I cannot believe it has been almost 3 weeks since our beautiful Blake has been born.  Y’all were not joking when you said the time does fly by.  I am finally getting to share our hospital bag and plan on sharing soon her birth story! For those who know me know I am the biggest over packer.  With that being said I definitely overpacked for the hospital and barely used some of the things I thought were essential.

I first want to say that every person has their own preferences and experience so everything I share on here is just simply what I used and is what worked for ME! Take everything with a grain of salt. You know yourself better than I do! The list of essentials below is not the ENTIRE list.  It is just the absolute essentials that I will probably pack for my next delivery because they were so helpful.  I didn’t include things like contacts, toiletries, snacks. etc because I didn’t want to be redundant. 

Some things that I didn’t use (but are popular things to pack): 

• Chapstick: A lot of people said their lips got chapped but mine never did.  So never used this.
• Stanley Cup: The hospital cups did the job.
• Slippers: I will never be a slipper person lol. I was ok wearing just my socks and used my slides for walking around the room.
• Cozy Socks: I just used the socks I normally wear and didn’t wear my barefoot dreams one.
• Nursing Bra: I really don’t like nursing bras to this day and prefer my usual bras just a size bigger.
• My own towel: I never washed my hair at the hospital and just washed my body so it wasn’t a big deal using their towels
• My own laboring gown:I ended up wearing the FP movement ribbed tank and LOVED it!!! So comfy. 
• A lot of newborn onesies: She was mostly in her diaper.  I packed wayyy to many and could have only used a couple. 
• Computer or Firestick: This is great for watching TV but Mike and I aren’t the biggest TV people and ended up never watching TV.  We had guests come in the second day so we honestly never had time to watch it either. 

Now let’s get onto what I used…

1. Frida underwear: The hospital mesh underwear was so saggy on me and didn’t hold up the pads.  I also love how they felt like I was wearing biker shorts and they held everything together. 
2. Peri Bottle: The hospital peri bottle was just a squirt bottle and didn’t have the bended top.  I love how this one was more efficient. 
3. Ice maxi pads: The hospital ice packs were never cold for me.  These worked way better.
4. Dermaplast: This is not a “clean” product option but it works! It helps numb everything down there after birth.  Especially stitches
5. Fan: It is common to get super hot postpartum with all your hormones! I slept with this attached to my hospital bed at night.  A MUST!! I am someone who cannot sleep when it’s too hot.  You can later use this as a stroller fan for your baby.
6. LMNT Electrolytes: It is so important to chug electrolytes for your digestive system and milk production.  The hospital will either just have water or sugary electrolytes.  Pour this into a 20+ ounce tumbler of water.  Not to be TMI but my digestive system remained pretty regular postpartum after making sure to drink 1-2 of these per day.
7. Comfy Blanket: I love a good comfy blanket when sleeping.  I was able to sleep so well with my barefoot dream blanket each night! All of the nurses made comments about how much they wanted one after touching this! It is also huge and fits all my 6 ft girls!!
8. My own pillow :Making your hospital bed as close as you can your own bed at home is key! The pillows were not comfy and having my own pillow helped me sleep so good at night.
9. Portable sound machine : A sound machine is a must during the hospital because it helps you sleep and blocks out all of the random sounds from the hospital. This has several different white noise options and can be used later for the baby.  I love how small and compact it is as well.
10. Mini light: This light was recommended by a friend and was one of the most used items! The hospital lights are so obnoxious and there are about 20 in the room with light switches all in different places.  This light came in handy for late night feedings because it can be set on your nightstand and the light is subtle.  HIGHLY recommend it!!
11. Pajamas that button up the front: A lot of women suggest wearing black because of possible leakage during nursing but i honestly didn’t have any issues wearing this color.  I brought a black set as well.  Anything that buttons up is nice to have when nursing.  I personally loved wearing the shorts because I always get hot at night.  
12. Boujee nursing pillow: This nursing pillow is super boujee, but any nursing pillow will do.  It is nice to have when nursing to support your arms but also nice to have for when visitors hold your baby.  
13. Hair ties: These hair ties are the best!! They hold your hair up and don’t make any creases.  They also don’t give me headaches!! They are not sturdy enough to run and do burpees in but are perfect for everything else.
14. Robe: I personally am not really a robe person but I did find a robe nice to have while in the hospital.   Especially for when you have visitors.  I also wore this robe in our hospital photos and I loved how simple it was!
15. Slides for shower: The first shower after birth is HEAVENLY! I personally don’t like public showers so wearing these slides during my shower made me feel comfortable. 
16. 10 ft iphone charger: Probably one of the most important things to have haha! The outlets are so far away from the bed and with these charging cords you can charge your phone from your bed!
17. Hospital bag: You definitely don’t need to spend a lot of money on a hospital bag but I REALLY love this bag!! It is super stretchy and fits so much!! It is a bag I plan on using regularly!

Other things I packed and used: 

• contacts
• glasses
• toiletries
• curling iron for newborn photos at hospital
• newborn outfit for photos
• newborn name sign
• snacks (chomps, apples, crackers, etc)
• iPhone tripod
• Going home outfit
• Camera (I used my nice Canon for our newborn hospital photos)
• FP movement ribbed tank for laboring (best decision ever.  It was so comfy.)

Laboring Outfit (Day 1)

I packed a sports bra and laboring gown to wear but I had a friend recommend to me to wear this FP movement ribbed tank during labor and it was the best decision for me.  It was something that I would normally wear comfortably around the house so why not have a baby in it! HA! I didn’t wear a bra or anything under but it also felt supportive and not loose.  

Shop my laboring outfit

Hospital Day 2 Outfit

This was the day we had our newborn hospital photos and a few visitors so I wanted to be somewhat cute and put together but also comfy and realistic.  I loved this robe off of amazon and this pajama set! Both are nursing friendly and SUPER soft!

Shop My Hospital Day 2 Outfit

Blake’s Hospital Pictures Outfit

Shop Blake’s Outfits

Going Home Outfit:

This was the best outfit to wear going home.  I had several friends say that they loved wearing tighter, “more supportive”, bottoms (because things are a tad squishier down there) and a looser top (for breast feeding).  This outfit comes in a set and checks off both!! I am wearing my usual size small. 

Shop my going home outfit