I read approximately 2000 blog articles about what to pack for my hospital stay at the birth center. Most of the articles say the same thing: pack clothes, chapstick, lotion, and yada yada *insert expensive gadget and what not here. I packed and unpacked a couple times, narrowing down what I really needed and had room for in my bag…
Want to know what I packed and was glad that I did?
~2 comfortable dresses (to wear when we had visitors and for our trip home)
~super comfy robe (wore this when I left the room and when I was walking around our hospital room)
~nightgown
~a sport bra and a nursing bra (there was no way I could go without some support of any kind)
~chapstick
~body/hand lotion
~my pillow
~2 empty bags (used this to put all the hospital goodies that they gave me – pads, mesh undies, bed liners, baby diapers and any gifts that were brought)
~Toothbrush, hair brush, shampoo/conditioner samples, hair ties, hair product, head bands
~slipper socks
~a few emergency snacks
~laptop, cell phone, charger cables
~diaper bag packed with 2 baby onesies (for pictures and go-home outfit) and a baby receiving blanket (used this to send something with baby’s smell on it to our dog while we were away. I think this helped get her excited about the new baby.). It was perfect to use to pack all the swag we got for baby during our stay. By swag I mean: diapers, petroleum jelly, wipes and a swaddle. =D
***One thing that we had in our car that we ended up needing was an empty cardboard box. It was perfect to use to carry home flowers that we received at the hospital. I don’t know how we would have made it home with them without the box.
What did I pack and NOT use?
~underwear, because I wore the mesh underwear the hospital provided
~yoga pant and t shirt outfits (pants are not comfortable for days)
~my Kindle (I didn’t have the time or ability to focus on reading)
Overall I was pretty impressed with my packing skills. I’m almost a minimalist when it comes to packing and have been known to be able to take week long vacation and only pack a carry on.
