Hospital Bag Must Haves

Read on to hear all about my hospital bag must haves! Our baby girl is 3 months old now. It honestly feels long. The newborn phase is no joke. Maybe it’s because Evvy is somewhat fussy.

I like to call her “finicky”. Aren’t we all?

Almost immediately after coming home from the hospital, I told my husband I needed a do-over as far as the items packed/ hospital necessities were concerned. My labor and delivery was wild, but I wouldn’t change much about that part. The items I had with me in the hospital, however, I most certainly would change. Read on to find out about my hospital bag must haves.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably looked up several “hospital bag must have” lists. There’s sooo many out there. And they’re all a little different. Because everyone’s needs are different. And all hospitals are a little different in terms of what they provide.

It seemed to me like most lists were either bring everything in your entire nursery and bedroom, or don’t be ridiculous- the hospital provides baby things, it’s only a couple days, pack light.

Most women have their first hospital stay after giving birth. So on top of not knowing what it’s like to give birth and care for a baby, I had NO IDEA what it was like staying in a hospital. I hated it. I found it extremely uncomfortable. It did not seem like the optimal healing place as I assumed it would be.

There were constant interruptions, people coming in every time my baby was screaming for a long period of time while I was figuring out how to “mom”, people coming in for my vitals, or baby’s vitals, or the trash, or for this or that. “How’s breastfeeding going?, “When was the last time she ate?”. I was so tired of answering to people. No, I wasn’t sure how to calm my screaming baby. But I knew I’d figure it out on my own, in due time. I was so uncomfortable in the hospital for so many reasons. The bed was uncomfortable and nearly impossible to get out of in my condition. The chair was uncomfortable. The baby blankets were uncomfortable. There were scratchy wristbands on wristbands on ankle bands on my poor, sweet, fragile, little baby. I could not wait to get home where I was sure we would both be more comfortable.

Here’s what I’d bring next time:

Boppy Pillow

I had read that this is silly and large and unnecessary and blah blah blah. I 100% disagree. Maybe it’s because I had a 3rd degree tear and was hurting. Who knows. What I do know, is that when you’re a first time mom who’s never breastfed and is trying to figure out how to do the thing and have decent posture while sitting on your sore bottom, stacking up pillows while they slide around is not ideal. It’s actually very frustrating when you’re already emotional and frustrated. I use my boppy all the time, and would have gladly and shamelessly toted it into the hospital with me had I known better.

Cute Hats

I did bring one. It was supposedly for newborns, but it was still giant. I didn’t like the hospital hat because it looked so, hospital-y. Evvy didn’t really seem like my baby until she was dressed in the clothes I picked for her. The big hat was just too much to manage so she stayed in her ugly, well fitting hospital hat. If I knew better, I would have found a soft and cute hat (or two) with great reviews from other mamas claiming they fit their newborn’s head.

~Check out my post on How to Prepare for Maternity Leave!~

Swaddle Blankets

If I had a do-over, I would learn more about swaddling and why babies love it so much before giving birth. Then I’d pack a comfy cozy swaddle wrap. My baby basically stayed naked besides her diaper while in the hospital. She stayed wrapped up in the scratchy hospital baby blankets. I had brought one of her Aden and Anais muslin swaddles with the intention of using it, but was quickly reminded I had no idea what I was doing, nor any confidence, when I pulled it out and realized how thin it was compared to the hospital blanket and chickened out for fear of her being cold. Plus, the muslin was harder to wrap tightly.

Now, I can wrap a tight muslin swaddle. Looking back, I wish I had a thicker, stretchy, cotton swaddle blanket. I think that would have been easiest for me, though I definitely recommend practicing your swaddling technique on one of those many stuffed animals your unborn child has already received. Yes, I’m serious.

Whatever Makes You Feel Like You

Giving birth is hard. Healing from your battle wounds can be hard. As I mentioned above, the hospital really isn’t very comfortable. Bring things that bring you comfort. I like a cozy blanket and I knew enough about hospitals to know that their blankets are thin, so I brought a cozy blanket from home. And makeup. Because I feel most put-together with some makeup on. This is definitely a hospital bag must have!

Nipple Cream, If You Have a Preference

I do, so I brought some and used it and I was happy I did.

Perineal Spray, If You Have a Preference

I didn’t know about this, so I didn’t bring anything special. They give you some “dermoplast” stuff that apparently helps with pain and healing. I was willing to do whatever they said, so I used this in the hospital, but never really noticed it doing anything for me. While in the hospital I had ordered some Earth Mama Herbal Perineal Spray for when I got home. I love this stuff.

We went on a road trip awhile after Evvy was born, before I was fully healed. I left my Earth Mama Herbal Perineal Spray at home, figuring it was just a couple days and I wouldn’t miss it. Boy, was I wrong. Sitting in the car for several hours made me sore, so I ran to CVS to pick up the same Dermoplast spray they gave me in the hospital. After using, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was ON FIRE! I was itchy, burny, and just uncomfortable. I’m glad I did not continue using that when I immediately came home from the hospital.

Snacks

I was pleasantly surprised by the overnight snack-bag my hospital provided. It included a cold ham sandwich which was perfect since I had been deprived of my deli meat cravings all throughout pregnancy. I wonder if they took some kind of poll of women who just gave birth to see what they would most like to eat that could be served cold… Anyway, we brought a huge bag of snacks with us. Just stocked a separate bag full and kept it with my hospital bag. I was so happy to have some of my favorite snacks there and was constantly munching. Between being overly tired and breastfeeding, I had a huge appetite. Bonus- I was able to keep eating all the leftover snacks after we brought baby home!

Whatever Pacifier You Plan on Using

It seems logical that the first binky a baby has is the one it will want in the future. I knew I wanted to use a Wubbanub (AKA a binky with a stuffed animal), so I didn’t bring one because I knew the hospital had the same type. Now, the Wubbanub isn’t quite as precious as it was when she was a newborn, and I’ve found a new favorite (Bibs- link below), because it actually STAYS in her mouth. If I could go back, I’d bring a different kind along with us.

Not All the Literature on Babies That You Have

If you took any baby classes, you probably ended up with a bunch of handouts and booklets of useful information. This is great!! You’ll probably never look at them again. I brought mine to the hospital to refresh myself if needed. Definitely NOT a hospital bag must have! Turns out my hospital provided a whole bunch of hand out- type material with the need to know information. It kept me busy in the middle of the night in the hospital, and I never pulled out my own material. I bet your hospital does the same thing.

I hope you found this helpful in some way! Let me know in the comments if you have packed your hospital bag yet!

XO

Abby

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