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As promised in my Labor Bag post, I am doing a post with my preferences to bring to the hospital for Postpartum. I don’t bring a ton of stuff. As with the labor bag, I don’t like to have a lot of stuff that has to be taken to the car when I go home with baby. I’m sure I take more than some. I hope you find some of the suggestions helpful. I will also include some of the things I think you should say yes to while on the postpartum unit!
Starting with things for Mom: Don’t forget to bring an outfit to go home in and some shoes if you want to wear something different than what you wore when you went to the hospital in labor! Personally I think it should be something loose. If you had a C-Section you probably won’t want anything tight on your incision. I have not had a C-Section so far, but I imagine that would be uncomfortable. If you had a vaginal delivery that won’t be an issue, but you still have the bleeding and your body is typically not back to pre-pregnancy shape. I like to bring a dress as my going home outfit. Nothing fancy, usually one of my maternity dresses. You may want to bring socks. Most hospitals have socks with a nonslip bottom, but sometimes it’s nice to have your own. I usually pack a pair of underwear and my own smaller pads for going home, but those mesh panties are pretty darn comfy! The hospital has pads you can use. The hospital I deliver at has 2 sizes- 1 size is like a diaper for adults (MASSIVE) and the other is still a fairly large pad, but it will work if you forget your own pads for going home. Another reason I recommend a dress-in case you forget your own pads and have to use the larger hospital pads. I prefer to use U by Kotex AllNighter Ultra Thin Overnight Pads or Always Radiant Feminine Pads Extra Heavy Overnight. Make sure you have some at home as well so you aren’t having to try to figure out when and how to get to the store to get more pads and aren’t having to send Dad (and trying to explain exactly what you want and then he goes and you get a FaceTime call asking which one while you are trying to breastfeed your precious cargo while taking care of 3 other kiddos)! Don’t forget a bra as well! I mean, you could let the girls go free, but if you are experiencing any leaking from your breasts, it might be a bit embarrassing! If you are going to breastfeed, I would recommend packing a nursing bra and/or a nursing tank or shirt. I like to use those when in the hospital. If you will have visitors, you might want to opt for a nursing shirt with a nursing bra so it is easier to open the grocery store for baby while still having some privacy. Nursing pads would be on my list as well. If you are planning to bottle feed, you will want to bring a comfortable, supportive bra. If you’re wondering about a special breastfeeding pillow, I personally don’t bring one to the hospital with me. I think of all the germs…what if it falls on the floor, what if it falls in the hallway on the way out to the car? I like using the hospital pillows and quite honestly, for me, at the beginning, they work out better for me. I like the Boppy Original Nursing Pillow and/or My Brest Friend Original Nursing Posture Pillow
Hygiene items for you and hubby are recommended as well. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc. Bring your hairbrush! I also pack a cheap pair of flip flops. I get grossed out thinking about my feet touching where other people have showered. I know they clean and disinfect, but I just can’t do it! I always just do the travel size of everything or purchase the travel bottles and put my shampoo, conditioner, and lotion in those as opposed to spending the money on a shampoo and conditioner I have never used before. I like to pack minimal makeup (not that I wear a ton anyway), but I like to pack foundation and mascara. Putting it on makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something and keeps me from looking as exhausted as I am! Plus if you will have any pictures taken in the hospital, you might want a touch up prior to pictures!
Speaking of Dad: he will need underwear-I would pack 3 pairs even if planning a vaginal birth. You never know when plans could change so it’s better to be prepared. Pack him shorts/pants, pajamas (as a previous Mother/Baby Nurse PLEASE pack him pajamas or something other than underwear or his birthday suit that he will be comfortable sleeping in), shirts, hopefully he wore shoes in so he should have those to go home, socks, and snacks. As Mom you should be receiving meals and they usually offer snacks as well, but Dad gets nothing. Food in the hospital can be expensive and sometimes quite a walk from your room. And if you pack some snacks you like to, you can eat some of them too! Because I have Celiac’s I do pack a few snacks for me as the options for me can be slightly limited!
For Baby, I bring a going home outfit and 1 swaddle blanket. I bring a newborn size outfit and a 0-3 month outfit because no matter what size they thought baby was, baby might be bigger or smaller. I would hate to be squeezing him into an outfit that is way too small for him. You could cut this down to just a 0-3 outfit and be fine. The hospital I deliver at provides a sleep sack for you unless they have run out of them. They also offer a little t-shirt for baby. I do mostly skin-to-skin while in the hospital and when we go home so outfits in the hospital aren’t a must for me. We also skip the pictures offered by the hospital. To be honest, they actually haven’t come around to our room with any of my kiddos even though we have always been told they would. To me, it isn’t a big deal. I’d rather provide income to one of my photography friends to do the newborn pictures anyway! With the Baby Friendly initiative, most hospitals stopped offering/providing pacifiers for baby so if you think you want baby to have a pacifier, I would recommend packing your own just in case. Hospitals here provide diapers, burp cloths, and blankets so those aren’t necessary unless you want to make baby look super cute. I don’t do the door hanger with baby stats, but you certainly can if you want.
I think that’s about all I pack in my postpartum bag. With Baby #4 I have my items down enough that my labor bag is also my postpartum bag! I have a separate bag for snacks and also put some hydrating drinks in there as well. See you next time!
