Monday, September 22, 2014
Hey little babes! I finally finished packing my hospital bag. For about two months now, I've been "packing" it, adding a few little things to it, taking a few out. I like to have all the bases covered but I hate overpacking. So after reading and re-reading a million packing lists from other bloggers, I've come up with my own. I think when you get down to it, it's more or less what makes you comfortable. Some are cool with hospital towels, some aren't. Some don't mind giving birth naked while others want to get their own gown. Whether you overpack or underpack, the hospital will always have your ultimate must-haves so don't worry, lovebug.

(As you can see, I wrote this before I had my baby! Baby boy came a few days early so I couldn't get this up in time. I decided to leave the post the way it is but edit in what I actually used and what I didn't.)

Before packing your bag, definitely check with your hospital beforehand and see what they provide for you and your baby.

My Hospital Bag:

- Bag | Forever 21 - Love how spacious this is yet it's not humongous. I also really like that I could probably rock this afterward as a nice bag or weekend bag.

- Soft Black Robe | Target - When I went on the hospital tour, I couldn't help but notice how freakin' cold it was. I'm sure when I'm in labor this robe will be the last thing on my mind but afterward, I think I'll be thankful I have it. It'll be nice to just cover up with when there's visitors as well. Oh, and it's incredibly soft. Like, "mmmmm" soft. I actually didn't end up using this :( I was insanely HOT the entire time (go figure) I was in the hospital. It's still nice to have if you want to cover up when guests come.

- Night Gown | Target - I also really wanted something to change into when visitors come that first day that's still cute, dark and has easy access for nurses to check me out and for skin-to-skin/breastfeeding with baby. The one I bought is pretty long which is what I wanted and has a buttons that button all the way down to the belly. Loved having this! I actually wore it two nights in a row. Super soft and comfy and it was just nice to wear something that wasn't a hospital gown.

- Cute Socks/Slippers | Target - I've heard that so many moms wish they brought socks because it's so cold. For $1.50 a pair, I couldn't help but snag these. They serve the purpose and they're adorable! Slippers are also really nice to have if you want (or better yet can) walk around the hospital. Thick socks also work instead of slippers. I loved having the socks but I didn't end up using the slippers. I wore the flip flops I walked in with when I needed to walk around. The socks kind of acted like slippers so I guess you don't need both.

- Nursing Tank + Comfy Pants | Target & TJ Maxx - Basically my outfit for day two (my hospital has you stay for two nights). I figure the nursing tank is still cute to rock for pictures and I'll probably want to put some pants on by this point. I'm a total pants kinda girl. They're comfy and baggy so I can still slide them down if the nurses need to check me out or anything. I ended up wearing the night gown both nights I was at the hospital but I loved having these there as an option. 

- Going Home Outfit | Target - I'm just keeping it simple. Stretchy leggings and a cute tank. Can't go wrong! I've heard sometimes after you deliver, you can retain a lot of fluid between the IV's pumpin' and water retention so they say to bring clothes that would fit you if you were six months pregnant. The stretchy leggings and tank top were perfect! 

- Towel + Flip Flops | I'm definitely going to want to take a shower if I have the option but I've heard hospital towels suck so I'm bringing my own. Plus nothing makes someone happier than a little piece of home when you're in the hospital. I'm also bringing flip flops to use in the shower. Definitely was a good idea bringing my own towel! The hospital's were very small and rough. 

- Nursing Pads + Large Underwear | TJ Maxx & Target - Usually, your milk doesn't come in until about 2-3 days after giving birth but I like to be better safe than sorry plus I'm already leaking as it is so this might come in handy. They're small so even if you don't use them, they're not really taking up much space. I also bought some soft underwear in about two sizes larger than I normally am to keep comfy while I'm wearing pads the size of Texas. I didn't need the nursing pads but the large underwear was great. I also used the mesh underwear they had as well. So I guess you don't need your own, but it's always comfier.

- Nursing Bras | Target - First off, I highly recommend checking out the Gilligan & O'Malley nursing bras at Target. They're so comfy but are still incredibly supportive. I plan on bringing two of these in place of bras. Thank goodness I had these. They were great for feeding baby in the hospital. They were super comfy and had easy access :)

My Make Up / Toiletries Bag

- Bag | Breakups to Makeup - I absolutely love this bag! You can see my review (and just how much you can fit in it!) here! 

- Hair Ties + Bobby Pins | These are always in my bag anyways but I threw a few more in just in case.  I think I'll probably want my hair up when I'm delivering. 

- Batiste Dry Shampoo | Ulta - My absolute favorite dry shampoo and the only one that works with my hair. Definitely good to have if I can't take that shower to make me look at least a little presentable.

- Deodorant | Walmart - I think this goes without saying.

- Make Up | Just some good ol' faithfuls. It Cosmetics CC+ Cream - The CC cream is just the right amount of coverage without overdoing it and can be applied with my fingers, if I need to. MAC ProLongWear Concealer - The concealer is a must because after pushing, I'm sure I'll have some lovely little broken blood vessels all over my face. I swear, I get them so easily. Maybelline One By One Mascara - My absolute favorite mascara right now. It delivers just the right amount of length, volume and lift to make me feel like I'm wearing falsies.

I actually didn't use anything from my makeup bag! I liked knowing I had it there but we had visitors almost immediately after delivery and I just didn't care how I looked after. I was WAY too tired.

Baby's Diaper Bag

- Diaper Bag | Betsey Johnson - I don't know what made me buy this as a diaper bag but I'm so happy I did! It has a bunch of pockets inside and out for bottles, pacifiers, diapers, etc. I absolutely love it! 

- Two Sleeper Onesies | Carter's - How cute are these? Ugh. So adorable. I figure one for each night we're there. To be honest, I think he'll probably be just swaddled in a diaper most of the time but bringing these along just in case doesn't hurt. Didn't use.

- Going Home Outfit | Carter's + Freshly-Picked.com - As soon as I saw this online, I knew this would be his going home outfit. It's camo which makes his dad happy and it has little elbow patches on the hoodie which makes me happy. I have no clue if these Freshly Picked moccasins will fit him but they match the outfit and they're so freakin' adorable.

- aden+anais Swaddling Blankets | Buy Buy Baby - I'm bringing two even though I know that they give you ones at the hospital. It's more just blankets to swaddle him in for pictures and bring him home in. I ended up using one for covering him when we left.

- Mitts + Hats + Socks | Babies R Us - They're just SO tiny! Mitts are great to have so the baby doesn't scratch his face up. Hats are also awesome (although I think they offer them at most hospitals) to keep your baby warm. I'm just bringing my own because they're cuter ;) Socks are also great to have to keep your babe warm as well.  These were great to have! The hospital supplied a hat but my son came out with shanks for nails so we put mitts on him ASAP so he wouldn't scratch his face.

- Dr. Brown's Gia Angled Breastfeeding Pillow | Dr. Brown's - I'm SO excited to bring this with me and will definitely be doing a review on it afterward. I've read a lot of moms that are breastfeeding wished they brought their breastfeeding pillow with them. I think it's more a comfort thing than a huge necessity, but I'm happy to bring this with me! The Dr. Brown's Gia Breastfeeding Pillow was designed by a lactation consultant and is angled to help digestion and reduce reflux. It's super soft and is made to sit taller and wider for different positions while breastfeeding the baby. Definitely can't wait to try this! If there's one thing I could recommend bringing it would definitely be this - and this one in particular! This makes breastfeeding SO much easier. I plan on doing a full review because I'm so in love with this pillow. It brings your baby up to a perfect height to feed. Ahhh, it's just so amazing!