Hospital Bag for Bed Rest, Birthing, and NICU

Since Princess decided to arrive 10 weeks early I never technically packed a hospital bag.  But I will share with you what I would have packed and items I was really glad I had my husband get from the house.  I was on bed rest in the hospital for five days before Princess arrived, and then I stayed another two nights to recover from my vaginal birth.

While I was pregnant I was oddly always worried about the baby coming early (mother's intuition?) so I had posted a status on my Facebook asking what other mommies recommended for their hospital bag.  The best advice I got from that was SNACKS!

My List:

• Snacks - my hospital had pretty strict ordering hours so this was beyond needed for my infant-like eating style of needing to nibble on something every couple of hours.
• Cell phone and charger - this really doesn't require an explanation but whether you go into preterm labor or have a normal labor and delivery there are A LOT of people that will be trying to connect with you for updates and baby pictures.
• IPad/laptop - this was more for my husband because I mainly just used my phone.  However, there were times when I was on bed rest for the week that we would watch Netflix on his iPad together.
• Toiletries - you get the basics in the hospital but showering with my own body wash and shampoo made me feel like a million bucks when I was in the hospital. 
• Robe - I only ever wore a hospital gown so this made me presentable for guests.  It also kept me warm on my walks to the NICU.
• Comfy socks/slippers - I walked back and forth to the NICU in my slippers.  They also kept my feet clean and warm when I had to go to the bathroom all 550 times while I was on bed rest.
• Cards or card games - watching TV gets boring after a few days on bed rest so my husband and I started a pretty mean UNO tournament.
• Books/magazines - I had too much anxiety to focus on reading but it would help pass the time.

NICU Bag:

• Neck pillow - you will be spending A LOT of time in the rocking chair/recliner next to baby's isolette so be comfortable!
• Comfy socks or slippers - again it's all about comfort when you are lounging out in your baby's room for hours on end.
• Boppy or similar pillow - whether or not you breastfeed this pillow is great for when you get to snuggle baby or even for bottle feedings! We hold our NICU babies a lot and even though they are tiny, your arms will get tired.  Boppy is a great support for just holding or feeding.
• Hats and outfits for baby - it may be awhile before baby is allowed to wear clothes but generally they can wear hats most of the time.  Princess had quite a hat wardrobe going for a while when she couldn't wear clothes because of being on CPAP or dealing with jaundice for a couple weeks.  We were also given a few hats by the NICU thanks to volunteers who make them (I think this is pretty common in most hospitals).
• Transition toy or lovey - the NICU gave us Snoedle, which is a fabric doll volunteers make for the babies that the mom's sleep with and keep in baby's isolette so they smell mom.  All the other toys we already had for Princess were so much bigger than her when she was in the NICU so Snoedle (whom I call Snoogle) was Princess's transition toy.  I still keep it in her crib and sleep with it from time-to-time so it maintains my smell. 
• Childrens book - it's never too early to start to read to baby.  We kept Princess's children's Bible at the NICU and would read her stories out of it sometimes. FYI I'm not the most religious person but having my baby in the hospital definitely changed things. 

Things others recommended I wouldn't:

• Your pajamas - ladies after birth isn't pretty, and you are not going to want all those bodily fluids on your pajamas.  Hospital gowns aren't sexy but you don't have to launder them :). 
• Your panties - so I would recommend these if you are on bed rest but not after you've birthed. Again, gross bodily fluids don't need to ruin your panties when you're given the disposable hospital ones.  The one time I did wear my own panties after I birthed was because when I was wearing the perineal ice packs (aka vagina ice) they weighed down the disposable panties too much so I wore my panties on top of the disposable ones for more support.  If you insist on wearing your own panties just make sure you use your designated period panties so you won't ruin a nice pair.
• Pregnancy book - if you are in preterm labor throw it out, it's no longer useful.  What To Expect When You're Expecting only covers average/normal labor and delivery.  I felt like once I was admitted for preterm labor none of the content felt relevant to me.

Happy packing mommies!!