Everything I packed in my hospital bag

I am the type of person who believes ‘rather over pack than under pack’ and this has never applied more than when I packed my hospital bag. I like to prepare well ahead so this bag was packed around late 6 months early 7 months into my pregnancy, but we only needed to use it on the scheduled C-section date.

I packed many things and this is what I wish I left at home:

Breast pump – you can read why in my previous post, here

Shampoo, conditioner and hairdryer – I had a C-section. I couldn’t shower, never mind wash and blow dry my hair. I couldn’t lift my hands over my head, to be honest.

Ear plugs and sleep masks – I didn’t need them, because the ward was very quiet.

Lotion and makeup – I didn’t use any of these. I had no desire to put on any makeup after all the morphine injections I thought I looked just fine.

Pillow – The hospital pillows were very comfortable (could be the medication talking)

Reading material – I slept most of the time when baby wasn’t around.

 

My essentials:

Abdomend C- section Recovery Kit – I wouldn’t have recovered so quickly without it. Read more about it here

Folder/ Flip file/ Binder for paperwork – We received many forms in hospitals, like medical aid forms, hospital forms, brochures, etc. I was so glad to have somewhere safe to put them so that they can be saved neatly. I used the same binder to keep track of medical bills after the birth.

Long flowy dresses and night dresses – I packed a yoga pants, but it irritated my scar so much. Dresses are essential to a C-section mom those first few days. They are comfortable, can be taken off and put on easily and don’t aggravate the scar.

Maternity pads and disposable underwear – These items are ugly, but necessary. Normal pads won’t cut it for postpartum bleeding (even after a C-section). The underwear elastic could be pulled up quite high so that it didn’t irritate my scar in any way.

Satin gown – My red floral satin gown made me feel like a queen! I loved sauntering down the ward corridors in my gown. It made me feel human again.

Slip on shoes like slippers, flip flops or ballerina flats – I couldn’t bend down to tie laces and these were great for a quick walk to the loo.

Stool Softener – I bought Soflax. During a C-section they remove your intestines from inside your body, take the baby out and put the intestines back in. This could cause bowel problems or irritation. A stool softener is essential to help C-section mom’s pass a stool as comfortably as possible.

 

What the hospital provided:

A pacifier for baby – He cried so much in NICU that they had to give him one.

Baby clothes – He wore hospital clothes until the morning I took him home.

Baby lotion – More samples!

Baby soap and shampoo – They gave us great little sample bottles (Johnson & Johnson’s top to toe wash).

Bath soap – for me in the shower, it was too painful so I opted for a sponge bath instead.

Blankets – He used their blankets during our 5 day stay.

Compression Socks- For blood clot prevention.

Ear phones, plugs and slippers – The hospital gave these items as soon as I arrived.

Maternity pads – In case I ran out (They let me keep the pack to take home).

Surgical spirits and cotton wool – in case I forgot to pack some. It was used to dry out the umbilical cord.

Towels for me and baby – They preferred that we use theirs instead of our own so that we wouldn’t have to wash them later (less work for me).

 

I’ve made this free printable hospital bag list for you to download:

Hospital Bag Checklist

C- Section Hospital Bag Checklist

I hope you enjoyed this post. Did I miss anything? If you had a baby what was your hospital bag essential and what do you wish you left at home?

Let me know! I’d love to hear from you.

 

Join me tomorrow for my take on Mr’s Fatherhood for the second time.

 

Love and Blessings,

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