Hellobee

Oh, hospital bags. They’re one of those things I refused to allow myself to think about until about my 8th month of pregnancy, then I turned into a crazy person researching what in the world I should pack. And, of course, right after coming home with Jackson I promptly forgot about it and haven’t put much thought into what I packed since then.

However, I remember that season of obsession…I remember constantly Googling to find other people who had blogged about what they packed and how it worked out, and I remember how excited I was every time a new post popped up. Maybe I’m the only one who obsesses like that, but I doubt it, so I figured it was high time I wrote up a quick post about what I packed in my bags, what I used, and what I didn’t.

We’ll start with my bag.

Here’s what’s I packed and used:

1) Pajamas: I had a few pairs of flannel button-down sleep shirts (Jackson was born in January, so it was cold) and they were fabulous. I changed out of my hospital gown as soon as I could and put a pair of these on after I got that first glorious shower. It made me feel so much more human, the buttons were absolutely perfect for nursing, and I felt nice and covered up at all times. Can’t recommend this more!

2) Toiletries (shampoo/conditioner, body wash, lotion, toothbrush/toothpaste, face wash, chapstick, dry shampoo, deodorant): Pretty self-explanatory. Mr. Garland bought me a Burt’s Bees toiletry kit for Christmas specifically for this purpose, and it was nice to have travel-sized stuff that was still high quality. It was probably the best feeling in the entire world to go in the bathroom the morning after having him, take a long shower, and take care of myself a bit.

3) Makeup: I know some people have polarizing opinions on this, but it was SO nice for me to have at least a few basics like tinted moisturizer and mascara so I didn’t feel like a total zombie while we had guests coming in. I’m a pretty low-maintenance girl but I do like to have some minimal makeup on most of the time so I appreciated this. I have an Ipsy subscriptions so as I was packing I just grabbed some of the extra sample-sized things I had from my bags; it saved a ton of room and I didn’t have to buy anything new!

4) Towel: I’ve had people laugh at me when I tell them I brought this but it was probably one of the best things I packed. The towel the hospital gave me was literally not even large enough to wrap around my body and it was so nice to have my own from home. Absolutely essential.

5) Cozy socks: I’m usually the barefoot type but I had heard hospital floors can be nasty, so I brought these along. I ended up being totally grateful to have them a few hours post-birth when I was shaky and cold, but other than that I stayed barefoot most of the time – our hospital was great about keeping everything super clean!

6) Boppy: I wavered back and forth on this but in the end was glad I brought it. My nurse specifically thanked me for bringing it because they run low on theirs at the hospital due to people taking them home. I used it every time I nursed and it was essential during that initial unsure, scary time of learning how to nurse.

7) Hair ties and headbands: Pretty self-explanatory, and absolutely essential if you have long hair like I do!

8) Leggings: These were another essential for me. The sleep shirt was perfect by itself for nighttime but once the visitors started showing up I wanted my bottom half to be covered without needing the blankets at all times. It was nice to look at least semi-put together for our steady stream of guests and I was so glad to have these! Make sure you bring cheap-o ones from Target or something like that so you don’t have to worry about ruining them!

9) Pillow: I brought this for myself because everyone knows hospital pillows are awful but ended up letting Mr. Garland use it because his bed was much more uncomfortable than mine. I was very glad we’d brought it!

10) Nursing bras: So good to have! I brought some sleep bras (rather than spending money on nicer ones before I knew what size I’d need) and put one on immediately after having him along with a maternity tank I had been wearing when I came in (another must-have!). I wore one of these the whole time I was there and, again, it was just one of those little things that helped me feel more human.

Going home outfit (not pictured): I packed yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt with cozy slippers. I was shooting for comfort, not fashion, and it was perfect.

And here’s what I packed and didn’t use.

– A robe: I’m not a robe person but saw this over and over on various lists so I figured I’d try it. Definitely didn’t need it at all.

– Flip flops: Just in case I needed them in the shower – our bathroom was spotless so I didn’t mind going barefoot.

– Granny panties: Opinions seem to be mixed on the mesh hospital undies, so I brought my own just to be on the safe side…but the mesh underwear turned into my new favorite thing on earth and I can’t even fathom not liking them. I took a bunch home and wore them for weeks.

– Snacks: We had so much food brought to us at the hospital that this was totally unnecessary. We had a very steady stream of visitors and some were almost offended if we turned down their offers for food! We ended up having extra food to bring home with us!

And, of course, I also had to pack a bag for Jackson! I knew I wouldn’t need much but wanted to at least have some things from home, so I just packed his stuff in his diaper bag. Here’s what I included:

11) Pajamas: I think I’m an outlier on this one but we loved having some clothes from home to put him in instead of the hospital t-shirt. We got some cute pajamas to put him in and since we were there two nights he wore these a lot. It was way cuter and probably more comfortable than just the hospital shirt! We didn’t actually bring the gowns (we had a two-piece set that was more lounge than pajama) but these gowns ended up being our favorite thing to put him in for the first few months…so easy for diaper changes!

12) Going home outfit(s): We brought one outfit in a newborn size and one in 0-3 months, since we weren’t sure which he would need. I remember laughing in the hospital over how big the 0-3 month one looked  and couldn’t even imagine him fitting into it!

13) A hat: Newborn babies always seem to prefer to be as bundled as possible, and he was born in the winter, so this was a must-have!

14) A receiving blanket: Pretty self-explanatory – we used the hospital blankets most of the time we were there but were glad to have our own for the way home.

15) A nursing cover: Probably better for a seasoned nursing mom than a first time one – I attempted to use this in the hospital but was so flustered by learning to nurse that it just frustrated both of us. Next time around it may be more useful than it was with Jackson.

16) Pacifier: We didn’t even use this in the hospital (didn’t introduce one until 5 or 6 weeks if I remember right) and the hospital provided some, but it’s still a good thing to have just in case. Especially since Jackson ended up being super picky about his pacifiers and would only take one brand – the ones the hospital gave us never did satisfy him!

.  .  .  .  .

And that’s what we packed! I was really proud of how well we packed and I felt like we had everything we could have possibly needed. The other thing we did that I would absolutely recommend (even though everyone made fun of my for doing it!) was to have a list of last-minute items that we would need to grab on our way out and tape it to the front door. It was absolutely wonderful when I was in the middle of awful contractions and Mr. Garland was panicking to just be able to hand him the list of all the other things that we might possibly forget! I also included locations for each item, just in case we had to go to the hospital from work or something and were sending family members over to get these things.

So what was on this list?

– Body pillow: I can’t sleep without one and it was so nice to have with me!

– Blow dryer/straightener: I only used these for my bangs because they go a little wild without at least some sort of grooming, but it was nice to have those little things to help me feel more like myself.

– Computer, iPad, and chargers: All good to have, though I probably could have skipped the computer and just brought my iPad. Once Jackson was born I didn’t really do anything during downtime other than stare at him!

– Phone chargers

– Camera and charger

.  .  .  .  .

And that, my friends, is everything. It’s a lot of stuff, I know, but I’m definitely a planner and an over-preparer, so it made me feel a little better to know we’re ready for just about any situation…and in the end, I really didn’t feel like we overpacked too much and I felt very comfortable the whole time we were at the hospital.

What were you grateful to have in your hospital bag? Anyone else obsess over these lists like I did?