Parenting, Pregnancy

Unconventional Hospital Bag Items and Why You Need Them

Unconventional Hospital Bag Items - Mom's Got it Made

If you’re a mom-to-be nearing go-time, I feel for you. I bet you’re sick of answering the same five questions over and over, anxious to meet your new addition and uncomfortable in ways you never anticipated.

Time stood still during the last months of my pregnancy. Eventually, my sweet baby boy joined this world a very long two weeks late. When my due date came and went, I started torturing my husband with frequent “I think it’s really happening this time!” texts. By that point, I had given up all hope of ever seeing my feet again and I was experiencing shooting back pain that limited my mobility by day and my sleep by night.

As those uncomfortable and uneventful days came and went, I had a lot of time on my hands. My days were spent reading (and trying) every trick that promised to GET THAT BABY OUT OF ME. I responded with increasing levels of hostility to a barrage of “how’s it going?” messages from well-meaning loved ones. I also read approximately 600 articles on what to pack for the hospital.

Every article reminded me to bring a baby book, comfortable “transition clothing” and a camera. They suggested upbeat decorations and music to keep me calm, happy and relaxed during labor (ha!). Most included a cute outfit to bring the little guy home in and a couple of “life-saving” toiletries.

Now that I’ve lived through the beautiful, amazing, terrifying, life-changing experience that is childbirth, I wanted to start a list of my own.

A large empty duffel bag “for gifts”

While in the hospital you have three jobs in the following order of priority. 1) Extract and care for your shiny new person. 2) Get as much rest as possible to speed your recovery and prepare you for some sleepless nights at home. 3) STEAL ALL THE STUFF. I walked out of the hospital like a squirrel prepping for winter with diapers, wipes and other goodies.

Tweezers

Almost immediately after your incredible miracle is born, you will have sight lines into parts of your body you haven’t been able to see for months. Don’t be alarmed if you find some four-inch-long hairs your partner was too polite to tell you about. It happens to the best of us.

A sleep mask and ear plugs

It took me two full days to realize I didn’t have to tolerate medical professionals constantly checking my vitals, turning the lights on and asking me questions at all hours of the night. By day three of no sleep I adopted the aggression of a Manhattan cab driver. I asked the hospital staff to silence the monitors and to avoid waking me up or turning on lights whenever possible.

Even then, nurses were always coming in and out of the room and sleep did not come easily. I recommend bringing any accessories that will help you and your partner get some rest.

A Pacifier

An increasing number of hospitals will withhold anything that may inhibit your breastfeeding success. In my experience lactation professionals are incredibly helpful, kind people who believe deeply in the work they are doing. That said, they have one goal and it may not align perfectly with the balance that’s right for your family.

Snacks for labor

Although many hospital policies prohibit eating while in labor, studies have shown that the benefits of having a light meal may outweigh the risks. Childbirth requires major endurance and stamina. I wouldn’t run a marathon on an empty stomach so I wasn’t keen on surviving days of labor without food. With my doctor’s blessing, I brought a variety of snacks and Gatorade and snuck a few bites whenever I could.

Parking passes

This was something I meant to do but completely forgot about. Friends and family came from far and wide to visit us and meet our new addition. It would have been a nice touch to be able to do one thing for them at a time when we were on the receiving end of so many gifts and so much goodwill.

Good luck mama

If you’re sitting where I was a year ago, wondering if that baby is ever going to come, I have some good news for you. You will deliver a baby eventually. When you do, you will realize that 42 weeks is nothing and you’d gladly have endured a 95 week elephant pregnancy just to get to that amazing moment where you hold that tiny person in your arms for the first time.

Anything I left off? I would love to hear from you! Comment and let me know what hospital bag items you were glad you remembered or you wished you’d thought of.

Still nesting? Check out the seven best practical nursery design ideas that have saved us sleep, time and money!

By the way, if you’re looking for a complete list of items to bring to the hospital, I recommend Mom Smart Not Hard’s perfect hospital bag picks!

 

Unconventional hospital bag ideas I wish someone had told me about before my son was born. #Baby #Pregnancy #hospital

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29 thoughts on “Unconventional Hospital Bag Items and Why You Need Them

  1. Baby finger nail clippers. My little prince was born with super long nails and the nurses won’t cut them for you or even lend you a pair. Poor baby was scratching himself all over till I got him home.

    1. Good call Kristin! Crazy that the nurses wouldn’t help you out though – trimming those teeny little nails is so nerve-wracking.

    2. They wouldn’t help you out because it’s their nails are generally still too soft to cut and you end up tearing the nail or hurting the finger. It takes 3-5 days and is much easier done with a nail file. Simple enough to put mittens on then

        1. They also make these great gowns for babies with built in mittens so they can’t rip them off. They are easy access for diaper changes too! My daughter lived in those for the first few weeks. I think they are Gerber brand.

          1. Thanks Kaitlyn! Definitely checking these out. Do they make them for toddlers? My 15-month-old has officially outgrown the ability to sit still while I trim his nails.

  2. The duffel bag idea is amazing! im expecting my second baby and with the first we just didn’t have enough hands for the amount of things we had collected. my poor husband had to make like 3 trips to get everything in the car.
    Thank you !

  3. Your own bottle for the baby even if you plan on pumping because they have small skiny ones that are not anti colic or anything else.

    1. Thanks Michelle, I never would have thought of that! We didn’t try a bottle until a few days after we got home, but it would have been good to have just in case.

  4. I think this post is rediculous. Why are we telling women they should jump into personal grooming on their lady parts the second they push a human out of their body?!? That is the LAST thing I would ever be interested in at that moment in time.

    Why not encourage them to enjoy the fact that they are an amazing and strong woman…? Encouraging them to relish in their power??

    Who gives a damn if you have a “4 inch hair” that you were too busy to notice because you were GROWING A HUMAN? Why not let it get to six, and you spend your energy loving on and cuddling with your little miracle, not worrying about how you can make your mangled vagina more appealing, because guess what, it’s gonna need some TLC and some time to recover.

    1. This is so true. I didn’t mean to suggest that personal grooming should be an immediate priority after giving birth (or ever). For the record, the hair in question was just under my belly button where I had NO IDEA hair could grow. I was aiming for humor with this one. I could have used tweezers for my own comfort and sanity, definitely not to make myself more appealing to anyone else.

      1. I think your tweezer idea is brilliant! I would get no rest at all if I saw a hair I couldn’t pluck even if I were the only one to see them!! Let’s not add any more stress to an already stressful situation.

        Yay for the mamas who will let them grow and yay for the mamas who need them to GO! 🙂

        1. LOVE this comment. Moms are so tough on themselves and each other. At the end of the day, we should all be able to do whatever makes us feel comfortable and confident and respect that that might mean something different to someone else.

    2. Plus, you picked out one part of the article to complain about and insinuated that this whole post is ridiculous. I happen to have one of those hairs that is driving me insane right now so I second the tweezers idea.

      1. Thanks Sarah, I could not agree more! I think Sunny brings up a good point but I’m holding strong on Team Tweezers.

    3. You got that right sunny.
      Women are strong and it’s a lot of work pushing a baby out but it’s all worth it n the end to see your little miracle. This is my 1st baby and I am scared but excited I can’t wait to see my beautiful little girl..

  5. This list is awesome! Thank you for taking the time to add some insight of what you experienced. I think adding clippers and tweezers for myself is a great idea incase I find something that’s just bugging me. I also enjoyed the humor and realness of the whole blog!

    1. Thank you so much Roseann! I’m new to blogging and putting myself out there in general. I can’t even tell you how encouraging and exciting it is to read comments like these. I really appreciate you taking the time to weigh in!

  6. I’m expecting my first baby, and I love reading lists like these when I get to read about other experiences. It’s really brave of you to open up like this for people so they have more of an idea what to expect. Thank you!

    1. Thanks Kari, congratulations and good luck to you and your growing family! My absolute favorite part of blogging is hearing from people who find this blog helpful. I am so grateful that you took the time to weigh in.

  7. A lot of new moms are urged to be practical when packing, and to pack light. Heck no! My baby and I spent a week at children’s hospital after she was born. I was not prepared to transfer hospitals, nor was I prepared for a hospitAl that wasn’t prepAred for me. Next pregnancy, I’m packing extra PJ’s, and definitely more personal cAre items. Pads are a must!!!!

    1. Good call! I agree there was so much pressure to pack light. If there is a next time for me, I’m lugging everything I can think of that may make us more comfortable.

  8. I understand the pressure to pack light because often the hospital rooms can be quite small and you can find yourself moved around a bit. A good tip is; pack light / have all your essentials in one bag and have all the extra stuff like extra pjs, blankets, pillows etc in the car so if you find you have the room / want something then the Mr can just run out and get it without having to have 3 suitcases in a room the size of a bathroom.

    also the idea of an extra empty duffel is great I haven’t seen that on any other lists and it would come in hugely handy especially for all the loot you get (take).

    1. Thanks Lucy! This is a great suggestion! I skipped pillows and blankets and I really wished I had thought to bring our own. At one point my husband used my bathrobe as a comforter. This would have been a perfect solution,

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