So many new moms are confused about what to bring to the hospital when they have a baby. Being a Family Care Suites nurse, I have a few opinions and things that moms forget or don’t even know about!
1. Bring comfy clothes. A lot of moms don’t think you can wear your own clothes but usually the day after birth, you are allowed to shower and at that time, you can wear whatever you are most comfortable in. A bathrobe is a good idea as well if you have one you love.
2. Bring your breast pump if you are planning on breast feeding. You can get comfortable using the one you will have at home and you can start pumping in between feedings. Most insurance companies provide a pump but if you are using yours from a previous child or a friends, bring it along. You can also get new breast pump accessories if you are borrowing from a friend which can be way cheaper than actually buying a pump.
3. Depending on how long you are at the hospital, bring a few change of clothes for your newborn. After their initial bath, you can put them in whatever outfit you want. A lot of parents bring super cute outfits and conduct their own mini photoshoots in their rooms. Some hospitals do provide a ‘photoshoot’ with your baby right in your room where the hospital photographer comes in and does the best they can with what’s in the room, but I say, save your money and do it yourself or save it for the photographer you know and trust.
4. Headphones. Most rooms have rockers in them and sometimes it’s nice to relax to music and rock your baby. Or, just rock yourself to sleep, who are we kidding here? Really anything of comfort is worth bringing.
***Pacifier 411
Some parents bring pacifiers to the hospital. While staff will never tell you to NOT give it to your baby, this is the reason we suggest you wait until you get home.
Sometimes newborns have trouble latching when breastfeeding. A pacifier is much easier to grasp in their tiny mouths and this can condition them to only want the pacifier and give up trying to nurse with mom. We suggest you get the breastfeeding routine down and then introduce the pacifier, if that is your wish, later down the road.
5. If you are not a new mom and know how tender your breasts can get from breastfeeding, Lanolin is helpful to soothe aching cracked nipples. If you are a new mom, you probably got a bottle at your baby shower. Bring it with. The hospital only provides samples and let’s be serious, if you are putting this stuff on 8x a day, you need more than just a sample.
6. Lotions, Chapstick, body wash, shampoo. While hospitals have all of these things, your brands are going to be way better. Bring what you love and what makes you feel the best. I like the brands below. Lavender lotion helps relax and can help you sleep. Tea tree makes your head tingle and after pushing a human being out of your body, a little distraction can’t hurt. Burt’s bees is my go too.
7. Support bras. Bring the bra you will be nursing in. Your breasts will be larger and swollen and a bra will help relieve that. If you are not going to breast feed, bring something supportive. A very supportive bra can help dry up your ducts faster when your milk starts coming in. Shefit is an amazing bra I recommend. It is great as a breastfeeding, or not breastfeeding, bra and has great support. The straps as well as the band are fully adjustable. They even can criss-cross or come straight back like a normal bra. Try your first one at this link for $10 off!
***Undies 411
Don’t worry about the underwear you will wear or even bringing any. You are going to bleed for usually a week after and the hospital will provide you will mesh panties that can hold an ice pack and pad. Your bottom will be sore with a vaginal birth so ice packs, cooling spray and tucks pads are sometimes given to help alleviate the pain. The hospital has all of these things, no sweat.
8. Snacks! Some smaller hospitals will not have food 24/7. You will have to order out or bring things with you! A lot of moms will bring their favorite granola bars, drinks, or candy to help get through the time when food is not able to be ordered.
***Diapers and Wipes 411
The hospital will provide these for you while you are there. You also won’t know the size of your newborn until you have delivered so don’t stress about bringing every size diaper you got from your shower and 400 wipes. We also provide diaper rash cream. We got you covered.
***For at home
This rocker is state of the art and we use these in the nursery. It has five settings, Bluetooth, a speaker, and you can change the settings from your phone. Babies love this thing. It’s worth the money. The settings is the nicest feature as some babies only like to be rocked a certain way and this swing allows you to change the way the baby is being moved. You can even change it from your phone if you don’t want to risk getting to close and baby knowing you’re there and starting the entire ‘sleeping process’ again.
If you are still not overwhelmed and terrified at this point, check out my post about what moms say about the truth on childbirth and things they wish people told them beforehand.
At the end of the day, you’re a badass and about to do something amazing. Bring the comforts of home, don’t stress the small stuff, and remember, after all this, you can finally drink again.
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