What to Steal From the Hospital After Giving Birth

Woo TGIF, friends! I can't believe we leave for Walt Disney World in less than a week! We're battling some mild colds in our house right now though so we'll be trying to make a speedy recovery this weekend and just prep for our trip. We have a little bit more shopping and a lot of packing to do!

Today though I've been inspired recently by one of my very good friends who just gave birth to her baby girl and have been reminded of my time of being in the hospital and giving birth. I had no idea you could come home with so many "goodies" from the hospital! I've got to say, all the stuff I took home with me was such a big help in the first month of being a new mom. I wanted to share a little bit of wisdom with all of you so you can make a quick list on your phones of things to knick from the hospital before you come home with your new bundle of joy!

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THE LIST

• Ice packs
• Mesh undies
• Oversized pads
• Bulb syringes
• Pacifiers
• Receiving blankets
• Diapers
• Wash cloths
• Dermaplast
• Peri bottle
• Baby hats

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1. Ice packs - The hospital has convenient crack and shake ice packs that stay cold for about 30 minutes at a time. I used these so much for my tailbone while I was napping. It's not the best thing to keep a cold pack on a sore spot for too long, so it was nice that these "expired" when I fell asleep. Use them for whatever is still sore long after you leave the hospital!

2. Mesh undies - Don't waste your money buying your own...just take a couple weeks worth from the hospital because they're going to get ruined or thrown away anyways. I recommend wearing these for about 2 weeks after giving birth so that you don't ruin any of your good underwear.

3. Oversized pads - I didn't even know they made pads that big but thank goodness they do! Once again...grab enough for a week or two to use at home because before you know it, you won't be bleeding that much. Then you can switch over to normal sized pads until you're in the all clear.

4. Bulb syringes - I fibbed and told our nurse I didn't know where our bulb syringe was so that I could have two at home. We keep one upstairs in Kai's room and one downstairs in his pack and play or I'll throw it in the diaper bag. These things are great for getting water out of their ears and boogers out of their nose.

​5. Pacifiers - Ask your nurse for a few pacifiers. Our hospital had the Soothies ones and those are Kai's favorite. I keep them all over the house and trust me, later on when your baby is teething, you'll want as many extras as possible that you can throw in the freezer and keep rotating out. That way you don't have to take their Wubanub away from them...you have temps all over the place!

6. Receiving blankets - These are what the nurses will swaddle your babe in at the hospital. When your baby has more strength and can wiggle around, these blankets won't stay put if you swaddle them in them. So what I'm getting at is don't waste your money or your registry space on buying your own. Take a few of the cute baby feet ones they have at the hospital to bring your baby home in and use them to keep them warm in their car seat. Other than that, they're just going to sit in the closet.

​7. Diapers - Take as many diapers as your hospital bags will hold. Newborns go through 10-12 diapers a day...take advantage of as many free ones you can get! Most hospitals have Pampers, which are so great for newborns because it has the wet indicator on the outside.

8. Wash cloths - You can never have too many, in my opinion. I use little wash cloths for everything...spit up incidents, wiping Kai's bum when he has diaper rash, washing my face, cleaning, sweat towel for yoga, etc.

9. Dermaplast - The hospital has lots of cans of this stuff so ask to take a couple home with you. This is the stuff that you spray on your vagina to numb it up after you use the bathroom. I know, I know, gross, TMI, but seriously after you've just given birth, you need relief whenever you can get it. I used this stuff for about two weeks pp.

10. Peri bottle - Another post bathroom use item. I took the one the hospital gave to me home and I really wish I had asked for a second one so that I could have one upstairs and one downstairs. I used this after every bathroom trip for about a month. I tore during my delivery, so I had to have stitches, and I wanted to make sure I was staying as clean as possible down there.

11. Baby hats - The hospitals all give out those cute blue and pink baby hats! Take a bunch, especially in the winter! They are the perfect size for a small newborn head and help with any quick trips in and out of the house.

Anything else I'm missing mamas!? Leave some comments on this post for any other ideas you have for mamas to be who are about to go through labor and delivery soon!