Hospital Bag Essentials

So in my last two labor & delivery experiences, I don't really remember what I brought, what was useful, and what wasn't useful. I have read up what others suggest and what baby sites suggest and made my own list. This is what I brought to the hospital:

For me:

• My purse with my photo ID, insurance card, money for parking, and my travel makeup bag.
• Hygiene/toiletries: contacts with solution, glasses, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads (overnights), and witch hazel pads.
• Clothes: old undies for postpartum, slippers, and comfy going home outfit with comfy shoes or flip flops.
• Nursing necessities: nursing bra, lanolin cream, breast pads, and nursing pillow.
• Stuff to keep me distracted: Kindle (charged prior to hospital stay), cell phone and charger, Baby411 book, and my EC life planner and pens.
• Food: snacks and my Brita water bottle

For Mason:

• Clothes: going home outfit with hat and mittens.
• Diapers and wipes
• Receiving blanket and/or swaddling blanket
• Carseat with carseat canopy
• Burpcloths
• Binkie (just in case)

So that's all good and well - I felt pretty prepared headed into the hospital. So now post-hospital, I want to talk about what I used, didn't use, what I wish I would have brought with me, and what I found to be a lifesaver!

I am so so glad I brought slippers, lanolin, and snacks! Most of the time that I was at the hospital, I was dying from being so hot, but when I got to walk around when my contractions got bad before they started pitocin, I was so glad to have them. They are light and have the grippies on the bottom. The lanolin was a lifesaver those first few days of trying to breastfeed. The snacks were one of the very best things I could have brought. After I had Mason, I kept getting hungry in the middle of the afternoon or middle of the night. It was nice to have something to just grab up really quick. They were also very awesome for Nick during my labor - he got pretty snacky LOL

I didn't touch the make up bag, sanitary pads, witch hazel pads, old undies, nursing pillow, Kindle, or life planner. This hospital had pretty decent sanitary pads and my old undies were too tight to wear, so the weird mesh ones worked just fine. I wish wish wish I had used my witch hazel pads and nursing pillow. The witch hazel was at the very bottom of my bag and I forgot all about them - I have been using them profusely at home and they are heaven-sent! My nursing pillow got left in the car and I really really really wish I had remembered to bring it with.