought.</p> <p>I didn't bother packing any clothes for myself or the baby-- I'd rather bleed on the hospital gowns than my own night gowns. I think we're going to bring clothes for LO this time, though, because the hospital provided long sleeved Ts as their tops AND bottoms and it was just awkward. I didn't mind small scratchy towels, either. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1537012 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:29:59 +0000 artsyfartsy 1537012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Must haves:<br /> Breastfeeding pillow (if you're planning to nurse). I cannot feed LO without it. I struggled so much in the hospital trying to latch him until I finally decided to use it. Made the world of a difference!<br /> Non slip fuzzy socks for walking around.<br /> Ipad or tablet. I wrote my birth story the day after so I didn't forget anything. Now I'm glad I did because I don't remember much!</p> <p>Didn't need:<br /> Extra clothes. I wore the hospital gown until I went home. It was much easier! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536992 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:25:55 +0000 Pumuckl 1536992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>- yoga pants &amp; comfy soft shirts<br /> - comfy PJ with easy access to boobs (and TMI maybe even a second pair - when I fell asleep on the first night my bleeding was still so strong it had soaked through 3 pads...)<br /> - phone &amp; charger<br /> - going home outfit for mom &amp; baby (incl. a hat)<br /> - shoes for the shower and walking around the room<br /> - toiletries<br /> - nursing bra</p> <p>The one thing I wish I'd have already had back then is my hands free pumping bra. Since LO was always too tired to nurse properly in the first 2 days they made me pump in the hospital. Holding the flanges while your brand new baby is crying is heart breaking :crying: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536848 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:54:01 +0000 wonderstruck 1536848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't use about 95% of my bag and wished I had stuff I didn't pack! But many of the 'didn't need' items were because I was planning a vaginal birth and ended up with an emergency c-section. So I'll leave those off my list since even though I didn't need them, I'd still pack them!</p> <p>Must have:<br /> - Outfit that doesn't put pressure on your bikini line area - I ended up with an emergency c-section and didn't want to go anywhere near the maternity pants I had packed! Someone ended up bringing me one of my maxi dresses from home.<br /> - Chargers, camera, phone<br /> - Change and dollar bills for vending machine<br /> - Swaddling blankets - the hospital did give us some, but I liked ours better. Pacifiers too!<br /> - Chapstick<br /> - Clothes for DH so he didn't have to leave.</p> <p>Nice to have, but not totally necessary:<br /> - Your own pillow. It was on my list, but we forgot it. Wasn't a huge deal.<br /> - Small shampoo and conditioner plus some toiletries and a bit of makeup, not everyone cares, but personally I wanted to freshen up a bit before taking pictures I knew would end up on FB!</p> <p>Didn't need:<br /> - Pads and underwear, the stuff the hospital gave me was a million times better than anything I brought.<br /> - Robe. I brought a big bulky one and it was a pain and never worn, I just stuck to a somewhat modest nightgown most of the time. I can see how a thin one would come in handy though.<br /> - Diapers. Again, the hospital provided those.<br /> - Bathing suit. I thought I'd want one to stay covered up in the labor tub. HAHAHA. Yeah, I didn't give a shit once active labor kicked in, I was naked the whole time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536725 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:23:32 +0000 Lindsay05 1536725@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It depends on your length of stay but the biggest one for me was a phone charger. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536724 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:23:21 +0000 swurlygurl 1536724@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Snacks for sure! I packed apples and bananas and energy/granola bars. Sometimes I just needed a little something to keep me going, but didn't want a full on hospital meal </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536704 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:20:09 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 1536704@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Chapstick<br /> Pillow and iPad (I was in the hospital for 5 days, so these were lifesavers)<br /> Toiletries (oh my goodness, that first shower was amazing)<br /> Face wipes for when you want to freshen up a bit, but can't take a shower yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536691 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:14:11 +0000 LovelyPlum 1536691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Amelieisme: thanks for the update-and CONGRATS! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1536560 Tue, 01 Apr 2014 11:40:55 +0000 annie624 1536560@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All of the above suggestions are fabulous. My sister brought me a few extra things that ended up being really great.<br /> 1-Pond's face wipes (just easy to use real quick instead of having to wash face)<br /> 2-Luxe body wash. That first shower is AMAZING. But she sent this silky and amazing-smelling body wash for me and that made it even better<br /> 3-Big, soft bath towel </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1533546 Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:37:45 +0000 looch 1533546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really needed a water bottle and mindless reading material, like magazines for when I was awake during the night and couldn't sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1533545 Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:37:29 +0000 bushelandapeck 1533545@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with everyone and would say having my own pillow and comfy clothes/yoga pants made me feel much more human. I didn't wear the robe at all after I took a shower the morning after we had LO. We also brought snacks and candy and I was glad we did.<br /> @Amelieisme: oh, an eye mask! That is a great one! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1533543 Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:36:22 +0000 kjpugs 1533543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I packed so much stuff but used almost none of it. Obviously the outfit for LO was #1. I also brought her hats (liked them better than the hospital ones.) Didn't use anything else I brought for her (brush, nail clippers, socks, etc.) I wore my robe and I think I wore fuzzy socks. I maybe brushed my teeth. I showered once and it was misery. I had a very tough recovery so I was definitely in that "mode." Didn' use my hair dryer, brush, makeup, clothes, anything like that. Just a phone charger, oh and a nursing bra/tank. I think as long as it's not too much to carry it's probably good to "over" pack because you never know... I WAYYY overpacked and we didn't use most of it but I was glad because it wasn't in my way or anything, so it would have been good that it was there had I needed any of it. (Boppy, real clothes, etc.) Oh I think I used DH's chapstick a lot. And I second what is said above about an extension cord- maybe have one in the car, so depending on where your plug is, your DH can maybe bring it inside. I had to have my phone resting up by my head because of the charger location. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1533531 Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:28:18 +0000 Amelieisme 1533531@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I came back to revive this post as I am being discharged after a 3 night stay for my repeat c section. I think the only revision to the above would be:<br /> --eye mask! There are so many annoying lights it helps you get some rest.<br /> --a boppy or nursing pillow. Both for nursing and to use to support belly or whatever, esp post c section. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1514691 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 21:24:39 +0000 MrsH 1514691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A sleep/eye mask! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1514566 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:37:15 +0000 Foodnerd81 1514566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Non obvious things I was really glad to have:</p> <p>*extension cord*-- I could have my phone charging and still next to me in bed. It was so helpful since I was using it a lot to take photos and texting.<br /> -lip balm<br /> -towel (the hospital ones were teeny and scratchy)<br /> -my own basic toiletries and flip flops for the shower.</p> <p>I never got dressed in the hospital- it was just easier to be in the gown, and I had very few visitors. I brought my own pillow, but DH ended up using it (which I didn't realize until later and should have taken it back!). I totally overpacked and didn't use most of what I brought. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1514550 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:25:39 +0000 autumnlove 1514550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Phone charger </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1514544 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:21:25 +0000 Honeydew 1514544@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Must haves: lip balm, robe, slippers, nursing bra/tank, comfy yoga/pj bottoms, your personal toiletries, camera, phone, chargers, iPad(to update people other than family).</p> <p>Didn't need reading materials, boppy, swaddling blankets(they had them there.</p> <p>I would pack additional change of clothes. I ended up having an emergency c section and staying the whole 5 days to recover from my c section and because my baby was in the NICU. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1514535 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:12:20 +0000 mrsjyw 1514535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>all the pp have great items, but i'd also bring your own jammies/cardigan/etc. something for you to change into out of the hosp gown post birth! makes you feel YOU and not like a patient </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1514534 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:10:56 +0000 jill_a55 1514534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for responding everyone! I definitely will be adding some items from your lists. Can't believe I didn't think about lip balm! </p> <p>@char54: that thing looks aaaamazing! I may have to pick one of those up!<br /> @ScarletBegonia: that sounds like a good idea too, I feel like I will have quite a few visitors, so it would be nice not to look like I will probably feel! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1513496 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 06:29:51 +0000 Jewel664 1513496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agree w @mrstartan- lip balm! I used it what seemed like every 5 seconds while in the hospital and for about a week post delivery. My lips were a chapped mess. I also brought my own pads because I couldn't stand the disgusting feel of the diaper like pads at the hospital. However, I loved, loved the mesh undies they had. I had a c-section and lived in those for at least 2 weeks PP. the nurses gave me like 15 pair. Lol!</p> <p>Did not use- iPod or reading material. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1513485 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 06:20:57 +0000 Amelieisme 1513485@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I brought a lot of stuff. I work in a hospital so I know they have crappy towels, bedding, etc. I also had a scheduled c section so i knew i'd be in the hospital longer. I brought:</p> <p>Pillow<br /> Blanket<br /> Towels<br /> Comfy clothes (didn't want to be stuck in a gown)<br /> Robe<br /> Slippers<br /> Snacks<br /> DVDs to watch<br /> Phone charger<br /> Coming home outfit for LO</p> <p>Didn't need:<br /> Pads (they provided)<br /> Clothes for LO (they kept changing him back to their clothes anyway)</p> <p>They provide all of the medical/baby/nursing related stuff you need. You may want to being your pump if you want to start using it or want help learning to (I didn't though) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1513473 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 05:51:11 +0000 SugarplumsMom 1513473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Must have (but I never thought to buy/bring):<br /> Nipple shield!<br /> Breast pump (I actually brought this, but was too embarrassed to try it out at the hospital - I should have)!</p> <p>Must have (and used):<br /> Camera<br /> Brush<br /> Crotch spray (medicated numbing kind)<br /> Comfy clothes that slip on (I should have brought more clothes because I bled onto them)<br /> Gatorade<br /> Healthy snacks<br /> Food for DH(!)</p> <p>Never used:<br /> Make-up<br /> Reading material<br /> Music<br /> Nipple pads (my milk didn't come in, so no leaks)<br /> Nice clothes (at that point, I didn't care what I was wearing) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hospital-bag-must-haves#post-1513467 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 05:37:13 +0000 Charm54 1513467@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A head scratcher. Trust me. </p> <p>OMG it felt so good during contractions!! </p> [attach=2503/14/n2u2u3.269x600.image.jpg]