I can’t believe it! Feels like yesterday I was sharing my what’s in my hospital bag and today I’m telling you an updated version. Time flies! To read what I originally packed and get all the links, click here.
MAMA:
Gimme Beauty Hair Ties | I brought both kinds that I have–the thick fit and the fine fit. I tried the thin ones at first (fine fit) and they didn’t last. The thick fit though–held my hair up for 12 hours without touching it! Discount code: DANIELLEALANAREYES25
Toiletries | After I gave birth, I couldn’t stand. I didn’t have an epidural, but I was so weak that I could barely move. At that point I hadn’t slept since Wednesday night and it was Friday night and I had gone through 15 hours of labor. As much as I wanted to do my skincare routine (to feel clean), I just didn’t have the energy. I used the face wipes to wipe down my face, some mouthwash to rinse and spit, and deodorant to cover how sweaty and gross I was. That’s as good as it got on night one! Day 2 I did shower, and brush my teeth, but did the same thing. I waited until I got home to do the full-thing. Read my original post to see what I packed!
Blanket | If you saw my birth story blog post then you saw my barefoot dreams blanket made an appearance, ha! Hospital sheets and blankets are not comfortable, so having that piece of home with me and something to snuggle in was great. We shared it when we went to sleep that night and Enzo and I cuddled in it!
Nursing Bras | The only thing I actually wore from home the entire time I was there. I changed into my nursing bra after giving birth and switched into another one the next day. Other than that, I just had all the hospital postpartum goodies on for the bottom half.
Tank Top & Loose Pants | This is what I wore home from the hospital! It was freezing, but I didn’t wear a sweatshirt. I literally was outside for 2 seconds just getting in the car so it wasn’t necessary to have. I just had my blanket on to keep warm for the wheelchair ride, and the car ride home.
Sandals & Shower Shoes | I wore crocs to the hospital (I was so swollen at the end of my pregnancy those were the only shoes that fit lol) and then sandals home. Only shoes I needed! Crocs can be used as shower shoes.
I literally showed up to the hospital in what I came in (which was this pullover and these sweats) and the rest of the time stayed in my Fabletics sports bra, eventually switched to my nursing bras, and then stayed in my diaper the rest of the time. I was changing pads and all of that fun postpartum stuff so often, there was really no point in getting dressed in PJs–not to mention the bleeding. I changed into my tank and comfy pants to go home. I was extremely exhausted from giving birth, so doing my skincare routine wasn’t happening, as much as I wanted it to. I didn’t even end up bringing my makeup! Travel sized toiletries are a must.
DAD:
Toiletries | He used these morning and night. Worked great!
Underwear, Socks, Change of Clothes | He packed 3 pairs of each, and only ended up changing once from the clothes he wore to the hospital.
BABY BOY:
Announcement Photo Props | A must for Instagram announcements. 😉
Car Seat | Obvious, but we love our car seat so far!
Boppy Pillow | The hospital pillows sucked, so I was glad I brought this for feeding since I wasn’t comfortable.
Outfits | We packed multiple outfits and different sizes for him, and he used a few. He was so tiny though, that he was swimming in his newborn size clothes. He mainly was just swaddled the whole time because it was the only thing we could get to fit lol!
Sound Machine | Our hospital wasn’t loud, and I think this has to do with being in the birthing center. It’s cornered off so we didn’t get any noise that you usually hear from the loud speakers and things like that. I liked having it for us though and also him to set up good habits!
IN GENERAL:
Disposable Pillows | Hospital pillows were trash for us. You won’t regret buying and bringing your own! We got these and threw them away before we left, and just washed the pillow covers at home.
Snacks & Drinks | We 100% didn’t bring enough snacks. I don’t know why, but I only had Tim pack snacks for himself. I guess I just assumed they would have some for me? Well, room service (is that what its called in a hospital lol?) was super slow and my snack options were literally crackers. And that was it! We blew through the snacks by the afternoon.
Nurse Baskets | We brought the nurse basket in for the nurses that helped us and they were very appreciative. To see the smile on their faces when we gave it to them, was totally worth it! Highly recommend at least doing a little something if you can. Check my nurse baskets highlight to see what I did on my Instagram!
Laundry Bag | This was well used! Everything that needed to be washed we shoved in here. It was nice to have it separated too.
Shower Towels | The shower towels the hospital offered were actual rags. Definitely bring your own, ours were well used!
Essential Oils | The first thing we took out of the hospital bag was my diffuser and oils! This was running the entire time and I used my oils throughout the entire labor process and after. If you aren’t using oils already, you’re missing out!
Long Phone Chargers | Tim didn’t end up bringing one for his phone and he instantly regretted it. The outlets weren’t close to our bed and he had to get up every time he wanted his phone. The one I got was perfect!
So as you can see, this list of what was used in our hospital bag is about half of what I originally packed. I’ll be referencing this post when round two comes around!
