What To Pack For The Hospital When Having A C-Section

OMG, you guys!!!!! My C-section is officially one week from today!

Next Friday, this time I will be holding our newest little person in my arms. The whole thing seems so crazy. Where did my pregnancy go?

I realized today that not only did the pregnancy seem to fly by because we have 2 children to keep up with this time around but also because of our move. While our household is as chaotic as any other  family’s, I still like to feel like I have some sort of  “organization to the chaos” if that makes any sense.  But instead, we’ve been living out of boxes for 6 months not really knowing when we will be able to move into our permanent residence.

So I’ve spent 9 months, trying to remain sane with the “we have time” mentality, well at now 38 weeks we don’t have time, and I need to start washing baby clothes.

Last week,  I finally got around to tackling packing my hospital bag for my c-section (Did I mention it’s NEXT Friday? …oh ok.), and while you would think I’d be a pro (being that it IS my 3rd time around), I totally wasn’t. That being said… I managed to pull it together and get  it done because if there is one thing, my prior birthing and parenting experience has taught me, it is this:

[Tweet “When it comes to pregnancy and parenthood, its always best to have a plan and expect the opposite.”]

Video & List For Packing Your Hospital Bag

{Click here to view video on my YouTube Channel}

Ok, What’s in my bag?

• – Large bag– preferably with wheels
• – Cord Blood kit – We chose Viacord, but CBR is also an excellent choice.

Side note: My Dr advised against investing in Tissue banking by the way. So if you are thinking about storage, you may want to ask your doc’s opinion before picking a plan.

• – Baby’s “take me home outfit” Instead of gender neutral we went with buying two outfits just for fun. One will inevitably be going back…but will it be the pink or the blue??
• – Soft cotton pajamas I don’t like ANYTHING touching my c-section area, so I always opt for a nightgown. The one in my video is the before and after ruffle dress by Belabumbum.
• – Robe Some people like to opt for a zip up sweatshirt, either way think layers! It can get quite chilly in the hospital. The Robe in my video is the Queen Bee Robe by Belabumbum.
• – Warm Socks
• – Comfy Bra Comfort is key. The nursing bra in my video is the Bravado Embrace Bra which is made of this magical material that fits like a glove. I’m hoping the Bamboo sleep bra arrives in time too, because I always sleep in sports bra and had no idea “sleep bras” even existed! 🙂
• – Underwear If we are being honest here… the underwear after you deliver gets trashed no matter how you deliver. With a C-section, I highly recommend asking the hospital for a few extras of those mesh undies they provide. They’re disposable and by far the most comfortable for your incision.
• – Phone charger
• – Real deal camera We are bringing our Cannon t3i
• – Belly Band-it belly support Ok, so like I said I don’t like anything touching my incision area, but I’ve heard great things about this product and so I am going to bring it with me to see how it goes. I may decided not to use it right away- we’ll see.
• – Toiletries
  • – Facial Wipes The ones in my video are Olay’s Fresh Effects Swipe Out. I also love the Neutrogena cleansing wipes. They’re thicker, softer and have more to a package.
  • – Lotion The one in my video is Olay Fresh Effects– Long live moisture satin lotion (Whew! That’s a mouth full, huh?)
  • – Contact Lenses & Case
  • – Contact Solution
  • – Body wash
  • – Tooth brush & tooth paste
  • – Hair ties and bobby pins
• – Cosmetic-y things
  • – Lip Balm The one in my video that I highly recommend EOS. BEST lip balm EVA, you guys!
  • – BB Cream The one in my video is Garnier Skin Renewal.
  • – Basic blush The one in my video is “The One Sweep” by L’oreal.
  • – Mascara The one in my video is Benefit’s “They’re Real” mascara.
• – Sibling and Daddy Gift It’s nice to make the siblings feel special. This is a big day for them! So we got gifts “from the baby” to the kids.

In my video, Laina’s gift is Molly Brown London’s pink bean necklace. It’s super cute and like Tiffany for girls. [My review here] Ry’s gift is a Miami Heat Jersey… hard to find something sentimental and exciting for an 8 yr old boy… but he’s going to love this!

• – Mama’s Coming Home Outfit Like I said, I don’t want anything touching my incision area (per me)… so while sweats sound comfy, a dress is my only option. Finding a dress for the fall chill? Kind of challenging.

I found a comfy casual shirt dress on clearance at Motherhood that typically, I’d have paired with boots.

However, after much discussion… I came to the reality of.. boots are going to be impossibly hard to put on after the C-section. So I swapped them out for brown flats like the ones below-

As one person told me, who’s going to be looking at your feet when you have an adorable baby in your arms? 😉

What’s on my day of list

• – License and insurance card
• – Pillow
• – Eye Glasses
• – Makeup
• – Camera battery
• – Hair brush
• – Double check for phone cord

** One update to the video… The Boppy. While I personally am not packing it this time, I’ve heard it is helpful for nursing moms. I also have personally found that if your car is a sedan it is excellent for c-section Moms to sit on, on the way home because it helps absorb some of the bumps.  So in either of those cases? I say the Boppy is a bring!

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Ok… now to wash those itty bitty clothes.