In the Hospital Bag

I must have googled "What to pack in your hospital bag" a thousand times. Each list was longer and more ridiculous than the last. Some included stupid things like "family photos to remind you of home" and "something to play music on" (this must have been written before Pandora...)

Since there were so many over the top lists, I thought I'd add my 0.02 cents of what we really used/needed in the hospital. 

Hospital Bag
We just put everything in a big Land's End bag that a sweet friend got us for a gift. 

**Updated 1/15

Stuff for Mom

• Nursing Bra(s) 
• This Bravado Silk bra is the most comfortable that I've found, and the easiest for access to the food. 
• I discovered I much preferred just wearing the nursing tank tops like the ones you get at the maternity stores 2 for 3 or whatever the deal was.
• Nipple Cream (like Lansinoh Lanolin) 
• Or see if your doc can get you some of the RX kind (mine did, and it was way better)
• Toiletries 
• Face wash, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, contacts, solution, glasses, etc.
• Shower Stuff 
• Just the basics. You wont be shaving your legs or anything fancy. A bar of soap or body wash & looofah will suffice.
• Dry Shampoo 
• I used Suave (from Target)
• This will save you time, and its so much less effort. After a C-Section, I barely had the energy to stand up, let alone wash and dry my hair. 
• Let's be honest. I DID NOT USE THIS.  I also did not wash my hair :) 
• Granny panties. 
• Sad but true. You don't want anything that will sit on your incisions (the internal one is just as sensitive as the external)
• Pads 
• They give you giant ones at the hospital but after about a day of those, you don't want to feel so gross, so bring some thin ones like Always Infinity
• Nursing Tops
• Old Navy has some good options
• Or just live in the tank tops. Like I did. 
• Comfy (baggy) pants
• Again, nothing that sits on or is tight on the incisions. Enter the husbands baggy pajama pants...
• Hair Ties

Stuff for the Baby

They put her in pretty terrible clothes, so the nurses said if we wanted to, they'd put her in her own clothes after they gave her a bath. 

• NB Gowns
• Easiest for diaper changes and they have built in mittens for the little face scratchers. 
• We took 2 newborn and 2 0-3 outfits, just in case she was big, long, etc. 
• Blankets
• I cannot express how much I LOVE the aden + anais muslin swaddle blankets. They're soft, warm without being too warm, and big enough to actually swaddle her in. 
• Again, I wanted something soft on her, so we brought our own.
• Diapers/Wipes 
• Our hospital only provided size 1's. We took some of our own newborns. We did bring all the 1s and wipes home though.
• Clean that cart out! All those diapers are yours! TAKE THEM HOME! And don't forget the snot sucker! 
• Burp Cloths
• Just in case. 
• We did not use them.

You don't really need a ton of stuff for the baby. They'll take care of it for you while you are in the hospital. 

Stuff in General

• The Boppy
• If I didn't have this life saving gem, I don't know what I would have done. It made learning to breastfeed so much easier and comfortable. 
• Cell phone charger(s)
• Car seat
• They won't let you leave the hospital until you've proven you can put your baby in the car seat properly.
• Pillow
• I brought my own, cause I'm partial to being comfortable while trying to sleep.
• They provided sheets and blankets for the hubs to sleep on, but he also brought his own pillow and blanket.
• Cash
• For your husband to go to the cafeteria and buy normal food. And possibly a Snickers Ice Cream bar for you. You earned it. 

That's about all I used in the hospital... I think... This may get updated if I remember something else that was vital to our stay. 

Up Next -  I'll post another list of stuff we have relied one at home.