My Birth Center Bag

So, I belong to a birth month Facebook group.  This group is kind of addicting, definitely annoys the shit out of Dufda, and makes me think that I have 300 friends that are all pregnant with me at the same time, when in real life I know about 4 of them.  One of the constant discussions on this group is:  What do you pack in this infamous hospital bag!?  I think it gets brought up about one or twice a week.  I never had a real urge to pack said bag.  I plan to birth at a birth center and stay for the minimum required stay of 4 hours.  What could I really need during this time?  Well, when it got down to it...a lot, or maybe nothing at all, that is the problem with being a first time mom...you honestly don't know. 

The question was finally brought up to me at my 37 week appointment.  Do you have the car seat installed?  Have you packed your bag yet?  The answer to both of these was no.  That same week, Dufda and I made a trip to the hospital with a possibility of having a baby the same day without anything packed and no car seat to bring the baby home in.  You would think that this would have lit a fire under my ass to get things moving.  It did not.  My plan was that when I went into labor that I would pack my bag to kill some time.  Well the other day, I was positive we were going to have a baby.  So I started packing.  We didn't have a baby, so instead I figured I would turn it into a blog post for others who may be super confused on what you should bring with you.  Mind you, this was packed based on a pregnant women's mind and I will no doubt update you after to tell you how much crap I brought that I didn't need.  On our honeymoon I packed like 3 huge suitcases...I wore about four outfits...this is your warning that you should not take my advice when packing for anything.

The first bag I packed was Nugget's.  He is the most important because most likely I will have clothes on when I go into labor...he on the other hand comes out all naked. 

 

For the babe, we have a newborn outfit, a 0-3 outfit, an aden + anais swaddle, some Gerber prefolds, a receiving blanket, and a changing mat.  There wasn't much reason behind this, but I knew I wanted some stuff to dress him in if he was super tiny or super huge and then some stuff to clean him up with if he was super messy.  I packed this all in his diaper bag and figured it could be brought in after he is born.

 

Next up is my bag.  I packed for a birth center birth and if I end up transferred, will send Dufda home to grab some more stuff.

To the left I have my going home outfit.  It is March so it will probably be cold and I will still probably be fat.  I have some two sizes too big sweat pants, a long tank, a long sleeve maternity top and a zip up.  Everyone told me the general rule of thumb is to pack something that would fit when you are about 5-6 month pregnant.  In the center is my birthing dress because I am special and refuse to wear any hospital issued gown.  Of course a hair brush, so Dufda can brush my hair to relax me.  The to round out the clothing I packed two nursing bras and a nursing tank.  I may throw in a bathing suit top, but I feel like I won't really care for clothes in the Jacuzzi.  My after birth supplies are next.  I got some fabulous mesh undies, two Depends, some super gigantic hospital grade pads, two more normal size pads and some disposable breast pads.  No rhyme or reason to this either, just wanted to be prepared for what ever state I am left in.  I packed 3 of my favorite candles to set the mood...a perk of not being in the hospital.  I also have my own set of towels because I prefer microfiber to a regular towel...have you figured out why I require so much luggage everywhere I go?  This bag will go in with me when I first arrive.  The next one will stay in the car till I am ready to clean myself up.

This bag of toiletries is more for if I end up in the hospital, but some of it will be used before we go home.  I got a birth center survival kit at my baby shower from my niece that included most of this stuff, so I figured why not have it.  It is just your everyday toiletries.  Of course since my niece is the spawn of my anal sister, there also was some Clorox wipes just in case I wanted to scrub the bathroom while I was in labor.  The actual contents are deodorant, mouth wash, Shampoo, conditioner, chapstick, lotion, Tylenol...you know for my pain, contact solution and case, face wipes, and anti bacterial soap.  Still debating on whether I want some make-up to make myself beautiful for the 3000+ pictures Dufda will be taking after Nugget enters the world. 

Next, is my food bag.  Even though my mother insist I wont' be hungry, I am never not hungry.  I am going to embrace the freedom of being out of the hospital and bring my favorite things from my pregnancy.

We have some honey sticks, granola, fruit snacks, Ritz crackers, juice, water, coffee, hard candy, soft candy, chocolate, and apple sauce.  I really would like to grab a cake on our way...oh and some donuts.  If nothing else at least Dufda will have snacks.  After the birth our nurse cooks us breakfast as well.  And of course don't forget these:

Since we didn't end up going into labor when I was packing there is still stuff we use everyday that will need packed.  I made a list and left it near everything else so we wouldn't forget anything.

• clementine's : )
• eye glasses
• our cell phones and chargers
• camera, charges, and cards
• iPod
• tablets and chargers
• Dufda's stuff, he is a last minutes packer and I just let him be
• our slippers.

Finally, we have a dog so we needed to prepare her to be taken to my mom's.  We packed three days of food in the event of a hospital stay, some hard bones, treats, toys, and a kong.  She also has a new toy from the baby that she can get when she goes up there.

What was one thing you wished you had in your hospital/birth center bag, or were you a total over packer like I am?