packing for the hospital----baby and mama

Image from the bump.com

hey there.  so i wanted to post about what was helpful to pack for the hospital for me and for the baby.  hopefully it will be helpful to my pregnant mama friends.  i remember when i was pregnant with Z, i asked a few of my friends what they brought, because i didn't want to bring too much stuff, but i also wanted to know what was helpful for them.  and then this time around, i found those emails that my friends sent, and also did some searching on pinterest and google to see what other mamas brought and came up with my own list.  i'll lay it all out here, and then list which items i used and which ones got left in the bag.  so, first of all, it's good to find out what your hospital or birthing center will have available.  for example, swedish hospital (where i delivered) would provide me with hospital gowns and those super cute (jk) disposable granny panties and pads, tucks pads and hemorrhoid cream, etc, and they would provide the baby with a little hat (but nothing fancy or cute, just the standard hospital hat), onesies, diapers, and anything special the baby needed ( in our case syringes so we could syringe feed her).  the labor and delivery rooms also would have a deep soaker jetted tub, birthing balls, birthing stools and various other birthing accessories along with a docking system for a phone or ipod to listen to music, they would also have a tv.  so it was helpful to know what to bring from home that the hospital wouldn't provide.  also, use your judgement as far as what things generally make you feel comfortable that you would want to bring.  for example, the first time around i didn't bring towels from home because i figured the hospital would give me towels.  and they did.  but they were the size of a hand towel and it was a joke trying to dry myself off with one and twist my hair up in the other one.  so this time around, i brought two beach towels so that i didn't have to deal with their tiny towels.  also, last time i did not bring flip flops, and so i stood in the shower barefoot, which was gross.  so this time i brought my flip flops to walk around in and to shower in.  anyway, here is a list of the things i brought for myself and for baby and whether i used it or not:

for mama:
things i used:
chapstick
hair ties
mini shampoo and conditioner
mini body wash
mini body lotion
flip flops
a pillow with a pillow case that i didn't care about throwing away if needed
granny underwear in black (trust me, you will want some black underpants that you can throw away later)
nursing bra
a change of clothes for going home in (loungey, loose cotton drawstring comfy pants in black and a matching cotton short robe to go over it)
phone charger
phone
toothbrush
toothpaste
lanolin
snacks (last time i brought snacks but didn't bust them out, this time i did, i brought some chocolate covered raisins and gobbled them up after the delivery, but i didn't eat any of the other snacks i brought)

birth plan 

hair brush

cash (for parking, snacks, food for partner, etc)

things i packed but didn't use:
other toiletries (i brought very minimal makeup but didn't put any on)
socks (i ended up being quite warm most of the time and didn't want to put socks on)
an extra pair of clothes
a night shirt (i brought this just in case, but actually i preferred to just use the hospital gowns.  let's just say you will bleed and if you don't have to bleed on your own clothes, it's better)

pads (i used the ones from the hospital for the first few days)

because i had a better idea of what i would use this time around, i really didn't pack that many items that i didn't use.

for baby:

things we used:
warm blanket to cover the baby when going home
carseat
going home outfit (something easy to put a newborn in, like jammies, it's not super easy to dress a two day old newborn)
hat

things we didn't use:
diapers
a second outfit
receiving blanket
burp cloth
binkies
wipes

so some things to remember---don't pack too much stuff.  you probably won't need it all and definitely won't want to schlep it from the car to the hospital room.  that being said, do bring some things that will make you comfortable and remind you of home, like a pillow or your robe or something.  this may be TMI, but it's for real; you will bleed, it's normal, but think about if you want to possibly stain or ruin your own clothes, or the hospital's clothes.  sometimes people are just more comfortable in their own clothes no matter what.  your spouse or birthing partner may want to bring snacks because while the hospital provides food and snacks for mama, the partners don't get anything, except maybe coffee.  have your carseat base already installed!  bring an extra bag or have some extra room in one of your bags because you will go home with lots of stuff---breast pump accessories, disposable undies and pads, medications, stuff to sooth your bum, peri bottle, diapers for baby, receiving blankets, wipes, etc. oh and remember, you will not magically be your pre-pregnancy size, in fact you will likely still look 6 months pregnant so make sure you pack clothes accordingly, perhaps even bring maternity clothes, you'll be more comfortable. 

ok, i think that's about it.  hopefully this is helpful for some people!