What's In My HOSPITAL BAG! ⧸⧸ But also, I need YOUR advice...
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
211.52368
Summary
In today's episode, I m sharing what's in my hospital bag and what I'm bringing with me to the hospital! I m also sharing a few of the things I m planning to bring with me when I go into labor.
Transcript
00:00:00.000
Hello Classic Crew and welcome to today's video where I'm going to be sharing what's in my hospital bag.
00:00:11.240
If you are new to my channel, here we talk about classic living and traditional values and I would
00:00:15.580
love if you would consider becoming a part of the Classic Crew here. So go ahead and hit that
00:00:20.980
subscribe button and that notification bell so you can be notified of all my new videos.
00:00:24.360
And if you'd like to get access to a ton of exclusive content including my book club, my
00:00:28.380
podcast, and great discussion threads with our community, make sure to head over to
00:00:33.180
classicallyabby.substack.com to get access to my Substack newsletter. Now this is the second time
00:00:40.320
I'm recording this video. Apparently my mic was slowly creeping into frame and I didn't notice it
00:00:47.100
until literally the last second of the video when it was in front of my face. So that wasn't going to
00:00:52.320
be the best video of all time. I decided to re-record it but we are on the floor in the nursery.
00:00:57.880
I don't often spend time on the floor anymore. I am 37 weeks pregnant and even though I do enjoy
00:01:04.040
sitting on the floor, pregnant it's not the best thing in the world. So it's kind of fun to be down
00:01:10.420
here though and recording. It's very casual. We've got all of my cart of goodies over here and we've
00:01:17.240
got my little bear hamper and this little ottoman and you will be seeing all of this stuff in my
00:01:22.860
nursery tour which I don't know if it's already up or if it's going up after this. So we'll just
00:01:27.200
have to see. But I'm very excited to share what's in my hospital bag. Now a couple of caveats. Number
00:01:34.420
one, the hospital bag is not actually packed. And the reason for that is that I use a lot of these
00:01:40.380
things all the time. So it doesn't make sense for me to have it all packed now when I'm going to need
00:01:46.020
it for the next who knows how long. Two-ish weeks, maybe longer. We'll just have to see. So I don't
00:01:54.540
actually have the bag packed. But number two is that I recognize I'm a first-time mom so I might
00:01:59.700
be overpacking. But keep in mind that I watched like 20 videos all about what's in my hospital bag
00:02:07.840
of new moms, of second-time moms, third-time moms. And I just made a list compiled from that of what
00:02:15.060
I thought was the most practical. So even though it might sound like I have a lot of stuff, it's based
00:02:20.660
off of other people's ideas of what was important to them when they went to the hospital. So hopefully
00:02:26.980
that makes this make more sense. But I would also love to know your thoughts in the comments. So make
00:02:32.280
sure to do that. And let's get into today's video. Okay, so the first and most important thing that
00:02:38.260
I'm bringing with me is this list. I think this list is really important to bring not only because
00:02:43.940
I can cross things off beforehand, but when we leave the hospital, I can go back through and make
00:02:48.780
sure I have everything that I brought. So that was an important thing to start with. I think it's
00:02:54.320
really important to have a written list right here for you and you can bring it with you. Now,
00:02:59.580
I personally print mine out. I know a lot of people will do it on their phones. I'm not going to do
00:03:03.800
that. Having it printed out is very helpful for me. Next up are some of the obvious things. Wallets,
00:03:09.900
phones, keys. These are easy to forget in the heat of the moment. So I put them on the list just so
00:03:15.040
we'd remember. Really important to bring ID to the hospital and bring your insurance card. So that is
00:03:20.200
part of the reason why I wanted to include that. Car seat. The car seat must be installed before you get
00:03:26.400
to the hospital. They will not let you leave the hospital if you don't have the car seat installed
00:03:31.120
in the car. So we've already installed our car seat, which is very helpful, and we are going to be
00:03:37.960
all set with that so we don't have to worry when we get to the hospital that they won't let us take the
00:03:42.700
baby home. I'm also bringing a belly band, a compression band. Now, it's not because I want to look
00:03:49.660
different after pregnancy. It's not because I'm trying to lose weight or anything like that. I've heard from a lot
00:03:54.800
of moms that you can just feel kind of like squishy and loose after the baby is born, and it just gives
00:04:00.340
you the support. So I'm bringing my own. I ordered it on Amazon, but I also did hear from someone
00:04:05.540
that if you ask your hospital for one, they will give it to you. So I'm going to bring it, and if I
00:04:12.340
don't need it, then I'll return it to Amazon. I am also bringing our camera with a couple of extra
00:04:17.600
batteries and lenses. Not because I'm vlogging. I am not planning on doing a birth vlog. At some point,
00:04:23.460
I'll probably share the birth story just because I think birth stories are really cool, but I'm not
00:04:27.520
going to be vlogging anything. I'm just bringing the camera so that if we want to take some really
00:04:31.200
nice pictures right after the baby's born, we can. I also love photography, so I would love to be able
00:04:36.440
to do that right at the hospital. I'm also bringing a toiletry bag, another obvious thing to bring. So
00:04:42.940
it's going to have, you know, my glasses, my contacts, my toothbrush, all that stuff, but I'm also bringing
00:04:47.580
some things that are specific to this stay. So I'm bringing face wipes, deodorant, which that's, I'm always
00:04:53.180
bringing that in my toiletry bag. Nipple butter, lip balm, and scrunchies and hair ties. I've heard
00:04:59.960
that lip balm is really important when you're in the hospital because it can be really dry, especially
00:05:04.020
as you're laboring. It's just not a great situation for your lips. Nipple butter, because I'll be nursing
00:05:10.740
for the first time, please God. And scrunchies and a hair tie to keep my hair out of my face. Now, help me
00:05:16.080
decide about this, you guys. I need your help. I'm deciding whether to get a fan for labor. So my body
00:05:22.640
tends to react to pain by getting hot and nauseous. So it seems like it would be a good idea, but I'm having
00:05:28.440
a hard time justifying it. They have some online that are not really expensive, and I could use in the future
00:05:34.720
on the stroller for the baby. So I could use it, but I don't know why I'm having a hard time, like, pulling the
00:05:40.940
trigger on that one. But let me know if that's something you would use or did use during your labor. And I'll be
00:05:47.040
bringing my water bottle so that I have constant access to water. That's very important. I'm a very
00:05:52.860
thirsty person these days. So I will be bringing my water bottle. Now, don't judge me too hard with
00:06:00.420
this one, please. But I will be bringing a small makeup bag. I don't think I'm gonna use it. I don't
00:06:06.800
know, though. And it might just allow me a sense of normalcy after the baby's born, or if we want to
00:06:11.880
FaceTime anyone, I don't think anyone is allowed in the hospital except for Jacob. But even if I just
00:06:17.160
want to, like, put on something a little bit just to make myself feel normal after having been in the
00:06:22.920
hospital and giving birth to a baby, I think that that's not a bad idea. So I'm bringing a small
00:06:27.240
makeup bag. Is that ridiculous? Let me know your thoughts. Headphones are the next thing on my list
00:06:33.380
just so that I can make some long-distance calls. Or if I'm up in the middle of the night and I can't
00:06:38.080
sleep, maybe I can pop those in and watch something or listen to something. I think it's
00:06:42.760
always good to have headphones on hand. So I'm going to be bringing a pair. And I will be bringing
00:06:47.200
super long chargers, like 10 foot long chargers. This was a huge recommendation I got from a lot of
00:06:54.040
people, especially on YouTube, talking about how hospitals have chargers, have outlets in, like,
00:07:01.220
the weirdest places. So it's actually pretty important to bring a really long charger so that
00:07:06.040
no matter where you are in the room, you can have your phone plugged in. I think that's a really
00:07:10.540
good idea. So I'm bringing two, one for me, one for Jacob. And so we can be able to keep our phones
00:07:15.860
charged no matter where we are. Now, a couple of things that are, like, specific to labor I'm
00:07:21.140
bringing are the Freedom Mom Perry bottle. So this is something after you have a baby, you can't really
00:07:26.840
wipe down there. Stuff is not that great for that. So you just kind of rinse yourself. And the hospital
00:07:33.780
will provide bottles, but apparently they're just, like, kind of hard to work with because they're
00:07:37.680
not angled right. Whereas the Freedom Mom Perry bottle is apparently really good for that. So I
00:07:43.100
actually bought two because we have two bathrooms at home. So we can have one upstairs and one
00:07:46.440
downstairs. And then I'm going to bring one to the hospital with us so that it's easier. And in that
00:07:51.100
same vein, I also am bringing Depends underwear, which are basically adult diapers, but they're very
00:07:56.480
pretty. And I think I got the Discreet brand. I have heard that the mesh panties that the hospital
00:08:02.980
provides are just not that great because they are, they can be really big. They'll fall down.
00:08:09.100
There's a lot of stuff in them to help you heal. But I'd rather have a pair of underwear that I
00:08:14.600
don't have to worry about washing and that I can use, you know, once, toss away, and they can put all
00:08:21.160
that same stuff in and it's just more comfortable. So that is what I'm, that's what I got. And I also
00:08:26.480
have some for home after delivery. I'll be bringing my nursing bras and my breast pads because I
00:08:34.780
hopefully will be leaking milk. So I want to make sure that I don't leak everywhere. So I will have
00:08:40.780
that ready to go. And I'll have nursing friendly pajamas. So some women don't mind wearing a hospital
00:08:47.340
gown. I'm bringing just a couple pairs of pajamas that are comfortable and that I can also nurse in
00:08:52.680
that will just make it feel a little bit more homey since we're going to be staying at the hospital
00:08:56.920
for a couple of days. So I'll have some button down situations and I'll also have a robe just to throw
00:09:03.520
on over things. Just, I have a really pretty one that I really like. I actually bought it for this
00:09:08.040
purpose, but I've been wearing it around the house because I've been really warm lately. So it's really
00:09:13.560
cute and I actually, it makes me feel so pretty. So I thought that'd be nice to have. Okay. So I need
00:09:18.840
your advice about the next items because I feel like they're a good idea, but they also seem so
00:09:24.460
bulky. I don't even know how you would get them in and out of the hospital without it being like a
00:09:28.540
whole hullabaloo. Pillows and blankets. I've heard that hospital pillows and blankets are terrible.
00:09:34.780
And since you're going to be there for two nights and you're gonna be exhausted, like it's nice to have
00:09:38.580
a nice pillow and a nice blanket to sleep on. But also you have to bring them in and bring them out.
00:09:44.540
So what are your thoughts? If you've had a baby before, if you've done it at the hospital,
00:09:49.640
what do you think? Should I try and bring a pillow for me, a pillow for Jacob and a couple
00:09:54.020
of blankets that are small? I just, I need some input on this because I don't know. For practical
00:09:59.920
reasons, I'm going to be bringing socks with grippy bottoms and a pair of slippers. So the socks with
00:10:04.660
grippy bottoms are to help you just around the hospital. So you're not barefoot, but if you need to
00:10:08.100
walk around or you want to walk around your room and you don't want to have your feet just like
00:10:11.700
directly on the floor, that can be a good option. The hospital will also give you these,
00:10:16.840
but they have to be one size fits all. So if your feet don't fit in them, it might not be the most
00:10:22.580
comfortable thing in the world. They might be too small or too big, usually too big. So I'm bringing
00:10:27.760
a pair that I already have and I'm bringing just a comfortable pair of slippers because I'm guessing
00:10:32.900
I'll wear the socks during labor and then they'll get sweaty and awful. And then I'll want to switch
00:10:37.220
into slippers for the next couple days. Now you're going to need a going home outfit. People get really
00:10:42.300
weird about this. You're just headed home. So I don't know why you need something crazy fancy,
00:10:47.000
comfortable pair of pants, a comfortable sweatshirt, a coat, that kind of thing. I mean, I don't feel
00:10:53.080
like I'm going to be wanting to bring something like beautiful. And most people don't expect to wear
00:10:58.540
like a dress, but I don't think it even really needs that much forethought. So I'm just going to pack
00:11:03.900
something comfy to wear home from the hospital. Now paper wise, I'm bringing a guided meditation
00:11:08.580
that I wrote, which was recommended in our natural birth class. And I'm going to be bringing our birth
00:11:13.920
workbook that we are doing with the COPA class that we signed up for. It's called COPA birth.
00:11:19.700
And I'm going to be doing a review on that in my channel after labor, but they have a whole workbook
00:11:24.580
and I've had a lot of notes. I've taken a lot of notes in that workbook and I want to bring it with us
00:11:29.200
so that we can reference it. Jacob can reference it. If I need his help during labor, he's kind of
00:11:34.000
going to be my support partner. So I want to make sure that he knows like we have something that he
00:11:38.360
can reference if he's feeling a little lost. So I'm definitely going to be packing that. And then
00:11:42.960
we'll be bringing a birth plan and insurance paperwork for the baby. So you got to get that
00:11:47.880
insurance paperwork in like right away after the baby's born apparently. So we're going to make sure
00:11:51.920
we do that. And as far as the birth plan, I know that no birth goes to plan, but there are important
00:11:58.180
things that you need to kind of make decisions about early on so that you can avoid them if
00:12:04.540
it's important to you and if you can. So it's not to say that everything's going to go to plan. That
00:12:08.760
is not what I'm talking about. But like, for example, if you do not want an episiotomy unless
00:12:13.020
it's absolutely necessary, having that on a birth plan is kind of important so that you can mention
00:12:18.000
it to your doctor and be like, hey, this is not something I want unless it is absolutely needed.
00:12:23.360
That kind of thing. I'll also be bringing an eye mask. I sleep with an eye mask at home,
00:12:27.320
but it also seems practical at the hospital where they might be like flipping on lights and stuff
00:12:30.780
and a Bluetooth speaker so that in case we want to listen to music, we can. And last but not least
00:12:37.340
in my bag is Gatorade snacks and food. So hopefully they'll allow me to drink Gatorade, something that'll
00:12:44.060
just keep my energy up. It's like a clear liquid. So hopefully it's fine. I know I'm probably not
00:12:48.720
going to be allowed to eat once I'm at the hospital, but Jacob needs to be able to eat. And then after
00:12:52.540
labor, I'll want to eat. And if things are not super easy to get to or open, I would like to be
00:12:59.880
able to have some snacks. So we're going to bring some food. We're going to bring some snacks. I want
00:13:03.720
to make sure he has something to eat and some clear liquids that have electrolytes essentially.
00:13:09.380
Okay. So that is my hospital bag, but now let's quickly talk about things I need for the baby's
00:13:15.700
hospital bag. So number one is a warm blanket. When you put a baby in a car seat, I did not know
00:13:22.060
this, but you're actually not allowed to put them in the car seat when they are wearing their little
00:13:25.960
snow coats because it's too much fabric that can compress and hurt them if God forbid you're in an
00:13:32.940
accident. So you actually want to put them in, in their clothing, like the first layer of clothing
00:13:38.280
and then tuck a blanket around them. So I'm bringing a warm blanket for him and we're going to make sure
00:13:44.280
he's warm enough in case it's a very cold day when he's born. And then I'm also packing him some
00:13:49.460
going home outfits and a couple of just sleepers so that he has things to wear in the hospital. So I'm
00:13:56.180
bringing some newborn sizes and zero to three. We'll see what he fits into. I'm assuming it's going to
00:14:00.040
be newborn, even if he's a little bit on the big side, most babies wear newborn initially. So I'm packing
00:14:06.400
a few of those outfits and hats, mittens, socks, that kind of thing so that he doesn't scratch himself.
00:14:12.320
So his feet are warm. So his head is covered. You know what I'm talking about. I'm also going to be
00:14:16.980
bringing a sound machine to help us all sleep at night so that there's beeping. If there's banging
00:14:23.220
around because it's a hospital, we, we don't hear it as much. And I want to bring his nail trimmer so
00:14:30.300
that if his, if he's born and his nails are really long, we can just file them down. It's not like an
00:14:34.940
actual trimmer. It's a file. So we'll ask the doctors if they think it's a good idea, but I think just in
00:14:39.720
case so he doesn't scratch himself, uh, I'm going to bring it. I'm also bringing our baby book so we
00:14:43.980
can do little feet prints and maybe handprints when he's right, right when he's born, which
00:14:48.720
so cute. So that is it for what I am packing for the hospital. I hope you guys get some inspiration
00:14:57.640
from it. I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments about everything that I mentioned.
00:15:01.180
And, uh, and I'm excited. I'm really excited. I mean, like, as we're talking about the hospital
00:15:06.060
bag, it's getting more and more real that this is happening. I'm also kind of ready. Like I'm
00:15:12.560
ready to meet this boy and I I'm just really excited. So let me know your thoughts in the
00:15:18.040
comments. If you aren't already subscribed to my channel, make sure to do so and hit that
00:15:22.540
notification bell. And if you aren't already subscribed to my Substack newsletter, go ahead
00:15:27.260
and head over to classicallyabby.substack.com. If you'd like to follow me on social media,
00:15:31.220
it's at classicallyabby absolutely everywhere. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see