I'm delivering in November (fingers crossed M stays put til then) in Texas. This is my list, please feel free to edit it
1. Toiletries: body wash, loofah, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, maxi pads, nursing pads 2: Hair Stuff: Brush/comb, hair ties, bobby pins 3: Make up: BB cream, powder, concealer, mascara, eye liner, capstick, UD basics palette. 4: PJs: 2 pants, nursing tanks, college zip front hoodie 5: Going home outfit: leggings, long tank, long sweater, boots 6: Underwear: big black panties, 2 nursing bras 7: Tech: laptop, cell phone, camera, and all chargers 8: For baby: Going home outfit in NB and 0-3, socks, hat, carseat
ETA: slippers, flip flops for the shower, a towel from home, a pillow from home.
Am I missing anything? Am I bringing too much??
1. I would be amazed if you can use normal maxi pads. Use the giant hospital ones. Save the always infinity for home. 4. I brought pjs/lounge stuff and wore the hospital gown the whole time. 5. Your boots might not fit. My legs were SOOOOOO swollen at the end. It took a good 7-10 days to work it all out. (Also, you might sweat a ton overnight when you get home. Like, I was changing PJs every time I fed the baby. No one told me!) 6. I used their mesh underwear. Being able to fit a sub-sandwich sized ice pack + tucks pads + dermaplast in my underwear was priority #1.
Bring snacks. I have never been so hungry in my life as I was after delivery and when nursing, and most hospital cafeterias have limited hours. Stuff like trail mix or granola bars, peanut butter crackers, etc was a lifesaver.
Oh, yeah, no way am I bringing my own pillow and towels to the hospital, and I'm not a germaphobe. Theirs were fine. If you want more pillows, they bring you more.
Night gown (I labored in the hospital gown, but felt so much more comfortable in my own stuff afterwards) Flip flops Socks Basic toiletries & hair stuff Hand lotion Chapstick Hair ties Face wipes (note: I kept the above four items in a separate small bag so that they would be easy to store & access bedside) Chargers for camera and phone Snacks Something comfortable to wear home Going home outfit & blanket for baby
I also recommend having the contact number for your HR or STD plan handy & letting your spouse know where it is. Some plans have a short window for making the initial claim and in some circumstances you might still be in the hospital during that timeframe.
DEFINITELY bring your own pillow. The hospital ones suck. Your make up list seems a bit excessive....I barely did eyeliner (my absolute basic) when I was there, but it doesn't take a ton of room, so its no big deal if you don't end up using it. I took a robe and flip flops and all kinds of crazy stuff I didn't end up using.
Oh yeah. I'm vain as fuck and don't want to look like death warmed up in pictures.
I was planning on bringing my ugg boots. Please tell me my feet will fit in those!!
I left the hospital five pounds heavier due to swelling from all the fluids from a vaginal birth with an epidural. My feet bore the brunt of the postpartum swelling. My old, stretched out flip flops barely fit!
Post by lovelovelove on Sept 14, 2014 18:16:33 GMT -5
Just a couple things other than the basics already covered:
-glasses if you wear them -contacts, extra contacts, & solution if you wear them -baby book -wallet or something with id & a credit card just in case -blanket to put over the baby in the car seat -maybe an extra change of clothes. I liked being in my own clothes so I brought a few super comfy loose outfits. I ended up in the hospital for almost a week and had serious sweating issues as my milk started to come in, so having a couple extra changes of clothes worked out well.
Two things that I sent my husband to get - a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a power strip. I had a c-section, so I was trapped in the bed for a while and couldn't get up. I'd feel all gross after eating and didn't want to handle the baby like that, so it was nice to have the hand sanitizer until I could get up and wash my hands myself. The power strip was nice because it allowed me to plug in multiple things within my reach. Again, since I was trapped in my bed, it was nice to have.
Oooohh - powerstrip is an EXCELLENT idea! the rooms usually only have one, maybe two outlets not being used for medical equipment, and they aren't ideally accessible. that and we had at least 3-4 plugs between us that we were always rotating.
I brought a few sleepers and a swaddle pod for DD and I'm glad I did because the shirts they gave us were ENORMOUS on her. I also brought Vaseline for baby's bottom (the meconium sticks to the baby's bottom and it's much easier to get off if there is a layer of Vaseline under it).
Flip flops for the shower, socks, baby footprint page, nursing tanks/bras, my water bottle, and huge underwear were all things I was so glad I packed.
Also, I was burning up after delivery (thanks PP hormones!) and was sweating even with the air turned down as low as it could go. So footed sleepers for the baby and hoodie for DH were needed.
I brought way too much stuff, but it wasn't a big deal.
“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make it so, right in the middle of it lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.” - Natalie Goldberg
I took a cute, comfy pillow, depends, wallflower with brown sugar fig, movies, baby book, makeup, jeans, shirt, baby clothes, diapers, robe, sweat pants and nursing bra. I used everything I took. Actually, there might have been more, but this is what we'll pack again this time. The wallflower probably seems silly, but I still remember smelling it between contractions and between pushes and thinking "gee, that smells great, I'm glad we brought that."
I was planning on bringing my ugg boots. Please tell me my feet will fit in those!!
I left the hospital five pounds heavier due to swelling from all the fluids from a vaginal birth with an epidural. My feet bore the brunt of the postpartum swelling. My old, stretched out flip flops barely fit!
Yep. My feet and ankles were bigger than they've ever been after the epidural.
“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make it so, right in the middle of it lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.” - Natalie Goldberg
From a labor/pp nurse. I would pack two separate bags: a labor bag and a postpartum bag. I would leave the pp bag in the car until you move to that unit so you don't have to carry a lot of stuff.
laborbag
toiletries (shampoo/conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste) camera/cellphone/iPad with chargers pillow with a cover other than white bobby pins/ponytail holders gum Flip flops (something you don't mind getting blood on)
Ppbag
going home outfit infant going home outfit (two sizes: newborn and 0-3) swaddle blanket snacks ( is your cafeteria open in the middle of the night?) change of clothes for father of baby travel wipes if your hospital doesn't have premoistened ones manila folder for all the paperwork they give you plastic bag for dirty stuff
If your hospital provides maxi pads, mesh underwear, diapers, and linens I would leave all that at home. Keep the boppy in the car. Makes an excellent pillow to sit on if you deliver vaginally.
For home maxi pads and underwear you don't mind getting dirty or depends ibuprofen
The Always Infinity pads have been known to cause a reaction in lots of people. I read a lot of women saying this on GP or MMM when I was packing my bag and thought, "oh, that won't happen to me." Sure enough, it did. It was awful. Stay away!!
“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make it so, right in the middle of it lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.” - Natalie Goldberg
Bring your own pillow (do not use said pillow during labor though). I didn't use 90% of the crap I brought, but I would rather over pack then under pack, haha.
Post by stephm0188 on Sept 14, 2014 18:50:34 GMT -5
Things I Used: Going home outfit for the kid and blanket for car seat Going home outfit for me (Technically the same thing I wore to the hospital since I was induced- yoga pants, nursing top, zip up hoodie, flip flops) Toiletries Chapstick Hair tie Baby book for footprints Camera Cell phone charger
Things I Packed But Didn't Use: Makeup Nightgown and robe... I stayed in the hospital gown and was in bed the majority of my stay Mittens for the kid... he stayed in a diaper, kimono style shirt they provided that had flaps that folded over his hands, and a swaddle blanket
Things The Hospital Gave Me: Magical mesh underwear and pads some squeezey waterbottle to use instead of TP. Ask for extras of these to take home, especially if you have two floors or multiple bathrooms you'll be using Pump parts to use with the hospital pump
Things I Wished I Had Taken: An old towel I was okay with throwing out. The hospital towels were tiny and it would have been nice to have something more better. Nursing pads. My hospital didn't provide them, oddly enough. Magazines. Labor was boring. The recovery room was boring. I remember wishing I had current magazines to read to pass the time.
Post by whitemerlot on Sept 14, 2014 19:33:26 GMT -5
I had long labors and had to stay at the hospital for 48 hours after the birth. My hospital didn't have nursing pads and I needed them. I was also very glad that I packed a lot of snacks for my husband that didn't smell bad. With my first, he ate Subway while I was in labor and my room smelled awful. I packed a lot more snacks the second time and my dd was born after 9 pm and I had been at the hospital since 5 am so I was so glad to have them.
Other than that I liked having my own toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner and hair dryer.
I was planning on bringing my ugg boots. Please tell me my feet will fit in those!!
I went home in regular sneakers. I was not a sweller; you might not be either! Plus you can take a wheelchair out and just walk a few feet to the car in socks if needed.
oh - and i didn't bother at all with something to "wear" in the hospital. i wore their gowns, their socks, and their ice-filled mesh underwear the whole time.
.
And I changed out of the gown as soon as I could - I had late afternoon/evening c-sections both times and had (amazing!) showers the next morning and changed into yoga pants, a nursing tank and hoodie on top, and felt like a brand new woman. I stayed in my own clothes the whole time.
I took those ON fold over waistband yoga pants, nursing tanks, hoodies, my own underwear (bought giant granny panties just for the hospital), Boppy, makeup/easy hair stuff, phone chargers, and my own pillow from home. I was there for 3 nights each time so it was way too long to be uncomfortable.
I left the hospital five pounds heavier due to swelling from all the fluids from a vaginal birth with an epidural. My feet bore the brunt of the postpartum swelling. My old, stretched out flip flops barely fit!
Yep. My feet and ankles were bigger than they've ever been after the epidural.
My feet didn't swell in pregnancy and only after labor. AND that was with no IV/fluids or epidural. They hurt for days even in flip flops or even kneeling on them on the floor.