I really can’t believe we’ll be meeting our second child in just a few short weeks! In my current job, I work three weeks ahead on projects so it already feels like time is really creeping up on me!
The past few days, I’ve gotten really intense bouts of nesting. I’ve been cleaning everything, keeping everything in order, organizing and packing/unpacking my post-delivery bag hundreds of times a day.
I feel really lucky that this is my second time around because I already know what I don’t need to bring, that sat in my bag last time, and what I absolutely do need to bring that I wish I had with Maisy. Today, I’m happily sharing a little peek into my hospital bags in hopes that you may add something you didn’t think about the first time around!
The two big bags (a.k.a. the ones I continuously pack and repack) are for me & Justin and Baby P. We have planned to bring a few other items along with us that don’t necessarily fit in a bag, I’m happy to go over those too!
Baby P’s Bag
Diaper Bag: Honest Everything Tote from The Honest Company. This was a Mother’s Day gift from Justin this year and I absolutely adore it. There is truly room for everything–even a laptop! I love the environmentally aspect of it as it’s made from 100% polyurethane vegan leather. It also doesn’t have that diaper bag look. I actually used this as my briefcase to work for several months!
Documenting Books: I so wish I had brought along Maisy’s baby book when she was born! Every baby book I’ve ever seen has had a page for their teeny tiny little hand and foot prints, and I hate that that page is blank in MJ’s book. Baby P’s baby book is the Simplified Baby Book from Emily Ley–I absolutely adore it!
I’ve also had a custom baby book made from May Designs. This book is perfect for recording feeding and sleeping schedules and diapers changed. When Maisy was born, the hospital gave me a sheet of paper that I felt like we lost right away. I’m hoping this adorable little book will keep me on track this time around!
Diapers & Wipes: I’m playing it save with this one. When Maisy was born, she was allergic to EVERYTHING. She broke out in a rash the moment I first held her! Her sensitive skin eventually led us to cloth diaper her, a decision we have already made with Baby P. Cloth diapers really need all the proper resources to be done (diaper sprayer, pail, etc) so we opted for all-natural, plant based diapers from the Honest Company to use while we’re all getting acquainted.
Our wipes are from Babyganics–we are OBSESSED with these wipes! You can never have too many!
Nursing needs: I had a lot of struggles nursing with Maisy, and it took me too long to find the right tools to help me be successful with breast feeding. I really want to make sure I’m starting off on the right foot (boob?) with Baby P so I’m bringing along lots of different tools to have successful first few days of nursing. Bamboobies Nursing Pads, Honest Organic Nipple Balm, Medela Nipple Shields, Medela TheraShells Breast Shells, and Lansinoh Latch Assist. We also will be bringing along our Boppy Nursing Pillow.
Wubbanub: We quickly learned how important a soothie is to a baby, and we adore Wubbanubs! They are sweet plush little animals attached to a Avdent Soothie pacifier.
Receiving Blankets: I was so so happy to bust out the Aden + Anais baby blankets again! These blankets are excellent for swaddling, perfect burp cloths, and serve also as cute nursing covers.
Clothes for baby: We packed two onesies, two pairs of little mittens, two hats and two pairs of socks.
No diaper bag is complete without hand sanitizer, thank you The Honest Company!
Momma & Daddy’s Bag
Our bag is all about comfort. Labor is uncomfortable. Delivery is uncomfortable. Post delivery is joyous, and also uncomfortable. I am the kind of person who LOVES her bed at home, her fluffy bath towels, and her favorite shampoo. I will be bringing whatever I can to be as comfortable as possible.
Towel: I’ll be bringing along one that’s fluffy but a little old. Again, post delivery is a mess. I want to definitely be clean but if I ditch the towel afterwards I won’t be heart broken.
Feminine Care: If we get down to the nitty gritty, I’m glad I brought these along with Maisy. I loved the post-delivery pads they gave me at the hospital with Maisy, but I’m a worrier and if they’ve changed I’ll be beside myself! These purple beauties were excellent during postpartum the last time around!
Fuzzy socks: Hospitals tend to be a little chilly, when I’m feeling chilly I love to bring warm, fuzzy socks.
Nursing bras: There were two types I enjoyed when I was nursing Maisy. A classic under-wire one, and a soft, sports-bra like one. I will be bringing both this time around!
Loose fitting, comfortable clothing. Did I mention comfort? These t-shirts from Target are my absolute favorite. They are ultra soft and nursing friendly. I also will be bringing along a few of my favorite maternity leggings. No sense trying to fit my way into jeans just yet! I chose clothes in dark colors so I’m slimmed a bit in photos.
Justin packed up plain-colored t-shirts, again for photos. When Maisy was born he was wearing a Notre Dame t-shirt. Not too much of an issue because we love Notre Dame, but we didn’t jive together. He picked up an ultra soft and comfy black polo shirt from Target that he’ll be wearing this time around. Sweatpants for sleeping and a sweater are also in his bag.
Maternity robe. I learned the lesson the hard way last time. Never ever buy a robe to wear during labor or delivery. Why? Because your water WILL break on it, and the photographer who comes to document your precious new born baby will insist you wear it and you will forever look at those photos and cringe (and you will literally throw $30 in the toilet because that robe is going in the TRASH) This time, I purchased a cute robe for AFTER labor & delivery. This one is from Pink Blush Maternity, it is ultra soft, perfect for nursing and will look so much better in photos than the poor poor robe I brought along last time.
Comforts of home: I look at photos from when Maisy was born and the first thing I always say to myself is “Ally. You just had a baby, I get it, but could you have at least brushed your hair?” I was so preoccupied with getting a baby out of me, that I didn’t think about how terrible I would look after the fact. This time around I’m bringing some comforts of home to take care of myself post baby. After all, if you can’t make the time to take care of YOU literally one day after your baby is born, you will struggle to take care of you for months to come. I stocked up on some sample-sized products from the travel aisle at Target: Dry shampoo, lip balm, and face wipes are a definite must have.
Justin is bringing along his comforts of home as well. Daddy’s need to be comfortable too!
I use cocoa butter religiously, you bet I’ll be bringing it along this time too. I want to be sure to continue to treat my stretch marks tiger stripes daily.
On the makeup side of things, I opted for an easy tinted moisturizer, and an eyeliner pencil. Something to freshen up my face for photos.
So there you have it–everything we are bringing along for our postpartum hospital bag. Next week, we’ll be talking a look at what we’ll have on hand for labor and delivery.
Ally Jean Blog 