Hospital bag: remind me what to pack!

[BigDog]

Almost due with DS3 so I figured I better get my hospital bag ready. I'm having trouble thinking of what I need to pack though! You'd think I'd know by the third time around but my brain isn't working so well lately! Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thx!

[Liziz]

Let's see what I remember being happy to have....


CAMERA!
hard candies to suck on during labor
slippers
nursing tank top
nipple cream
robe (dark colored)
boppy pillow
cell phone and charger
hairbrush and hair ties/headband
toothbrush and toothpaste
clothes to go home in
outfit for baby to go home in


I brought cheap (read: don't care if they get stained) PJs too, but found I just preferred to wear the nursing tank w/ a hospital gown (scrubby? yes, but I was comfortable and that's what counts!). I also brought cheap undies, pads and tucks, but the hospital provided all to me, so I never used what I brought. I'm sure there's some other things but that's all I'm remembering right now!

[wendibird22]

I was a minimalist. Toiletries, flip flops, iPod, outfit to wear home (me and baby). I used hospital gown, underwear, pads...free and didn't want to ruin any of my own. DH needed a few changes of clothes, toiletries, snacks, and things to keep him busy. Add carseat and I was good to go. Oh and camera and cell charger.

[sarahsthreads]

Well, I way overpacked for DD1 and didn't use 75% of it.

And then I never got around to packing for DD2. So while I was in labor, DH & my mom ran around and packed:
- two potential outfits (different sizes) for DD2 (I never really did a formal "coming home outfit")
- my toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush
- a pair of PJs I wanted to wear once I was up to receiving visitors (so much nicer than the hospital gown in all those pictures people took!)
- a change of clothes for me to wear home
- a "sleep" nursing bra (I also just wore this home), along with nursing pads & lanolin
- my camera (luckily already charged)

That was plenty, honestly. The hospital sent us home with some newborn diapers (as though we were going to need them in the 20 minutes it took us to drive home), the fancy mesh underpants (so stylish) and gigantic pads.

This time, DH has made me promise to pack all but the toiletries and camera a month before my due date! ;)

Sarah :)

[buddyleebaby]

-my own pillow and heavy blanket
-underwear and socks
-Pajama pants and comfy t shirts
-"Real" outfit to wear home
-Outfit and blanket for baby
-ipod and charger
-cell phone and charger
-camera, memory card and charger
-sound machine and extension cord
-toiletries- soap, conditioner, comb, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant. Toilet paper.
-book
-snacks

A lot of the things I brought were just comfort items for *me* to make me feel more at home. The only thing I did not use was the book. I forgot how much I would want to just look at my new baby. :love2:

[BigDog]

Thank you for the suggestions! I hate having to pack for anything, so the hospital bag is especially daunting. I just need to force myself to do it. Tomorrow. :)

[Nemesia]

These lists are great! When do you typically pack your hospital bag? I'm only 25 weeks, so I've got some time!

[TxCat]

- My own pillow
- My own pajamas
- Slippers
- Shower sandals
- shampoo, conditioner, bath gel
- toothbrush, toothpaste
- body lotion
- deodorant
- face lotion
- makeup (for all the pictures!) very minimal - undereye concealer, bronzer
- chapstick or moisturizing lipgloss
- iphone and charger
- laptop computer or iPad and charger
- camera and charger
- comfy socks
- undies
- going-home outfit for me
- going-home outfit for baby
- lanolin/nipple cream
- reading material
- comfy outfit to receive visitors

[ncat]

I don't remember using anything that I packed in preparation for DD's delivery except her going home outfit and my going home outfit. DH did enjoy snacks I packed for him, since I was there a while in labor.

For DS, I wish I had remembered to pack socks for me!

[lizzywednesday]

I overpacked, but I'm glad I brought:

* My own pads - I am picky & hated the hospital pads; I took Always Infinity with me & used those, which I liked better (YMMV)
* Slippers
* Flip-flps (for showering)
* Yoga pants
* toothbrush/toothpaste
* My own PJs - again, this is personal preference, but the hospital gowns were pink ... and I despise pink. I felt less like a patient in my own things.
* My own underpants - yet again, I was most comfortable in my own things, I do understand that this is not everyone's cup of tea and that's fine.
* my own robe - kimono style satin from VS; I put it on backwards & used it as a pumping cover-up so I could visit with family while pumping
* glasses/glass case, contacts/lens case & solution - I am nearsighted & need these items
* lip balm for DH and me
* hand lotion for DH and me
* water bottle for me (the 20 oz Camelbak brand one I'd been carrying around since week 17 of my pregnancy)
* camera & extra batteries
* cell phone & charger
* laptop & AC adaptor - I was in for an induction that resulted in a C-section; I would have gone out of my mind if I didn't have something besides TV ... and I wasn't super-interested in the novel I was reading
* thank you notes for baby gifts (my shower was snowed out twice; I wrote thank you notes in the hospital while pumping - there's only so much TV a girl can take ... especially at a children's hospital!!!)

[scrooks]

I was a minimalist. Toiletries, flip flops, iPod, outfit to wear home (me and baby). I used hospital gown, underwear, pads...free and didn't want to ruin any of my own. DH needed a few changes of clothes, toiletries, snacks, and things to keep him busy. Add carseat and I was good to go. Oh and camera and cell charger.

This was me....i wore the hospital gown etc...and only brought clothes to wear home.

Flip flops for shower? ETA...oops in the list above...a must though!

I am thinking too.... I want to take our ipad but we only have one and the kids may freak. I brought a book. With DS, DH was home a bit with DD and I had some quiet down time.

[kaharris83]

Minimalist here too. Not the first time, but for DS2 I remembered all the stuff I didn't end up using so I packed a much smaller bag the second time.

I had a robe to wear around the room
An outfit for me to wear home
An outfit for baby to wear home
Earth Mama Angel Baby soap for baby's first bath.
Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter
Cloth diapers
Fragrance Free Wipes
Phone charger
Camera

[MamaMolly]

Tennis balls to throw at your husband (tell him they are to roll on your back for a massage during labor)
Rice in a sock to swing over your head before you throw it at your husband (tell him it is to warm in the microwave and act as heating pad)
Ipod and earphones. You can swing it and throw it at your husband or wrap the headphone cord around his neck.
Ditto for cell phone
Ditto for camera
Snacks so you have energy to throw things
Chip clip for DH's testicles (just in case he suggests that you don't NEED that Epi, you'll want to be sure he shares in the special magic of childbirth. Just tell him it is for the bag of snacks.)
ear plugs so you don't have to listen to his screams

I'm sure I'm forgetting things....;)


And just FYI some of these were the items the nurses told me the hospital had BANNED because of mamas were using them as weaponry. So I'm not nearly as clever as I'd like to think! We could have a camera, and that was about it.

[bostonsmama]

I had a maternity/nursing dress (sleveless) from Motherhood that became the BEST nursing jammies. I used EVERYTHING of the hospital's: they had toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo (I did use my conditioner), a razor, shaving cream, witch hazel pads, their mesh underware: LOVE, their Barbie mattress pads, their diapers, their swaddling blankets, even their t-shirt layette until going home. I used hospital pillows as a nursing pillow since I didn't want my Boppy cover getting dirty if it fell on the floor. It was easy-peasy.

I had the world's shortest labor (as a 1st time mom), and I expect an even shorter 2nd. I didn't bring a thing (comfort-wise) for the actual labor as I wound up stark naked in the shower, over the ball (they had one), and over the squat bar--socks free!

This time I will be bringing my :
laptop as I heard they now have wireless (for after the birth--to Skype)
cell phone and charger
makeup bag
blowdryer and flat iron (ours did not have a wall blow dryer)
shower shoes (although you can stand on a washcloth if you forget)
camera--although it's not like DH or I remember to take ANY pictures ourselves in L&D
my nursing dress I wore both recovery days last time
Nursing bra AND nursing pads--last time the lanolin totally stained my sleep bra!
Our going-home outfits

eta: DH brought a whole bunch of stuff for himself (change of clothes, granola bars, tuna packs, snacks and drinks, cash for vending machines, magazines, toothbrush & paste). The best part was that he had something to feed me RIGHT after delivery when I was starving and hadn't eaten for 7 hours and breakfast was still 2hrs away. I devoured a pack of tuna and a granola bar and almost a liter of Smart Water. Birth and nursing made me famished!