prune juice, breast pads, and swaddle sacks
- Keelie Schroeder
- Sep 24, 2020
- 6 min read
Okay, I am going to be honest, I am going crazy over here waiting for this baby. I don't know if it is because this will quite likely be our last baby or what but I just cannot wait to meet this little one! So I thought it would be fun to share what's going into my hospital bag....okay what's been in my hospital bag for the last three weeks...the essentials you don't want to forget along with some items that just bring joy!
I have been thinking of writing this article for a while now but keep putting it off because I feel like I should be going into labor annnny day now, but that has yet to happen obviously. So I thought that maaaybe if I just write the darn thing, poof! my body will be ready to get this baby out! Wish me luck!
My Bag
We'll start with me. Nothing too exciting here but numerous essentials none the less. I wish that Pinterest would be a little more practical sometimes when searching for lists like I've put together here. If it weren't for some brave who told me what I actually needed to pack, I would have been left in the dark. Hopefully my sharing will shed some light on the subject for you.
Purse In here, I have all the usual...insurance card, id, wallet. We also make use we have some cash on use in case we want to get some food from a vending machine or order out for supper during our stay.
Clothes for Labor This consists of a comfortable bra, a robe, and any other comfort item I wore during pregnancy. Typically these are the clothes I would wear to bed. My husband also packs his swimsuit. No there isn't a special spa for new dads buuut since we choose to have an unmedicated birth, standing in the shower is one way to ease the discomfort of contractions.
Clothes for After Delivery This has changed over the years. With my first I was thinking, "After the baby is born, I can just wear my normal clothes again!"....wrong...so so so wrong... So this time around I am bringing 2 categories of post-birth clothes: hospital comfy & going home. Here's what that looks like...
Hospital Comfy: slippers/fuzzy socks, sleep nursing bras, regular nursing bras, my belly bandit, nursing tank tops, plenty of comfy undies, robe (same as from above), headbands, breast pads (I love these reusable ones), some of my favorite maternity capri leggings
Going Home: maternity leggings, flowy shirt, more breast pads (let down is no joke the first few weeks)
Toiletries
Here's another category that I had nooo idea about the first time around. No one told me that post-partum bleeding was going to be like having your period for a full week...but worse! And that Tucks are a lifesaver! Here's what is in my toiletries bag: Tucks, pads (I recommend ones with wings), body wash, shampoo/conditioner, hairbrush, chapstick, toothpaste, make-up...basically everything else you'd bring on an overnight trip.
Food/Drink
Yup, I bring food and drinks. Told you I was a rebel. Some doctors advise you not to eat during labor buuut I never listened to that. Your body is going through an incredible feat during labor, if it needs fuel, feed it! Some of the things I pack are just comfort items while others serve an actual purpose. Here is the break-down.
Comfort Items: Lara Bars (peanut butter chocolate chip are my absolute faaaaavorite!), dark chocolate granola from Aldi, and dried fruit. These can be any items that you really like to eat. Obviously they feed you in the hospital during your stay, but I just like to have some comforts since your stay isn't quite like a stay at the Marriott for getaway vaca.
Purposeful Items: Prune juice: After delivery...ummmm...pooping can be a challenge. There's a whole lot going on down there and the sensation of....ummmm...pooping can feel weird. The hospital will give you laxatives to help with this but good ol' natural prune juice does the trick just fine! Plus then you have some to take home in case the problem persists. Organic Pineapple/Orange Juice: Pineapple is supposed to help with engorgement while orange juice replenishes your body after the work of labor is through. I like bringing my own so I know it's exactly what I like.
Other Items
I also make sure to bring along my breast pump. There is always that chance that something could go amiss and for whatever reason, your newborn cannot breastfeed. I bring along my pump (but leave it out in the car) just in case I need to pump some yummy milk for my newborn.
During your stay, the hospital will want you to continue taking prenatal vitamins (side note about this, I take my prenatals every day for at least 6 months after birth and then every other day all while breastfeeding). I am not sure if every hospital is like this but for sure at the first hospital I delivered at (I cannot remember if they did this at the second too) wanted me to take their prenatal vitamins after delivery. They are probably great vitamins, but I declined and they looked at me funny...oh the list of things we decline at birth, but that's a topic for another day...I wasn't sure why anyone would want to change the prenatal vitamins they had been taking for their entire pregnancy. So I make sure to bring my own prenatal vitamins along with the probiotics I take all the time.
Boob chapstick...okay so it is really nipple cream...in my head I thought maybe this sounded better but probably not. I really like this brand that is an all-natural alternative to lanolin cream.
New momma bottom spray...sort of like the Tucks but in a spray form. Again, this is my favorite brand.
Baby Bag
These items are a bit more fun! I had even more joy packing this time around because I think this might be our last annnd I was feeling creative. Being a SAHM this time around, my creative side has been able to run free! If you haven't seen the adorable sleep gowns I made you should check them out here or below...I am super proud of myself for sewing them! Anyway, here is what is in our baby bag this time around.
Clothes
Obviously right. We have a boy and girl of the following:
swaddle
muslin blanket
sleep gown (for going home, made by yours truely!)
plain white onesies
cloth diapers, I love this kind for newborns
scratch mittens, this time around I made the gowns with built in mittens so if that is not the case for you, pack them anyway
cozy blanket for the car seat
diaper cream...I like this brand because it is EWG verified and is cloth diaper safe
Essentials
These are the items that are not clothing but clearly essential for bringing home a newborn!
car seat...If you are a first-timer, practice a few times and make sure your base is installed correctly. If you need help, most hospitals require your car seat to be checked anyway so just ask if you can't figure it out!
vitamin K drops...these are essential for us but not necessarily for everyone. We choose to decline the vitamin K shot typically given to newborn and instead use our own (research-backed) vitamin supplement. We have done it for our two kids and know others who have done it as well. Here is a great article as to why we make this choice for our family.
Cutesy
Then there are those items that are just too cute not to bring along. This time around we are...okay I am because these are the things I think about and my hubby, well, doesn't...doing an announcement board! If you don't know already, we do not follow the gender reveal trend, we celebrate our gender reveal at birth! So I organized ahead of time the lettering for our boy name and girl name. I placed the letters in little baggies and taped them to the back of the board, labeled "boy" and "girl". This way when we are groggy and less than functional after labor/delivery, I don't have to worry (as much at least) about making a mistake! Other items that fall into this are the bows and turban I packed if it's a girl. I thought about making a hat if it's a boy...haven't gotten there yet...maybe though.
I hope this might be helpful for new mommas out there...or just a mom who didn't feel prepared the first time around!
See you soon friend (and hopefully our new little one too!)
Remember I do not have this. And if we are honest with ourselves, we know that none of us do.
But remember God does.
Something We Are Loving Right Now!
This is hard to narrow down right now, but if I had to choose something it would be the refresher I am getting on the parenting ideas of Conscious Discipline. I read an incredible book about a year ago called Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey. The book is all about self-regulation and how beneficial it is for both parents and kids. Her approach to helping parents is so different from any other book I've read or strategy I have learned about because it comes from the place of "you can't teach what you don't know". It has helped me be a better mom while simultaneously become a better human! Annnd I think we all could agree that our world needs some help with being better humans.
Anyway! I am taking a class (if you are interested let me know and I can get you some info on it) and my hubby and I are getting back in sync with our parenting. No better time than right before number 3 comes! If you are curious about the topic, there are also soo many free digital resources out there just by searching Google or Pinterest. I hope you do, it is life changing!
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