I am a bit of a planner so a big item on my to-do list before baby was to pack my hospital bag. I asked around to friends and scoured pinterest for lists what I would need (and want on hand). I thought I would share some of my “glad I packed” items to help anyone currently nesting and putting their bags together. Now of course, you’ll want to pack your regular go to items that are in your over night bag when you are away as well. But here are a few items I was happy made my list:
- Maternity Pajama Dress
: While deciding what to pack in my bag, a friend mentioned that the nurses came in to check on her lady area after delivery and wearing pajama pants was a hassle. I found this sleep dress and packed it in my bag, and it definitely came in handy. With my unplanned c-section, I had a catheter, having the sleep dress gave me the option to change out of the hospital gown and into something a little more comfortable without interfering with the oh so lovely catheter. It was also a perfect piece while figuring out breastfeeding and for skin-to-skin. I could easily pull the top down to nurse and I could slip the baby in the shirt and pull it up over her to cover us so we weren’t exposed when people walked in. - Chapstick & Lotion: Everyone is right, the hospital has the driest air. These were so nice to have on hand in my hospital bag.
- Extension Cord: This was a suggestion from a friend’s husband. He commented that you never know where the outlet will be and he was definitely right. We packed an extension cord and I also ordered an extra long phone charger cable. The outlet by the bed in our hospital room was a bit hard to reach behind the bed so the long cable allowed me to have the phone plugged in and easy for me to reach from bed. The extension cord came in handy for my husband who had his phone plugged in across the room but wanted it reachable from his recliner beside my bed. Between calling and texting friends and family and taking a billion pictures of your new baby, a charged phone is crucial!
- Slippers: The hospital I delivered in would not allow patients out of bed without either shoes/slippers or the hospital issued grippy socks on. I didn’t like the idea of walking around the maternity ward and in and out of the bathroom in grippy socks then climbing into the bed with them full of hospital germs so I was sure to have slippers on hand. While I almost bought a pair of new slippers to pack in my hospital bag, I figured I probably wouldn’t want to keep the shoes that were all over the hospital floor so I brought my old pair to the hospital and treated myself to a new pair to have when I was home with the baby.
- “Panties” …adult diapers. Don’t let the lady in the commercial fool you, these “panties” won’t make you feel sexy but it will make you feel a little more… put together! During most of my stay at the hospital I wore the mesh underwear and oversized pads (oh the whole situation is something they don’t warn you about) but switched in to the adult diapers “panties” at the end and then wore them at home for the first few days. I felt more confident and it was so much more comfortable to wear out of the house than the oversized pad would be (especially for the babies first pediatrician appointment the first day we were home).
: While deciding what to pack in my bag, a friend mentioned that the nurses came in to check on her lady area after delivery and wearing pajama pants was a hassle. I found this sleep dress and packed it in my bag, and it definitely came in handy. With my unplanned c-section, I had a catheter, having the sleep dress gave me the option to change out of the hospital gown and into something a little more comfortable without interfering with the oh so lovely catheter. It was also a perfect piece while figuring out breastfeeding and for skin-to-skin. I could easily pull the top down to nurse and I could slip the baby in the shirt and pull it up over her to cover us so we weren’t exposed when people walked in.
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: This was a suggestion from a friend’s husband. He commented that you never know where the outlet will be and he was definitely right. We packed an extension cord and I also ordered an extra long phone charger cable. The outlet by the bed in our hospital room was a bit hard to reach behind the bed so the long cable allowed me to have the phone plugged in and easy for me to reach from bed. The extension cord came in handy for my husband who had his phone plugged in across the room but wanted it reachable from his recliner beside my bed. Between calling and texting friends and family and taking a billion pictures of your new baby, a charged phone is crucial!
…adult diapers. Don’t let the lady in the commercial fool you, these “panties” won’t make you feel sexy but it will make you feel a little more… put together! During most of my stay at the hospital I wore the mesh underwear and oversized pads (oh the whole situation is something they don’t warn you about) but switched in to the What are some items you were glad to have in your hospital bag or what do you plan to pack?