Melissa Dell

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You are here: Home / Pregnancy Life / Hospital Bag {what to bring}

Hospital Bag {what to bring}

July 1, 2013 By Melissa Dell 3 Comments

1 Jul

It’s that time again – getting ready for Baby Luke’s arrival.  I’m writing this as of the 25th, so who knows, he might already be here by time you read this.  I had a doctor’s visit this morning and my doctor checked me, said I was 2-3cm dilated, and I better make sure I had my bag(s) packed. Lucky for him I did it the day before. Yay!  When I was pregnant with Aubrey, I really procrastinated on packing.  I wasn’t really sure what to bring, and I figured since I was home on maternity leave, I’d just do it whenever I went in to labor.  But I never did.  So when we had our appointment to get induced set, that’s when I packed my bag. I had A LOT of bags. I think I had one duffle bag, one back pack, and a tote bag.  And that didn’t count Jon’s bag.

I really had too much stuff, and now I’m better prepared for round #2 and this is what I have packed. It all fits in one duffle bag (minus my regular pillow that you don’t see pictured below.  I really hated the hospital pillows and am taking a twin one that will hopefully have me slightly more comfortable.

 

First, for Luke:

 

baby

The Boppy was a godsend last time around.  It helped me during nursing sessions AND it became my BFF on the ride home.  I was slightly sore from childbirth (no one tells you that. But you will be).  I also have his outfit, and my iHome (similar) to play tunes during labor.

 

For me:

clothing

I brought a lot of clothes last time.  I was in the hospital gown most of the time, but by the 2nd day I was ready for some clothes.  I figured I’ll still want “something” but decided a good set of pjs will do me good.  It’s always chilly at the hospital so I’m bringing some flannel bottoms, a nursing tank for easy access, and a plain white T to throw over for anyone who comes by and I want to be a bit more “presentable.”  I have a regular nursing bra for during the day and a sleep one at night.  But honestly, the Basics nursing bra from Target (sister brand of Bravado – which I highly love and have 2 of) is so comfy I might just sleep in that too.

Nursing cover is optional. A lot of women have no problem nursing in front of friends or family – but I’m not one of them. I feel uncomfortable so I’m packing this.  Also the iPad is a great time waster for labor (I live blogged the whole time with Aubrey up until I was fully dilated) but I’m only bringing my small Canon point & shoot.  I brought my DSLR last time – which was great, except no one really knows how to work it and since my lens is a bit tweaked and won’t auto focus, not worth the hassle.

 

For my lady bits:

girlie_needs

Breastfeeding is/can/might be hard.  I did ok the first day with Aubrey, but then it slowly went downhill. By time I left the hospital, my nipples were DYING and it was extremely painful to nurse.  I would cry almost every time she latched on.  A friend told me about the Medela Nipple Shields and you couldn’t get me to the store fast enough.  This time I am bringing it with me along with the Medela lanolin cream to make sure I give proper attention to the girls.  I’m also bringing my nursing pads – my Bamboobies from last time (the hearts) and also a new one from Epibi  that I received for free in exchange for a review.  I dislike the paper nursing pads.

Speaking of pads – yes the hospital has some for you. But they’re also about 4inches thick, which do not make for pleasant fun when you’re sore from pushing a child out of your … ya know. I used the thin Always pads last time and they were a lot more comfy and worked just fine.

For the extras:

hair-nails

I have two bags of fun items.  This first includes hair accessories (Headbands, rubber band, bobby pins, hair tie) and nail items (nail polish, clippers, nail file, qtips).  I was in labor for awhile with Aubrey.  I’m not sure if I’ll have the same option this time around, but it’ll be the first time I can designate a good chunk of time to painting my nails and having them dry (fingernails. not my toes. planning on a pedicure soon).  I brought a tiffany blue and baby blue color to choose from – I think tiffany blue might be my pic!

makeupMakeup.  Every girl needs it, but you don’t need a ton.  I pieced together this bag of duplicates that I had.  It’s a natural look and I’m ok with that.  I received the Logona mascara, concealor & foundation while attending the #LALLBLOG13 conference earlier this year and the Chella brightener in my latest Ipsy bag.  The 2 shadows from Urban Decay are Naked and Sin and the blush is from Arbonne (Sunset).

Not pictured are 2 things – my going home outfit (this black dress I’ve worn in all my photos) and my pillow.  I won’t be showering there, so don’t need toiletries except my toothbrush & toothpaste, and won’t really need a hair brush.  I have 10 fingers that can handle that just fine.

 

So for those of you who have packed a bag  before – did you overpack the first time? Did you do less the second? Leave a comment and share your wisdom!

 

** I should mention, I only anticipate being at the hospital for 36 hours at most.  If something occurs and I have to stay longer, our house is about 25 minutes away for Jon to retrieve more items for me (such as another PJ set).  I also did not pack slippers since last time I wore the hospital issued anti-slip socks the whole time. **

 

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Filed Under: Pregnancy Life

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Comments

  1. Victoria says

    July 6, 2013 at 7:51 am

    love this post! Wish i had it when my boy was born back in April! I found that I wayyyy over packed! I didn’t use half the stuff I brought. I also, didn’t pack ahead of time. I figured he’d be late…but he showed up on his due date! i hope you’r little boy comes on time 🙂

    http://simplyanchored.blogspot.com

    Reply
  2. Zubeida says

    July 6, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    I totally overpacked the first time! This time I’ve been more strategic and only packed what I need. I’m going to look into the nipple shield as I had a hard time when breastfeeding my son too.

    Reply
  3. John Bush says

    October 13, 2013 at 6:10 am

    I am agree with Zubeida. I have seen people doing the same. They pack too much in nervousness. There is no need of packing the bulky stuff. This blog is certainly helpful in this case.

    Reply

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Thank you so much for visiting. I'm a Lifestyle blogger that lives in Sunny Southern California. I'm married, have three beautiful kids, and use this space to share different ways we're making our lives more efficient to get the most out of our days! Read More…

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