35 Weeks + Packing the Hospital Bag

It's time to pack up that hospital bag! I've got five weeks left until my due date...

(smuggling an out of season watermelon while gazing into the distance... no one will even notice)

Nothing really exciting going on this week. Heartburn is now a 24/7 joy and I have been sleeping like a baby- up every two hours. Enough about the bliss of the third trimester....

And now on to what I've packed for our little trip to the hospital where we shall have a baby. (To my male readers- please skip this and go watch some football highlights. Okaythanksbye.)

For Mama

Lip balm
hair ties & brush
Shampoo & Conditioner (or dry shampoo)
Body wash
Deoderant
Toothbrush and paste
2 pairs of comfy, no skid socks (& possibly flip flops for the shower)
Yoga (lounge) pants
1-2 nursing tank tops
Lightweight cardigan or wrap
Undies that you care nothing about (the hospital usually provides mesh undies that are excellent)
Lanolin or equivalent (I'm taking this one - I didn't care for the pure lanolin last time around.)
Nursing pads
Phone & charger
Camera with memory card and fully charged battery
Maxi pads (the hospital usually provides these, but just in case pack some of your own- ginormous sized- you'll need them at home anyhow)
Mascara (I've never packed any makeup, but it won't hurt to have it in case I want to look nice for guests. Guests? I mean visitors, of course.)
Face cleansing wipes (before you're able to get up to shower at least you can freshen your sweaty forehead)

For Baby

Car seat (it's frowned upon if you don't have one)
Newborn "scratch mittens" (or if you're being super frugal a pair of socks will also work)
Swaddling blanket (the hospital has them, but I always thought they felt rough)
Hat (you'll probably get a standard issue pink & blue knit from the hospital)
Heavier weight blanket to use on the way home (over baby in car seat since it'll be December)
Burp cloths (I use pre-fold cloth diapers most of the time)
2 sleepers (newborn and 0-3 size) to go home in
Socks
Hairbrush (just in case baby shows up with a generous amount of hair)

The hospital will usually supply diapers and wipes, but go ahead a pack some of your own (you never know).

I have never packed snacks, reading material, my own pillow or my boppy. My hospital has been generous with the amount of pillows they give me and unlike a lot of places (apparently) they are usually fluffy and not flat. Obviously you can throw one of yours in the car (make sure you put a colorful pillowcase on it) and if the pillows at your hospital are sub par you can have someone bring it in to you.

If you anticipate a lot of visitors pack an extra bag (like a reusable shopping bag that won't take up a lot of room) because many visitors will bring a little gift and it's much easier to put it all in one bag than to have to handle 10 gift bags. Whoever is shlepping the stuff to the car will thank you. Also! You might get to take home a lot of hospital provided things that have already been opened (like diapers). Ask your nurse if you are allowed to take stuff if you feel weird doing that. My nurses usually opened up the drawers on the bassinet and threw stuff at us to take home because they couldn't re use anything that had been opened.

When I look in my bag it seems very... sparse. Maybe that's because the bag itself is so big. It's good though, because I can throw any last minute things in there that I think I'll need (maybe some stuff for Tim). I hope this is helpful to anyone that stumbles across this. Experienced Mamas feel free to add to the list in the comment section the items you found essential or the things that were useless. And good luck to all you expecting moms- you look beautiful!