Hospital Bag Packing List

Obviously I am a first time mom who has never delivered a baby therefore take my packing advice with a grain of salt. I’ll definitely do an updated what we actually used post after baby is here. I also would encourage you to check with your doctor and the hospital on current policies due to everything rapidly changing with COVID. I will also mention I am a chronic overpacker and just feel more comfortable having everything possible. It somehow eases my anxiety. The current policy at the hospital I will deliver at is only one support person which will be my husband. He is allowed to come and go but will probably only go to the car or pick up food delivery from the door. I really prefer to have him with me since I will be alone otherwise. I packed with all of this in mind.

Luggage I packed in for myself, husband and baby: Samsonite Hardsided Carry-On and Tory Burch tote. I did include two reusable shopping bags within the suitcase in order to carry anything else home we acquire during the stay.

Packing List for Mom

  • Hospital gown: I’m fully aware of how extra this is. Obviously this truly isn’t a necessity but I ended up getting this one and washed it before so it would hopefully be more comfortable. I’m really picky about textures on my skin with fabric so I felt like this might help especially since who knows how long I’ll have to wear it for.
  • Two button up night gowns. Both in dark colors and button up. I have one long sleeve and one short sleeve. They’re my favorite pajamas!
  • Silk robe
  • Sleep mask
  • Barefoot dreams cardigan
  • Maternity underwear, two pairs of socks with grips, and bras
  • Dollar store flip flops for shower shoes
  • Maxi, slip and Birkenstocks for going home
  • Basic toiletries: soap, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, extra contacts/case/solution, glasses, face wash, makeup wipes, aquaphor lip balm, hairbrush and minimal makeup products.
  • Daily medications

Packing List for Dad

  • Two comfortable outfits (athletic shorts, joggers, tee shirts)
  • Sweatshirt
  • Boxers socks
  • Shower shoes
  • Going home outfit (golf polo and shorts)
  • Basic toiletries: we will share most of the things above but added shampoo/hair stuff for him, any medication he might need (Tylenol or Tums…hospital will not dispense these to spouses). I put the toiletries in a gallon ziplock for easy access inside our tote.
  • Air pods

Packing List for Baby:

Miscellaneous Packing List:

I started packing my bag at 35 weeks slowly and putting things in. As I have gotten closer to the end of my pregnancy I have put mostly everything in except the things I still need until we actually go to the hospital. I used gallon sized ziplock bags as I always do to pack everything like outfits for easy access. I love doing this because you can put dirty items back inside the bags without getting anything clean exposed to it. I also roll everything as I put it into the ziplocks to use every inch of space. I put the things we wouldn’t necessarily need during the delivery in the suitcase including baby’s things. In non-COVID times I would probably leave the suitcase in the car as I am aware you do often change rooms a few times until recovery. The tote is packed with things my husband or I might need during delivery including chargers, snacks, medication, and toiletries that way they are easy to access.

Obviously, everything I have packed isn’t necessary. In fact, you could literally show up with your ID and insurance information. The hospital gives you the things you actually need. I hope that my lists gives you some ideas of what you might want to pack for your own stay. Moms, did I miss anything? If so please let me know below in the comments!

Love,

Megan

2nd Trimester Bumpdate

I’m officially in my third trimester as of last week. I am currently 29 weeks as of this Saturday! (Pictured above. Dress is last year from Vici Collection but they have it again this year in a sage green. It is not maternity and I am wearing a small.) I wanted to give an update of how my second trimester went and on how baby Turner is doing so far.

(Pictured above at 16 weeks) I entered into my second trimester in January around the time we announced our pregnancy on social media. My biggest pregnancy symptoms throughout this trimester were exhaustion, headaches, and acid reflux. I tried everything known to man for the headaches. They were everyday pretty much as soon as the second trimester began. When I was still and not moving they weren’t has bad but that’s not really an option when you’re a middle school teacher. I just pushed through the best I could everyday and tried to be grateful this was the worst pregnancy symptom I had. Thankfully they started to get less frequent in March and by the end of the second trimester they were gone. I feel like I’m always tired and have acid reflux even when not pregnant so those two symptoms didn’t really bother me. Overall, I would say I had a pretty easy second trimester and I feel very blessed to be able to say that!

(Pictured above at 19 weeks) We had our anatomy scan around this time and Turner measured almost exactly to the day on all of his measurements. I had so much anxiety of the appointment that I was such a relief to get good news and see him moving around a ton on the ultrasound.

(Pictured above at 20 weeks) I didn’t do as good of a job as I had originally planned during the second trimester of documenting each week in photos. Honestly, it’s because I wasn’t showing much so I felt kind of silly taking photos. We were also traveling a ton because in February we found out we would be moving before the baby was born. If you saw my last post then you know that we sold our current house and bought another in March back in home in Texas. Then everything got worse with COVID and the entire state of Arkansas schools went to online schooling. The county we lived in had the first case in the state and gradually was seeing many more cases confirmed. We closed on our new house at the end of March and decided to go ahead and move. My husband felt like it would be better to get me close to our families and my new doctor back home that would be delivering the baby. I had been starting to get pretty bad anxiety with everything happening plus just pregnancy in general and I can honestly tell you that once we got settled in our new home it greatly reduced.

(Pictured above at 25 weeks) A major positive of being in our new house is that we’ve been able to begin on the nursery. We have a crib and bookcase put together so far and are working on the dresser. Other than some decor and accent pieces we just have quite a bit of organizing to do in his closet and we will be ready for his arrival! It has been nice having extra time to do this that we had not planned on originally having.

(Pictured at 27 weeks above) I had my first visit with my new doctor who actually was my doctor before I moved so just new to this pregnancy. I was tested for gestational diabetes and do not have it which was a huge blessing! I have gained 9 pounds so far and Turner is measuring exactly perfect to the week. I started feeling him move around 18 weeks and he started moving consistently and more often around 24 weeks. Since then he moves all day everyday and Tyler was finally able to feel him moving! I’m still feeling comfortable even entering the third trimester and feel so grateful for that.

(Pictured above at 28 weeks) Our next appointment will be at 30 weeks and the time is really starting to fly by. We are getting excited and nervous as it becomes more real each day! The only disappointing thing we have experienced so far is having to cancel our original shower date due to COVID. Thankfully, since Turner is not due until mid July we are rescheduling for this summer and hoping things will be better by then.

(Pictured above at 29 weeks) Thank you for allowing me to share our pregnancy journey with you! This has been the most exciting experience of our lives as a married couple and overall we are just so grateful for good health for both Turner and I. We are praying this continues over the next 11 weeks while we prepare to meet him! This time might not look like we had planned due to COVID but we are thanking God for his provision despite what is happening in the world. Nursery posts and things I couldn’t live without during the second trimester are coming this month so make sure to subscribe so you won’t miss them!

Love,

Megan