Hellobee Boards

Chapstick! For some reason my lips were soooo dry!

Here's a list I got from my sister. She's had four kids so she's a hospital bag veteran. I didn't include anything for DH because we live so close to the hospital.

~Hospital Bag List~~

For Mom:
-Anything you want for labor (i.e. fitness ball, massage lotion/oil, music, baby book)
-Chapstick
-Lotion
-Hand sanitizer
-2 nursing bras
-Breast pads
-Breastfeeding pillow
-Nipple cream
-Going home outfit
-Zip-up sweatshirt
-3-4 pairs of cozy socks
-Flip flops
-Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, razor, face wash, moisturizer, deodorant, hair stuff)
-Hair ties
-Small amount of make up if you wish
-Lap top/tablet – charger
-Camera – charger/batteries
-Phone charger
-Money for vending machine
- heavy duty pads for when you get home, they give them to you at the hospital
-Husband

For Baby:
-2 pairs of scratch mittens
-1 hat
-2 pairs of newborn socks
-1-2 light weight blankets
-Going home outfit (newborn & 0-3 months)
-Baby nail file
-Wipes and 4 diapers – I just bring my diaper bag already for a normal outing
-Car seat
-(while in the hospital they will provide everything you need for baby...make sure you ask to keep one of the receiving blankets.)

@LindsayInNY: your bag sounds perfect! Definitely leave out the self care and baby care items. The only thing I'd add is a big bottle of water for yourself. The hospital cups were tiny and i could not get enough water after labor.

Magazines....sometimes you're too wired to sleep and don't feel like watching TV, but still need something to occupy your mind.

Big water bottle, mints, lip balm, hair ties, insulated coffee mug, pen and paper for list making/things you need to remember

Find out if your hospital has LCs on staff and bring your pump, they can help you make sure you have the right size flanges and all that.

@GoGoSnoGirl: DH and I are currently TTC so I've been reading a lot about everything. I have read about the gown being the easier outfit for taking home, but I never thought about the scratching of the seat belts! Great point! I think I would be nervous about that too.

Your list sounds great!
2 things to add- my friends all told me to bring my boppy (breastfriend, nursing pillow- whatever you have) and it was awesome to have, we used it a ton! For nursing (and the lactation consultant gave me tips using the boppy), I used it to rest on too.
And my legs were really swollen so I couldn't even get on my yoga pants! Fa real. So my DH had to bring me a skirt to wear home. I had some cotton, casual summer skirts that worked great for my swollen legs.

The only time I wore something that wasn't a hospital gown was for the drive home, but I think that's more about preference. I do wish we had baby mittens though since some of her earliest pictures she has scratches all over her face.

Bring warmer items for your DH to wear in the hospital room even though it's summer. I delivered in early September and my husband would have frozen in our hospital room if I hadn't bullied him into bringing his Patagonia fleece and extra socks. He's always hot and thought I was crazy but I got a coveted "you were right" for insisting on those items!

Extension cord in case bed is far from outlet and your own pillow, hospital ones are crap!

Regarding the pump, I wouldn't bring it. My breastfeeding class said they don't recommend pumping early on unless you really need to. I had to pump in the hospital and used the hospital grade pump - I even went home with extra parts that fit my PISA.

The one thing I wished I had was a nightgown. I don't normally wear them, but I ended up walking around my recovery room with my nursing tank, hospital panties (which are sheer, not concealing the giant pad). I brought my robe but I was too hot to wear it.

@LindsayInNY: nail files. Both my girls nails were so long but too delicate to cut, and I didn't feel confident cutting their nails as a newborn. I filed them gently instead!

Ditch the undies & camp out in the mesh they provide.

I lived in nursing tops & my rope plus maternity yoga pants.
Never put on socks. It was way too hot in there.

I never put on make up, either.

Chap stick was a must. So we're breast pads and nipple cream.

Take your boppy!

ETA: also took a garbage bag to bring home our dirty clothes in.

i 2nd the night gown, I really like this one from target - super soft and stretchy and the neck line is low enough to pull the boob out that way for feeding
http://www.target.com/p/women-s-sleep-fluid-knit-tee-black-gilligan-o-malley/-/A-17296997#prodSlot=_1_13

I think what you have sounds good.

I'll also be bringing at least one smoothie paci because it just so happened the hospital I was at last time used a different brand and lots of newborns like soothies. (My Lo nursed literally about two hours straight or cried, fussy from day 1! Just in case... Same with formula if I decide to that route just based on what agreed with dd. most likely not something you'll need.) I had dd 2+ years ago and frankly I don't think much has changed.

Your list looks good and everyone else has great suggestions.

I'd check and see what your hospital provides for you and baby. Things that our hospital provided that were great were: diapers (NB and size 1), DRY wipes (they gave us wet ones when M was in the NICU and we didn't realize until the last day that it was a NICU-only thing), shirts/hats/blankets for baby, soothie pacifiers, Lanolin (had to ask and they gave us the tiny travel size, which was actually useful to take home), mesh panties and liners for mama, socks for mama, hospital gown.

Things that I brought that were useful: maxi dress to go home in (with a c-section I didn't feel like putting Lulus on), compression socks for the horrific post-op swelling, slippers (my feet did not even fit in flip flops bc I was a swollen mess), a robe to wear over my hospital gown when I felt like walking the hallways, toiletries, water bottle, Gatorade, light makeup for pictures, cameras, phones, iPad, small notebook and pen to write down feedings/instructions/notes to self, going home outfit for baby, and a carseat (duh they won't let you leave without it -- check out Car Seats for the Littles or the Carseat Lady on proper install and fit).

Oh and someone who will bring you delicious food is essential! My mom would run out to nearby restaurants and Whole Foods and bring back the tastiest food -- I think it was primary delicious bc it wasn't hospital food. Even though the food at the hospital we were at wasn't bad.

Oh and totally stock up on things they provide to take home -- undies, pads, baby diapers, etc. And our nurse encouraged us to take the blankets, soothies, etc. too.

I think your list sounds good!

If your skin is sensitive, I would recommend bringing your own pre-washed granny panties. I got a horrible rash from the mesh panties with each of my LOs. I will spare you the details, but for me, the rash was much worse than recovering from 2 vaginal deliveries.

Be aware of where the pants sit on your body. I packed yoga pants, and then ended up with an emergency c-section and couldn't bear to put them on because they sat right where my incision was. DH had to go home and bring a maxi dress.

That looks like a good list to me. The only thing I would add to your list is a boppy if you plan on breastfeeding. I would also consider possibly swapping out the robe for a comfy nightgown and a pair of loose fitting lounge pants that will be okay to wear in the event you have a c-section incision. May want to add a sleeper or two for baby since like someone else said, you never know how long you may end up having to stay. We ended up staying in the hospital for four nights between my c-section and LO's jaundice and we pretty much used everything we brought plus DH made 1-2 trips home to get extra stuff.

I brought and used my own pillow, yoga pants and nursing tank (going home), makeup, snacks, going home outfit for lo, phone charger, dslr camera, iPad and charger, dh clothes and toiletries and pillow. Everything else wasn't even unpacked out of my bag! I used all the meds and lotions and lanolin etc from the hospital!