Hospital Bag Must Haves

It has been a really long time since I have blogged. As most of you know, Baby Hill #2 will be arriving at the beginning of January! We are very excited, & also wondering how to juggle two under 2 for a few months in the spring! :) A friend of mine emailed me asking about my favorite baby purchases, & after talking for a while I realized I need to write these things down for my future reference so I don't forget.

I'm starting things out with "Hospital Bag Must Haves" that I'm glad I had, or wished I had done with Hadley. I'm going to also have a post about "1 Week with Baby Must Haves" and "Favorite Baby Products." Like I said, this is more for my own memory than anything, but if it helps anyone else, that's great!

Hospital Packing List for Mom:

• Nursing Camis - I bought mine from Target, & found most of mine on sale. I basically lived in these for the first 5 or 6 months of Hadley's life. They were perfect with nursing a little one, & also very comfortable & easy to layer with other clothing.
• Cotton Robe - I would throw my cotton robe over my nursing camis in the hospital whenever someone came in to visit. It was also nice to have since hospitals can be cold.
• Pajama Pants - I bought some cute, new pajama pants to have in the hospital so I didn't look too crazy when people came in our room. It was way better than wearing the hospital gown!
• Disposable Nursing Pads - Since you don't know how soon your milk will come in, I think it is smart to throw some of these into your hospital bag. They could possibly save your shirts & camis from milk stains. :)
• Pads - If you deliver vaginally, you will need pads unfortunately. The hospital should have some for you, but it's not a bad idea to have your own on hand as well. 
• Diaper Ice Packs - The hospital where I delivered Hadley gave me size 1 diapers filled with ice in the middle instead of ice packs. These were amazing and helped so much! They were also something I continued using once I got home. I attached a video tutorial on how to make these that I found on Youtube. Instead of cutting into the diaper with scissors you can just pull each side at the top by the velcro tabs and the middle will open allowing you to pour crushed ice inside then seal up with the tabs. Seriously, these sound so weird, but they were awesome!
• TUCKS Medicated Pads - This is another thing that my hospital provided for me while I was there, but I bought more to take home with me. If your hospital doesn't provide these, I would definitely bring them in your hospital bag. They help a lot with the healing process. 
• Bedding - If your husband is staying the night with you in the hospital room, it might be a good idea to bring a quilt or blanket for him. Gentry was only given a sheet, so I was glad we brought along a quilt just in case. We also brought our own pillows from home.
• Travel Size Bath Products - I picked up some travel size products to take to the hospital so I wasn't lugging my huge shampoo and conditioner bottles with me into the tiny bathroom each time. I bought shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a small loofa, small deodorant, men's body wash, and toothpaste. We brought our own toothbrushes. I also bought a pack of face wipes to wash my face at night.
• Flip Flops or House Shoes - While in the room, I mostly wore socks, but I also had a pair of house shoes that I put on to walk around the halls. They will get you to walk around a few times a day, so it is a good idea to have some slip on shoes for those times. If you get grossed out by hospital bathrooms & showers, bring some flip flops to wear. 
• Towels - The hospital towels are very small and scratchy, so if you would prefer your own, bring them!
• Snacks - I am adding snacks to the list, because you never know what time you will end up delivering. I delivered Hadley at 11:47 pm, so no restaurants were open when I was finally able to eat something after a day without food. I wish we had brought some granola bars or something for me to eat after delivery. The hospital food isn't terrible, but my family brought us lunch & dinner, so I only ate the breakfast there. 

Hospital Packing List for Dad:

*Gentry packed his own clothing and personal items, but I did pack his toiletries along with mine. Here are a few ideas of extra things dad can be in charge of:

• Bedding - As I mentioned above, we brought bedding for Gentry since the hospital only provided a sheet for him.
• Camera - Gentry packed our camera and kept up with it while in the delivery room and moving to our overnight room.
• Chargers - He also kept up with our phone chargers and camera charger. This helped a lot since I didn't have to worry about it!
• Arranging for any meals he might need while you are in labor. Gentry enjoyed lunch and dinner provided by his parents while I was crunching on ice chips :)
• Folder or paper organizer - You will receive a lot of paperwork in the hospital, so it is a good idea for the dad to bring some sort of folder or way of keeping up with it all.

Hospital Packing List for Baby:

• Car seat - You will want to go ahead and have your carseat installed in your car before going to the hospital. We installed Hadley's about 2 weeks before her due date.
• Receiving Blanket - The hospital blankets are nothing special, so if you have a nice baby blanket you would rather use, bring it along.
• Gowns - We packed two or three little gowns for Hadley to change her into while we stayed in the hospital.
• Socks - I think the hospital had some little socks, but we brought our own to put on her
• Hats - They will provide a hat, but if you want to bring a cuter one bring your own!
• They provide diapers, wipes, a comb or brush, and a nose suction bulb (which you need to take home with you! The hospital ones are the best!)

That is about everything I could think of! If you have anything you would add from your own experience, please comment below & let me know! Also, if you had a C-section & would add things to your hospital bag next time that goes along with C-section recovery, please let me know! Obviously having one baby does not make me an expert! I just wanted to try & remember as much as possible for my next go around in January.