I am one of those plan-ahead kinds of gals; I started packing my bag one month before my due date. I didn't want to get stuck scrambling last minute to get things together if there was an emergency or some other issue. Worse, I didn't want my husband trying to pack for me, no thanks! There are so many things you are going to want to bring when your little one arrives. When I was pregnant, I scoured the internet looking at different lists on what to bring and what not to bring so that I could be as prepared as possible. After all that research, I still managed to miss somethings. When we are eventually ready for baby number two (let's not get ahead of ourselves, Jack is only six weeks old), here are the things I would bring the second time around: Insurance Card, I.D & Wallet: You are going to need these at some point. We had to provide it before we were admitted. Make sure you have it and it is easily accessible. The Bags: I honestly wanted to go out and buy a cute new bag for the hospital like so many blogs talked about, but ladies don't do it. It is a waste of money! I promise you there are plenty of other things you can allocate that money towards for your new baby or even yourself. My suggestion is just to make sure your bag or luggage has wheels on it. It will make life much easier and it is one less thing you have to carry. Blanket & Pillow: I would recommend bringing one for each of you. In the hospital, I was a little surprised that the only blanket was a sheet. I would have loved to have had a fleece blanket to make it a little cozier not only for me but for Tom as well. Consider bringing a blanket from home, maybe a cute little portable one in a sac as well too. Also, bringing a pillow from home made it a little more relaxing for me. Snacks: This is a pretty obvious one because you are going to be there for a while. Bring a fun snack for dad but also some kind of snack as a reward for yourself because you are pushing out a tiny human and you deserve the world girl! I try to eat healthily and only have junk food sparingly. I decided to make it a little special for me. I chose to pack something I loved in my childhood and that I hadn't had in forever; I packed a box of Cinnamon PopTarts and S'mores PopTarts. Cooler Bag/ Insulated Grocery Bag: This one was huge and I have to give full credit to my husband on this one. With Covid happening during our pregnancy, we were told once we entered the hospital, we wouldn't be allowed to leave until we were released and there would be no access to a refrigerator. This was going to be a problem for Tom since he is a food lover. He even went so far as to ask a male nurse at one of our ultrasound appointments how the food was. This is what prompted his idea. What is the one thing that hospitals have lots of? Ice! We found out that I would most likely have to be induced, luckily this gave us a chance to order a sub from Wegmans (trust me these are not your average subs). We packed one for Tom and one for me once Jack arrived. It took 18 hours to bring our little nugget into the world, thank goodness we had that cooler bag to keep everything chilled. Cell phones and chargers: This is going to be one of the biggest moments of you and your partner's life. If you are like me you are going to want to capture every moment. The last thing you want to worry about is your phone dying! Pro Tip: Buy an extra-long charging cord or bring a small extension cord. You never know where those outlets are going to be and those short charging cords don't always cut it. Headphones: These headphones can be used for mom or dad. I remember I brought them just in case I wanted to listen to music in the middle of the night or want to watch something. I didn't end up using them, but it was something so small that even if I didn't use them it wasn't a big deal. Portable speaker: We brought our rechargeable speaker with us. It was so nice to play music not only to lighten the atmosphere but also to calm me down and give me something to focus on as well. Travel Laundry Bag: I bring this travel laundry bag on all my trips or vacations. I hate throwing our dirty clothes in a pile and I don't want to mix it in with our clean clothes. It is just a nice accessory to have, I love that I can also just throw the bag in the laundry room and deal with it once we have a moment to get to it. Things for Baby: The Outfits: Bring one or two outfits. I brought one newborn outfit and one 0-3 sized outfit just in case. There were a few reasons I didn't go crazy. First: As a result of Covid, I knew our stay at the hospital would be short; they would want to kick us out of there as soon as possible. Second: We were not going to have any visitors because visitors were not allowed (again Covid). Third: Nurses are coming in and out doing tests on baby, the last thing they want to do is take them in and out of an outfit, no matter how cute it is. Pinterest Worthy Props: I am one of those Pinterest loving fanatics and I wanted our hospital announcement photos to be cute. I didn't want to post a photo where Jack was just born with all the gook and guck on him. Yuck! Plus, those little nuggets are all squished and swollen, it is better to take a photo the next day when they have had some time to decompress. Bring a cute changeable letter board, a sign, or even a banner. For mine, I bought a cute little banner kit that I could personalize with Jack's name along with a cute little swaddle sleep sack.
Things For Mom: Boppy/ Nursing Pillow: BRING THAT MAGICAL PILLOW!!! I needed to have two I.V.s placed in my arm. My veins kept blowing out so one of those two I.V.s had to go up towards my elbow. As a result, I couldn't bend that arm at all. I was so to have that nursing pillow to help assist me when trying to hold Jack. Pro-Tip: Be sure to use this when you are nervous about certain people holding your little newborn. I had my young nieces and nephews use this since they were too little to hold Jack on his own. This is also great for senior family members too! I am lucky enough to have my grandparents still here, Their strength is also not the best so I had them use it as well when holding Jack. Nursing Bra: I highly recommend bringing a nursing bra that also has the feature to hold the flanges of a pump. The reason that this is important is you never know if you will have to pump in the hospital. Jack had a hard time breastfeeding at first. He struggled with the sucking concept, he was getting frustrated, I was getting frustrated so one of the nurses suggested pumping and using a baby syringe to feed Jack. His weight was dropping too much so it wasn't even an option in my mind to pass it up. It would have been so nice to have a bra to hold the pump in place rather than sit there for 30 minutes holding it myself. Pro Tip: Put this on when you get there or even before you leave the house. It is one less thing you need to worry about because it can go from 0-100 in a matter of minutes. Trust me on this one. Birth Plan: Bring it, but be willing to be flexible. So many of the ideas I had envisioned, quickly got thrown out due to my induction and you know what? Everything turned out just fine and I wouldn't have changed it. I hope your labor goes smoothly without any hiccups, but to be realistic, you're probably going to have to compromise. So be prepared with your plan and don't be too discouraged if some things don't go as planned. Just try to remember it won't matter anymore as soon as that sweet little babe is in your arms. I recommend bringing two copies just in case. I remember one of mine got lost and luckily we had a backup. I even went so far as to laminate mine (that is the teacher side coming out). Going along with the birth plan, one thing I did not anticipate was being asked if I wanted to cut the cord. Everyone always asks the dad if he wants the honor, but I never thought about me doing it. I was quite surprised when the doctor asked. I politely declined, but I am sure there are some awesome mamas out there that would gladly accept. So if that is something that interests you or you had not thought of, put it on that plan girl! Makeup Bag with a Travel Mirror: I know it sounds vain, but I didn't want to hate my pictures during labor. We went into the hospital late at night and the next morning I applied my makeup before things got too crazy. Sometimes it's the little things that make you feel better. One tip with the makeup is to try to bring waterproof makeup so that you don't have raccoon eyes. Chapstick: With all of that breathing from pushing, your lips might dry out. If this happens, this will be a great relief. Makeup Remover Wipes: The last thing you are going to want to do is to get up and wash your face at night. Bring a travel pack of makeup remover wipes! It makes life so much easier. Hair ties, headbands, and bobby pins: Labor is hard work. Get the hair out of your face so you can concentrate on what you are trying to do. Your body is practically running a marathon, don't torture yourself with annoying hair in your face! You can even buy a cute headband set too. Back Massager Ball: I bought this during my third trimester. My husband isn't a big fan of giving back massages for a long time, so this was a great compromise. I could get as many massages as I needed without tiring out his hands. I highly recommend bringing this back massager because back labor hurts! Gum: It can be hard to get out of bed at times due to all the cords and monitors. I had gum with me not only to make it easier when I wasn't able to freshen up, but it also helped me concentrate on something during contractions. Pajamas with easy access: I knew that I would want to be out of the birthing gown pretty quickly. So I bought this pair of pajamas that could be buttoned open so I could access a boob easily. I thought about buying a birthing gown, but realizes it was one more thing I would have to wash and I wasn't exactly sure what kind of bodily fluids would be getting on it. No thanks! Waterproof Flip Flops: You will want a pair of flip flops just in case you may want to walk around to help progress your labor, but also for the shower as well. I am sure they cleaned the showers regularly, but it made me feel a little better regardless.
So here is a quick recap of what to bring outside of the obvious items:
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Hey there, I'm Melissa.Just a vintage loving new mama sharing ideas, recipes and ideas for the home. Archives
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