¡Hola y’all! This momma is here to tell you what is absolutely essential for your trip to the hospital to have your sweet babe. After doing this twice- including one during a pandemic- I have learned one important key is to pack as little as possible. So if you find yourself in the same boat, keep scrolling to find out how to not bring anything useless to the hospital!
What did you pack for your second hospital stay? What did you leave at home?
The key question I asked myself when packing for the hospital this go around (due to giving birth during COVID) was, “Will this item be easy to sanitize when I get home?” For example, I wanted to use a bag that I could easily wipe down like a plastic suitcase or duffle bag. And this meant that I wouldn’t bring things like a nursing pillow or slippers. Also, because I knew we couldn’t have a photographer present, there was no reason for me to look super put together so I left a lot of my makeup/super cute swaddles and clothes at home #2ndbabyprobs. I seriously packed a FOURTH of what I packed when I had Nolan. You really learn what you actually need the second time around!
- Clothing
- 2 sets of loose pj bottoms
- cotton robe
- nursing bra/nursing tank
- 2 pairs of underwear (even though I rocked those mesh undies the whoooollllleeee time)
- socks (for shoes for going home)
- going home outfit (I wore one set of pj bottoms, a hat, an oversized shirt and tennis shoes..real cute haha)
- cheap flip flops for shower
- Toiletries
(you can purchase a pre-made travel bag with travel sized products here if you want to make things even more easy peasy. This product seriously has IT ALL in one small bag.)- Bodywash/shampoo/conditioner
- deodorant
- facewash/facelotion
- toothpaste/toothbrush
- scrunchy
- brush
- CHAPSTICK (get this stuff, seriously, it’s so good and such a lifesaver. Labor really does dry those suckers out)
- Frida Mom Peri Bottle (TRUST me you will want this over the one the useless ketchup bottle the hospital gives you).
- Other
- Baby *(the hospital provided everything she needed for her stay like diapers, wipes, swaddles, etc. we only needed stuff to bring her home in!)*
- beanie
- mitts
- onesie
- pants
- carseat
- Postpartum Items* (I actually didn’t have to pack ANY postpartum items because the hospital seriously provided everything I needed and YOU BEST BELIEVE I snagged a TON of extras before we headed home #savethatmoney #youpaidforitanyways haha) But just incase you want specifics, here’s what I needed postpartum-wise that the hospital provided for me.
- Mesh Undies
- Pads of multiple sizes (HUGE for just after birth and slightly less huge but still gigantic for the next day/first days back home)
- Witch hazel pads (grabbed a bunch of these too!)
- Icepacks
- dibucaine ointment (AKA the amazing soothing gel for your lady bits)
- Dermaplast Spray (ya girl snagged like 6 of these before headed home)
- nipple shields for breastfeeding (they’ll bring you multiple sizes to find the one you need)
- Lanolin cream
So that’s it! I so hope this post was helpful for you and if you want to know more about what my postpartum basket looked like once we returned home, you can check it out here!