Hellobee

I thought I was prepared this time around for my postpartum stay at the hospital. Last time around I packed everything but the kitchen sink, and while it was nice to have anything and everything I needed, I really didn’t use a whole lot. For round two, I tried to pack less—way less, but I still over packed…go figure.

So here’s a look into what I took and what I actually used. Keep in mind that this was for a med-free birth, and I was only at the hospital for a little more than 24 hours.

For Mama Rabbit:

• Toiletries in one small bag. I basically raided the travel-sized section at Target, and I used pretty much everything for that first shower after delivery: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofa, toothpaste, toothbrush, and deodorant.
• Nursing tanks x2. I only wore one out of the hospital, so I could’ve left the other at home.
• Long sleeve sweater and cardigan. I brought these in case it was chilly in my room. It wasn’t, but it was slightly cold when I left, so I wore my cardigan out of the hospital. Could’ve left the other at home.

• Comfy pants x2. I’m not sure why I doubled up on everything, but I wore my maternity yoga pants the day after delivery. I could’ve left the gouchos at home.
• Nursing sleep bras x2. I took two with me just in case I got into the laboring pool (I didn’t), because I wanted something to wear on top. I didn’t use either of these.
• Maternity Yoga shorts. These were also for the pool, and they also didn’t get used.
• Flip flops Yes, yes, yes. I wore these any time all the time, except when I was in bed. I don’t even want to think about what hits the hospital floor and how often they’re cleaned.
• Non-skid socks in case my feet get cold . Nope, didn’t use these at all. I just wore my flip flops.
• Small bag inside suitcase with “extras” like a hair brush, chap stick, mints, nipple cream (I know they have some there for you, but I took my favorite kind), extra hair ties, anti-bacterial sanitizer, face wipes…to wipe off the sweat—labor can be like running a marathon, folks! I only used the following: hair brush, chap stick, nipple cream, hair tie, and sanitizer.
• In the front pocket of my suitcase: Birth plan, family contact info, water bottle, cell phone, a book/kindle…just in case there’s downtime (one can hope). My birth plan was pretty simple, so I just told it to anyone new who came into the room; didn’t need the contact list I wrote, but if there was an emergency or something and my husband needed to get in touch with everyone, I’m glad I printed out everyone’s phone number and email address. I used my water bottle A LOT, and my cell phone was great to have. I never touched my kindle/book.

For Papa Rabbit:

• Electronic stuff: Laptop, real camera, phones, cords, etc. He used all of this, mostly while the baby was sleeping and whenever we had down time.
• Extra set of clothes. He used the spare shirt on the second day, just to freshen up.
• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste & deodorant). He used these things, and we were all grateful!
• Father To Bee hat. He wore this for the last birth, but it went completely unused this time—we just forgot about it.
• Some loose change for snacks. Not necessary; the hospital had a pretty good on-call cafeteria service for food.

For the New Baby:

• Coming home outfit. I wanted to put her in this, but it was too cold, so she just wore a long sleeve onesie and then was bundled up in her blanket/swaddle.
• Two onesies. The hospital gave her a onesie, but I’m glad I could put her in one of her new outfits while we were there. They’re only little for such a short time, so I wanted to get as much use out of them as I could!
• Cute accessories: a headband and itty-bitty hat. I used both of these, but the hat stayed on her head almost constantly, since she was so new, and the headband went on her head just as I took a few pictures before we left the hospital, so it definitely wasn’t necessary.
• Car seat. Obviously used.
• Blanket. Used on the way home to keep her warm.

All in all, I still over packed since I took double of several clothing items, but I’m glad I took everything I did since I didn’t know what the circumstances would be like with this birth. Last time, despite the fact that it was a vaginal birth, I was in the hospital for four days, and even though I was anticipating another vaginal birth this time (and a shorter stay), you never know what could happen.

What did your hospital bag look like the second time around?