Packing My Hospital Bag

OK mamas....

I've been seeing a lot of lists lately about what to pack to take to the hospital. Some of the lists I'm seeing have about 30 items on them, but I'm going to try to keep mine to 10. I'm about to get real. Essential oil diffusers, flameless candles and fluffy pillows are sure to make you more comfy, however, if you're like me, you may not want to pack a whole suitcase just for a couple days. Here's my list. Simple, no fluff, JUST necessities. I hope this helps, especially if you're a first time mom and you don't really know what to expect.

1. Birth plan, camera, phone, charger and headphones- Essentials for obvious reasons. I highly recommend having a birth plan to give to your nurses and practitioners. The headphones/music helped me to block out things that were going on around me and just focus on laboring and breathing. Having an awesome music playlist was really important to me during labor too. You will want to take a ton of pics of your babe and maybe do some texting and googling while the baby snoozes. I brought my good camera and had my doula video part of the birth. 

2. Birthing Ball- Many people would argue that this is essential but having mine helped me so much when I was laboring with Rio. During labor, I didn't lay down in the bed until I was forced to. Instead I was on my ball, doing lunges, showering, and doing cat/cow pose on the bed to breathe through the pain. Sidenote: I didn't bring the ball into the hospital as we were checking in,  I had my husband bring  into the hospital after I was checked in and he parked the car.

3. Essential Oils- My doula used these on me during labor. Smells really affect me and I'm all about aromatherapy. It helped me to smell peppermint, lemon and orange right from the bottle. I also brought a rollerball of my favorite Young Living blend, Stress Away, to sniff as needed.  I didn't think it was necessary to bring my diffuser. If you have questions about ordering or using EO's during labor, contact me.

4. Cozy Pajamas, Nursing Tank,  Robe and Socks- I loved having my favorite jammies and comfy socks. I also brought a cozy robe, which was nice to have but maybe not necessary for some. I wore a nursing tank under my PJ's/ robe.

5. Snacks-The hospital food didn't really work for me. I will be bringing nuts, fruit and maybe even some lactation muffins (recipe coming soon!). I'm also bringing several of my favorite dark chocolate bars as gifts for the nurses and my midwife and doula because they are so amazing. 

6. Flip Flops to wear in the shower- I'm weird about walking on strange floors with bare feet.

7. Toiletries-I'm bringing my own shampoo, body wash (which I will also use as handsoap) and my makeup bag. Also my contact case, solution and glasses.  

8. Outfits for mama and baby for leaving the hospital- I wore a comfy long dress and my nursing tank under it for the ride home. Super simple and cute enough for a photo. Also, don't forget to bring granny panties- you will be wearing a huge maxi pad for awhile after you give birth so you need some cozy undies. I bought comfy cotton ones a few sizes bigger than I normally wear. You will be wearing them for awhile after you give birth, so buy plenty. As for baby, a cute hat and a cozy, one piece outfit will do. Since I don't know my baby's gender I'm bringing a boy and a girl outfit.

9. Cooler for Placenta-If you are planning on having your placenta encapsulated, you don't want to forget a cooler. If you want more info about this, contact me.

10. Extra bag for things the hospital gives you- I honestly had no idea that tucks pads and a special squirt bottle would be my most used items for weeks after giving birth. The hospital gave me tucks pads, maxi pads, diapers, wipes and even bed pads to take home. I am bringing and extra bag for all these goodies to take home from the hospital.  

Hope this list helps, mamas! xoxo
Also, don't forget to take some fun maternity photos before the baby's debut! Here are ours...