So I decided to do a post about what I'm packing in my hospital bag. I found other people's post about this topic VERY helpful when I was trying to figure out what I need/might want to bring to the hospital with me when the time comes. I'm actually bringing 2 bags....1 with stuff for myself and Ed and another (our diaper bag) with all of baby's stuff that we'll need at the hospital.
*You can click on each photo to see it better!*
Mommy/Daddy's Hospital Bag
I will be using a small suitcase (the size of a carry-on) to put all of
our stuff in. It comes with rollers so makes it a lot easier because we were told
at the hospital tour that after you give birth in the delivery room you're
transfered upstairs to the recovery ward. So we will have to move all our stuff
upstairs. We were also told that if we were bringing baby stuff (and this was
highly recommended) to have it all in a separate bag because we wouldn't be needing
it until we were in the recovery ward WITH the baby after if comes. Keep in mind that most hospitals will give you some sort of package with essentials but you may run out of things. Much better to just bring your own and be prepared.
Clockwise from top left: 1) Ziploc bag (to keep it from leaking) of toiletries (we bough travel sized shampoo/conditioner/shower gel/toothbrush/toothpaste/floss/contact lenses solution/contact lenses cases). Also I have body lotion and face cleanser too. 2) Ziploc bag of adult underwear and pads (just so they're clean!). I think the hospital that I'm going to is giving us only 3 so get some! These are important for before AND after birth. If your water breaks before you go to the hospital you'll need these as you'll be leaking forever and after you give birth you'll pretty much the equivalent of a heavy flow period for a while. I figured it'd be easier to just use and toss out these rather than using real underwear and having to worry about bringing them home and washing them later. 3) May be hard to see but that dark pile are clothes for me to wear when I leave the hospital and also my hospital/birthing gown. I got my own because I don't think I'll be comfortable in the regular hospital gowns that open from behind. I just got a really loose night shirt from Walmart for $8 and I can use it as a sleep shirt afterwards too. 4) Maternity/nursing bras. You pretty much start breastfeeding right away (if you plan on it) so having real nursing bras will be helpful because they have a flap that you can pull down for easy access and also a place for your nursing pads to go in. 5) Nursing pads. Again the hospital will probably only give you 1 or 2 sets of these so bring extra because once your milk comes in you are leaking a LOT! 6) Make-up bag. I haven't packed my make-up or hair stuff yet because I'm still using them everyday. These won't be too hard to pack up when it comes time to go to the hospital. Even if I'm not home when I go into labour it's highly unlikely that I wouldn't have time to go home first to get all our stuff because you're not supposed to go until your contractions more frequent. They send you home otherwise!
After I took these photos I realized that I was missing a few items still. I've also packed an outfit for Ed (t-shirt/shorts/sweater jacket). I'm pretty sure Daddy is going to get all gross and gucky after baby's arrival...he'll want to hold her as soon as she's out and before they clean her. It's important that he has a change of clothes too!! I also packed playing cards LOL. They told us to bring SOME form of entertainment!!!!!! I'm pretty sure there are things I've missed. I'll be adding to the bag whenever I remember something important!! Oh yes...and I'll have to remember to bring my GLASSES for when I'm not wearing my contact lenses!! LOL
Baby's Hospital Bag
I'll be using my diaper bag (yes, it's a COACH diaper bag!!) to bring all of baby's stuff. I'll just keep this bag in the car from now on because there's nothing in there that I need until she arrives anyways. This bag can also just stay in the car until after baby comes. No need for it in the delivery room.
Clockwise from top beside diaper bag: 1) Ziploc bag of disposable baby diapers in both Premie and Newborn sizes, a travel sized baby wipes pack and 2 soothers. I think I put 10 of each sized diaper in there? Our hospital is only giving us 6 baby diapers in our package and that is NO WHERE near enough for a new born. We are set to use cloth diapers but of course it's much easier to just use disposable ones when we're at the hospital. Don't want to have to worry about bringing home the dirty cloths. I decided to get Premie AND Newborn sizes because when baby is born they're SO SMALL. My doctor estimates that our baby will be 6-6.5 lbs and that's pretty small so it's nice just to have diapers that will fit properly. If I don't need them I can always just donate them to the hospital! 2) Baby blanket/2 swaddle clothes/3 burp cloths/5 rags/3 headbands. I wanted our baby to have a nice soft blanket at the hospital! Just so she's comfy! I know the hospital will have unlimited amounts of cloths/rags for us to use but I know I'll like to use our own stuff. I'm bringing headbands for her (along with hats) so she can look pretty for pictures hehehehe. 3) 4 hats/2 pairs of mitts/2 pairs of socks/1 bib. I don't think the hospital will be providing any of these...not in PINK anyways!! I want my baby to be comfy and pretty for photos! I've heard that mitts are a must and socks just keeps them warm. 4) 3 onsies...2 short sleeves (newborn and 0-3 sized) and a long sleeve one...and a sweater. I know most newborns at the hospital are swaddled with no clothes on but I'm going to bring enough change of clothes for her incase we want her in clothes instead! Just so we have the option! And of course so she can look all pretty for photos!! 5) 2 pairs of pants and bunny slippers!!! These are non-essentials but nice to have incase you want them! They're cute!! 6) Inkpad and hand/foot print kit. I bought this kit a month ago. I want to get her hand/foot print pretty much on her first day. It'll be nice to have this as a keepsake! Babies grow so fast it's important to get this done asap!!!
7) Her homecoming outfit!!! I found this ADORABLE onsie/dress at Target and instantly knew that I wanted this to be the thing she was wearing when she left the hospital!! It's so cute!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see her in it!!!!! 8) Teddy bear. Just cuz <3
Everything all together....
*You can click on each photo to see it better!*
Mommy/Daddy's Hospital Bag
our stuff in. It comes with rollers so makes it a lot easier because we were told
at the hospital tour that after you give birth in the delivery room you're
transfered upstairs to the recovery ward. So we will have to move all our stuff
upstairs. We were also told that if we were bringing baby stuff (and this was
highly recommended) to have it all in a separate bag because we wouldn't be needing
it until we were in the recovery ward WITH the baby after if comes. Keep in mind that most hospitals will give you some sort of package with essentials but you may run out of things. Much better to just bring your own and be prepared.
Clockwise from top left: 1) Ziploc bag (to keep it from leaking) of toiletries (we bough travel sized shampoo/conditioner/shower gel/toothbrush/toothpaste/floss/contact lenses solution/contact lenses cases). Also I have body lotion and face cleanser too. 2) Ziploc bag of adult underwear and pads (just so they're clean!). I think the hospital that I'm going to is giving us only 3 so get some! These are important for before AND after birth. If your water breaks before you go to the hospital you'll need these as you'll be leaking forever and after you give birth you'll pretty much the equivalent of a heavy flow period for a while. I figured it'd be easier to just use and toss out these rather than using real underwear and having to worry about bringing them home and washing them later. 3) May be hard to see but that dark pile are clothes for me to wear when I leave the hospital and also my hospital/birthing gown. I got my own because I don't think I'll be comfortable in the regular hospital gowns that open from behind. I just got a really loose night shirt from Walmart for $8 and I can use it as a sleep shirt afterwards too. 4) Maternity/nursing bras. You pretty much start breastfeeding right away (if you plan on it) so having real nursing bras will be helpful because they have a flap that you can pull down for easy access and also a place for your nursing pads to go in. 5) Nursing pads. Again the hospital will probably only give you 1 or 2 sets of these so bring extra because once your milk comes in you are leaking a LOT! 6) Make-up bag. I haven't packed my make-up or hair stuff yet because I'm still using them everyday. These won't be too hard to pack up when it comes time to go to the hospital. Even if I'm not home when I go into labour it's highly unlikely that I wouldn't have time to go home first to get all our stuff because you're not supposed to go until your contractions more frequent. They send you home otherwise!
After I took these photos I realized that I was missing a few items still. I've also packed an outfit for Ed (t-shirt/shorts/sweater jacket). I'm pretty sure Daddy is going to get all gross and gucky after baby's arrival...he'll want to hold her as soon as she's out and before they clean her. It's important that he has a change of clothes too!! I also packed playing cards LOL. They told us to bring SOME form of entertainment!!!!!! I'm pretty sure there are things I've missed. I'll be adding to the bag whenever I remember something important!! Oh yes...and I'll have to remember to bring my GLASSES for when I'm not wearing my contact lenses!! LOL
Baby's Hospital Bag
Clockwise from top beside diaper bag: 1) Ziploc bag of disposable baby diapers in both Premie and Newborn sizes, a travel sized baby wipes pack and 2 soothers. I think I put 10 of each sized diaper in there? Our hospital is only giving us 6 baby diapers in our package and that is NO WHERE near enough for a new born. We are set to use cloth diapers but of course it's much easier to just use disposable ones when we're at the hospital. Don't want to have to worry about bringing home the dirty cloths. I decided to get Premie AND Newborn sizes because when baby is born they're SO SMALL. My doctor estimates that our baby will be 6-6.5 lbs and that's pretty small so it's nice just to have diapers that will fit properly. If I don't need them I can always just donate them to the hospital! 2) Baby blanket/2 swaddle clothes/3 burp cloths/5 rags/3 headbands. I wanted our baby to have a nice soft blanket at the hospital! Just so she's comfy! I know the hospital will have unlimited amounts of cloths/rags for us to use but I know I'll like to use our own stuff. I'm bringing headbands for her (along with hats) so she can look pretty for pictures hehehehe. 3) 4 hats/2 pairs of mitts/2 pairs of socks/1 bib. I don't think the hospital will be providing any of these...not in PINK anyways!! I want my baby to be comfy and pretty for photos! I've heard that mitts are a must and socks just keeps them warm. 4) 3 onsies...2 short sleeves (newborn and 0-3 sized) and a long sleeve one...and a sweater. I know most newborns at the hospital are swaddled with no clothes on but I'm going to bring enough change of clothes for her incase we want her in clothes instead! Just so we have the option! And of course so she can look all pretty for photos!! 5) 2 pairs of pants and bunny slippers!!! These are non-essentials but nice to have incase you want them! They're cute!! 6) Inkpad and hand/foot print kit. I bought this kit a month ago. I want to get her hand/foot print pretty much on her first day. It'll be nice to have this as a keepsake! Babies grow so fast it's important to get this done asap!!!
7) Her homecoming outfit!!! I found this ADORABLE onsie/dress at Target and instantly knew that I wanted this to be the thing she was wearing when she left the hospital!! It's so cute!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see her in it!!!!! 8) Teddy bear. Just cuz <3
Everything all together....
Here's a close shot at the homecoming outfit. LOVE IT!!!! I need to decide which hairband/shoes/mitts she'll be wearing with this outfit!!!
hey daisy! wow, countdown is on!! been thinking of you guys and praying for you.
ReplyDeletenot sure which hospital you'll be delivering at, but here's some thoughts from my own experience (i delivered at burnaby general): i overpacked. a lot. haha. i think i packed about the same stuff as you but in the end, i didn't end up using all that much. partly because i only had one night of hospital stay. partly because i ended up wearing a hospital gown and hospital underwear and using hospital pads for the whole time i was there. it's just so messy during and after the birth, it was more practical to use theirs. also, i liked the hospital gowns because they had snaps around the shoulders that made it easy to access for breastfeeding (as you'll be doing this every couple hours or more frequently than that). i didn't need a nursing bra until a couple days after i got home. the gowns actually didn't leave my back exposed. and i didn't have to worry about getting blood on them if anything leaked, cuz i could just get another one from the cart down the hall. at burnaby general, they have unlimited pads and diapers for you to use. not sure about other hospitals.
i also packed all my travel sized toiletries but in the end, i only used my toothbrush and toothpaste. i took a brief shower only to wash my body. since i only stayed a night, it didn't matter that i didn't get my hair washed - plus, the hospital showers are awkward to use, especially when you're all sore and exhausted. the one thing i wish i had brought was a hoodie. i ended up using tim's when i was cold.
your going home outfit is adorable! the only thing i'd wonder is whether her legs would get cold. i guess it depends on the weather of the day you head home. (and yes, our baby wore just a diaper and was swaddled for the first few days of her life - with the exception of the car ride home from the hospital because she needed clothes for the carseat!)
in retrospect, i think i could have packed less to go to the hospital, but with it being our first child, i don't regret bringing everything. it just feels better to be prepared. but it's good to go with a posture of openness - that some of the things you envision happening won't go the way you think they will. and be ok with that.
praying for a smooth and safe delivery for you and evelyn! looking forward to meeting her!!
LOL oh yes I know I'm totally over packing....ask Ed...when we go on ONE NIGHT over night trips I bring like 5 outfits and 5 pairs of shoes. I NEED options and hate it when I don't have what I want. I've never ever stayed overnight at a hospital before so I pretty much have no clue what that's going to be like. We're going to be at Royal Columbia and when we went for our hospital tour we were shown exactly what we were going to have available to use when we're there. 6 baby diapers and I think 3 pads. Depending on how long we'll have to be there I rather have TONS of stuff just incase! PS: Her homecoming outfit comes with pants...I just didn't have them in the picture LOL and the sweater matches it too just incase it's cold =) Thank you for your prayers!!! We're soooo excited...any day!!!
Deletewow, I can't believe the time has come already! I have to agree with the first commenter.... I WAAAY overpacked too! We brought entertainment with us, thinking we'd have down time, but not at all! As far as bra's/nursing pads go.... I wouldn't pack them.... my milk didn't come in for 5 days! I just brought nursing pj's and pretty much just wore them all the time while I was in the hospital ( for 3 days). I think it's crazy you only get 6 diapers! I delivered in Langley, and even when we were leaving they were telling us to empty out the bassinet of all the diapers, changing pads, petroleum jelly, everything because they had so much! They even sent us home with like 2 days worth of formula because breast feeding wasn't working for us!
ReplyDeleteAs for the baby, we just kept him in sleepers, or in a diaper and swaddled, so not many clothes needed. We had packed diapers, but because the hospital had some, we never even opened our pack! 1 receiving blanket, 1 pj, 1 going home outfit, 1 scratch mitt... that's what I would pack next time!
But at the end of the day, pack lots, or pack little, if you don't have it, you PROBABLY don't need it. As expectant mother's I think we tend to over think things! You should have seen us LEAVING the hospital! Jon had to make 3 trips to the car! Because people bring flowers, and presents, and goodies too!
Getting excited for you, can't wait to see pictures!
yah Royal columbian is bad for not having enough baby essentials, in the first day we went through the supplies they gave to us. so the supplies you packed are perfect, both girls i had in sleepers/onsies the whole time we were in there and i brought my own blankets for the girls too cuz the ones there were scratchy. make sure you have the 4 receiving blankets packed for the car ride home, they roll them up and use them in the carseat to support baby's head, because the ones that come with the carseat are not supportive enough and small enough for a newborn.
ReplyDelete