Hospital Bag: What I Did and Did Not Need

My wonderful friend, Jessica, is due with a baby boy at the end of June and is packing her hospital bags.  She asked me to do an update on what I did and did not use.  I definitely overpacked, but honestly, I have no regrets because I felt uber prepared, and some of my things didn't get used just because we had an induction and relatively short labor instead of a c-section.  And so, here's my updated list.  And yes, I had two separate bags for labor and postpartum, and I really liked that since it meant we had less to bring up to the labor room.  However, I wish I had the lanolin and folder for her documents in our labor bag as we could have used them both as soon as she was out.


Gear
Laptop/ charger- labor
Camera (d7000), lenses (35mm, 24-70), -postpartum
Phone/ charger- laborPoint and shoot camera- labor
Tennis ball- for counter pressure on back- labor
Pillow and pillowcase- labor
Notebook and pen- labor
Photo id and insurance card- labor
Birth plan- laborMonopoly Deal- labor
Boppy- postpartumPump- postpartum
Snacks- laborMoney for vending machine- labor
Soft toilet paper- postpartum
Laundry bag- postpartum


I was SHOCKED I never used my laptop.  I thought I would use it during labor and after, but honestly before the drugs I was in too much pain to do anything but think about contractions and breathing, and once I got my epidural I actually napped a little bit and watched HGTV (we don't have cable at home).  Postpartum we used our iPhones instead of computer or point and shoot camera.  I did use my good camera to take photos at the hospital and I'm glad I had them.  I didn't open up my pump until about 3 weeks postpartum, and I had heard it is a good idea to take a pump for the lactation people to show you how to use it, but umm, mine was pretty self explanatory and there wasn't any milk at the hospital, so it would have been pointless.  The notebook and pen was great to write down everything that went on so I could write my birth story, and the soft toilet paper was very useful for afterwards.

Clothes
Comfy pants- purple maternity jammies- postpartum
Nursing tank- black one from Kristina- postpartum
2 Nursing nightgowns- postpartum and labor
Black Robe- laborGoing home outfit for me- maxi dress and cardi with flats- postpartum
Cheap undies- postpartum
Nursing bra- black- laborSlipper socks with grips on bottom- labor and postpartum
Flip flops
Bikini top- labor


If you have a vaginal birth, they do check you down there several times the first day, so I was glad I had a nightgown instead of pants.  However, after the first night and morning, they didn't really check me that much so I could have put on my comfy pants and nursing tank, but I didn't KNOW they wouldn't be checking me as often, so I never used them.  The black robe was a must have for me both at the hospital and now here at home (wearing as I type).  It's just a cheap jersey robe from Walmart, but it doesn't show anything (blood at the hospital and spit up at home), and when you get out of bed in the middle of the night to nurse and you realize you've sweat out half your body weight and are now chilling, it's great to throw on on your way to the bebe.  If I hadn't had an induction I may have used the bikini top to labor in the shower, but once you have the iv in you can't really move much beyond the bed, so no need for that, or the slipper socks for me.


Toiletries
Chapstick- labor
Makeup- postpartum
Facewash pads- postpartum
Deodorant- postpartum
Razor- postpartumChi- postpartum
Shampoo & Conditioner
Pads- postpartum
Toothbrush- postpartum
Toothpaste- postpartum
Brush- postpartum
Baby powder (if I don't want to wash my hair)- postpartum
Hair ties- labor
Nursing pads- labor
Lanolin cream- postpartum
Shower CapNail file 


Since I had an induction, I was able to go to the hospital with first day hair, haha, so I never washed my hair at the hospital and didn't need shampoo, conditioner or my chi.  The big thing on this part of the list would be the Lanolin cream, which I needed right away, and the facewash pads- really helped me feel clean without having to get up and wash my face in the bathroom that first night when I was so sore.


For Blake
Swim trunks- if he gets in shower with me during labor
Change of clothes (2)
Pjs
Socks
Houseshoes
Pillow
Snacks
Gum
Hoodie
Toiletries


Obviously Blake didn't need his swim trunks if I didn't need my bikini top.  The big thing on this part of the list is the hoodie, which Blake did not pack, and ended up wishing he had.  Normally he is the guy in shorts with no cover to sleep while I'm in flannels and have the comforter on me.  Not so much at the hospital.  Even my doctor commented on how cold it was in the room, but I didn't let anyone touch the thermostat because I was warm most of the time, and when I had my few bouts of nausea and lightheadedness, I REALLY wanted it cold in there.  Everyone else could just deal!  So, even if your hubs thinks there's no way you'll ever be warmer natured than him, during labor is when it will happen.  Oh, and funny story about the snacks, I specifically had it in our birth plan that no one could bring food into the room when I couldn't eat, but Blake ate some jerky while I was napping, and it woke me up because I could smell it.  He felt really bad, but thankfully I had a fairly short labor and didn't get too hungry until later in the day.  I wasn't too thrilled about being woken up, but I had made a mental pact with myself to really try to maintain a good attitude and kindness toward my hubs during labor, so I didn't say anything. 

Diaper bag- postpartumCouple of diapers
Wipes
Hat
Socks
Mittens
Swaddle blanketLotion
Mineral Oil
Hand sanitizer
Nursing Cover
Folder for documents
Outfit for going home (one in newborn, one in 0-3)


We didn't need a whole lot for E, most stuff was provided by the hospital, including a swaddle blanket, but I was glad we had ours for going home with.  Also, we used her bag to bring a lot of things home (all the stuff the hospital provided like diapers for her and pads for me, plus all the pain management stuff like the sitz bath etc.)  The folder was really handy for keeping paperwork in one place.


So that's my take on what to bring, and even with all the stuff I didn't use, I'm not sure I would change anything for the next bambino, because if I'd ended up with a c-section I may have needed some of those things since we would have been in the hospital longer.  

Finding a routine

I like to know what comes next.  And with a newborn, that's pretty hard to do.  Especially since we kind of went into parenting thinking we'd just figure it out as we went, based around E.  Well, that just made her and us me frustrated.  I looked into doing Moms on Call, and may still do it, but hesitated to spend the money when we weren't BOTH on board with it yet.  In desperation, I googled and realized that The Baby Whisperer sounded like exactly what I was looking for, and I actually already had the book, so I spent an evening devouring it and told the hubby that we NEEDED to attempt it, for my sanity's sake.

We're only a few days in, and still struggling with some of the routine, but having a plan and a goal is doing wonders for my type A self.  It's also allowing our schedule to not just revolve around making my boobs available 24/7 and we're actually acknowledging that everytime E cries doesn't necessarily mean she's hungry (duh, Lori).  Of course, I'm aware that we have a newborn, who has a personality all her own and even if she follows a routine perfectly one day doesn't mean she will the next and that's ok.  But that's what we're up to this week.  Anyone out there have much experience with The Baby Whisperer?

Thursday Randoms

1. Our house has been shown twice since we dropped the price- both this week.  Hoping we get an offer soon, as that would be one less thing to worry about.

2.  Emersyn has given us a 4 hour stretch of sleep right when she first goes down for the night (around 8 or 9pm), but then she's up every two hours for the rest of the night- I don't know if it's too early to try to get those two hour stretches to 3 or 4 hours, or if I'm getting her into a habit of waking up that often.  Any ideas/ suggestions?

3. Baby girl has a diaper rash that seems to be taking a long time to clear up- what's the normal time something like that takes?  I'm wondering if it's in her cloth wipes and I need to do something extra (like some bleach) when I wash them to clear it out?

4. I'd never done laundry on anything other than cold until E arrived.  I had to look up the manual for our washer online to figure out how to do an extra rinse.  If I do need to add bleach I'll need to figure out how to do that too haha.

5. I'm excited for Hubs to start his job in June, but I'm dreading being apart.  My mom's going to come the first week, and then we're going to play it by ear depending on his schedule where E and I will be when he has to be in Missouri.

6. I got to talk to one of my blog friends on the phone yesterday (Hi Colby!) and it was so fun to chat about our birth experiences and first days of motherhood.  I love all my internet friends (as my hubby calls them).

7. We got Emersyn's birth announcements in yesterday and I should be addressing them instead of blogging haha.

8. While our house was being shown this morning we took our our Bob for a walk!