SHE GAVE IT A TRY

Since I tend to post usually what I’m packing for trips I thought why the hell not post about what I packed in my Hospital Bag. First I’ll mention that number two was born in winter here so if your trying to get ideas what to pack keep that in mind. sorry this has been a bit delayed in being posted I have needed some time to adjust with a newborn and recover. I haven’t included what I packed in her bag, but if anyone wants me to share what I packed for her let me know.

All of Your Paperwork

Do not forget this seriously! every bit of paperwork you have been taking to your doctor/midwife appointments have all together in a small folder ready to go. Lucky for me the hospital supplied a folder for me which I kept in my bag for the last 6 weeks so I would never forget it. Also make sure you have all of your IDs and vital information to make sure things run smoothly. Yeah they have it on computers but its always good to have the paperwork on hand.

Maternity Pads

Yeah I know ewwww TMI! But really having a spawn is a bloody mess (haha see what I did there). Best to pack 1 or 2 packs. I found this brand TOM Organics – which was recommended by a friend. I actually bought these online and was pretty lucky to get these. I was originally going to just buy them from the supermarket but with the insanity from the panic shoppers literally buying everything in ridiculous quantities I did buy these early on. I mean really when the panic buying first started (before supermarkets started buying limits on purchases) I saw women walking out with almost a trolley full of tampons and pads – almost a few years worth. But yes make sure you pack as much as you possibly can for this hospital trip and have a pack handy at home for your significant other to grab if you happen to be staying longer than you planned at the hospital and need extras.

Comfortable Underwear

I went for a lot of high waisted and seam free for comfort. But if you want to go for pure comfort go granny undies. Remember you are packing a massive pad in these and really you want to make sure your lady bits are as comfortable as possible. I went with seam free and highwaisted just out of fear than in the off chance I would have to get an emergency caesarian (keep that in mind!). I was so fortunate to have these with my caesar.

Old Night Gown/ Oversized T-shirt

Now this item ranges from Hospitals. My hospital we have to bring our own outfits to give birth in so I just went out and bought a cheap t-shirt dress to give birth in and throw away. I didn’t end up wearing this the hospital threw a hospital gown on me when I got my epidural.

Large Waterbottle and Snacks

Ok yes you do get given water in the Hospital, but hear me out I found that having the bottle of water was great to have as extra water because when you chew through the jug of water they provide it might take a bit and you have back up. It was also great for people who move around a lot that they always have the water bottle in their hands. Snacks, again you are fed at the hospital but during labor you do want to keep up your energy and a small snack is always good to keep your energy up. Make sure you pack some for the support person as well just so they don’t have to go out and venture for a snack. Take whatever you feel like I took a small bag of almonds, banana and a small bag of chocolate chip cookies – of course husband had the cookies.

Feeding Pillow

This was a big help to make sure I was super comfortable while breastfeeding the spawn in my room it also came in handy when I wanted to prop myself up in bed or for the husband to rest his head on.

Comfortable Clothes/ Footwear

Remember ladies you are removing a human from your body. No matter how you deliver you won’t want to wear anything over the top. Honestly I packed a lot of loose fitted pants (sweatpants/ track pants), lose fitted t-shirts and hoodies – which were special nursing hoodies so I stayed warm but could flop a tit out easy. Now some people pack a dressing gown with them, I didn’t only because I knew it would take up a lot of room in my case and there was a pretty big chance I just wouldn’t wear it. I did make sure I packed warm socks, again some people pack slippers I didn’t only because I didn’t want to have to wash them when I got home because they had been walking on the hospital floor. I did wear slides a lot only because they were easy to slip on and really socks and slides no one would dare judge my footwear look. I also packed some thongs (flip flops) for the bathroom. As clean as the hospital is I would be sharing a bathroom with another woman and I was not risking anything. I also made sure I packed super comfortable PJ’s for my stay.

Nursing Bras/ Tops

With my first spawn I only had two nursing bras (with were the most hideous things Ive ever worn) and two nursing tops (one of which was my pre-pregnancy size so that did wonders for my after birth self esteem). So this time I did go nuts with the bras and tops only because I could wear them during the night and change to a clean one during the day. I actually prefer the nursing singlet tops because I didn’t have to ruin any of my regular singlet tops by stretching the sleeves or lifting my top up.

Toiletries

Now generally you aren’t 100% sure on how long your in the hospital but its always best to go prepared with your toiletries for keeping up the good old personal hygiene. Some people Ive heard have packed makeup, its down to personal choice but I didn’t feel the need to frankly because I just can’t be fucked at this point. But here are the items I packed for the hospital.

• Soap
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Face wash (not essential for everyone but I like to keep my face clean)
• Deodorant
• Hair Brush
• Hair Ties/ headband/ clips – anything to keep your hair back when delivering and in your room.
• Hair Straightener – wasn’t really an essential to take I didn’t actually use it I just took it on the off chance I had a photo of me and the baby and I didn’t want to look like shit……..yeah I gave zero fucks the minute I walked into that delivery room but if you want to look nice on your stay go for it.
• Lip Balm – ok this one is a must with my first spawns delivery my lips were so dry and flaky by the time I got home I started picking them in my tired state, to the point they bled. Keep those lips hydrated!!
• Moisturiser – Another must! this could have been down to a mixture of factors from the environment in the hospital to the change in hormones. But my skin was so dry it actually started to crack and bleed a little. So this time I wanted to make sure that with both my skin and lips I make sure I did all I could to avoid any other stresses even if they were minor.
• Nipple Cream – This should be one of the first items you put in your hospital bag. For the first week number 1 was born my nips hurt like a living hell and I would be going through toe curling pain overtime that little person latched onto them. But the cream actually helped so much with relieving them from the pain of cracking an bleeding (and they did). So straight away when stocking up on my supplies for the hospital I jumped on the cream.

So this is what I packed for the hospital if any expecting mothers are wondering what I pack this could be a list to go off of or just as something for a little extra information. Packing for baby evictions god damn thats no joke you really do have to pack a lot of shit. You just never know how long your stay may be ; sometimes women are only in the hospital for a few hours after delivery or some days. You never know. Honestly a lot of this stuff I didn’t pack with the first kid and I did regret it – my dumbass didn’t pack enough clothes and I didn’t trust my husband to get me more. This time I just made sure I packed more to make sure I was as comfortable as possible. Again this is what I packed for my stay because with my stay I had a rough estimate on how long I was staying in the hospital, well originally it was supposed to be a shorter stay but because of my emergency c-section I ended up staying longer than originally planned so packing more worked out in my favour. If you are unsure on exactly what to pack just ask your midwife/ obstetrician what you should pack for your stay.

IM OUT!!!