FTM, hospital bag help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take the photos at home.
Lol to shaving in the hospital hahaha.
I have 3 kids - I silent the whole recovery time in the hospital either naked or in a gown. You just need an outfit to go home in.
Don’t do pacifier in the hospital - if you are breastfeeding, you need to spend basically your entire time in the hospital breastfeeding. I am not kidding. You need your boob to be your baby’s pacifier for at least the first week.

No one shaves their arm pits in the hospital? That seems so odd to me…I did?

You’re there for 2 days. You can’t go 2 days? Who cares?

NP yeah it’s only a few days but it’s not about appearance for me it’s about comfort. I don’t feel comfortable w hairy armpits and my hair grows really fast! I also don’t know about you but I sweat A LOT when I was in the hospital having my babies and just felt gross in general. a shower, a shave, and deodorant made me feel sooo much better.

My list, OP:
Baby: going home outfit
Mom: comfy clothes, lotion and face cream/moisturizer (my skin got so dried out), chapstick, giant water bottle, hairbrush and hair ties, razor and deodorant, phone and charger.
Hospital provided all the rest of the stuff I needed: peri spray bottle, witch hazel, dermaplast spray, sitz bath, mesh underwear, giant maxi pads, nipple cream, nursing pads, diapers and wipes, diaper rash cream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check for birth certificate

+1. We did not have a check book and it was an annoying process to get the birth certificate after the fact.

Op here: thank you!! Never would have even thought of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take the photos at home.
Lol to shaving in the hospital hahaha.
I have 3 kids - I silent the whole recovery time in the hospital either naked or in a gown. You just need an outfit to go home in.
Don’t do pacifier in the hospital - if you are breastfeeding, you need to spend basically your entire time in the hospital breastfeeding. I am not kidding. You need your boob to be your baby’s pacifier for at least the first week.

No one shaves their arm pits in the hospital? That seems so odd to me…I did?

You’re there for 2 days. You can’t go 2 days? Who cares?

NP yeah it’s only a few days but it’s not about appearance for me it’s about comfort. I don’t feel comfortable w hairy armpits and my hair grows really fast! I also don’t know about you but I sweat A LOT when I was in the hospital having my babies and just felt gross in general. a shower, a shave, and deodorant made me feel sooo much better.

My list, OP:
Baby: going home outfit
Mom: comfy clothes, lotion and face cream/moisturizer (my skin got so dried out), chapstick, giant water bottle, hairbrush and hair ties, razor and deodorant, phone and charger.
Hospital provided all the rest of the stuff I needed: peri spray bottle, witch hazel, dermaplast spray, sitz bath, mesh underwear, giant maxi pads, nipple cream, nursing pads, diapers and wipes, diaper rash cream.

Op here: thank you! Yes, no way I can go 2 days without shaving my armpits so razor is a must for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're going to get differing opinions on all of these things, but I think pack everything you think you'll want and don't obsess too much about being minimal. I didn't take a ton of stuff, but was happy to have everything I could have wanted. I took a Boppy and an extra pillow to sleep on. I was really, really happy to have both. The hospital pillow smelled really weird to me and I found the Boppy very useful for nursing at the hospital. The hospital supplied everything for baby, including pacifier and wipes, so you don't need those (but I see your note about weird wipes at your hospital). I wished I had a velcro swaddle for the baby because we were terrible at getting baby back in the swaddle with just a blanket. I also was happy that I had brought my own gown for post-delivery, as well as a hoodie. I never wore the robe I brought, which some people swear by. Some people also suggest bringing my own blanket, which I would not have used. The hospital supplied non-slip socks. I've noticed people have very strong and different opinions on the hospital mesh underwear plus pad vs. disposable underwear. I hated the hospital underwear plus pad and wore the disposable underwear as soon as I got home. That said, it would have felt like overkill to bring the disposable underwear with. Same with the Frida peri bottle. Yes, it is a superior peri bottle, but the one at the hospital is totally fine. You might also consider a water bottle. The cups at the hospital don't hold much water. I could not be bothered to shave, but I was happy to have my toiletries to wash my hair. If you want to dry your hair, check and see if your hospital has hair dryers. VHC does not.

I agree w this. Better to overpack than try to be minimalist and wind up not having things you want!

For me, all I needed for the baby that hospital didn’t provide was an outfit for baby to wear when leaving the hospital. They gave us everything else: swaddling blanket, hat, socks, onesies, diapers & wipes, rash cream, baby soap, comb…
All I needed for myself that hospital didn’t provide: hairbrush and hair elastics, phone and charger, personal toiletry items like razor and face wash and toothbrush (I bet they would’ve gotten me some if I had asked but I preferred having my own), loungewear for the hospital stay (I did not like wearing the hospital gown)—pj pants and a nursing bra, nursing tank and cardigan is what I wore while there. I was also really glad to have my boppy pillow for nursing and if you’re sensitive to fabrics you might want your own pillow and even bedding for sleeping too (I found the hospital bedding and pillow fine but I know some people really hate it). Snacks is a good idea and something I didn’t think of—sounds like you’ve got that covered!

Good luck! Don’t be shy about asking for more of things like nursing pads and maxi pads and diapers. My nurses really got me stocked up! And ask if they have the perineal ice packs. Those really helped me.

[Anonymous]

Good frozen bone broth, your own pillow and blanket, birthing ball and other comfort measures for labor, restorative face mask (everyone has their thing)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good frozen bone broth, your own pillow and blanket, birthing ball and other comfort measures for labor, restorative face mask (everyone has their thing)

This is just it, OP. For me, mine was a good body wash (but in travel size). It's not a hotel stay. You're there for sure a short amount of time!

You'll want slippers...I got some cheap ones from Amazon.

Don't bring too much...really. A small duffel bag and a boppy is plenty.

[Anonymous]

I brought pretty much nothing and was glad. Like others have said, you don’t want to bring any clothes because you won’t actually want to wear them; just a going home outfit. I didn’t even end up having the energy to wash my hair so shampoo was a waste. lol at shaving. No way.

The only actual essentials: phone charger, going home outfit for mom and baby, hair ties, toothbrush, sweater/hoodie. Literally everything else is provided or not really necessary.

[Anonymous]

^^^ Oh and Depends/adult diapers. The disposable underwear and giant pads are terrible.

[Anonymous]

For labor itself the only thing I wanted was a scrunchie, warm socks, and chapstick.

Once labor is over in both cases we lived close enough DH could come and go, but that was precovid. I sent him back for my own pillow. I like having earbuds to listen to meditations / block out noise.

I definitely wouldn’t have wanted birth announcement photos in the hospital. I was exhausted and looked awful (if I were holding baby), hospital lighting was blah, and just wouldn’t have wanted one more thing.

[Anonymous]

They have everything you need at the hospital. You really don't need to pack a ton of stuff. I wore the same outfit going home that I wore to the hospital even though I had packed more. If you have a phone charger and a going home outfit for the baby, you won't need anything else. Maybe a few snacks if you want. If you're very particular about your toiletries you can bring them, but they have all that stuff. You don't need to pack like you are going to a hotel.

[Anonymous]

I do not recall VHC have toiletries, other than a bar of soap. Maybe you had to request them, but I was really happy to have brought shampoo, conditioner, and body wash (and wished I had my hair dryer).

[Anonymous]

I agree you don’t want a ton of stuff. You’ll come home with more than you arrived with (def bring an extra bag for all the diapers etc). As others have said you need nothing for baby except a going home outfit and a car seat. I was basically naked the whole time so for my second kid brought no clothes except my going home outfit.
Agree about bringing your own pillow or blanket.
I brought electric candles which I loved because my hospital required a light to be on and that way I could turn off the overhead fluorescents at night.
Also - snacks!