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What I ACTUALLY Used in My Hospital Bag

Hi all! I wanted to follow up with a post on what I ACTUALLY used in my hospital bag and share pictures of Mia! I knew I over packed but I don't think I used half of what I brought, LOL. Still, being prepared made me feel a lot better going to the hospital.

For myself:
  • Pajamas with a nursing top and loose fitting pants (want to make sure no matter what kind of birth I have, that I don't have any pressure on my lower half)-Used these, to go home lol. Post c-section I was pretty movement limited so my hospital gown was the best for the first few days.
  • Phone charger-Obviously used this.
  • Toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, razor, shampoo, conditioner (little ones), make up wipes, lotion, chap stick, deodorant, face moisturizer-Used all of these items BUT I lost my darn chapstick and I needed that the most of course.
  • Hair brush and hair ties-Didn't use, messy hair didn't care.
  • Camera and charger-Used this the last day.
  • Socks with little stickies on the bottom (had these, don't buy them because I'm sure the hospital has them too)-Don't bother with socks, the hospital socks are the best.
  • Flip flops for the hospital shower-Did use these but the shower was also private in my room and very clean.
  • Robe and slippers-Just used the slippers to go home.
  • Comfy underwear (same reason for loose fitting pants)-Use the hospital underwear they give you and take some home, they're seriously the best especially post c-section.
  • Snacks (more for him lol)-Needed more for him lol, I actually wasn't super hungry and the hospital can just bring you food and snacks to your room.
  • Nursing bra-Definately used this.
  • Book (in case I'm waiting)-Would have never used any "waiting" items with that contraction pain but I've heard some women do.
  • Going home outfit that's loose fitting (same reason again)-Scrapped that, PJ's were all I wanted to be in.
  • Prenatal vitamins-Did need these.
  • Nursing pads-Used these.
  • Nipple balm-Really needed this.
  • Peri Spray with essential oils-Didn't need this because of my c-section.
  • Essential Oils (if you want to know which ones, let me know I read a whole book on essential oils and birth/babies)-Used a few of these but a lot of them were more so if I had a normal delivery.
  • My glasses because I'm blind-I didn't care that I can't see that far and the room TV's are close to you.
  • My purse with wallet and all important paperwork/ID's/medical cards/etc.-Really needed this stuff, a lot of people come to see you regarding paperwork, appointments, etc. 
For baby:
  • A few diapers and wipes just in case-Hospital has these.
  • Nursing cover-Honestly, all modesty goes out the window and I never used this.
  • Nursing pillow-I was so tired and would have died without this pillow to support her on.
  • Four baby onesies (all a little different and a nice one to take her home in) with the fold over built in mittens because rumor has it tiny babies ditch those other mittens-Used just one to take her home in, otherwise the hospital dressed her too.
  • Baby cap-Used this also for her going home outfit but the hospital gives you hats too.
  • Baby mittens (just in case she's a bigger baby lol)-Didn't need these, she really didn't scratch herself and they were too big anyway, the onesies with built in mittens are the best.
  • Swaddle Blanket-The nurses would just swaddle her in the hospital blankets but I will say the velcro ones are awesome if you're learning to swaddle a baby and/or your baby breaks out of the traditional swaddle.
  • Her blanket-Did use this.
  • Socks-Didn't use these and they fall off anyway.
  • Diaper cream-You can't use this actually they say to stay away from this stuff for awhile.
  • Burp cloth-Used this.
  • Car seat and car seat head support-This is an obvious must.
  • Pacifier-I've had conflicting advice on this, we were so tired the first night we actually tried one but she didn't like it. I've also heard this can cause nipple confusion with breastfeeding so just do your research prior.
For him:
  • Entertainment-Needed more of this.
  • Snacks-Needed more of these.
  • Blanket-Forgot this and he did need one lol the hospital has blankets but they're pretty flimsy.
  • Whatever else he can't live without-You'll need plenty of comfy clothes for him too otherwise he didn't need much else.
Luckily, the hospital has all of the important things for you and baby and they let you take just about everything home. Every experience is different so even after my review, I still think it's good that you pack what you feel is necessary so you don't have any anxiety about being unprepared. After Mia was born all I really cared about was her and the three of us being together. I'm sure that's how a lot of people feel so don't stress over the small stuff.

Also, we had her newborn photos done yesterday and I wanted to share some of them with you guys! We are so blessed and I'm so lucky to be her mom!!






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Lactation Smoothie

With baby Mia finally here (yay!!) I'm trying to make sure my diet is on point for nursing success. I've found a few lactation cookies and smoothie recipes online and used them to create my own easy lactation smoothie recipe!

What you'll need:

-1/2 cup frozen strawberries
-1 sliced banana
-1/4 cup oats
-1 tbsp of natural PB ( I like the taste of the Dark Chocolate PB from PB & Co.)
-Unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Put everything in your blender, fill it up with the almond milk as you like and blend! I am using a single drink blender like the NutriBullet and this all fits perfectly. I would like to add some vegan protein powder but I'm waiting to ask my doctor on that first.

If you're worried about sugar then this may not be the smoothie for you. Even though it's natural sugar, I know some breast feeding moms want to avoid sugar as much as possible. However, I like the strawberries and bananas for potassium, vitamin C, magnesium, and iron. Every baby is different and I've read strawberries can cause some babies to have gas but so far Mia seems unaffected by it. The oats are really good for lactation (good source of iron) and the peanut butter is a good source of protein and fats for me and baby. Again, some people say it's best to avoid allergenic foods like PB while nursing but I think it's just important to eat well and monitor your baby. I'm also using almond milk instead of dairy because I have read that cows milk can limit your own milk supply. So far everything seems to be going well and the smoothie tastes good in general!

I'll be posting more baby pictures and what I didn't use out of my hospital bag here some time soon. Right now I'm just really enjoying baby bonding time :)


xo
katie lynn
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What's in My Hospital Bag?



Thirty-seven weeks is here and I finally got around to packing my hospital bag! Obviously, being a new mom I don't know what I need yet so I compiled this based on Pinterest and my friends advice :) I'll do a follow up post with what I actually ended up using because I probably over packed. Pinterest had some of the most ridiculous lists (in my personal opinion) and I was trying not to bring a fully loaded suitcase LOL. I was able to pack just a duffle bag and we can carry the nursing pillow, etc.

For myself:

  • Pajamas with a nursing top and loose fitting pants (want to make sure no matter what kind of birth I have, that I don't have any pressure on my lower half)
  • Phone charger
  • Toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, razor, shampoo, conditioner (little ones), make up wipes, lotion, chap stick, deodorant, face moisturizer
  • Hair brush and hair ties
  • Camera and charger
  • Socks with little stickies on the bottom (had these, don't buy them because I'm sure the hospital has them too)
  • Flip flops for the hospital shower
  • Robe and slippers
  • Comfy underwear (same reason for loose fitting pants)
  • Snacks (more for him lol)
  • Nursing bra
  • Book (in case I'm waiting)
  • Going home outfit that's loose fitting (same reason again)
  • Prenatal vitamins
  • Nursing pads
  • Nipple balm
  • Peri Spray with essential oils
  • Essential Oils (if you want to know which ones, let me know I read a whole book on essential oils and birth/babies)
  • My glasses because I'm blind
  • My purse with wallet and all important paperwork/ID's/medical cards/etc.


For baby:

  • A few diapers and wipes just in case
  • Nursing cover
  • Nursing pillow
  • Four baby onesies (all a little different and a nice one to take her home in) with the fold over built in mittens because rumor has it tiny babies ditch those other mittens
  • Baby cap
  • Baby mittens (just in case she's a bigger baby lol)
  • Swaddle Blanket
  • Her blanket
  • Socks
  • Diaper cream
  • Burp cloth
  • Car seat and car seat head support
  • Pacifier


For him:

  • Entertainment
  • Snacks
  • Blanket
  • Whatever else he can't live without lol


Typical, the guys list is always minimal!! Even after writing this I have the sense I over packed but I'm an over packer by nature and this is my first go around. I want to make sure I'm plenty prepared! I saw a lot of lists with things like candles, music, etc. to set the room up but that's not really my style so I left those items out. We'll see how this list works out for us and if you have any other suggestions, feel free to share! :)

xo
katie lynn


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