After having my first daughter at the hospital in Boca Raton, (she was born at Boca Raton Regional Hospital), I realized there were a bunch of things that I wanted/needed with me during my hospital stay for before and after birth that I just didn’t have. And we really weren’t in the headspace to decide to send my hubby shopping or to pick things up from home as we wanted to soak up every single of those first moments following birth (AND SLEEP!)
So when I was pregnant for the second time, I almost instantly knew already in my first trimester what I would need to bring with me to the hospital the second time around with baby #2!
I want to share what I’ve learned with mamas expecting their first, or planning their second and wanting to be well prepared! Packing some of your essentials or musts will make for a more comfortable hospital experience.
For Labor
Packing
First things first. I learned this the hard way the first time. Duffel bags, diaper bags, back packs, anything that goes on your back is a big no for the hospital. When in labor, or even if you have to have a scheduled c-section, you don’t want to be going into labor and delivery like you’re going for a hike. And you don’t want your partner or spouse’s arms to be preoccupied with baggage. A rolling carry-on suitcase is 100% the way to go. You can neatly organize everything in zip compartments and it opens like a book and displays everything for you to quickly find.
Chapped-Lips
One of the things that I really ended up needing during labor that I didn’t have was chapstick / lipgloss. I know it sounds trivial and maybe vain? But during labor, I felt the air in my hospital labor room was incredibly dry, almost like on an airplane. I am sure hospitals must have dehumidifiers running on a commercial level to keep bacteria at bay. But it caused me to have painfully dry and breaking lips. So this was honestly one of the first things I bought and packed in my bag for labor. I kept it on the rolling table in the hospital room and part of my husbands duties for my labor was to keep reminding me to reapply it. This is one item I kept in my makeup bag in my purse (not the carry-on suitcase), along with waterproof mascara which is my #2 item
Waterproof Mascara
I know this is not a thing everyone wears or wants to wear during labor, but for me it was a must. I don’t really wear any makeup, but I have very light colored, thin and sparse eye lashes. In my personal life, I like to wear mascara often even on occasions and just regular weekday mom days. It gives me a tiny boost of confidence. It makes me feel more put together. It totally does make me feel a little more ‘with-it’ and in control of my life. When birth is so unpredictable, it is so nice to at least feel a little more confidence, or like you can at least control your face. I know it may seem trivial, but to me it was almost like my comfort zone.
Essential Oils + Diffuser
I tend to be a high anxiety mama. One of the things that calm me down are pleasant, calming, clean smells. I love the smell of lavender. For my labor I packed lavender essential oil for calming, a diffuser to make the entire room smell pleasant, relaxing and clean. Peppermint essential oil roller in case I got a headache or nauseous, and I splurged and bought clary sage essential oil for in case my labor stalled. I found out after I had my first child, there is such a thing as pressure points on your ankles and hands that can stimulate labor and if paired with a strong labor-inducing Clary Sage essential oil, if your contractions suddenly get very far apart and erratic, this strong combination can bring them closer together and make them far more productive in thinning out your cervix (called effacement by labor and delivery nurses) and dilating you to 10cm!
Music
I totally think this one is underrated. But I knew when I would be in labor with my second baby, labor would go slow and I wouldn’t want to be listening to all the sounds of the world buzzing about around me while I experienced slow labor. I wanted music to help me get through all the emotions of the day. So I made several play lists with various types of music depending on what I would be feeling. I had an uplifting motivating play list, a calming & ambient play list of music in case I started feeling nervous/anxious, I even made a cinematic inspirational playlist for the very end of labor if I needed it. I threw on my favorite Christmas album by Michael Buble because lord knows that makes me the happiest person in the world. So with music goes my iphone + iphone charger + a blue tooth speaker. All these accessories were a must.
Clothing
What I was going to wear during labor is honestly something that never crossed my mind when I was pregnant with my first baby. Maybe on some level I thought it was mandatory to wear the paper thin hospital labor gown? I’m really not sure.
But when I got pregnant with my second one, I immediately knew we were going to have to bring some changes of clothes with us. First off, I chose 3 t-shirts for my husband. One for him to wear when we were leaving for the hospital, one as a spare to change into if my labor was long and he needed a fresh shirt, and one for the following day if he didn’t go home to change. For my first birth he wore this orange shirt with a video game logo on it. And although the story is totally adorably sweet, I wear it as a sleep shirt these days, it was the worst most unflattering color tee for him to wear in the photos we took with our camera while we were in the hospital.
Secondly — my clothing. I am an artist and have kind of a hippie heart, and I am a photographer after all, so for birthing photos I had a vision of a dreamy, deep colored lace bralette similar to the one pictured here. I’ll link the one below here in case someone wants to get this one : Victoria’s Secret
Many of my clients actually also order a labor and delivery gown usually from the brand Pretty Pushers on amazon and I’ve actually had several clients who ordered this same halter one in black (and sometimes my clients order two sets just in case they feel a need to change their clothing during labor)
Snacks
I decided to pack many snacks that didn’t need a fridge (and brought a few for the fridge) so that my husband would have plenty to eat during labor and have enough energy to be supportive to me in the way I needed him present.
Things I packed for the hospital stay after giving birth
— Post Partum —
The Sound of the Ocean
Literally the first thing I packed for my hospital stay after giving birth was my toddler’s white noise machine!
Perhaps the least comfortable aspect of having a two day hospital stay with my first baby was that I could hear alarms, beeps, footsteps, doors opening and closing all outside of my hospital room and it became impossible for me to sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time. I was already totally exhausted from the birth process itself so on top of it nurses waking me inadvertently made it impossible to rest. By the time I got home from the hospital I was so sleep deprived and then my baby started sleeping poorly. I was definitely going to nip it in the bud early the second time around by bringing my daughter’s sound machine from her room with the sound of ocean waves. It did the trick. It drowned out all the disruptful sounds and I was able to get much more rest the second time around.
Baby
Instead of packing a million things for the baby like I did the first time around, I only packed a handful:
Two sizes of a going home outfit (a footie pajama), a pretty swaddle for the day after lifestyle pictures, and two sizes of a beanie hat to go with the swaddle. I wasn’t sure what size my daughter would be when she was born, so I wanted to play it safe with options so I didn’t get stuck with dressing her in hospital baby clothing for going home. I used the hospital supplied diapers, wipes, everything to its fullest while we were at the hospital. Endless supplies that end when you leave the hospital, so take advantage! You are paying the hospital after all for your stay.
Post Partum Self-Care
For myself, there were certain clothing and cosmetic items I packed so I could feel myself again and quickly.
For myself for after birth I packed two non-fitted v-neck black tees that I could easily breastfeed in, two pairs of looser black yoga pants (I got them from motherhood maternity) and a black cotton robe. I wanted to be able to feel like more like my usual self (as much as that is possible) immediately after giving birth. I also wanted to be dressed more like myself for when my older daughter (who was then going to be 3 years old) would come to meet the baby.
Cosmetics: I packed body wash for the shower, a full size towel — I didn’t want to risk getting another tiny hospital towel, shampoo/conditioner in travel cases in case I would have sweaty hair after birth so I could wash my hair and have somewhat nice hair for the day after photos. I also packed light makeup (eyeshadow and tinted lipgloss), hair ties, deodorant (I use a natural brand called Primal Pit Paste in the scents Lavender and “Royal & Rogue” I just don’t want aluminum to be in my arm pit when breastfeeding the baby. I tend to want to wear glasses all the time but I did pack contact lenses in case I needed a break from glasses.
Breastfeeding
I had a really hard time with breastfeeding the first time around. I had what nurses call inverted nipples, my baby’s latch was extremely painful for me to tolerate, my milk came in less than 24 hours after birth and there was so much of it and I couldn’t get her to latch on at that point. I learned so much after having my first baby. So for my second baby here are the items I packed for the hospital:
Bamboo breatmilk pads. The first time around I used disposable nursing pads by Lansinoh, Nuk and Ameda. But then after I had my daughter I found out that they are so absorbent, they also absorb your skin’s natural oils, leaving nipples chapped and sore. So I switched to bamboo nursing pads (Bamboobies brand and another brand I found on amazon called M&Y Organic Bamboo Nursing pads that came in a 14 pack) and what I really ended up liking about the bamboo pads were that they are washable, so instead of buying many boxes of disposable ones that cost loads of money and are bad for the environment, you buy one and done.
Because I experienced so many hardships the first time around with breastfeeding, I knew how important it was to have a good start with breastfeeding. If I ever have a third baby, I will ask Sasha Lansing, the other of Mom’s Breast Friend and a Certified Lactation Counselor, to actually pay a visit to the hospital to make sure my baby is latching correctly and I can address any issues with supply and tongue ties before I even go home. I know typically Sasha likes to see her clients once they are home from the hospital, but knowing my serious issues started within a mere 8 hours of giving birth both times, that would be my preference.
For my husband
I also packed things my husband would need for the hospital stay since I knew he would be with me the whole time. I brought his tooth brush & tooth paste, a substantial blanket since the hospital ones suck. And all the essential clothing pieces for a change of clothing besides the t-shirt I mentioned above.
