Hospital bag: what I did/didn't use

Weeks before Squirt was born I had packed a hospital and diaper bags if you remember this post. I packed based on what I had found on other sites as well as what I remembered from the first time. Now I'm going to show what I didn't use that I packed and what I had wish I used.

The list from the hospital bag:

1. Always infinity heavy pads

2. Nursing cover

3. 4 sets of disposable breast pads

4. Lanolin

5. 2 sets reusable breast pads

6. Flip flops

7. Wallet and cash (for vending machine)

8. Small pouch with hair ties, bobby pins, 2 sizes of headbands, hair clip, chapstick, and lotion

9. Toothbrush and toothpaste

10. Hairbrush

11.Q-tips

12. Vaseline (for dry lips and skin if the lotion or chapstick isn't working)

13. Deodorant

14. Ponds face lotion

15. Heading home clothes (t-shirt and pants with a small stretchy band for early pregnancy)

16. PJs for hospital stay

17. Postpartum wrap

18. Underwear (that I can throw out)

19. 1 nursing tank and 1 regular tank (cheaper and I can turn it into a nursing tank)

20. Socks

21. Nursing bras

22. Slippers

23. Gum

24. Shower supplies (face wash, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, travel body puff)

25. Night time nursing bras

 

What I didn't use:

1. Pads: I ended up using the ones in the hospital (I asked for smaller size than the diaper kind). I did use 1 of my own pads for going home since it was a 30+ minute ride. So maybe pack 1 or 2 of your own.

2. Nursing cover: too awkward to add into trying to learn to breastfeed plus you can just ask people to leave. And I didn't care. I also wore a nursing tank under my shirt so not much was showing.

3. Disposable breast pads: I didn't leak at all in the hospital and I don't now (I use reuseable ones when I use lanolin now because it'll stain your clothes otherwise). If anything bring a set of washable ones in case.

8. Hair clip, chapstick, and lotion: I didn't need them this time. I did need the chapstick and lotion in the first hospital though, so you may need it.

11. Q-tips: I don't even know why I bothered with these

12. Vaseline: again, useless (though I could have used it during my first birth)

15. Pants: thankfully I thought to pack some maternity yoga pants the day of, because I didn't even feel like trying to put on pants, I just wanted to be comfy

17. Postpartum wrap: I honestly don't even use it now. I've worn it maybe 5 days.

18. Underwear: again, something I didn't even put on until I went home. You can just pack 1 or just forego it all together and use the mesh to head home in.

20. Socks: The day I went to the hospital I went in flip flops so I didn't even have sneakers to wear socks with

23. Gum: I didn't even bother with it.

 

So out of 25 items I brought I used only 14 of those items while in the hospital. Though there are a couple that I used when heading home, but they weren't desperately needed to go home in.

 

Out of the diaper bag I had packed:

 

1. Stroller straps and shoulder strap (they came with the diaper bag)

2. Binkies (AKA Pacifiers)

3. Pacifier strap

4. Hand sanitizer

5. Travel baby wipes

6. 2 size 1 diapers

7. 2 newborn size diapers

8. Cloth wipes (for covering boy parts during diaper changes)

9. Changing pad

10. Heavy blanket

11. Light blanket

12. 2 receiving blankets (for spit-up or whatever happens)

13. Muslin swaddle blanket

14. Wet bag (usually for cloth diapering but since we're not doing that as of yet this time I use them for dirty clothes)

15. 2 bibs (Little E constantly spit-up and I'd forever be changing him if he didn't wear a bib)

16. Winter hat

17. Gloves

18. 2 pair socks

19. 0-3 month sleeper

20. 0-3 month outfit

21. 0-3 month romper

22. Newborn sleeper

23. Newborn outfit with coat.

 

And since it'll be easier, what I did end up using:

 

12. Receiving blankets: used to cover him in his car seat

21. 0-3 month romper: he could fit NB size but wasn't too awkward in 0-3 month. We used the romper to bring him home in since it was hot outside and it was easy to dress him in. 

23. NB outfit: We didn't use the coat but we used the outfit to dress him in for pictures at the hospital.

You'll steal the diapers and wipes from the hospital anyway so you'll have some for the ride home. If anything a second outfit just in case.

As you can tell I could have fit everything in 1 bag and saved having an extra to carry down.

 

What I wish I had brought, however, was something else to wear in the hospital. I had cheap PJs from walmart and they weren't too comfortable. Something to sit on, Big E ended up bringing a boppy from home when he ran there so that I had something to sit on. Hospital beds aren't the greatest, even though mine had an inflatable pillow built in. Add someone that just took a beating on the end you sit on and it's not comfortable at all. I was in so much pain I was hunched over. The first night home was pure bliss compared to that. Bath towel the ones at the hospital were like a hand towel that it didn't do much.

 

 That's pretty much it for what I wished I had brought to the hospital. I'm not a very picky person and I deal very well with little, so if you like comforts than your list may be different than mine. This is just the bare minimum it seems like to me.

Jalee